Viking Family Update
August 23, 2022
Principal Update - Welcome Back!
Viking Friends and Families,
The time has come to welcome you to the the 22-23 school year. For those of you who are new to the Viking family please allow me to introduce myself! My name is LeeAnn Alfano, and I am the principal at Bonney Lake Elementary. When you see me on campus, my hope is that you will immediately recognize the joy on my face. I truly cherish my job!
This summer I had the chance to visit Iceland. I know, Iceland! It isn't a common destination. When my mom passed away last summer her final request was that my family and my father visit this land of fire and ice together. At the time the request sounded a bit far fetched. My dad had recently had a stem cell transplant and the resulting graft vs. host disease had harmed his lungs. He had trouble walking even 200 meters. On top of that, Covid was still a force to be reckoned with, particularly for someone with a compromised immune system.
But we set our sights on the horizon and began taking small steps toward the dream. Not only did we visit for 8 days this July we were able to embrace adventures that we never imagined. (Including many earthquakes and a volcanic eruption).
I learned some very important lessons from my family in Iceland. I also learned some lessons about myself as a leader and how I can continue to grow and serve you. Students, staff and families make up the spirit of Bonney Lake Elementary. I am anxious to continue our journey together, and work in collaboration with families as we support all of our students to reach high levels of learning.
Here are my Icelandic lessons that I am taking into the new school year...
1) Be willing to grow and adapt
2) Slow down and enjoy the environment
3) The unexpected can bring great joy (try that raw fish on the back of the boat!)
4) Work each day to be a part of creating an experience that you will love
5) Let others know how much you appreciate them
Each month you will receive important communication from our staff via this newsletter. Please take the time to read the content and feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or ideas.
Our hope is that we can set sail into the 22-23 school year and embark on a rewarding journey toward high levels of learning for ALL of our students. Thank you for partnering with us in this endeavor.
See you soon,
LeeAnn Alfano
Principal, Bonney Lake Elementary
Upcoming Events/Dates
Friday, August 26th at 4pm - Students can view classroom teacher assignment in Skyward (New students to BLE may not have been assigned a teacher yet, stay tuned!)
Wednesday, August 31st - BLE Open House 4:30-6:30pm
Tuesday, September 6th - First Day of School Grades 1-5
Friday, September 9th - First Day of School Kindergarten
Who will be my student's teacher?
Are you a new family at BLE? If so, you may not have an assigned teacher by Friday. Don't worry, we are carefully placing each new student and we have fabulous teachers. Be patient, we want to get it right!
Coming Soon - Kindergarten Connections Meetings - September 6th-8th
Silent Dismissal Car Pick Up
Silent Dismissal Procedures
Silent Dismissal is a dismissal system that will continue to be in effect when we return to school. This program will allow the school the ability to dismiss students from inside the classroom, as their parent/guardian arrives for pick up. This greatly reduces the number of students in a designated area, while increasing safety and accountability. It is a secure system and we are very excited to continue using it.
Here’s how it works:
Parents/Guardians will be provided with 'parent car tags' to be placed on the passenger side dashboard. Each tag will have a code, unique to your family, including all students within that family. When families arrive for pick up (via car or on foot), a staff member will enter the number located on your dashboard tag. Notification of pick up will then appear in your child’s classroom, letting your student(s) know they are dismissed to go to their car.
**Families that participated in Silent Dismissal last year are encouraged to pick up new tags. However, your designated pick up number will remain the same.
Here are the basic procedures for silent dismissal:
Parent/guardian arrives in the pick up loop access road.
Student/Family number is entered by staff into a mobile device.
Server processes information & routes to classroom(s) to notify student(s).
Student sees name projected / teacher notifies student of dismissal
Student leaves the classroom for the pick up loop.
Student leaves in the car with the parent/guardian.
Important points to remember:
Please have your car tag with you every day. If your child is going home with a different person or car, please make sure the other person picking up has the car tag. We plan to print four tags per family. If you need additional tags please notify Mrs. Davidson in the main office.
If a car comes through the dismissal line or a parent arrives for in- person pick up without the tag, the driver will be obligated to park in the side lot and wait until dismissal has ended. At the end of dismissal, school personnel will check identification and verify Skyward permissions to manually release the student from the classroom. There will be no exceptions (even if you know your number). Students can not be picked up in the main office.
Please understand this program was purchased with the safety of our children in mind. It is imperative we are all on the same page and adhere to these dismissal procedures. We are excited to continue to use this highly effective system!
Car Tag Pick Up for All Families
Wednesday, August 31st from 4:30-6:30pm at Back to School Night
Thursday, September 1st from 12-3pm at BLE
Located in front of the BLE main office -
Please be prepared to show ID.
We can answer any additional questions at that time.
Car Drop Off Begins at 8:45
Car Pick Up Begins at 3:45
Transportation via Bus
Bus Routes will be ready soon:
**Due to limited staffing and route availability students will not be permitted to get a gold bus permission slip and ride the bus home with a friend or relative this year. Please contact our transportation department if you have questions!
School Supplies! $25 Donation Requested - No need to shop!
In order to provide some relief for family budgets, all elementaries in SBLSD have shifted to a supply fee donation. Please consider making your donation as soon as possible.
Instructions for Online Payment of School Supply Donation of $25 (this covers supplies for your student this year).
1) Log on to SBLSD at www.sumnersd.org (not Family Access)
2) Hover over SCHOOLS on the top banner
3) Click on grades K-12
4) Scroll down to elementary schools and click on BLE
5) Click on the dollar bill icon "Online Payments"
6) Click on the link "Direct payment Link Here"
7) Log in with your user name and password (same as family access)
8) Click on your student that you would like to make a payment for
9) Click on "Shop"
10) Click on "Items at Student School"
11) Click on item you would like to pay
12) "School Supplies" "Grade Level" "Donation"
If you are able to contribute more than $25 to support a child in need please feel free to increase your donation. If you are unable to make the full donation you may select a lesser amount.
*** Not included - headphones or earbuds, backpack, lunchbox - if you need help with these items please let us know.
Thank you for supporting BLE! We will also accept cash payments of the supply donation during our Back to School Event!
Breakfast and Lunch Service at BLE
Child Nutrition Services
All schools serve breakfast and lunch daily. We offer a variety of student favorites that feature:
- A selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, many of which are sourced locally
- Entrees with healthy proteins and whole grains
- Low-fat milk and 100-percent fruit juices
Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications:
All families who may be eligible are encouraged to apply for free or reduced-price meals.
Applications must be resubmitted each year within the first 30 days of school. Qualified
students receive the benefit for the full school year, even if the family’s financial situation
changes.
Families receiving Basic Food, TANF, FDPIR or Medicaid may be Direct Certified for free or
reduced-price meal benefits. These families will receive a letter in the mail from Child Nutrition
Services notifying them of their student’s meal eligibility by mid-August. If a family receives
such a letter, they do not need to submit an application.
Applications may be submitted online through Family Access. Start by selecting your student’s name, then Food Service, then click the Applications button, then Add Application. The system will walk you through the process and is very easy to use. Once Child Nutrition has processed the application, you will receive a notification letter by mail or email.
Printed applications are also available at each school and online at:
22-23 Application for Free or Reduced-Price Meals.
Students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals may receive reduced school fees,
however, parental consent is required. For online applications, the option to grant consent to
release the students’ eligibility status is part of the application process. For others, the form is available at: 22-23 Consent Form
Meal Payments:
Since meal accounts have not been used for some time, we encourage families to check their
student account balances before school starts. Families can make online payments to student accounts anytime using Visa or Mastercard through Family Access. There are also options to receive email notices when student balances are low. A $0.75 per student transaction fee will be applied at checkout for payments.
Cash or checks are accepted as a form of payment in the school cafeterias during breakfast or lunch.
Lunch Menus:
Monthly print menus, and the link to our interactive online menus are on the Child Nutrition
Services website here:
If your child has a special dietary need, please contact our child nutrition office.
Contact Information:
Please contact the Child Nutrition office at (253) 891-6450 if you have questions about our meal programs, payments or free-reduced applications; we are happy to help! We are also available via email at child_nutrition@sumnersd.org, and follow us on Twitter @Sumnersdlunch.
Quick Links
Bonney Lake Elementary
Email: BLE@sumnersd.org
Website: sumnersd.org/ble
Location: 18715 80th Street East, Bonney Lake, WA, USA
Phone: (253) 891-4450