Late April 2025

Don’t miss the opportunity to connect, learn and celebrate at the free Community Cultural Celebration event on April 26.

Enjoy performances by our students and community, cultural booths, storytelling, activities, international foods and student art.

This year’s theme is “Building a Cultural Mosaic.” Celebrate with us the rich tapestry of cultures in the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District.

Date: Saturday, April 26

Time: 11 am - 2 pm

Location: Bonney Lake High School, 10920 199th Ave Ct E

Find more information at sumnersd.org/ccc.

Our very own Falcons, Dolkar and Choegyal, will be performing a traditional Tibetan dance at the SBLSD Community Cultural Celebration event! Come stop by and learn about their family and culture! The event will be held on Saturday, April 26th, from 11am-2pm at Bonney Lake HS! This event is free for all! There will be over 30 different cultural booths, over 10 cultural performances, and sample 8 different dishes from around the world! See you there!

Interested in learning about and sampling international foods? Join your community at the free Community Cultural Celebration event on April 26 and enjoy a food festival.

The event will be catered by Bonney Lake High School’s national award-winning Culinary Arts Program and involves Central American, East Asian, Ukrainian and Native American dishes.

Along with the food festival, enjoy performances by our students and community, cultural booths, storytelling, activities and student art.

Event information:

Date: Saturday, April 26

Time: 11 am - 2 pm

Location: Bonney Lake High School, 10920 199th Ave Ct E

Find more information at sumnersd.org/ccc.

In striving to provide the best possible education for all students, the District values feedback to help us continually improve. We’ll soon be conducting a Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE) survey with school district staff, students (grades 4-12) and families.

You may have already received the survey in your email. The two week window for the survey is April 15-25, 2025 for staff, students and families. Students will take the survey in class at a time during the two-week survey window of April 15- 25, 2025.

The survey email address is noreply@qemailserver.com. And the subject of the email will include: EES-Staff Survey: Sumner-Bonney Lake School District

The multiple choice surveys, available in multiple languages, will ask questions focused on the topics of support, safety, trust, environment and equity. Thank you for your feedback!

Spring testing is approaching soon. Falcons in grades 3-5 will be participating in the Summative Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in ELA, Math & Science (5th only). Please see the dates and times below to accommodate scheduling and absences. This can be a time of stress and nervousness. We want to ease our students' nerves and do our best to set them up for success.

To help make them feel prepared and successful, here are some easy tips to support your child:

• Make sure they receive a good night's sleep.
• Start their day off with a healthy breakfast.
• Come to school on time, bring a healthy snack, a favorite book and be ready to ROCK the test!
• Daily words of encouragement!

ELA SBA May 13-15

Math SBA May 20 and 22nd.

All Testing will be in the morning from 9am-11:15am.

🎶 1st & 2nd Grade Concerts – Thursday, May 1st 🎶

We are excited to invite you to an evening of music as our 1st and 2nd graders showcase their hard work and creativity!

📅 Date: Thursday, May 1st
📍 Location: Bonney Lake High School Performing Arts Center (PAC)

🕔 1st Grade Concert – 5:30 PM (Doors open at 5:10 PM)
🕖 2nd Grade Concert – 7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:40 PM)
🧥 Dress Code: Wear your best!

We encourage all students to attend because these performances are a valuable opportunity to showcase their musical growth, perseverance, and teamwork. Concerts help students connect their learning to an audience, build confidence, and experience the joy of musical expression.

🎶 Helping with Stage Fright 🎶
It’s natural for children to feel a little nervous before performing! Here are three ways to help them feel more confident:

1️⃣ Practice Positive Self-Talk – Encourage your child to replace “I’m nervous” with “I’m excited!” Remind them that feeling butterflies means they care, and that’s a good thing!

2️⃣ Breathe & Move – Taking deep breaths or doing small movements (like shaking out their hands) can help release nervous energy and keep them feeling relaxed.

3️⃣ Focus on the Fun – Remind them that they are sharing music with people who love and support them. It’s not about perfection—it’s about having fun and enjoying the moment!

If your child is unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible. Thank you for your support—we look forward to sharing these special performances with you! 🎵✨

Additionally, some sporting events are happening at the high school on May 1st; additional parking can be found in the top lot, but it is also recommended to carpool or walk if able.

Registration for the 25-26 school year is OPEN! Please visit SBLSD Enrollment and follow the steps for enrollment. If you will need before and afterschool care, here is the information for Right at Schools.

Here are the dates & locations:

Wed., April 30th : ELC

Thurs., May 1: DEE

Mon., May 5: EHE

The 2025-2026 Waiver Application Window will open at 9 am on Monday, March 17, 2025

Waiver Window:

2025-2026 Waiver and Choice Transfer Application Timeline

• March 17, 2025-April 28, 2025: For first consideration, all waiver and Choice Transfer applications must be submitted during this timeframe. Families will be notified if applications have been approved or denied within 45 days of submitting their application and all required documents.
• August 1, 2025-September 12, 2025: Waiver applications submitted after August 1 will not be reviewed until September 12. At that time, the District will review grade level, program, and building capacity. Families will be notified if space is available at the requested school. Students should remain enrolled in their resident school until receipt of an approved waiver.
• Waivers received after September 12, 2025: Families will be notified if applications have been approved or denied within 45 days of submitting their application and all required documents. Students should remain enrolled at their resident school until receipt of an approved waiver.

For more information, please visit the SBLSD website.

Grand prizes for the Otis Spunkmeyer fundraiser will be on May 2nd. The students who sold enough items for the grand prize will receive a pizza lunch and a limo ride. The permission slips and more information will be sent home by Monday 4/21.

Fundraiser Item Pick up will be on Friday May 2nd from 3:30-6:30pm. ALL ITEMS MUST BE PICKED UP. We do not have room to store items. IF you have any questions, please contact the PTO directly at vfepto2013@gmail.com

VFE Yearbooks can be purchased through 5/1. Please send $18 to the office with your order form or you can order online at BuyTheYearbook.com (enter code 723707).

Save the date for our annual VFE Art & Music Night on May 30th!

If your student is late (arrive after 10am on Mondays OR after 8:25 Tues-Friday) or needs to be picked up early, we kindly ask that you park and walk inside to sign your student in/out.

With warmer temperatures ahead, please make sure to send a water bottle to school every day with your student.

If your student or family needs support anytime throughout the year, please email our school counselor at kaitlyn_johnson@sumnersd.org There are resources to support families in their time of need.

We are encouraging all families to apply for free/reduced lunch. Please use the link below to apply. If you would prefer a paper copy, please call the office at 253-891-4700.

If you have questions regarding school lunches or student lunch accounts, please visit the child nutrition webpage on our district website or call 253-891-6450.

Good attendance is important in all grade levels, from Pre-K through 12th grade. Students who attend regularly are much more likely to be at or above grade-level standards. Poor attendance at any grade increases the likelihood of falling behind academically. Students who miss 10% or more of the school year are defined as being chronically absent. Students who are chronically absent have a greater risk of falling behind one or more grade levels. A student can be chronically absent by missing two or more days a month. New state laws regarding attendance now require schools to address both excused and unexcused absences.

Plan for good attendance by helping your child to stay healthy. Children who get plenty of sleep, eat a balanced, nutritious diet, wash their hands regularly, and are up to date on their immunizations miss less school. Work with doctors to schedule appointments outside of school hours or on non-school days. Make a back-up plan with friends and relatives to help get your child to school if an unplanned situation arises. If there are other barriers causing your child to miss school, please reach out to your school to schedule a meeting to discuss.

VFE is conducting an attendance competition. When a class has perfect daily attendance, the teacher will display one letter in the word “FALCON” outside the classroom (door/window/wall) for all to see. When you’ve spelled “FALCON¨, the class will earn Otter Pops!

Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age is available to view on demand from May 5th - May 19th. This documentary discusses the impacts of social media and technology on our children’s mental health and wellbeing.

Click here to register for online viewing and learn more about the documentary.

Event Flyer

Parent/Caregiver Workshop: Preventing Challenging Behaviors

Behavior Bridges is partnering with the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District to provide two opportunities for parents wanting tips and tricks to prevent and respond to challenging behaviors.

Childcare will be provided for children 5 and older.

2 options available

When: Tuesday, May 6th from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Where: Daffodil Valley Elementary School

Registration Link

Event Flyer

When: Wednesday, May 28th from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Where: Victor Falls Elementary School

Registration Link

Event Flyer

For questions, please contact Cheri Simpson, Director of Behavioral Support at cheri_simpson@sumnersd.org.

Need a fun physical activity that will also benefit elementary PE? Sign up for the Fun Run 2025! This fun run benefits the SBLSD Elementary PE Programs and helps purchase supplies and equipment.

Please fill out the registration form and return it to the Bonney Lake Parks and Recreation Department by May 22nd.

Fun Run Registration form 2025

Below is the Right at School Newsletter for April 2025. Please see the RAS calendar for the daily activities.

If you have questions about Right At School, please email victor_falls@rightatschool.com or look at their website.

Right at School is offering summer camps! If you are interested, please visit RASCAMPS.COM for more information.

Please check our website for updates.

Email: VFE@sumnersd.org
Website: sumnersd.org/vfe
Location: 11401 188th Ave Ct E, Bonney Lake, WA, USA
Phone: (253) 891-4700
Twitter: @VictorFallsEle1

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