May 2024

Dear Falcon Families,

Welcome to May! This month is full of celebration and excitement as we recognize the great work of our staff and kids and start to peak ahead to next year. The first week of May is Staff Appreciation Week when we recognize and celebrate all of the amazing members of the Blue Crew. Most of us can remember a key educator in our lives that spoke life into our hopes and dreams, helped us believe in ourselves, and challenged us to learn more than we thought possible. Mr. Uhler still remembers key educators that made him feel know, valued and supported. His Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Schurmer, created experience that made him love school even though learning was hard. Mr. Cotton, the custodian and track coach in junior high, made him feel seen and included. And, his high school art teacher, Mr. Hunter that created a safe and inclusive space to be creative and experience productive struggle. We are certain that many of you have similar stories in your own life. And, we have no doubt that your kids have stories about the impact of the adults at Victor Falls. We encourage each of you and your kids to take time to express your appreciation for the incredible work each and every member of the Blue Crew is doing to ensure that each and every child truly feel known, valued and supported. Thank you for continuing to partner with us!

Make it a great day to be a Falcon!

Adam Uhler, Principal & Wade Jerdee, Assistant Principal

The month of May is focusing on Creativity, or using your imagination to create something new or solve a problem. Creativity is the last trait we focus on that helps students to Be Well. Opportunities to be Creative are all around us! How can you find ways to be Creative as a family this month?

Conversation Starters:

• Is being Creative and using your imagination something you enjoy doing? Why or why not?

• When you think of Creativity, what emotion comes to mind?

• How are you able to use Creativity to help you manage stress?

Spring testing is approaching soon. Falcons in grades 3-5 will be participating in the Summative Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in ELA and Math. Please see the dates and times below to accommodate scheduling and absences. This can be a time of stress and nervousness. We want to ease our students' nerves and do our best to set them up for success.

3rd-5th SBA ELA 5/7, 5/8, & 5/9 (9:00-11:00)

3rd-5th Math SBA 5/21 & 5/23 (9:00-11:10)

To help make them feel prepared and successful, here are some easy tips to support your child:

• Make sure they receive a good night's sleep.
• Start their day off with a healthy breakfast.
• Come to school on time, bring a healthy snack, a favorite book and be ready to ROCK the test!
• Daily words of encouragement!

The PTO presents the Missoula Children's Theater! Monday, May 6-11th! Here are some IMPORTANT details:

Please fill out this permission form if your child is planning to audition for the Missoula Children's Theater. These forms MUST be returned to the office by FRIDAY 5/3 for your child to participate in the audition. A paper form will be sent home today.

Because this is an afterschool production and a PTO-led non-school event, if your child has an IHP or requires life-saving meds (like EpiPens or inhalers), then parents must be present for the duration of the audition, rehearsals & plays with the medications to participate.

Monday will be the auditions. They are scheduled from 3:10-5:10. Students who are cast in the play will be asked to stay until 7:25 pm. Tuesday- Friday rehearsals will be from 3:10-7:25 pm. Please have your students meet in the MPR daily.

Please send your child with a sack lunch/snack to eat during the break.

The Performances will be on Saturday, May 11th. There are two shows. More information will be sent out after the auditions.

If you have any questions, please contact the PTO via email at VFEPTO2013@gmail.com

Kindergarten Screening will be taking place at Victor Falls Elementary on May 9th & May 16th from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. If you have a student who will be entering kindergarten in the Fall for the 24-25 school year and have not signed them up to be screened please contact Victor Falls Elementary at 253-891-4700.

This Spring, Tiffany Wehr opened up Victor Falls' very first Spring Writing and Art Competition! Third, fourth, and fifth graders were given the opportunity to submit creative works of writing and/or art to be considered for publication in Mrs. Wehr's Literary Journal. Over forty submissions were made! From these submissions a group of teacher-judges got together and collaborated about which works best represented the journal's Spring theme. Take a moment to read and enjoy the selected works of some incredibly talented Falcons using the link below! You may even know some of the artists and authors!

Daybreak Literary Journal for Kids- 2024

May 22nd: New Middle School Night (Mountain View MS, incoming 6th graders)

May 23rd: New Middle School Night (all middle schools, incoming 6th graders)

*Please contact middle schools for more information.*

This year we will be adding school day student tours to our transition activities. All students will travel with their elementary classmates to their assigned middle school for tour guided by our 8th grade student leaders. Victor Falls students will tour on June 3rd. The field trip information and details will be shared as we get closer to the visits.

Victor Falls Elementary is keeping Plastic Film from landfills with Ridwell this spring! As part of this limited-time drive, you can bring these types of Plastic Film to school on May 10th and Ridwell will make sure they stay out of landfills and are turned into new decking materials instead! Start collecting these items at home now.

You can also help Victor Falls recycle our school’s Plastic Film for the entire 2024-2025 school year! Be sure to use get.ridwell.com/VFE to join Ridwell with an at-home membership by May 31st, 2024. If we sign up 10 or more new members by this date, we will be awarded monthly Plastic Film pickups for our school next year!

We still have Kindergarten spots available! Please help spread the word!

Registration for the 24-25 school year is OPEN! Please visit SBLSD Enrollment and follow the steps to access online enrollment through family access.

One of the core values in the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District is a commitment to early learning and development. Registration for Preschool is now open through emailing Pam_Stoner@sumnersd.org with days, times and school of choice. Please also include your child's address, first and last name and birth date. If you are able to secure a spot, a registration form will be sent to you over email, registration forms completed online cannot be used to register for Part Day Preschool.

THANK YOU to all the families and supporters who plan to us for our first and second-grade concerts tonight (Thursday 5/2)!

But guess what? The music doesn't stop there! We're thrilled to announce our upcoming PTO's Art and Music Night on May 31st, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm! Get ready for an evening filled with creativity and melody as we showcase performances by Modern Band A, Modern Band B, The VFE Choir, and Mountain View Choir!

Let's keep the rhythm rolling beyond the concert halls! Families, don't forget to keep the musical magic alive at home by practicing with your child. Sing together, tap out a beat, or even create your family band! Let's make every day a musical adventure!

Mark your calendars and spread the word! See you all on May 31st for an unforgettable night of art, music, and community spirit!

Can you believe it? We are already nearing the end of the year and that means.....Field Day! This fun end of the year celebration is not possible without the help of lots of volunteers- we need you! :) Field Day will take place on Friday, June 14. We will have two sessions, one in the morning for our primary students (K-2) and one in the afternoon for our intermediate students (3-5). Please click the link to sign up to help! Thank you!

https://forms.gle/YBodWrzeqtBWsv8e8

Join us on Saturday, June 1 for the City of Bonney Lake Fun Run at Allan Yorke Park, benefitting the SBLSD Elementary Physical Education Programs. Click the link for registration information. Registration is due by May 14

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zemk8ifteyvKd2Tx5v33blCBRjda0ZQP/view?usp=sharing

If you are able to contribute items to support the lunch, please use the SignUp Genius Thank you!

The General PTO Meeting will be held on 5/15 @ 6pm in the VFE Library. All parents and families are encouraged to attend!

With warmer temperatures, please be sure that your student has a water bottle with them daily.

If you have a child in Kindergarten or 1st grade, please ensure they have an extra pair of clothing in their backpack.

Being at school, on time, every day is critical for students' success. Our teachers have planned engaging and important work for the school days and it is important for your child's social-emotional, and academic success that they are here as much as possible.

Our goal is 95% daily attendance. That means students missing 9 of less days in the year. Studies show that this leads to greater student success later in life.

We are encouraging all families to apply for free/reduced lunch. Please use the link below to apply. If you would prefer a paper copy, please call the office at 253-891-4700.

Free/Reduced Lunch Application

If you have questions regarding school lunches or student lunch accounts, please visit the child nutrition webpage on our district website or call 253-891-6450.

If your family needs support anytime throughout the year, please email our school counselor at kaitlyn_garrison@sumnersd.org There are resources to support families in their time of need.

The Market provides weekend food bags called Power Packs. If you are interested in more information about the Power Packs, please email our counselor at Kaitlyn_garrison@sumnersd.org or Cindy Orcutt at cindy@bonneylakefoodbank.org.

Please check our website for updates.

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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