Welcome to Sayéik: Gastineau!!
August 14, 2023
Welcome back!
My name is Stacy Diouf and I'm the principal. For those who don't know me, I'm a lifelong Alaskan and a product of the Juneau School District. My husband Moctar and I are busy raising our two boys, who are 11 and 14. This is my 4th year as principal at Sayéik: Gastineau and I am honored to serve in this role!
School start dates:
Tuesday, August 15: 1st - 5th grades
Friday, August 18: Kindergarten
Tuesday, August 22: Preschool
Below is some information to get us started this school year. In the meantime, do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything!
Stacy Diouf
SGCS Principal
907-796-5075
Pick Up/Drop Off
The driveway in front of the school is for buses only!
Please do not park in, or block the fire lane.
Please honor the crosswalk and school zones speed limit.
Class Configurations
We anticipate that many of you may have questions about the multi-age/combination classrooms we have for this year.
This year, whenever possible, these multi-age classrooms were formed intentionally for several reasons. First, we know that healthy and supportive relationships are the foundation for all growth and learning. These two-grade classrooms will allow for teachers to potentially “loop”/have students for 2 successive years. This practice has been shown to increase student learning; since a relationship already exists between the student and the teacher, school learning and growth can resume more quickly and truly deepen as the relationship continues to grow. This configuration also allows for the younger students in year 1 to become leaders in their classrooms during year 2 with the incoming younger students.
But my child is strong academically, won’t the teacher struggle to challenge them?
Even in a single-grade classroom, many different academic and social levels exist. Good teachers are able to meet the needs of all students through differentiated instruction. These groupings also allow us to leverage other staff members to provide instruction and support during times of core instruction. When you see these on your child’s classroom schedule, know that other instructors in the building are also available to support learning. Different groupings of students may occur throughout the day and week to best meet each learner’s needs.
How will the teachers teach two different grades at the same time?
This is similar to the previous question. These multi-age groupings allow us to leverage other staff and specialists to support different levels throughout the day. During core instruction time, both certificated and support staff will be pushing in to classrooms for both direct instruction and support. Additionally, these multi-age classrooms allow us to give targeted instruction to groups of students.
Why aren’t the 4th and 5th grades configured as multi-age classrooms?
Initially, we had hoped to use this model at all grade levels. However, last year’s 4th graders had MANY transitions and we decided to lessen these for their last year at Sayeik. Also, because there are 4 classrooms at this grade band, it was more difficult to support core instruction with other staff than it was to the 3 classrooms at the K/1 and 2 /3 grade bands.
It’s normal for the start of the school year to bring both excitement and concern for students and families. (The same is true for staff!) We look forward to partnering with your family this year! We always welcome dialog about your child and our school programs. We are excited to know your child and your family this year. Please reach out any time. See you on Tuesday!