VFE Falcon Family Newsletter
April 2023
Principal's Message
Dear Falcon Families,
Welcome to Spring Break! We hope this week brings time for your family to reconnect and enjoy each other. We encourage you to take time away from screens and devices. Make time to connect face-to-face. Play a board game, shoot hoops, play catch, put together a puzzle, go for a hike, or read a book with your child. They may protest a bit at first but, they will never forget the feeling of a caring adult making time to love and accept them. We look forward to hearing your children sharing about the precious memories they created with you when we see them again on Monday, April 10th.
We appreciate your continued support. VFE is a great place to learn and grow because of you. Make it a great day to be a Falcon!
Wade Jerdee, Assistant Principal & Adam Uhler, Principal
"Girl on Fire" at Friday Morning Meeting
We closed out our celebration of Women's History Month with some incredible singing of "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys at our Friday Morning Meeting.
Have a great Spring break! We will see you back to school on April 10th at 10 am.
Kindergarten Registration Opens 2/7
Welcome to the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District! Do you know a child who will be five years old on or before August 31? Maybe it's your neighbor, friend or even your own child. Now’s the right time to enroll next year’s kindergarten students. The sooner you enroll, the better we can keep you informed. Get information on what documents you need and how to enroll -- the process is all online at sumnersd.org/register.
To help welcome new kinders and their families, each of our elementary schools created virtual tours, which includes a school tour and staff introduction. Watch our video here.
Ready to start the kindergarten registration process? Visit our Enrollment page for details on the three-step registration process.
Kindergarten Screening May 11 & 18
Kindergarten Screening will take place 3:30-5:30 pm on May 11th & 18th.
- If you have submitted your enrollment paperwork for Kindergarten, Ms. Vaughan, our registrar, will reach out to your family soon to schedule your screening.
- If you have not yet submitted your enrollment paperwork and have screening questions, please contact our school office at 253-891-4700.
Parent Survey from Center from Education Excellence
In April we will take a survey from the Center from Educational Excellence (CEE). We take this survey yearly. It allows us to see how all our stakeholders (families, students, and staff) are experiencing our school. It is a snapshot, but it also tracks our progress year-over-year. We review our results and make plans to make VFE even better based on the feedback you provide. You will receive an email on April 11th with an invitation to complete the family survey. The survey should take 10-15 minutes. Our 4th and 5th graders will also be completing the student version of the survey in class in April. We really appreciate your thoughtful feedback as we seek to fulfill our promise to know, value, and support each and every student.
Calendar Reminders--New Last Day of School
Memorial Day Weekend: School will be in session on Tuesday, May 30. This is a weather make-up day from when schools were closed on December 1.
Graduations: To help support graduation attendance for staff and families, the entire district will have a two-hour early dismissal instead of the normal Monday two-hour late start on Monday, June 12.
Last day of school: Due to the February 14 weather-related school closure, the last day of school is now June 22 with a half-day/early dismissal.
View a complete list of key dates for the 2022-23 school year.
PurposeFull Family
VFE Modern Band
Check out our newest jam session with Mr. Payne! Muffins and Jam-Second Serving was a success! We are so proud of how much our Modern Band has grown!
Right At School
We are excited to announce a new partnership with Right At School, a nationally-recognized school enrichment provider for before- and after-school care for elementary-aged students at all of our elementary schools and the Sumner Early Learning Center starting with the 2023-24 school year.
About Right at School: Right at School provides families flexibility in enrollment options and a comprehensive enrichment curriculum to keep students engaged while they participate. Students will have a healthy snack, engage in dynamic fitness activities, student-driven projects, team building, leadership development, and have the opportunity to complete homework assignments.
Program highlights:
Open from 6:30 am to 6 pm
Flexible schedules and pricing options
Tuition discounts available
Childcare available during breaks, non-school days, and summer
Please visit Right at School’s SBLSD website for more information, including program offerings, curriculum, registration and billing, electives, camps and more.
Be Healthy, Be At School
As we continue to work towards our goal of 95% daily attendance, the elementary schools of the Sumner Bonney Lake School District are engaging in a district wide attendance competition. The main intent of our competition is to reinforce healthy behaviors that prevent illness, such as washing hands and covering coughs. A secondary intent is to form a partnership with families in which school attendance takes priority during weekdays, from the start of the day to the end of the day. We look forward to working together to keep our students healthy and at school- and showing the other schools how healthy Victor Falls can be!
If your student is absent please call 253-891-4700 or email our building secretary Mrs. Vaughan at candi_vaughan@sumnersd.org
When to Keep Your Student Home
We all have days when we are not at our best physically or emotionally. Please send your student to school even if your student has...
vague complaints, without other signs of illness.
emotional upset that does not constitute a mental health crisis
Please keep your student home if they...
are too sick to participate in normal school activities
need a level of care or observation not manageable at school or childcare
create an unhealthy or unsafe environment for others
- cough, diarrhea, fever, flue, vomiting, eye infections, rash
- Please keep your child home until they are free of these symptoms for at least 24 hours without the use of medication. If you have any questions, please call the office at 253-891-4700 or refer to the district website. https://www.sumnersd.org/domain/1274
- Here is the link to a more detailed list. https://tinyurl.com/mpmtfmpr
1st and 2nd Grade Concerts 4/27
- When: Thursday, April 27, 2023
- Time: 1st Grade Arrive at 5:10 pm--the concert begins at 5:30 pm
- Time: 2nd grade Arrive at 6:40 pm--the concert begins at 7:00 pm
- Duration: Estimated 20-30 minutes
- Location: Bonney Lake High School Performing Arts Center
- School Address: 10920 – 199th Ave Ct. East Bonney Lake, WA 98391
- Directions to the PAC: Enter off 104th St E by the Football Field
- Dress: Dress Your Best
The concerts are back-to-back in the Bonney Lake High School PAC.
Flyers will go home with the students after Spring Break. Please call the office with any questions.
Upcoming Student Store Hours
Be a Good Neighbor at the Front Gate
- We can be mindful of where we park while we wait. Please keep all driveways clear on 188th. Our neighbors need to be able to safely exit their driveways at all times.
- With over 280 families with car tags, we need to arrive in stages during dismissal. Please arrive on campus no earlier than your group's scheduled time.
- Tags 0-90 arrive on campus 2:50-3:10 pm
- Tags 91-181 arrive on campus at 3:15 pm
- Tags 181+ arrive on campus at 3:20 pm
We appreciate your support and effort to be a respectful neighbor.
Be a Good Neighbor at the Back Gate
We are fortunate to be part of an active and engaged community. Many of our neighbors actively support VFE, even when they no longer have children here. However, recently, we are experiencing some challenges and we are reaching out to our families that pick up their children at our back gate for help. A few of our neighbors in Fennel Ridge have shared ongoing concerns and have asked for help. We know you will agree the following requests are reasonable and we can and should make a commitment to meeting them. And, we know that many of you are consistently meeting these requests already.
- Please keep all driveways clear. Our neighbors need to be able to safely exit their driveways at all times.
- Please park in areas that are conventionally accepted as appropriate parking areas. This means that we will not park in front of fire hydrants, driveways, or too close to intersections and corners.
- Please follow the speed limit and drive even slower when in a congested area.
We appreciate your efforts to be respectful neighbors.
Upcoming PTO Events
General PTO Meeting 4/12 @ 4:15pm
Otis Spunkmeyer Fundraiser UPDATE
Victor Falls Elementary PTO’s spring fundraiser with Otis Spunkmeyer was a huge success! We passed our goal! Our goal was to raise $15,000.00. We raised 20,122.40!!
Thank you so much for your support! Great Job Falcons!
Staff Appreciation Donations
Thank you to all the parents who donate items to the Staff Appreciation Days planned by the PTO! They couldn't plan such elaborate and fun staff appreciation meals without the help of our parents! We appreciate you!
Watch D.O.G.S Update
Here is the link for more information about being SBLSD Volunteer:
https://www.sumnersd.org/volunteer
The Volunteer Portal will take you directly to the application.
Drama at VFE
Off Broadway at VFE
Ages 6-11
Join the cast of a mini-musical play!
All participants will act on stage in full costume.
Days: Tuesdays/Thursdays
Dates: April 18, 20, 25, 27, May 2, 4
Performance will occur on Thursday, May 4 at 7:00PM
Time: 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Cost: $80 ($75 for Sumner/BL residents)
Site: Victor Falls Elementary Commons
Show: The Wack-a-Doo Zoo Welcome to this ever-so-unusual zoo: lions that crow, monkeys that bray, pigs that neigh, goats that bark, and cows that meow.
Instructor, Judy Shufelt, has a Bachelors degree in Theater and is a certified K-12 teacher. She owns PlayJude Drama and has been directing shows for over 25 years. Feel free to contact her at PlayJude1@yahoo.com
Contact the Sumner/Bonney Lake Parks and Recreation at 253-891-6500 to register.
Family Assistance
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.
Overflowing Lost & Found
Key Dates
Please check our website for updates.
For other key dates, check your mailbox soon for the 2022-23 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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