Spartan Update

Monday 3/18 Schedule B

Tuesday 3/19 Schedule A

Wednesday 3/20 Schedule A

Thursday 3/21 Lahar Drill -- Adjusted schedule see below

Friday 3/22 Schedule A

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.

On March 21 at approximately 9 a.m., students attending Sumner High School, and our other schools in the Sumner valley, will physically evacuate their school building. SHS students will walk this emergency evacuation route, safely escorted by school staff. If you do not want your child to participate, you may opt out of the lahar exercise by completing and returning this form (Spanish | Russian | Ukrainian) to your SHS by March 18.

What to expect

• 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 (16101 64th St E).

• 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.

The District’s participation in this full-scale, regional lahar exercise, known to be the largest of its kind in the nation, includes 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.

Washington State law requires that every student receives HIV/AIDs prevention education in grades 5 through 12. Because this unit covers sensitive topics, Washington State law and SBLSD board policy require that parents/families are provided the opportunity to preview these lessons.

The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District (SBLSD) is hosting a curriculum night for families to preview the HIV/AIDS prevention curriculum for students enrolled in the following:

• 6th and 7th grade students (HIV/AIDS),

• 2nd semester 8th grade Skills for Life (HIV/AIDS) and

• 9th grade Health classes (Health content), and

• Applicable 10th through 12th grade classes (HIV/AIDS).

The curriculum will be available for preview. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to understand the health content for grades 6-12, preview teaching materials and ask questions about the resources used in the classroom.

Family Preview for Health Curriculum Spring 2024

April 30, 2024 4:30pm to 6:00pm

Central Office Board Room

1202 Wood Ave, Sumner, WA 98390

Parents/families wishing to exclude their child from the HIV/AIDS curriculum required by our state must preview this curriculum and sign the exclusion form.

It doesn’t take a winter snow storm to impact school operations. Some fall weather conditions have the potential to require implementation of our inclement weather procedures.

Here are reminders to help you prepare for possible changes to bus and school operations due to inclement weather:

• Refer to inclement weather procedures for an outline of what to expect regarding communications and operations.

• For safety reasons, there may be a need to offer limited transportation and use inclement weather bus routes. This means buses will generally run on main roads rather than side streets or through neighborhoods.

  • We use “zones” to define inclement weather bus routes. Please become familiar with the zone your child’s bus route falls within. It is the responsibility of families to know if they live on an inclement weather route.

  • Bus drivers will hand out hard copies with the inclement weather bus zone specific to your child in early December. For questions, please call the Transportation Department at (253) 891-6400.

• Follow the district office on social media for updates: Facebook, @SumnerSchoolDistrict; Twitter @SumnerSchools; Instagram, @SumnerBonneyLakeSD.

***It’s important to keep in mind that while streets might be clear in the Sumner valley, that’s often not the case on the hill in Bonney Lake, where there’s considerable elevation and tight, winding roads.

As we continue to navigate through COVID and COVID protocols, I wanted to provide you all with some updates:

On May 30, 2023, DOH released updated COVID-19 guidelines for K-12 schools and childcare, reflecting continued shifts toward long-term COVID-19 management and away from an emergency response.

• No longer required:
• Schools are no longer required to report Covid Cases except when there is an outbreak
• Schools/Departments are no longer required to inform the school community of COVID cases
• The District is no longer required to report COVID cases on the District dashboard or to the health department
• Students are no longer required to isolate for 5 days after testing positive for COVID.
• Exclusion of students with Symptoms
• Students and staff with new symptoms, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, or other symptoms of COVID 19 should not attend school or child care. They should stay home, and get tested for COVID 19.
• For questions about specific symptoms in general, see When to Keep Your Student Home information
• While students are no longer required to isolate for 5 days, they:
• Should isolate for 5 full days after positive test or symptoms first appeared. Students may return when they are fever free without the use of medication and there is significant symptom improvement.
• Should notify the school of a positive COVID test.
• Should test or see primary care provider for alternative diagnosis.

Did you know?

• Starting in kindergarten, too many absences (excused and unexcused) can cause children to fall behind in school.

• Missing 10 percent of the school year is considered chronically absent. That’s only two days a month or 18 days in a school year.

• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.

• Setting a regular bedtime and morning routines can reduce tardiness and absences.

• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.

• Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.

How can you help your child to have strong attendance?

• Schedule non-urgent appointments to occur after school.

• Only let your student stay home if they are truly sick.

• Develop a back-up plan for getting to school in case of the unexpected.

• Talk to your student about the importance of attendance.

• Talk to your student’s teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be signs of an underlying issue.

• Update your student’s information at school as your address and/or phone number(s) change.

• If your student is going to be absent, please contact your school. If prior notice is not possible and you are notified that your child was absent through ParentSquare, please reply to the attendance notice, call or email your school, or send a written note upon the student’s return to school.

In the State of Washington, RCW 28A.225 requires children who are between the ages of 8 and 17 years old to attend a public school, private school or a district approved home school program. The Washington State truancy law, otherwise known as The Becca Bill, requires schools to notify parents and guardians of the absences.

The school and parent must make a plan when there are unexcused absences recorded. It is our desire to work with families to ensure required attendance of our students.

For information about excused and unexcused absences and tardies and District attendance procedures, please refer to the Family Student Handbook and/or Sumner-Bonney Lake School District Policy and Procedure 3122 Excused and Unexcused Absences.

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.