Dear Falcon Families,

Welcome to November! Thanks to your amazing support, our students are learning and growing tremendously. And whether it is through serving as an Art Docent, a classroom volunteer, a Watch DOG, or volunteering at the walkathon, our community is showing up big time! Thank you!

As we enter a month centered on giving thanks, we want to encourage you to join our students and staff as we seek to intentionally practice gratitude. Gratitude is making a purposeful decision to appreciate the people and things in our lives. It has been shown to be one of the best ways to reduce anxiety, increase happiness, and improve relationships. Why? Because it is a matter of where we put our attention. We can’t have a grateful thought and an angry thought at the same time. So, over the course of the month, we will consistently practice putting our attention and our focus on gratitude. We will think about how to be grateful even for challenges. We will encourage students to express gratitude towards their classmates, themselves, and (of course) their families!

John F. Kennedy reminds us "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." As you will see in the notes below, there are a number of ways you can join us as we live out our gratitude including engaging in our Veterans Day assembly, helping your child participate in the Holiday Food Drive, and serving our community through the Big Give. Think about the positive impact we can have on our community just by purposefully expressing gratitude!

Make it a great day to be a Falcon!

Wade Jerdee, Assistant Principal & Adam Uhler, Principal

Conferencing with families is an opportunity to build connections and partnerships that will help us ensure the learning of each student. We would like to meet with EVERY student and their family during the fall conferences. We look forward to connecting with you and your student about their growth and their goals!

Please sign up for a conference through Skyward Family Access. To log into family access, go to www.sumnersd.org, click on Family Access, and log in. The login should be the guardian's email. If you don't happen to remember your password or log in, click the reset button. If you have any questions regarding family access, you can call the school at 253.891.4700 for assistance

We linked how-to videos for directions on how to schedule, as well as cancel a conference if you need to select a different time:

Schedule Fall Conferences

Cancel Fall Conferences

All Lost and Found items will be donated on Dec 16th after school.

We are holding a Scholastic Book fair in our library during conference week, where you can come shop before or after your conference time. This is a fun opportunity to shop for books with your child, while also helping to benefit our school. The book fair hours will be 11:40 am-4 pm.

We understand that personal mobile devices (specifically, Smartwatches) are becoming increasingly common on the wrists of our students so that parents can communicate with their students after school. per parent request. In order to support students in their learning, and based on the and comply with our district policy as stated in the 22-23 Student and Family Information Guide (pp.36-37), we are asking for your support with the following:

• Cell phones should remain in backpacks and are not to be used during the school day.

• Smartwatches must remain in “school mode” during the school day. (If you have the option as the parent to set this “mode” up on the device, we are asking for your support with this.) This means that the watch should be used for telling time only and may not be used for calling or texting during the school day.

• If you are in need of getting a message to your child, please contact our main office at (253) 891-47050. It is critical that any changes in transportation be communicated directly to the office by 2:30pm so that we can ensure your child can be safely supported by the VFE staff at the end of the school day.

• Smartwatches (and cell phones) may not be used for taking pictures or video while at school or on the bus ride to/from school. If a Smartwatch becomes a distraction to classroom instruction, the teacher or administrator may ask the student to put it into the backpack for the day.

Thank you for your partnership and ongoing support.

We have resources to help families in need. Would a weekend food bag, clothing, or meal support during the holidays for your student be helpful? Please send an email to the school counselor at courtney_arbaugh@sumnersd.org to assist you with getting support.

Please check our website for updates.

11/2 Vision and Hearing Screening

11/7 Late Arrival

11/11 Veteran's Day- No School

11/14 Late Arrival

11/16-18 Parent Conferences-Early Release 11:40 am

11/21 Full Day with Regular Monday Late Start

11/22 Early release 11:40a

11/23-25 Thanksgiving Break-No School

11/28 Late Arrival

11/29 Picture Retakes

11/30 5th Grade Concert @ BLHS Performing Arts Center

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