Annual Performance Report
Our School
In the fall of 1999 thoughtful planning and community support culminated in the opening of Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School. Located at the heart of Bainbridge Island, the new state-of-the-art, award-winning facility was designed to connect students, staff, parents and the community to learning, which occurs in a variety of settings.
The school houses approximately 600 fifth and sixth grade students. Based on research about this age group, the building design encourages students to bond with individual adults and provides connections with small communities. Two-teacher teams promote individual mentoring and thoughtful citizenship. Clusters of five to six classrooms in each of the school’s four wings complement a focus on small groups.
Sakai provides an enriching learning environment through its academic courses and after-school activities. A wide variety of programs, such as the Washington ImagiNation Network, Math Olympiad, Washington State Arts Commission activities, multicultural connections, and a Student Support Center are available to all students. These opportunities foster educational, personal, and social growth.
Our Mission
Sakai Intermediate School’s mission is to encourage and enhance student achievement through diverse learning opportunities and to promote responsible, reasonable, respectful, and reliable citizenship.
What we know about 5th and 6th grade students
The following points are the basis for planning at Sakai:
1 This is a transitional period of life.
2 Students in grades 5 and 6 are still children.
3 Students are developing a value system.
4 Students need diverse learning opportunities.
5 All members of the Sakai learning community need to:
• feel safe and cared for.
• be treated with compassion and fairness.
• be heard and recognized as unique and special.
• celebrate successes.
We hope you find this special report about Sakai Intermediate School useful and interesting. All of us - home, school, and community -
engage in a partnership to educate children. Communication is one of the important ways to make connections effective. If you have questions about any of this information, please call the school office, (206) 780-6500.
The Mission of the Bainbridge Island School District is to help all students become successful
learners, caring individuals, and responsible citizens.
The school district depends on the community to help it meet the needs of each student with a modern and effective education program. We appreciate that student needs are not only educational, but personal, economic and social as well. We will work together to develop and implement programs that ensure students’ success.
Sakai Intermediate School
Sakai students represent a variety of interests and abilities. Many students are involved in extracurricular activities, such as sports, dance, and drama. Education is a high priority of our students, and their academic performance is generally above average. Students strive to be reasonable, responsible, reliable, and respectful.
• Teachers work in teams of two. In 5th grade, students are primarily with one teacher, but may have one subject with a second teacher. In 6th grade, students are taught by two teachers with one of the teachers as their home base. This allows students to meet and bond with several adults over the year. It also allows teachers to become experts in their subject areas. This is an excellent lead into 7th and 8th grade.
• Both 5th and 6th grade students participate in art, physical education, general music or band and are taught by knowledgeable, expert teachers.
• After-school programs are available to all students until 6 PM each day. This is made possible through our partnership with Boys and Girls Club. After-school opportunities have included foreign language classes, swing dance, technology club, Washington ImagiNation Network, Video Club, Rocketry Club, Glass Bending, 210 Club, Smart Girls, Leadership Club, and intramural competitions.
• Our Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) supports our programs and raises funds for special events, leadership activities, curriculum and instructional needs, and emergency preparations. Many volunteers choose to be involved through PTO.
• A full-time counselor is available for students. Students also have access to focus groups, such as Changing Families, KLUE, and Anger Management. 5th grade students participated in the DARE program. A Student Support Center is available for students needing help with assignment completion, discipline, emotional issues, peer mediation, or a quiet place at recess.
Our Staff (#s reflect full and part-time staff)
Certificated: #
• Classroom teachers 28
• Other support staff 9
• Administrators 2
Classified:
• Paraeducators 14
• Support Staff 7
• Volunteers 272+
Enrollment
Total # of students: 592 (*Apr. ‘00 enrollment data)
Average class size (based on May ‘00 enrollment data)
5th Grade: 27
6th Grade: 27
Student ethnicity % # of students (*)
American Indian: 1.9 11
Asian 4.6 27
Black 1.5 9
Hispanic 2.7 16
White 89.3 529
Supplementary programs # of students (*)
Highly Capable 105
Limited English (ESL) 6
Special Education 63
Title 1/Learning Assistance Program 24
Students with more than 10 unexcused absences:
1999-00: 0
Retention
1999-00: 0
Suspensions/Expulsions
1999-00: 34/0
Weapons Related Incidents
1999-00 1
Our partnership with parents and the community is extremely important in meeting the needs of our students. We welcome your involvement, as we always need volunteers in classrooms, the support center, special programs, recess and lunch supervision, or in the office, library or computer lab. Please call our main office if you would like to volunteer, 780-6500.
During our opening year, developing a unique, dynamic, and positive school atmosphere and program was our focus. Below are the goals we set for our first year, followed by one sample strategy for each.
1999-00 School Improvement Goals:
1. Establish clear lines of communication. Establish excellent newsletter, and post it on our web site.
2. Participate in the school district’s Vision 2010 process. Our school will have staff and/or parent representatives on each committee.
3. Implement a plan for school security. Establish a check-in procedure for all visitors.
4. Establish and implement a school technology plan.
Seek grant funding for opportunities to integrate technology into the curriculum.
5. Clarify curriculum opportunities/expectations for Sakai students.
Work with teachers to define grade level curricula.
6. Increase by 5% the number of students meeting the WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) standard in reading. Use WASL scores as criteria for serving LAP (Learning Assistance Program) students.
7. Increase by 10% the number of students meeting the WASL standard in math. Develop and provide a math curriculum that is a better match for the WASL tests.
8. Increase curriculum alignment between grades 5-6 and 7-8.
Communicate with Woodward Middle School staff to compare our curriculum offerings for students.
9. Create and promote an invitational school. Establish a Student Support Center to provide consistent support for students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs.
Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School opened in a new building in January 2000. The school is on two levels, with 5-6 classrooms in each of four clusters. A library is at the school’s center, designed to be a focal area for student learning. A large gym accommodates our physical education (PE) classes, intramural and school lunch programs, and community groups.
Our school was designed with many environmentally sensitive considerations, including preservation of a salmon stream, which is used in the curriculum.
We are proud that our school name honors Sonoji Sakai, who moved to Bainbridge Island from Japan in 1915. Art work around the school, our logo, and a beautiful Japanese garden provide daily reminders of this heritage.
District Per Pupil Expenditures,
1998-99
Expenditure per student - $5,897
Expenditures span the following categories: employee salaries and benefits; supplies and materials; instructional materials; contractual services (such as utilities, service contracts, etc.); travel; and capital outlay.
Sakai Sources of Discretionary Funds, 1999-00, were used for staff development, supplies, instructional materials, and equipment.
District Allocation $74,586
Eisenhower Professional Development $ 2,540
Year 4 Allocation
Gifted and Highly Capable $ 2,000
Multicultural $ 2,300
Title VI $ 2,570
Learning Improvement Days
Learning Improvement Day activities focused on establishing and developing curriculum and procedures to meet the needs of our students. We also participated in the district’s Vision 2010 planning process.
Other Funds
The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), Bainbridge Education Support Team (BEST), and private foundation grants supported instructional programs in areas such as field trips, assemblies, staff development, and purchasing technology equipment.
The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were given to 3rd, 6th and 9th grade students in the spring. Scores are in National Percentile Rank (NPR). These tell the percent of students in the norm group who obtain lower scores. For example, if a student earns a percentile rank of 70 on a particular test, it means the student scored better than 70% of students in the norm group.
ITBS/6 Sakai District State
Reading 77 78 54
Language 72 72 56
Math 75 74 56
Core Total 76 76 55
The school district administers a variety of assessments, including the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), and the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The Washington State Assessment Program now requires the ITBS and WASL. The Iowa tests were given for the first time by the state in the spring of 1999 at grades three, eight and eleven. The state schedule now calls for these tests at grades three, six and nine.
♦ 190 students in both fifth and sixth grades participated in Math Olympiad. Parent volunteers worked with
students once a week. One of our teams placed in the top 10% of teams overall and received a plague
recognizing this wonderful achievement. Six students received Gold Pins and nine students received
Silver Pins.
♦ Two students from every class attended Peer Mediation training at the beginning of the year and learned how to resolve conflicts between students. This program was run through the Student Support Center. Students mediated many conflicts during the course of the year and did an excellent job.
♦ Sakai students participated in History Day, Geography Bee, Spelling Bee, Knowledge Master, and Wash-
ington ImagiNation Network. We were recognized at the state level for many of these events.
♦ 42 students contributed to Sakai’s Leadership Club. Students completed community service activities,
planned and presented assemblies to other students, and visited the legislature in Olympia.
♦ 124 students took part in Sakai’s intramural sports program. Students enjoyed competing against each
other in a variety of sports activities.
♦ Nearly 300 Sakai sixth graders conducted extensive research in completing a Contemporary Issues project.
This was the culmination of an environmental studies unit.
