Black Diamond Elementary

We are actively monitoring weather conditions across the district. Due to current road conditions, ALL Middle School activities and athletics have been canceled. High School activities and athletic events have been canceled. High School athletic practices are optional until 4:00 pm. We will continue to assess conditions this evening and tomorrow morning. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families.

Please join us for our Winter Spirit Week!!

Mrs. Davis's Class takes flight to Australia

Today Mrs. Davis' class had a virtual flight to Australia! Yesterday, we completed our passports with photos, filled out a map of Australia, and packed our suitcases! Today, as they came in from recess, they picked up their boarding pass, got checked into their flight, had a snack on their seat, and had a virtual flight with a takeoff and then a seven-minute tour by way of a drone over the different landscapes of Australia, and then we had a virtual landing. The kids had a blast and are ready to learn more about Australia!

The History of the Nutcracker at BDE

Building kid-sized nutcrackers is a long standing tradition at Black Diamond Elementary. Ms. Spencer was given the idea, the yellow nutcracker, and the stencils from Ms. Perkins (now retired) around 2010. Ms. Perkins got it all from Ms. McNeeley (also retired a long time ago). Ms. McNeeley’s sister was a teacher at Lake Wilderness Elementary. She loved nutcrackers! She made a display of them every year, from two-foot tall statues to little salt and pepper shakers. Then she created the paper nutcracker project for her students and gave the glorious idea to her sister at Black Diamond Elementary. That means third graders have been making these nutcrackers at BDE for over 40 years. Ms. Bowie’s sons (who are in their 30s and 40s) and Ms. Spencer’s sons and Ms. Davis’ sons (who are in their 20s) and Ms. Stones’ daughter and son (who are in their teens) all made nutcrackers. Perhaps some of you made nutcrackers when you were students here and current Black Diamond students will have kids who make a giant nutcracker one day…

Please enjoy the Nutcracker Video.

Update 10/27/25 6:25 AM: Good News! The power has been restored at all of our schools. All schools will still operate on a two-hour delay today to ensure our buildings are warm and systems are operational for students. Please note there will be no out-of-district transportation. Buses will run on normal routes. Thank you to our PSE and utility teams for restoring our power! And thank you to our operations teams for ensuring our schools are ready for students and staff!

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10/26/25 6:30 PM: We are actively monitoring power outages across the district. At this time, Black Diamond Elementary, Thunder Mountain Middle School, Enumclaw Middle School, Southwood Elementary, and Sunrise Elementary are still without power. The current estimated time of restoration is 12:00 AM.

Due to these outages, all schools will operate on a two-hour delay tomorrow to ensure our buildings and systems are operational and ready for students. Please note there will be no out-of-district transportation. Buses will run on normal routes.

For our Birth to Five families: AM ECEAP and Developmental Preschool are canceled. Full Day ECEAP and Transitional Kindergarten will start two hours late. PM ECEAP and Developmental Preschool will begin on time.

We will continue to monitor the situation, and if the power is not restored by the estimated time of 12:00 AM, we will reassess in the morning and provide families with any updates.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families. Thank you to our PSE and utility teams for working to restore our power!

Show your School Spirit by dressing in your favorite Aloha Gear on Friday, September 26th—Hawaiian Shirts, Shorts, Leis, and Tropical accessories are all welcome. (Please remember, no swimsuits/swim trunks.)

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 1st.

Picture order forms have already been sent home, so be sure to check your child’s backpack if you haven’t seen it yet. Orders can also be placed online anytime at mydorian.com—and you’ll have up to four days after Picture Day to place your order.

Please help your child arrive on time, ready, and dressed for the camera—we can’t wait to see all those great smiles!