SBLSD News

Sumner-Bonney Lake students and staff have a message to voters, who approved two replacement levies in the Feb. 13 special election that support student learning.

Both levies passed by more than 60 percent, a substantial uptick in support from the previous election. Proposition 1 (EP&O) was approved by 61.83 percent, and Proposition 2 (technology and safety) was approved by 64.27 percent. The election results will be certified on Feb. 23.

Check out the video below!

Sumner High School ASB is sponsoring the 18th Annual Benefit Night to support the Madden Family, a father and five children, who recently lost their wife/mother after a short battle with cancer. The community is invited to the Dinner Auction on Feb. 23, in which 100 percent of the donations go directly to the Madden Family for funeral costs, hospital bills and the ongoing needs of Alejandrina Madden’s children. View this video to hear the positive impact Alejandrina had on the lives of her closest friends.

Dinner with live and silent auctions

When: Feb. 23 at 6 pm

Location: SHS Commons (Phase 1 Building)

Cost: $20 (purchase online or with SHS Bookkeeper)

For those unable to attend the event, but would like to donate, you may do so online here.

In late October 2023, Alejandrina Madden was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 stomach cancer. A little over one month later (November 25, 2023) she passed away with her loved ones at her side. Alejandrina was a mother of five kids and married to Dustin Madden who is a Sumner High School alum. Her kids are between the ages of 5 and 14. One of her kids, Sawyer Madden, is currently a freshman at SHS and the rest of her kids are future Sparts. Her husband is now solely responsible for raising their five kids along with working and providing for his family.

Our students have been working on some incredible science, technology, engineering, math and art projects this year, and they want to show them to you!

The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District is hosting its annual STEM Fair and Art Show from 10 am-2 pm on Feb. 24 at Sumner Middle School.

In addition to student projects and artwork, there will be food trucks, community exhibits and hands-on activities for all ages. Admission is free. We hope to see you there!

From game design to culinary arts, JROTC Air Force/Army to financial algebra — those are just a sampling of the Career & Technical Education classes that were visited this week by members of our school board and CTE General Advisory Council members. Council members are industry professionals who provide guidance to administrators and teachers for the entire Career & Technical Education program and overall career pathways.

Visitors were able to speak with students about what they’re learning in these classes, real-world applications, and how they relate to their future goals and careers.

For a full view of our CTE course offerings, visit sumnersd.org/CTE, and check out the photos below for some insight into the classes!

This week marked the 100th day of school for kindergarteners! They celebrated with crowns, cereal necklaces, snack mats and more. Congratulations, kinders — you’re now 100 days smarter! Here are Liberty Ridge classes celebrating the milestone.

Sumner High School held their second annual Multilingual FAFSA Night on Feb. 15, when students and families learned about communication tools, testing, course offerings, graduation requirements and support in completing FAFSA applications — all in their native language.

Attendees also learned about a new course, Translation and Interpretation I, which is an entry level course designed to equip high school students with fundamental skills and knowledge required to become emerging Spanish translators and interpreters.

Following the Black History Month theme, African Americans and the Arts, Emerald Hills Elementary created focus areas for each week for the month of February: Black History and Black Musicians, Black Writers, Black Artists, and Black Performers. Every Monday, slide decks that correlate with the theme of the week go out to staff to share with students. Members of the EHE Art Docents – a program where volunteers teach a classroom about a particular art style every month, then have them practice it – also created a poster for the school.

If you walk the halls of Bonney Lake and Sumner high schools, you can find posters with information about important Black figures. Check out a few of those posters below:

Interested in a “how-to” practical approach to parenting? The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District invites parents/guardians to a free, five-session Love & Logic parenting workshop.

The Love and Logic approach is fun! This training is available to any parent or guardian regardless of the age of their student. The training will be capped at 30 participants per series. SBLSD families will be given first priority for registration.

Participants will learn how to:

• Avoid un-winnable power-struggles and arguments (putting an end to arguing, backtalk, and begging)

• Set enforceable limits

• Empower kids

• Help kids learn from mistakes rather than repeating them

• Thursdays, March 7 - April 4, 5:30-7:00 pm at Emerald Hills Elementary. Register here.

• Tuesdays, April 16 - May 14, 6-7:30 pm at Tehaleh Heights Elementary. Register here.

Water and snacks will be provided at each session. Daycare is available for ages 5 and older.

For questions, contact Jeannie Larberg at jeannie_larberg@sumnersd.org.

In our ongoing commitment to safety and preparedness, the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District is participating in a regional lahar exercise, which is designed to test and improve the ability to evacuate or shelter students and staff in the event of an incoming lahar from Mount Rainier. The drill is only for schools, not the general public or surrounding residences.

WHEN

The lahar exercise will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 21. There will be some staggered start times for operational effectiveness.

HOW

All schools will participate by either evacuating or sheltering in place, depending on their location in the valley or on the hill.

Evacuation (valley)

• Schools: Sumner HS, Elhi Hill HS Program, Sumner MS, Daffodil Valley Elem, Maple Lawn Elem, Sumner Early Learning Center, Community-Based Transition Program.

• Under staff supervision, with assistance from local police personnel, students will follow a designated evacuation route on flat, paved sidewalks with one street lane closed.

• Students will complete about 80 percent of the route, stopping before gaining significant elevation with an end at the Gordon Family YMCA.

• Buses will transport students back to their school where they’ll complete the remainder of their school day as normal. Total time for the drill is approximately one hour.

Shelter in place (hill)

• Schools: Bonney Lake HS, Lakeridge MS, Mountain View MS, Bonney Lake Elem, Crestwood Elem, Donald Eismann Elem, Emerald Hills Elem, Liberty Ridge Elem, Tehaleh Heights Elem, Victor Falls Elem.

• Students will shelter in place by remaining at school inside their classroom.

• Teachers have the option to deliver lahar-related lessons and activities, sharing more about lahars and what to expect should we experience one.

• The shelter-in-place drill should last no longer than five minutes.

WHO

Coordinated by the East Pierce Interlocal Coalition Emergency Management Team, participants in this regional, full-scale lahar evacuation exercise include these surrounding school districts, cities, towns and emergency management agencies:

SBLSD has worked closely with the Sumner Police and Public Works departments to coordinate this exercise to ensure the utmost safety of everyone involved. We value our strong partnerships with law enforcement and emergency management agencies in preparedness activities all year long.

WHY

Mount Rainier is beautiful, but it’s also an active volcano. The US Geological Survey predicts that a lahar event could occur in the next 500 to 1,000 years. While we hope that doesn’t happen in our lifetime, everyone in our area should be prepared just in case.

Teaching the next generation of Pierce County residents how to prepare for a lahar is critical. This exercise, deemed to be the largest full-scale drill in the nation, will familiarize students with evacuation routes and give them the practice and knowledge to be prepared for a real-life evacuation.

MORE INFO

As we get closer to the March 21 lahar exercise, we will send families more information with details, such as evacuation routes, as it pertains to their school.

Accepted donations

• Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Charity Fund donated $9,000 to the Bonney Lake High School Panther Robotics Club

• Sumner-Bonney Lake Education Association donated $3,500 to the Sumner-Bonney Lake Family Resource Center

Approval

• Resolution No. 13/23-24: Site assessment access agreement to provide for due diligence evaluation by the district engineering team of a potential new middle school site in Tehaleh

• Resolution No. 14/23-24: Emergency procurement waiver authorizing the district to waive statutory requirements related to competitive bidding in the event of an emergency

Presentations

• February Budget Update

• Athletics Department

Reports

• Budget Status: December 2023

Recording

• Link

Upcoming meetings

• Study session: March 13

• Board meeting: March 20

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