August 2019

Our mission is to provide active, relevant, educational experiences that foster globally minded innovative citizens in and out of the classroom. Our students will think creatively and take risks as they apply knowledge and skills to future endeavors.

Website: https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/schools/sato/
Location: 7775 NW Kaiser Rd. Portland, OR 97229
Phone: 503-356-2530
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/satoelementary/

Once the school year starts, we will send the Raccoon Register newsletter out twice a month: on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month.

August/September

• Thursday, Aug. 29th 8:30-10:00 - DONUTS & Supply Drop Off (see deets below)
• Tuesday, Sept. 3rd - First Day of School 1st-5th
• Tues. & Wed. Sept 3rd & 4th - Kinder Assessment by Appointment
• Thursday, Sept. 5th - First Day of School Kinder last names beginning with A - K
• Thursday, Sept. 5th - Back To School Night 3rd through 5th Grade families 6:00-7:30pm
  
• Friday, Sept. 6th - First Day of School Kinder last names beginning with L- Z
• Monday, Sept. 9th - ALL Kinders attend together
• Monday, Sept. 9th - Tears & Cheers for Kinder Parents 8:50-9:15 in Cafeteria
• Wednesday, Sept. 11th - Kinder Class Lists Finalized Parents notified
• Thursday, Sept. 12th - Back To School Night Kinder- 2nd Grade families 6:00-7:30pm
  
• Monday, Sept. 23rd - Picture Day

When are the non-student contact days?

• Friday, October 11th - Staff Development Day
• Friday, November 1st - Grading Day
• Monday, December 2nd - Staff Development Day
• Monday, January 27th - Grading Day
• Tuesday, February 18th - Staff Development Day
• Friday, April 10th - Grading Day
• Friday, April 24th - Staff Development Day

When Parent Teacher Conferences?

• November 6th and 7th with no school for students both the 7th and the 8th
• April 29th and 30th with no school for students both the 30th and May 1st

We are excited to welcome you back for the new school year!

• Click here for school SUPPLY LISTS
• Click here for a STAFF LIST

The First Weeks of School for Kindergarteners

Below Kindergarten Families will find all the information that you will need for the first two weeks of school.

Kindergarten:

• Tuesday, September 3 and Wednesday, September 4, will be reserved for individual student assessment by appointment only. Please click here to sign up for a time slot (directions will be provided in the linked website). When you arrive for your appointment please check-in at the front office.

• If the link does not work, copy and paste the following link in your browser:

https://ptcfast.com/schools/Sato_kindergarten_2019

• Thursday Sept. 5th : 1st day for students with last names that begin with the letters A-K

• Friday Sept. Sept 6th: 1st day for students with last names that begin with L-Z

• On September 5th and 6th, parents are encouraged to remain with their child in the cafeteria and walk with them to their homeroom class when a teacher arrives.

• Sept 9th-11th: all kindergarten students attend.

• Beginning this week we ask that parents begin the regular routine of dropping students at the front doors, or having them ride the bus. Parents are not to walk students to their classrooms. Thank you for your cooperation.

• September 9th marks the first day that all kindergarten students will be at school together. Each day, all Kindergarten students enter the school through the main door and will sit at the cafeteria tables. We will have plenty of staff out there to assist families.

• There will be a Tears and Cheers event hosted by our parent group in the cafeteria for kindergarten families hosted from 8:50-9:15 - directly following the assembly.

Class Placement

When your child starts in kindergarten, they will initially be rostered to one of the kindergarten teachers. This means that from September 5th through September 12th, your student will have a “homeroom” and begin each day with the same teacher. The first 5 days of school, we will implement a rotational model. Each student will have an opportunity to meet every teacher and every student in kindergarten. Our goal is for each child to develop strong relationships with as many staff and students as possible. We will also use this time to work in various group sizes and combinations, assess students and make well-informed decisions about what class placement will work best for them. Research has indicated that this model serves the needs of students best in the long run. To create balanced class lists that go beyond the basics, we will rotate students within the four kindergarten classrooms from Sept 5th -11th.

HERE is an article that speaks to the effectiveness of this model with research that shows how equitable and balanced class lists are created.

On the evening of the 11th, you will be sent an email with your child's final classroom teacher's name. Beginning on the 12th, all kindergarten students will begin the day with their newly assigned classroom teacher. We are confident that this approach will allow us to create inclusive, inviting, well-balanced classrooms that will allow all students to thrive. If you have any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact us.

On Thursday August 29th from 8:30-10:00, please plan on coming to school to Drop Off your School Supplies, meet your teacher and have a donut (courtesy of SECO!)! Class Lists will be posted throughout the building.

Please know the main purpose of this event is for students to meet their teacher, find their classroom and drop off supplies - teachers may not have their rooms set up or fully decorated yet! Thanks for your understanding!

If you and your student are unable to make it to this supply drop & meet the teacher event, you may send your child with their supplies on the first day of school. You can call the office on Friday to learn who your child's teacher is or come with your child on the first day of school, class lists will be posted throughout the building.

On the first day of school, please know that when the front doors open at 8:10, students are welcome to head straight for their classrooms (class lists will be posted in various locations) and parents are welcome to accompany students to their classrooms. Parents, if you accompany your student to their classroom on the first day of school, feel free to greet the teacher, but we ask that you not engage in a long conversation. It is an exciting day for all students and the teacher is going to want to welcome everyone. We thank you for understanding and please know there will be more opportunities throughout the year to connect with your child's teacher.

After the first day of school we are eager to get students into their regular morning routine. Students will come in and place their lunches on the cart labeled with their teacher's name and then head to a morning supervision location projected on the front hall TV screen. These locations (playground, cafeteria, library and gym) will be the same for an entire week and will be on a rotation schedule throughout the year.

Again this year we are going to host two Back To School Night Events to better accommodate parking challenges and building access. These are intended to be events for the adults. Teachers want to be able to speak directly to parents and guardians without distractions and interruptions. If at all possible, please arrange for child care that evening so that you may attend unaccompanied by your child(ren).

Thank you!

• 3rd-5th Grades Thursday, September 5th, 6:00-7:30pm
  
• K-2nd Grades Thursday, September 12th, 6:00-7:30pm

More information will come soon about the schedule of events, but please know that like last year there will be again two identical sessions for each teacher each night allowing families with a kinder student and a second grader, for example to attend a session in both classrooms. We do apologize in advance to families with a student in the primary grades and one in the intermediate grades - meaning there is an evening event two weeks in a row. Thank you for understanding and we look forward to welcoming you on these evenings!

We need volunteers all year long! If you haven't signed up yet but have thought about it! It's easy and there are many ways to support the school.

Please click HERE to find out all the different ways to get involved at Sato! We need you!!