Blakely Newsletter - May 5, 2025

Dear Blakely Community,

May is Mental Health Awareness Month— a special time to remind ourselves of just how important it is to care for our feelings, thoughts, and relationships. Just like we care for our children’s physical health, we also want to support their emotional and mental well-being as they grow and learn. 

In elementary school, children are building the foundation for managing emotions, forming and building friendships, solving problems, and understanding themselves. This month, let’s all model how to name and identify our feelings, communicate that all feelings are okay, model how to use coping strategies for the various feelings we feel, and how to ask for help when needed.

Below are some helpful, evidence-based resources you can explore at home to learn about more ways to support your child’s mental health:

Simple, research-based information on various mental health-related topics.

Various ways to help support your child’s mental health-related needs. 

Activities and videos that help younger children learn about feelings, kindness, and coping with tough moments.

Additional ways we can support our community’s children are by checking in with them regularly and modeling for them that it’s okay to talk about hard days. Children thrive when they feel seen, heard, and loved. Consistent, positive connections with caregivers builds a foundation of trust, resilience, and self-worth. Whether it’s sharing meals together, having tech-free family time, or simply checking in with your child at the end of the day, these small moments add up to big impacts on their mental health.

If you ever have concerns about your child’s emotional or social well-being, please know I am here to help. Let’s work together to nurture healthy minds and happy hearts every month of the year.

With care,

BISD is in the process of hiring the next principal for Blakely Elementary. Please take a moment to complete this survey and identify the skills, qualities and characteristics of a principal that are most important to you. The anonymous input gathered will be shared with the screening and interview teams and will help inform the questions asked of the candidates. The survey will be open through the end of the day on Monday, May 12th.

It’s not too late to help show your love and appreciation! Please sign up to bring something if you can--items should be delivered to the Teacher's Lounge between 9-9:30 am. If you have any questions, please contact Makayla Speed Ryan at makayla.speed@gmail.com. 

The Annual Back-to-school Check-in (ABC) process is open. This annual process lets us know that your student(s) are returning to our schools for 2025-26 and allows parents/guardians to review annual information. 57% of Blakely families have completed their ABC Check In so far. Let's get it done!

The ABCs must be completed* for all students attending BISD schools in 2025-26, including both new and returning students. Access the ABCs by logging into your Family Access account. It should take about 15 minutes (or less!) to complete. 

If you need assistance with the ABC process (such as translation, accessing technology, or other questions), please get in touch with Kyanne Hawkins at KHawkins@bisd303.org or (206) 780-2060. 

NOT RETURNING? If your current K-11th grade student is not returning to BISD schools next fall, please let Kyanne Hawkins know at KHawkins@bisd303.org or (206) 780-2060. 

 

The highly anticipated Blakely Art Sale has begun! Blakely has a longstanding tradition of creating and holding an art sale each year. Every Blakely student has made a unique piece of art at school — and the PTO has framed each one. These one-of-a-kind artworks are now available for purchase, with all proceeds helping to support our school!  If the cost of your student's art is prohibitive, please reach out to Kyanne Hawkins. We want all families to have access to their student's art.  The art will be sent home with your student on June 13th. Thank you for your support!

Blakely will be celebrating its Walk and Bike to School Day on Friday, May 16th!  Join other families in celebrating the beautiful weather and practicing alternative ways to get to school that promote health and help the environment. So get outside, get out of your car, and get your kids off the bus for the day!

Join us in one of four ways!

To ensure that all bikers are safe, we request that a parent or trusted adult rides or walks with your student in the bike or walk train.  If you can’t take your child, you can get support from another parent or trusted adult who may already be riding.  Please contact Brenda Hodges-Howell bhodgeshowell@gmail.com or 206-940-5309 with any questions or if you need help finding an adult to ride with your child.

The bike trains will NOT return at the end of the day.  So please remember that if you biked your child to school, you’ll need to bike them home or connect with another adult who can be responsible for your child and their bike. Be sure your child knows their plan to get home at the end of the day, and all transportation changes are communicated to the Blakely front office. 

Finally, be sure to give your kiddo’s bike a safety check before the day of the ride: Check brakes, tires, and gears. Classic Cycles has used trade-in bikes and they are able to pump up tires and check helmets for right fit.   

Looking forward to seeing walkers and riders out on May 16th! 

The Blakely Yearbook is complete! Special thanks to all the parents and teachers who contributed photos for the yearbook. Your candid photos helped fill out the book with so many special moments from this year at Blakely! We will continue having an open Google Drive Folder for photos next year (same link), please feel free to add your photos anytime! 

2: Popcorn Day

2: PTO Meeting 8am in the Library

5-9: Staff Appreciation Week

16: National Bike/Walk to School Day

21-23: 4th Grade Outdoor Education

26: Memorial Day - No School

29: 1st/2nd Grade Concerts (5:30pm for 1st grade, 6:30pm for 2nd Grade)

6: Popcorn Day

5: Kindergarten Artist and Author Night 6-7pm

19 - No School for Juneteenth

20: Field Day (PM)

23: Last Day of School 10:50am dismissal