New To Blakely? Welcome!!
On behalf of the Blakely Parent Teacher Organization, welcome to Blakely School! We hope the years your child spends at Blakely are a highlight of childhood that you and your child will remember very fondly once he/she has moved on.
By having a child at our school, you are automatically a member of the Blakely PTO. We are an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. Our meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of each month at the school and parents can bring younger siblings. Meeting reminders, as well as other PTO news, are posted in the Parent Bulletin, which is distributed to each student twice per month. Meeting minutes are also posted on the Blakely School website. We hope you’ll join us in the breadth of activities and projects that occur throughout the school year.
Being a part of the PTO is a great way to meet Blakely teachers and staff and fellow Blakely parents with similar interests. There are many ways that you can participate; we do lots of projects or activities you might find interesting. Regardless of whether you like to work individually or with a group, if you like to work on a project during the school day or after hours, or if you like short-term projects or long-term, we welcome every level of involvement!
To get involved: Please look for sign up sheets at Parent Night at the beginning of the school year. If you want to participate but can’t sign up at Parent Night, contact Lisa McCassey at mccasseyisland@msn.com or PTO president, Sherry Larsen-Holmes at 855-4162 or s_larsen_holmes@hotmail.com.
Activities and Fundraisers
Sally Foster—One of two major fundraisers for our school. Parents, friends and relatives are given the opportunity to purchase high-quality unique wrapping paper and gifts. Volunteers help check orders and distribute orders at the school. Watch for order forms in September.
Enrichment—Enrichment activities include cultural, musical or performing arts assemblies, author talks, and after-school art programs on half-days. For the past 7 years we have been fortunate to have our “poet-in-residence,” Lorraine Ferra, come teach our students poetry. Ms. Ferra will be returning to work with our students again this year. In January, the Pacific Science Center will present an assembly and hands-on workstations entitled “Physics on Wheels.”
Holiday Shop—A Blakely tradition. On the half-day of school before winter break, kids are allowed to “shop” for gifts for family members from among gently used items donated by parents. Items are very inexpensive and the gym stage is strictly off-limits to parents while children shop! Volunteers help set up the holiday shop, help students find items, help wrap gifts for children.
Book Fair—An event to look forward to when the nights are still long and you’re looking for some new good reading material for your kids. Book Fair is a PTO event that helps raise funds for the school library.
Family Dinner Auction—The major fundraiser for the PTO and a huge amount of fun! Blakely’s auction is a family affair. There are activities for the kids—open gym, face painting, arts and crafts. For the adults, there’s lots of socializing and, of course, egging your friends on to bid more than they should! Traditionally, March is Blakely auction time. We can always use more volunteers for the auction!
Fitness Challenge—Kids run for fun in this 5-day spring event. Parents, friends and relatives can choose to “sponsor” a child and money raised goes to non-profit organizations in our community. Volunteers are needed for a couple hours each day to help tally kids’ laps.
Blakely BBQ—An end-of-year event for the whole family. This is a great time to catch up with friends and reflect on the school year. In the past couple of years, we’ve also been fortunate to have live music at the BBQ, which adds to the festive atmosphere.
Field Day—Another end-of-year fun-filled day for students. Many stations and many fun activities, including a maze and paper airplane toss. The culmination of field day is the class tug-o-war. Come cheer the students on!
The Blakely PTO also:
- Makes Picture Day flow smoothly
- Helps out with fall Health Screening
- Creates and sells school spirit T-shirts and sweatshirts
- Showers our teachers and staff with a Teacher Appreciation luncheon each spring
- Pulls together a Memory Book
- Teaches Foreign Language classes before school
- Collects Box Tops and Campbell’s Soup labels (UPC codes)
- Provides Art Docents for classrooms
We’re busy! But, we’re having fun and hope you’ll join us.