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Panther Update

Panther Update
January 24, 2023

Principal Message

Panther Families,


I hope that all is going well with both you and your family. This time of year is an exciting one for many reasons. Clubs and activities are often in competition or performance season, athletics are finishing up their regular seasons and are preparing to head into the postseason, and we have finals this week. Our ASB ran our first “Movie Night” on Friday and each of our ASB made connections with students who they haven't connected with yet.


Many of our students have been working hard to prepare for their finals. Some of our freshman students came to the “Coco and Cram” study session to study alongside our PantherCrue students last week. Other students have been putting in extra hours at home or with their teachers to prepare. I have added the finals schedule below. We will have a normal bell schedule, we simply spread out our finals throughout the week in an effort to keep all finals from being on the same days.


A reminder that the First Semester Ends at the end of this week. Please work with your students to make sure they have good sleep, a healthy breakfast (We have it here as well), and that they are prepared. Another piece of advice is to double check your student(s) grades on Skyward. Some teachers are still accepting missing or late work. Semester grades are important because they have credits that are required to graduate on time attached to them.


As many of you know, we had a scare last week. At no time was our building in danger, but that was because someone used our “See Something, Say Something” mindset and made an anonymous teapot using the district’s Report It link. Another way to report concerns is through the BLHS’s Incident Report link found in every teacher’s Google Classroom. Because of this report, BLHS was able to partner with the BLPD and District Office Personnel to ensure that our building stayed safe. If you are unfamiliar with any of these events, please check your email from last week. Also, you can always call the school if you have any questions.


What I love about our school is that the vast majority of our students are doing good things each and every day. They inspire me by their perseverance, ownership, work ethic, their engagement, and the respect that they show. We had a family from out of state come to our school recently and they made sure to let us know how impressed they were with our students and our staff members. They said that, “the school just feels good.” That's because of each of our students and staff members. I know we are not always perfect, but when some of us come up short, it is important to realize that the vast majority of our students are making good decisions and are supporting each other.


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Annual Coco & Cram

We had 68 Freshmen join us for snacks and study time. Mr. Olson shared that it was awesome to see so many students come together and support each other in preparation for finals week.

Special thanks to our Panthers Crue Leaders, Math Club, and Freshmen Teachers for helping out with the event!

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FCCLA Regional Competition

“We had a great FCCLA Regional Competition on Saturday. All of our competitors earned Gold rankings and made it state! Our FCCLA WA State Officer- Hailey L also did an amazing job coordinating and leading the competitions.

Please congratulate all of our FCCLA Students moving on to the next level of competition!

Paige L & Lily H- Hospitality, Rec. and Tourism- French Bakery project

Hailey L- Say Yes to FCS career/lesson teaching project

Emily W- Repurpose & Redesign by making a denim tote bag with recycled materials

Samra Y- Job Interview project- mock interview and job portfolio

Jaynee J- Teach and Train Project- teaching preschools about staying healthy

Also qualifying and will be competing at state through online/other competitions are:

Madilyn M- FCCLA Chapter Website and the promotion of FCCLA

Owen B- Culinary Arts- cooking entrees

Also, Madilyn C

served as a project evaluator and did a great job! “

~Tricia Littlefield

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DECA Area 7 Competition

On Saturday, Jan 7th, 360 students from about 20 different schools competed at the DECA Area 7 Competition right here at Bonney Lake High School. In addition to students, there were over 60 volunteer judges, 20+ plus advisors and about 20 chaperones.

Your Bonney Lake High School DECA students did extremely well in competition, with multiple students qualifying for State!

Helpful Information - See Important Upcoming Dates and Event, Schedule of Events at the end

  • Finals Schedule

    • Monday 1/23: Subjects other than English, Social Studies, Math, or Science

    • Tuesday 1/24 English and Science

    • Wednesday 1/25: Math & Social Studies

    • Thursday 1/26: Subjects other than English, Social Studies, Math, or Science

  • End of First Semester

    • January 27th

  • No School - Grading Day

    • Monday, January 30th

  • Pack the Gym - Special Olympics (Let’s Fill Our Gym!)

    • Wednesday, February 1st

    • BLHS Gym

  • Stress and anxiety are common with the pressure that can come with the ending of a semester. Please keep your eyes open and take care of eachother. Below are some resources that may be helpful during this season.

  • Graduation - Save the Date!

    • Monday June, 12th - 4:00pm @ the Tacoma Dome

    • June 12th will be an early release day.

      • Secondary: 12:20

    • For those of us with kiddos in elementary

      • CWE, DVE, LRE, MLE, VFE: 1:10

      • SELC: 1:20

      • BLE, DEE, EHE, THE 1:45

    • More information to come. Stay Tuned!

  • Friday Backpack Program

    • In partnership with The Market, bags of food will be supplied to students who would like to take one home over the weekend.

    • Each bag contains: Two breakfast items, Two lunch items, Two dinner items (Non-perishable), drinks and snacks.

    • Please reach out to Ms. Rienzo to take advantage of this opportunity - andrea_rienzo@sumnersd.org OR 253-891-5731

  • Safety

    • Parking Lot

      • Be prepared for long lines for pick-up and drop off. Traffic can be tough so please plan ahead in your transportation plans.

      • Please avoid parking in parking stalls when dropping your student off in the morning. Often the parking stalls are assigned to students. When someone is in their parking space they often get confused and park in another student’s space. It quickly becomes an issue. Thank you for understanding.

    • It’s Getting Dark

      • As the days go by, the sun is rising later and setting earlier. This means students are walking to school when there is less visibility.

      • Please drive carefully, keep your eyes out for students walking to school, remind your students to use crosswalks and to be vigilant.

    • Thank you all for helping to keep our Panthers safe.

Upcoming Events - Club, Sports and Activities

Date / Time / Event / Location

  • See Clubs and Activities Meeting Schedules - In the process of being updated.

  • See Sports Schedules

  • Spring Sports Registration Starts January 30th Go to: https://sumner-wa.finalforms.com/

    • Softball, Baseball, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s and Women’s Track and Field.

    • Athletes can begin their final clearance tickets on February 13th.

  • January 23rd - 27th / All Week / Finals Week - First Semester

  • January 25th / JV 6:00pm Var 7:00pm / Men’s Wrestling / Enumclaw HS Gym

  • January 24th / JV 5:45pm, Var 7:30pm / Women’s Basketball vs Stadium HS / BLHS HS Gym

  • January 24th / C 4:00pm, JV 5:45pm, Var 7:30pm / Men’s Basketball @ Stadium HS / Stadium Gym

  • January 26th / C 4:00pm, JV 5:45pm, Var 7:30pm / Men’s Basketball vs Silas HS / BLHS Gym

  • January 26th / JV 5:45pm, Var 7:25pm / Women’s Basketball @ Silas HS / Silas HS Gym

  • January 27th / C 3:45pm, JV 5:30pm, Var 7:00pm / M Basketball @ Thomas Jefferson HS / TJHS Gym

  • January 27th / 4:00pm / Men’s Swim vs Multiple Schools / Mt Tahoma HS Pool

  • January 27th / JV 6:00pm & Women’s and Men’s Var 6:30pm / Wrestling vs Lincoln HS / BLHS Gym

  • January 27th / Var 7:00pm / Women’s Gymnastics vs Multiple Schools / South Hill Mall

  • January 30th / All Day / No School - Grading Day

  • January 30th / C 3:45pm, JV 5:30pm, Var 7:00pm / M Basketball @ Auburn Mt. View HS / AMHS Gym

  • February 1st / 6:30pm / Pack the Gym - Special Olympics Basketball / BLHS Gym

  • February 3rd / Var 7:00pm / Women’s Gymnastics Sectionals / Ascend Gymnastics

  • February 4th / Var 10:00am / Wrestling Sectionals / Mt Tahoma HS Gym

  • February 13th / During School / Culinary Arts Cooking Chef Judges

  • February 23rd / 7:00pm / Every School’s Choir All Grade Levels / All District Choir Festival / BLHS Gym

  • February 27th / Spring Sports Begin / Softball, Baseball, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s and Women’s Track and Field

  • April 21, 22, 23 / Into the Woods Musical / BLHS PAC

Consistent Information and Links

  • Inclement Weather

  • Senior Information

  • Counseling Services

    • Find links to the many services that our amazing Counselors provide.

  • Lockdowns and Reasons for them.

    • Lockdowns involve the school doing exactly that, locking down or securing the building.

    • There are a number of reasons why our school might go into lockdown, only one of them is an active shooter situation.

    • In a real lockdown, our primary objective is safety. It may not be possible to coordinate getting students for pick-up due to the reason for the lock down.

    • The school and district will share information as soon as we are able to.The primary goal is to keep our students and staff members safe. I want each of you to know that the drill is coming and it is a good opportunity to talk with your students.

  • School / Parent Communication:

    • Roughly 95% of our communication home is electronic.

    • Please make sure your email address is correct in our system (Skyward) so you receive the communications we send out!

      • If you need to update your contact information, please contact the BLHS Main Office at 253-891-5700 to be connected to someone who can help you.

    • Letters we send out will also be available on the BLHS home page.

    • I plan to continue sending out regular “Panther Update” emails to families. These emails will contain upcoming events and important information.

  • Get Information

    • Bonney Lake High School Web Page : Daily Announcements, Clubs & Activities, Sports, Parking, Upcoming events, etc.

    • All of our previous Panther Updates are also available online

    • Please see the Connect with Us Page for links to the BLHS Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and Remind 101 Links.

      • Remind Codes

        • Class of 2023:

        • Text @blhs2023 to 81010

        • Class of 2024:

        • Text @blhs2024 to 81010

        • Class or 2025:

        • Text @blhs2025 to 81010

        • Class of 2026:

        • Text @blhs2026 to 81010

    • Teachers will have other information about their Google Classroom Information.

    • Get your Family Access Skyward Information to check grades, make payments, see student specific information, etc.

    • Get Students Connected

  • Attendance

    • Student attendance is a major factor in student learning and success in school.

    • Students who miss 10% (or more) of school are at high risk of failing courses and research shows they have a significantly decreased chance of graduating.

    • Please help your students by getting them to school every day!

    • If your student is going to miss school please contact our attendance office at 253-891-5860 within 48 hours of the absence. Late Arrivals must be cleared the same day.

    • Attending a medical appointment (Dr., Dentist, Orthodontist, Ect.) during school hours? Ask them to provide you with a note and your student can turn that in to clear their attendance and to check back in school

  • Transportation

  • Lunch / Food Service

    • Please see the Child Nutrition Link to see; the price of meals, the monthly menus, add money to your student’s account, and to sign-up for free and reduced lunches if needed.

I hope you have found this information helpful. More importantly, I hope the start to your student’s year goes well and that energy continues throughout the year.


With Excitement and Hope,


Anthony Clarke

Principal - Bonney Lake High School


253-891-5727

Quicklinks

Bonney Lake High School
(253) 891-5700 | 10920 199th Ave Ct E, Bonney Lake, WA 98391
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