VFE Falcon Family Newsletter
August 2022
Principal's Message
Dear Falcon Families,
We hope this note finds you happy, healthy, and well. While the summer has brought adventures and rest for our team, the Blue Crew cannot wait to see you and your family again. As we peek into September, it is time to get ready for another amazing school year. This newsletter is full of the information you need to be ready for the year. In addition to the newsletter, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook for the latest news.
We also want to share a few tips to help your child transition back to school smoothly. We encourage you to reestablish morning and evening routines. Spend time reading with your child and find ways to practice math—this can be done through fun, everyday experiences. Refreshing these routines now will make for a smoother transition.
And while some kids are excited and ready to start the new year, others might be feeling uneasy or worried about what the year might bring. All of our students will have new teachers and classmates. Each child may process these changes in different ways. While many students are excited about returning to school, some might express worry by acting out, becoming defiant, or even becoming sad. Remember that behavior is communication. Your child might need some time with you to reflect and process the changes that are forthcoming.
Connecting with your child can open up the door for communication about their feelings. Here are some ideas to connect with your child.
Schedule a regular hang-out time (play a game, read a book, go to the park, something you both enjoy).
Offer a hug, high five, fist bump, or something that requires touch!
Play in their world--get down to their level, use their toys with them, get silly, and use your imagination!
Ask about their day and just listen.
Recognize their feelings and be with them while they are sad/angry/scared/excited.
Information in this section is from Imperfect Families Check it out for more tips!
Make it a great day to be a Falcon!
Wade Jerdee, Assistant Principal & Adam Uhler, Principal
School Supplies
In order to provide some relief from back-to-school shopping, Victor Falls, along with most of the other elementary schools, is asking families to contribute a $25 donation per child to cover the cost of school supplies.
Families can pay the donation by logging into Skyward Family Access. For step-by-step instructions on how to pay for elementary school supplies, click here. Here is the direct link to online payments at VFE. If this is your first time using this system, you may also find this quick tip video from our PTO helpful.
If you are able to contribute more than $25 to support a child in need please feel free to increase your fee amount.
If your student needs assistance with the school supply fee or the items listed, please contact the front office and we will connect you with Mrs. Arbaugh, our school counselor. We also encourage you to complete the Family Assistance survey below.
In addition to the supplies provided through the $25 donation, all students should be prepared for school with the following items.
- backpack
- earbuds/headphones
- refillable water bottle
- lunchbox
Campus Clean Up
Back to School Night 9/1
We are excited to re-open our doors to our community. We hope to see all of our students and families at Back-to-School Night on THURSDAY, September 1. BTS is a great time to meet your teacher, see your classroom, grab a car tag, sign up to volunteer, join the PTO, and pay your $25 supply donation. In order to give your family the best experience possible, we ask that you visit campus during your assigned time based on your child’s last name. Your first stop will be your child’s classroom to meet their teacher. After visiting the classroom, please stop by the stations in the MPR to grab a car tag, sign up to volunteer, join our outstanding PTO, and pay your $25 supply donation.
A-F 4:30-5:00 pm
G-K 5:00-5:30 pm
L-Q 5:30-6:00
R-Z 6:00-6:30
Who's my child's teacher?
Family Assistance
Would a weekend food bag for your student be helpful? Please fill out this form by clicking VFE Family Assistance or scanning this QR code. It can be translated to English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Russian. Additionally, this is confidential and free to any family who can benefit from it.
Changes to School Meal Prices
This school year, there are some important changes to meal prices. A national school meal waiver that provided free meals for all students due to the pandemic expired over the summer. This means that meals are no longer free for everyone.
We encourage families who may be eligible to apply for free meals. Applications can be found at sumnersd.org/meals. Applications are confidential. Families who qualify for free and reduced-price meals may also be eligible for waived or reduced fees to participate in extracurricular school programs, such as sports fees, club fees, field trips, ASB event tickets, and more. To receive these benefits, families can fill out a Consent to Share Eligibility form here.
Families who qualify for free or reduced-price meals are also eligible for discounted internet bills through the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Families may want to check their student meal account balances before school starts. See below for meal prices for the 2022-23 school year:
School Schedule
Late Start Mondays: Thank you for supporting teacher teams as they collaboratively focus on ensuring the learning of each student. School starts at 10 AM on Mondays. The first Monday Late Start is September 12. Please drop your students off no earlier than 9:45 AM on Mondays. Bus routes run 90 minutes later on Mondays.
Tuesday through Friday Schedule: The office opens at 7:30 AM. School opens to students at 8:10 AM. Classes begin at 8:25 AM. Please drop your students off no earlier than 8:10 AM.
Car & Bus Arrival
Keeping students safe is our highest priority. Riding the bus will be your student’s quickest way on and off the VFE campus. We expect over 200 students will arrive by car each day-- a tremendous amount in a small area. We encourage you to carpool with other families as much as possible.
Car Riders: If you drive your child to school, we need your help making the car's morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up as safe as possible. Please help us ensure the safety of your students by using the designated loop. And, please stay in your car until greeted by the staff.
In the morning, 15 minutes prior to and until the start of the school day, there will be staff members meeting and directing students. For your child’s safety, please do not drop students off until staff supervision has arrived. Students must be dropped off at the curb in front of the school.
If you arrive after the start of school, please park and walk your child to the office to check in.
Buses
- Bus Stop Lookup Tool: The most up-to-date information is on the SBLSD Transportation page. Please follow this link to find the latest information on bus routes.
- Waivers: While a condition of waivers is that District transportation is not provided, we have made exceptions in the past if a bus is not full. This year, however, our buses will be full and we are unable to accommodate students on waivers. Families will need to provide their own transportation to and from school.
- Bus passes: We are unable to allow students to ride a different bus when wanting to, for example, go home with a friend or be dropped off at a grandparent's house.
Car Pick Up
Dismissal provides an opportunity for all members of our community to build their character muscles of respect and patience. We need your help being good neighbors and maintaining safe driving conditions on Rhoades Lake Road near our dismissal time. The Blue Crew works hard to efficiently load cars while ensuring the safety of each and every child. We need dismissal to be done by 3:25 PM. And, we need to keep the traffic on the roads near campus moving. We need your help making this happen.
- Please do not arrive on campus before 2:50 PM. Arriving earlier than 2:50 PM blocks the busses from entering campus and creates a safety hazard. Please see the details below for your assigned arrival time.
- Carpool: One way the community can help with this is for friends and neighbors to carpool.
- Walk: Another way the community can help is for car riders that live within walking distance to use one of the safe walking paths to school. Families that live in the Fennel Ridge/Bonney Lake Manor area can use the Fennel Creek Trail and pick up their students at the back gate. Families that live off Angeline could walk up the Fennel Creek Trail and pick up their students at the back gate. Families that live on 188th Ave Ct E are encouraged to walk with their children to and from school. Due to safety concerns, we do not recommend walkers cross Rhoades Lake Road.
- Ride the Bus: The last way families can help may seem counterintuitive but it will help. If more families have their children ride the bus instead of being car riders, we will reduce the number of cars on campus.
Having more families carpool, walk, or have their children ride the bus will reduce the number of cars entering campus, which should allow the buses to enter campus sooner, load sooner, and leave sooner. We appreciate your patience and support.
Car Tags
- If you are planning to pick your child up on a regular basis, please pick up a tag to hang from your rearview mirror with a student number for dismissal. This number quickly allows our staff to tell which child is being picked up and helps maintain safety. Numbers will be given out at the Back-To-School Night and during the first week of school at the front office.
- Like last year, we are implementing a staggered release based on car numbers. The staggered release should allow fewer cars to arrive on campus at the same time and keep traffic flowing. When the right cars are here at the right time, we can load 16 cars every minute. We are requesting that families maintain the following schedule.
- Car tags 0-75 arrive on campus between 2:50-3:10
Car tags 76-150 get in line at 3:15
Car tags 151+ and any one-off requests get in line at 3:20 PM
All students with a car tag will get a corresponding tag for their backpack. Grades 1-5 will receive their tags on the first day of school, 9/6. K will receive their tags on Friday, 9/9.
Medication at School
If your child has a health condition that requires treatment or medication at school, written permission from the parent/guardian and a healthcare provider must be provided before medications can be administered at school. Renewal of written permission must be completed at the beginning of each school year and whenever the health care provider adjusts a medication. You may visit the school nurse at BTS or click here to learn more.
Appointments & Dismissal Changes
If your student is taking a different route of transportation after school than their normal dismissal, to ensure the safety of your child, you must call the front office to let them know. 253.891.4700. We ask that you call before 2:30 pm as this helps get all our changes to the teachers in a timely manner.
If you plan to take your student out for an appointment or out early before dismissal time at 3:10 pm, please call us a few minutes before you arrive so we can greet you! We do ask that you have your ID ready to go when you pick up your student. Our office staff will gladly call your student down and walk them out to you.
If your student will be late for any reason to school, please call our office and we will walk out to greet them!
Register for Kindergarten
Kindergarten enrollment for the 2022-23 school year is still open! Our online enrollment process allows you to complete the process from anywhere at any time. Visit our enrollment page to begin. Families can learn more by visiting Kindergarten page on the SBLSD website.
Join the Sumner Bonney Lake School District!
See more information about job opportunities at VFE and SBLSD by viewing the Employment page.
SBLSD is hiring Bus Drivers. There is a $2K Incentive with free Training. Apply now at sumnersd.org/jobs
Key Dates
Please check our website for updates.
08/24--VFE Office Reopens
09/01--Back to School Night 4:30-6:30 pm
09/06--First Day of School for Grades 1-5
09/09--Frist Day of Kindergarten
09/12--First Late Start: School Starts at 10am
For other key dates, check your mailbox soon for the 2021-22 school year calendar.
Victor Falls Elementary
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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