SSD Family Newsletter
Third Edition:  November 2014

Table of Contents
Bonney Lake High School Presents
Celebrating Our Veterans
Community 'Big Give'
Liberty Ridge Elementary Receives Award
New Website
Recreation News
School Communications
Sumner High School Holiday Dinner
Teacher Tuesday
Winter Rec Programs
The Winter Recreation Brochure is now available and posted on the Sumner School District Website.  View upcoming events and programs and register today!
Quick Links
Community Flyer Bulletin Board

Community Newsletter

District Directory

In The News

School Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes

Superintendent Blog
Upcoming Dates

November 19
School Board Meeting  

November 20

READY! For Kindergarten Class at LRE 

 

November 21-23

BHS Production:  It's A Wonderful Life 

 

November 22
Community Big Give   

 

November 25

READY! For Kindergarten Class at DVE  

 

November 25
End of First Trimester 

 

November 26
No Elementary School - Grading Day 

 

November 27 & 28
No School, Thanksgiving Holiday

Superintendent's Message

If anyone knows me very well, they know I'm always reading. I only read non-fiction and my favorite books are about learning or leadership. I just read How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why it Happens, by Benedict Carey. Fascinating book; hope you read it. Many of my beliefs about learning were challenged and I find the book makes an important contribution to how we support students as they tackle the rigor and expectations of school and testing in today's culture. So many of the strategies we have used for years aren't necessarily the best way to learn. Taking it a little easier and letting the brain do what it does best can enhance learning and expand what a student remembers. While we all know that cramming for a test the night before is not necessarily a useful long-term learning technique, we might be taking too much offense to fiddling with electronic gadgets and taking frequent breaks or even naps! Benedict Carey's book is shaking educator's thinking enough that his research made it into a prominent education magazine, Education Week. Some surprises from Carey's book:

  • Embed learning in a story; stories are memorable even if they are made up
  • Don't try too hard for too long; take it a little easier and space it out
  • Knowing what's on the test makes you do better on the test - it's not actually cheating to know the test questions; it expands the learning
  • Take frequent breaks when studying
  • Diversify your study habits and spaces

The big take away is this: "The brain is a quirky learning machine, the science shows, and it works best when those quirks are exploited" (Carey, 2014).

Bonney Lake High School Presents ...
Bonney Lake High School Drama Productions brings the classic, It's A Wonderful Life, to the stage this November. Based upon the film by Frank Capra and the story by Philip Van Doren Stern, the story of the idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve.

 

All performances will be held at the Sumner High School Performing Arts Center. Showtimes are the following:

  • November 21 - 7:00 p.m.
  • November 22 - 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
  • November 23 - 2:00 p.m.

Prices are $8 for adults and $6 for students with ASB, children and senior citizens.

 

Bonney Lake High School Principal, Cris Turner, comments "With over 40 students involved in the cast and crew, we are very excited about this upcoming school production and hope to see our Bonney Lake and Sumner communities there supporting our students. It will be a wonderful way to start the Thanksgiving season. "

Celebrating Our Veterans
Schools in the district continue to honor and celebrate the men and women who have served in the military. 

Bonney Lake High School honored veterans in front of an audience of over 1500 students, staff and veteran guests. The high school invited 30 World War II and Korean War Veterans which included 2 retired Star Generals.

Community 'Big Give'

The Sumner School District is partnering with local business, non-profit

agencies, and community churches as a proud sponsor for this year's Big Give, an annual event held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. On this day groceries will be distributed to families in need within the school district and surrounding community who have received vouchers through their child's school or local food bank.

 

Sumner School District Family Center Coordinator, Joannie Hill, comments "The Big Give is a great testament of our community responding to some real need. We have doubled the amount of vouchers that were distributed to district families from last year and although we're on track for a successful event, we are still in need of volunteers and donations to fulfill the need."

 

The Big Give is an opportunity to make sure every economically challenged family enjoys a full Thanksgiving meal.  Currently this represents the students in the Sumner School District Schools, as well as those who utilize the Bonney Lake and Sumner Food Banks.

 

To read more about how you can volunteer and/or donate to the Big Give, visit  http://communitybiggive.com/.

Liberty Ridge Elementary Receives Award
Outstanding improvement in student achievement over 6 years led to a special honor for Liberty Ridge Elementary. The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE), the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD), the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), and Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) announced on November 5, 2014, that 101 schools all received the 2014 School of Distinction Award.

 

The 2014 School of Distinction award winners include 54 elementary schools, 22 middle/junior high schools, 17 high schools, and 8 alternative schools. This is the 8th annual School of Distinction award recognition in Washington State. Liberty Ridge Elementary is a six time winner of the SOD award.

 

John Welch, Puget Sound ESD Superintendent states, "We are pleased to be a partner in honoring schools within our region that set a high standard in realizing dramatic achievement gains for students. We recognize the difficult and important work that this takes. We salute the students, families, educators, and communities for their successes and for setting a high bar for us all."

New Website

Work is underway and on track for the district to launch its new Website in the New Year! 

 

The new site is being developed to better connect the district with its students and families. The district launched a community Website Survey last spring, enabling the district to get feedback and input on how parents, students, and staff want to use the Website. The survey provided data on what information is accessed most frequently, what devices visitors use when accessing the Website, and what users would like to see more of to make their web experience more informative and useful.

 

The district oversaw the management of the new site design and chose Schoolwires as its new content management platform. The new site is currently in production and is expected to launch in the first quarter of the New Year. The new site will offer a more personal user interface called the "MyView Page." This feature gives every district parent and student instant access to their classrooms, calendars and services of choice.

 

The new site incorporates vertical scrolling panels to present enhanced information and will be mobile phone and tablet responsive. The site will also feature streaming video and photo galleries for schools, sports, clubs and special events.

Recreation News
Registration is now open for the following events.

For  more information, or to submit registration information, contact the Recreation Department at (253) 891-6500.

School Communications

Winter is just around the corner and weather is quickly changing!  Weather conditions may require school schedule delays or closure.  Even when road conditions in the valley appear passable, bad weather on the hill often causes hazardous driving conditions and impacts the district's ability to operate buses safely.  Safety for your child is our primary concern.

  

When inclement weather occurs, our goal is to make information available to families about school closure or changes in the school schedule by 5 a.m.  In this digital age, here's how we can quickly reach you with this information:

  • Family Access:  Log into Family Access and click on "Skylert" located in the left-side column.  The district uses this tool for school announcements and news.  Please make sure you confirm the ways in which you choose to receive information.  Your options in the "Emergency" column designate how we contact you with closure or school schedule changes.  Note that if all "emergency" boxes are checked for various contacts, you could receive closure or changes in the school schedule multiple ways!  By house phone, cell phone, email, and text.  
     
  • FlashAlert Newswire (previously known as schoolreport.org):  The FlashAlert system gives you access to emergency messages, such as breaking news, weather closure information, and news releases from school districts around the country.  The Sumner School District partners with FlashAlert to inform media of closures and school schedule information.  

The District Emergency Hotline (253-891-6011), the Sumner School District Website, Facebook, and Twitter are also tools the district uses to keep you informed.  

Sumner High School Holiday Dinner

Families in Sumner and Bonney Lake are invited to celebrate the holidays at the free Holiday Community Dinner, sponsored by Sumner High School's ASB and Leadership Classes. Sumner High School students welcome all members of the community to enjoy a holiday theme, hot meal, visit Santa's Corner or stop by the holiday food pantry.

 

December 13, 2014

12:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Sumner High School Gym, 1707 Main Street in downtown Sumner

 

Over the past decade the community dinner at Sumner High School has grown from serving 89 people 9 years ago, to over 800 last year with over 200 students and staff serving as volunteers.

 

The dinner is served by student volunteers in a holiday atmosphere and is completely FREE and open to anyone and everyone in the community! Santa will be visiting during the event to take pictures with the families and give away toys. Students, community members and the high school's award-winning jazz band will provide entertainment for dinner guests. Children may participate in crafts, play games or watch a movie in Santa's Corner.

Teacher Tuesday
Every Tuesday a teacher is recognized in the Sumner School District for impacting student success and making a difference.  This is a weekly opportunity for us to honor the hard work teachers do all year long and say "thank you!"

 

Previous teachers recognized this month include Andy Kyllo from the Elhi Hill High School Program, Jennifer Ireland from Lakeridge Middle School, and Scott Sousa from Crestwood  Elementary.

 

Visit the Sumner School District Website to read more about these teachers and their dedication to student learning!    

 


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