Viking Friends and Families,

This month we are having conversations and experiences to help us develop the social-emotional skill of Empathy! We are using this definition at school:

Empathy: the ability to understand and connect to the feelings of another.

Empathy is an important skill for creating connected and kind communities. It is critical to our relationships both personal and professional. There is a huge need for Empathy in our world because, as anxiety increases, Empathy decreases.

Recently, we have many digital connections; however, we need a lot of training regarding in-person communication and understanding! So, we are working to develop a few key skills in order to live more empathetic lives.

First, developing an “emotional vocabulary” to make sure we have the words to understand and describe what we are feeling personally. Second, being able to connect with others based on their feelings even though we may not have the exact same story or perspective as someone else. Finally, we will think about how listening and sharing help create more Empathy in our classroom and the world.

My hope is that when you and your student interact with our staff here at BLE you feel a sense of connection. Further, I hope that you feel honored and listened to. We will serve many of your families for six years. A strong relationship between school and home will serve as the building block for your student's success both academically and emotionally.

Feel free to reach out and let me know how we are doing!

LeeAnn Alfano

At BLE we talk frequently about having a Super Safe Body and Behavior. During the fall of the 21-22 school year we have seen a large increase in minor physical contact between younger students. This happens mostly at recess and other less structured times. We are seeing this primarily in grades K-2. Our guess is that over the past two years students have had fewer opportunities to practice these skills in larger group settings.

You can help your student acquire these vital life skills by using "Super Safe" language and rewarding and recognizing "Super Safe" skills at home. Please help your student understand the following:

• How important it is to keep their hands and feet to themselves.
• The importance of a "personal bubble".
• How to take turns and follow the rules - board games are great for this!
• How to apologize - At BLE we say ""Name" I am sorry for _________ and it won't happen again."
• Showing kindness to others - this might sound like "Your turn!" or "Can I help you?"

Thank you so much for your support in reinforcing these skills at home! We want all of our Vikings to feel Super Safe at school.

If you would like more information about how you might practice these skills at home please watch the video and use the choice wheel below. Also, feel free to give us a call.

Thank you!

The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District defines highly capable students as those who demonstrate, or have the potential to demonstrate, outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as exceptional ability to reason and learn). We recognize and embrace the development of highly capable students and their use and possession of untrained, natural ability. Do you know a child who performs at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with other students of the same age? If so, consider referring them for Highly Capable services.

The referral window will be open from Monday, Nov. 22, 2021 until Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. Learn more about the referral process and access forms.
Note: Second grade students will participate in a Highly Capable Universal Screener the second week of November and therefore do not need to be referred to be considered for services.

Thank you for particpating in the Mayor's Challenge Food Drive. BLE was able to donate over 2,000 items to the food bank. SBLSD elementary schools combined were able to provide over 10,000 items. This is a great way to support our community during the holiday season.

All of our donations went to The Bonney Lake Food Bank. If you need support please feel free to reach out to them. They are a marvelous organization.

We appreciate you!

To celebrate our 3rd grade student's leadership in the food drive they had a special assembly. They had the chance to pie Principal Alfano and Assistant Principal Tran in the face!

Bonney Lake Elementary has a wonderful partnership with our PTA! In order to stay in the loop with all that PTA has to offer please consider visiting their website and joining this organization! You can also follow our PTA on Facebook at "Bonney Lake Elementary PTA".

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Email: BLE@sumnersd.org
Website: sumnersd.org/ble
Location: 18715 80th Street East, Bonney Lake, WA, USA
Phone: (253) 891-4450

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The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. The following employees are designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Title IX/Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator Adrienne Chacon (253) 891-6033, ADA Coordinator Diana Thomas (253) 891-6033, Section 504 Coordinator Karen Finigan (253) 891-6040. Address: 1202 Wood Ave, Sumner, WA 98390.