School Learning Plan

Sato Elementary School

Our Story:

Where We’ve Been & Who Are We Now:

Sato is the newest elementary school in the Beaverton School District.  Sato opened its doors to students for the 2017-18 school year.  The students, staff and families of Sato take pride in honoring the history behind the land upon which the school sits.  Part of developing globally minded citizens of the world is understanding the past and the impact and implications for the future.  The name Sato is in reference to a Japanese American family that owned and farmed the land where the school currently sits. The Sato Family were respected members of the community and involved with the Bethany Presbyterian Church.  During WWII both of the Sato sons fought for their country overseas.  Meanwhile back home, Mr. & Mrs. Sato were sent to an internment camp in California.  The Bethany Presbyterian Church community came together to pay the mortgage on the farm so that the Sato family wouldn’t lose their property like so many other Japanese American families of that era. Unfortunately, only one son came back from war.  Shin Sato is buried in the Bethany cemetery just across the street from the school. There are many relics in and around the school that pay homage to the legacy of the Sato family.  Wood from the barn lines the walls of the front office and is incorporated into the front entrance countertop as well as in the landscaping in the front lawn.  We planted a chestnut tree in honor of Mrs. Sato’s fondness for a chestnut tree on their property. We also installed a bronze plaque detailing the story of Shin Sato and his family.

Something the students & staff are most proud of and most excited about, is the opportunity to continually be a part of nurturing school community and culture.  (We are Sato!) 

                2020-21 we focused our collective energy on Mission Possible!  Continuing the theme of growth mindset, building leaders, teachers and staff modeled for our learners what it means to be a novice at something.  We were all  new to the CDL setting and could therefore honestly and truly embrace it as new learning and authentically grow in front of students every single day.  During this school year, we also made a  commitment to becoming an anti-racist, anti-biased organization.   The Sato Staff continues to be invested in this work and feel supported by our family community in doing this important work.

Last year, 21-22,  we embraced the idea behind Nasa’s bumble bee in our motto of Believe Be Do! The goals were born out of our passion for believing in every child, every day. Our approach is 3-fold: Elevate Student Status, Focus on Academic Growth, specifically in the area of reading and build systems and structures that facilitate collaboration on grade level and department teams as well as vertically in our K-5 system.  As it turns out, the challenges of Covid continued to persist throughout the year and out of necessity more of our attention became focused on Covid safety protocols, quarantine and contact tracing.  

Heading into the 2022-23 school year, we are once again setting our sights on resetting what it means to teach and learn in a post-pandemic educational setting.  Some elements of last year’s plan will carry forward as they were unfortunately paused.  However, some elements are part of our new journey, as we dive into this year’s theme of Inquire, Explore and Discover!  Who are we now? Who are our students and families? What’s important to them?  The staff has been growing and changing since we opened.  Who are we and what do we bring to this adventure?  What matters now?  These are the questions we will bring with us on a sometimes rugged and messy journey of school development! 

Date of Last Revision: November 15, 2022

District Goal: WE empower all students to achieve post-high school success.