The Olympia School District Board of Directors has proclaimed June 2023 Pride Month.
The directors took turns reading aloud the one-page proclamation at the May 25, 2023 board meeting. Pride Month shows support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, (Questioning), Intersex, Asexual, and (Agender) (LGBTQIA+) students, families and staff.
In part, the proclamation states that Olympia School District “students, families and staff have the right to be treated consistent with their gender identity and sexual orientation at school.”
It also states that the district is committed to maintaining safe, healthy and welcoming learning environments for all members of our community including transgender and gender-expansive students.
The proclamation notes that the greater Olympia community has been honoring and celebrating Capital City Pride since 1991 and adds “by recognizing Pride Month we affirm that supportive school environments substantially improve the mental health and school engagement of LGBTQIA+ students.”
Teachers, prospective teachers and homeschool parents are welcome to visit the South Sound Reading Foundation (SSRF) office in Lacey to peruse its Teacher Resource Corner for free materials on the second Saturday of each month between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The next “Teacher Resource Day” is Saturday, June 10, 2023.
Note the new SSRF recently moved its office to 2830 Willamette Dr. N.E, Suite A, Lacey, WA 98516.
The Foundation has a variety of pre-k to high school supplemental curriculum material. Shelves are stocked with workbooks, reading guides and specific subject interest books for everything from biology to U.S. history. Everything is free, and SSRF is constantly restocking, so educators are encouraged to make repeat visits.
“Snoqualmie Falls,” by Nicole Reed, Yoga Instructor, Olympia Regional Learning Academy
OSD employees are encouraged to email the Communications department a photo of their artwork portraying nature (e.g., landscapes, sunrises or sunsets, an interesting cloud formation, a close-up of a flower) for consideration in this staff blog. Your image can be something you captured on canvas, in a photograph, on a textile, in a pencil, charcoal or pastel drawing, with wire — the possibilities are endless!
Please remember, you can be a novice or a professional. You can submit photos taken with your phone or a fancy camera. The goal is for as many employees as possible to participate!
Guidelines:
Nature/scenic images only (no people or pets please).
Attach a photo of your original art in jpeg or png format to an email and send to communications@osd.wednet.edu. The higher the resolution, the better.
Photos must be in-focus and cropped so the art is visible.
Include your name, title, work location, and if applicable, where the image was taken (you can name the city, for example, or provide even more specific details (e.g. sunset taken from Long Beach, WA). This information will be included with each image published.
Depending on the number of images submitted, we will print one or more in each issue of the staff blog.
“Flowers at CHS Garden,” by Mindy Smolinsky, Paraeducator, Capital High School
Everyday Heroes is a regular feature in this staff blog. Remember to submit names of employees districtwide who have done something deserving of encouragement and praise. Give a shout-out to one of your colleagues at your school or support building and watch for it to appear in an upcoming Everyday Heroes blog post.
Here are our newest honorees:
Everyday Hero Barbara Gendron, Office Manager, Roosevelt Elementary School
Barb Gendron, Roosevelt Elementary’s Office Manager, is our Everyday Hero. Barb, I know you hesitate to be recognized for all that you do, but you do so much for so many!
It is clear how much you love being here and being a part of the Roosevelt community. You show this in so many ways. For starters, your positive attitude is simply contagious! You start our days with such a positive tone. On a more practical note, when you reorganized our staff workroom you made it so much easier to find what we need and work efficiently. You have made our staff lunchroom a pleasing place to be, and celebrating staff members’ birthdays has enhanced our building morale. Checking in with us when we are absent, and offering to help in any way that we need makes us feel cared for. From running copies to laminating things, you support the kids by supporting the staff who work with them.
When kids are in the office after school waiting for a late pickup, you make sure they have something fun to do and reassure the kids that find it worrisome. They feel cared for too.
You clearly are a person that thrives on helping others. We feel loved by you, and we love you in return. Submitted by Jean Schuna, Teacher-Librarian, Roosevelt Elementary School
Wyatt makes a constant effort to engage students and make them feel special. Her calming presence is infectious and positively impacts those around her, including superiors and those who are older. An easy compliment is that Wyatt makes our entire school look beautiful with her incredible art lining the hallways and teachers’ classrooms. Thurgood Marshall is lucky to have Wyatt. She is wise beyond her years and a role model to our entire staff. Go Wyatt!!! Submitted by Emmett Kelley, Paraeducator and Student Teacher, Thurgood Marshall Middle School Staff
How to nominate an Everyday Hero
Email the Communications and Community Relations Department (communications@osd.wednet.edu) a few sentences, and no more than 200 words, about why the person deserves recognition. It’s easiest to write as if speaking directly to the colleague, such as “Thank you for helping with…” or “I really appreciated when you…”
Write “Everyday Heroes” in the subject heading of the email.
Include your first and last name as the person submitting the comments.
Include the first and last name of the OSD employee you are recognizing.
Include the job title and work location (school or department) of the person you are recognizing.
All submissions will be posted in this blog on a weekly basis and archived each week.
The following article was submitted by Instructional Technology TOSA Jamie Sproul
School-based teams from around the district came together on May 18 to share the work that they have done this year integrating media literacy and digital citizenship into their classrooms and school culture.
Small teams, led by teacher-librarians and other teacher-leaders, set up table exhibits to showcase projects ranging from kindergartners analyzing the feelings inspired by a story to high school students updating the concept of 1984’s Big Brother to include social media algorithms.
District educators were encouraged to attend the Showcase to share ideas and collaborate on future lessons. More than 80 participants attended the event. The evening culminated with a keynote address from Jennifer LaGarde, an amazing teacher-librarian, presenter, and leader in media literacy education who spoke about the rising impact of artificial intelligence on the creation and dissemination of mis-, dis-, and mal-information.
The evening marked the culmination of the 2022-23 DII 2.0 Professional Learning Cohort. Attending educators shared the following reflections on their learning:
“Media literacy is more than determining if news is fake. It’s more about thinking about your own emotions as you look at information and considering who benefits from your feeling this way.”
“We can’t possibly know all the tech tools, but we can approach them with intention and thoughtfulness.”
“Our Avanti Symposium created a network of community stakeholders that we can and did share with everyone else in our district tonight. It takes a village.”
“It has been awesome to have this work with coworkers and to take these concepts to the staff and students in our building! Next step: families too! Great support from instructors and we found many people in the greater community who are passionate about this work.”
“I now have some go-to language to use when talking with students about things I find concerning about their media usage or acceptance. In the past I knew something fell off but I wasn’t sure what to do about it.”
“I was nervous about teaching it to Kinders but they were ready.”
“I realized all my classes and all ages need these skills, not just teens and core subjects.”
The school board recognized this year’s Employee Recognition Award winners at a special recognition event on Thursday, May 25.
This annual awards program is designed to recognize employees from throughout the district in several categories. All employees districtwide were invited to send in nominations, and a screening committee reviewed the entries and selected the winners.
The Champion of Differences
“Celebrates Diversity” – Any staff member who, by their actions, celebrates the values and differences of individual groups.
Deborah Nied, ELA Teacher, Reeves Middle School
The Innovator
“Changes Making a Difference” – Any staff member who demonstrates innovative strategies that significantly improve the district mission.”
Travis King, Behavior Tech Paraeducator, Centennial Elementary School
The Unsung Hero
“Goes the Extra Mile” – Any staff member who continually gets results with little or no fanfare.
Matt Grant, Principal, Olympia High School
Emmie San Nicolas, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent
The Coach
“Supports Others” – Any staff member who plays a unique role in enabling others to excel.
Betsy Durant, Administrative Professional, Jefferson Middle School
The Dream Team
“Above and Beyond” – Any group of staff members working together to help students succeed in or out of the classroom.
“Squaxin Park, Olympia Looking South,” by Chris Stubblefield, Paraeducator, Capital High School
OSD employees are encouraged to email the Communications department a photo of their artwork portraying nature (e.g., landscapes, sunrises or sunsets, an interesting cloud formation, a close-up of a flower) for consideration in this staff blog. Your image can be something you captured on canvas, in a photograph, on a textile, in a pencil, charcoal or pastel drawing, with wire — the possibilities are endless!
Please remember, you can be a novice or a professional. You can submit photos taken with your phone or a fancy camera. The goal is for as many employees as possible to participate!
Guidelines:
Nature/scenic images only (no people or pets please).
Attach a photo of your original art in jpeg or png format to an email and send to communications@osd.wednet.edu. The higher the resolution, the better.
Photos must be in-focus and cropped so the art is visible.
Include your name, title, work location, and if applicable, where the image was taken (you can name the city, for example, or provide even more specific details (e.g. sunset taken from Long Beach, WA). This information will be included with each image published.
Depending on the number of images submitted, we will print one or more in each issue of the staff blog.
“Hiawatha Road, Moses Lake,” by Patricia Coon, Instructional Technology Support Specialist, Olympia Regional Learning Academy
Everyday Heroes is a regular feature in this staff blog. Remember to submit names of employees districtwide who have done something deserving of encouragement and praise. Give a shout-out to one of your colleagues at your school or support building and watch for it to appear in an upcoming Everyday Heroes blog post.
Here are our newest honorees:
Everyday Hero Tricia Kelley, Accounting Supervisor, Business Services,
Tricia Kelley has served behind the scenes in the Business Office, in Teaching & Learning, and at Lincoln Elementary School. In each of these roles she has been the go-to person for your in-the-weeds questions, ‘what does this line on my report mean’ type of questions, or ‘what do we do about this’ sort of questions.
Over the last year she has helped carry the district through some tough transitions in the Business Office. We lost a wealth of knowledge when two key teammates left and she was leaned on heavily to fill the gap. She knows the history of our finances, she knows how to problem-solve, she knows skyward like the back of her hand. Beyond her technical savvy, she nurtures her team and helps them grow. As the leader of the accounting team, she has given them opportunities to take on projects to improve our processes that help school staff–electronic POs, electronic group meal forms.
She will jump on a Zoom or go sit with anyone to walk them through how to navigate skyward and tackle the situation. And when they are done, folks have access to more than a dozen how-to videos that the team created to support our district.
She is a natural nurturing and peacemaking personality with a lot of spunk and personality. Submitted by Kate Davis, Director of Finance, Business Services
Everyday Heroes Marni Prandi (PT), Sue McDonald (Teacher for the Visually Impaired), Meghan Hanson (SLP Teacher DLC) Suzy Anthony (OT), Student Support
Kudos to my fellow OSD staff members who are serving the Ashley House students. Marni Prandi, Sue McDonald, Meghan Hanson, and Suzy Anthony have welcomed me onto their team. As a group we share ideas and equipment in order to best serve these medically fragile students. Each of them has taken their valuable time to teach me new skills. I couldn’t have asked to be a part of a better team. Thank you. Submitted by Danni Connor, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program Teacher, Student Support
Everyday Hero Jill Nelson, English & Special Services Teacher, Olympia High School
Jill Nelson is the head of special services here at Olympia High School. While serving as department head, she goes above and beyond the expectations of SPED specialist and department head. It is her ability to see the big picture that allows her to serve so many, influencing their high school experience for the better. She oversees scheduling and academic placement of our SPED and ML students, ensuring that these students’ academic and social emotional needs are met. She is the true embodiment of equity in that she ensures that students receive the courses they need in order to be successful daily and complete graduation requirements. She uses her expert knowledge to guide and advise families of appropriate graduation pathways that best fit each individual student. Not only does she support all of our students served under the special services umbrella while they attend Olympia High School, she also assists students beyond high school, facilitating vital connections to secondary programs and scholarships, ensuring as many doors remain open for these students as possible. Opportunity is her middle name as she assists high schoolers within and beyond their high school experience. She is a tireless advocate who assists students in gaining vital access to programs and services that support them during high school and in years beyond. I urge you to seriously consider this nomination, and join me in recognizing someone who is an everyday hero. Submitted by Chelsea Peterson, EL Specialist/English Instructor, Olympia High School
How to nominate an Everyday Hero
Email the Communications and Community Relations Department (communications@osd.wednet.edu) a few sentences, and no more than 200 words, about why the person deserves recognition. It’s easiest to write as if speaking directly to the colleague, such as “Thank you for helping with…” or “I really appreciated when you…”
Write “Everyday Heroes” in the subject heading of the email.
Include your first and last name as the person submitting the comments.
Include the first and last name of the OSD employee you are recognizing.
Include the job title and work location (school or department) of the person you are recognizing.
All submissions will be posted in this blog on a weekly basis and archived each week.
The following article was submitted by Sharyn Merrigan, instructional technology specialist and teacher-librarian liaison
Most all of us have, at one time or another, used or received links in the form of TinyURL, bit.ly, or another abbreviated web address. While these tools are available for staff use, the Olympia School District blocks the use of URL shorteners for students through our web filtering service.
URL shorteners may seem handy, but they can inadvertently expose our students to potential risks. The problem lies in the fact that they hide the actual destination of the link, making it challenging to assess its safety and legitimacy. We want to ensure that our students are shielded from inappropriate content or malicious websites.
Moreover, URL shorteners have been used by students to bypass our district’s web filtering and monitoring systems. URL shorteners change what the destination looks like in our systems, preventing the district from determining what websites have been visited. These filtering systems are in place to protect our students from harmful online material. Blocking URL shorteners creates a safer browsing experience for our learners and prevents circumnavigation of our district internet policies.
Long links are unavoidable in the internet age. By utilizing tools like Schoology or Securly Classroom to share links instead of URL shorteners, we ensure that the content is filtered and secure. Schoology allows you to share links easily with your students in a variety of materials, including Updates, Pages, and File/Link/External Tool. Securly Classroom may also be used to push links out to students, opening the page automatically on their school Chromebooks in real time.
If you have any questions or would like assistance using these tools, please reach out to the Instructional Technology Specialist Team or the OSD Technology Helpdesk.
A reminder that Friday, May 19, 2023 is the deadline to file for one of three Olympia School Board seats up for election in November.
The three Olympia School Board district seats up for election on the November 7, 2023 General Election ballot are:
Director District #1, currently held by Maria Flores; 4-year term
Director District #2, currently held by Talauna Reed; 4-year term (Note: Director Reed recently moved into Director District #1)
Director District #4, currently held by Hilary Seidel, 4-year term
For more information about filing for a seat on the Olympia School Board, and to see who has filed for the seats to date, visit the Thurston County Auditor’s Office Elections Division website. A Primary Election will be held on August 1, 2023 if three or more people file for the same position, followed by the General Election on November 7, 2023.
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