Month: March 2017

Website redesign survey feedback accepted through this Friday

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The Olympia School District is in the process of redesigning our website. Our goal is to refresh our Web presence through improved and updated design and content structure so visitors can find information quickly and easily. We will also be improving accessibility and usability.

Please share your opinions about the redesign including what information you seek when visiting our sites and potential areas for growth. We are seeking feedback from our parents/guardians, students, staff and community members.

Thank you for your valuable time and feedback!

Fill our the survey HERE. They survey will remain open until close of business on Friday, March 17.

Safety Tip of the Week

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This week Wendy Couture, the district’s safety and risk reduction manager, provides information about National Poison Prevention Week.

National Poison Prevention Week March 19–25

Why should I worry about poisoning?

Daily people come into contact with chemicals, and other products both at home and at work. Many of these products can be poisonous. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a poison is anything that can harm you if it is:

  • used in the wrong way
  • used by the wrong person
  • used in the wrong amount

Most poisonings happen when it:

  • is swallowed
  • comes in contact with the skin
  • gets splashed in the eyes
  • is inhaled

According to the HRSA, poisoning is a leading public health problem that happens to people of any age, at any time and any place. Poisonings are more common than is recognized by most people.

Tips to Prevent Poisonings

  • Buy products that are non-toxic.
  • Keep cleaners, and other potentially poisonous items properly stored. Cleaners should not be stored in the classroom and should be kept in janitorial closets.
  • Be careful when using cleaners, and other items which may be poisonous. Don’t leave them unattended. Poisonings can happen very quickly.
  • Always keep products in the containers they came in.
  • Understand how to read a safety data sheet that comes with every product and chemical. This is part of the Olympia School District’s Hazard Communication Plan.

Raise Awareness About the Poison Help Line

According to the HRSA, you can help spread the word about the important, life-saving Poison Help line (1-800- 222-1222), which connects you to your local poison center. Having this number available by your phone can help you in a poison emergency.

Interested in learning more? Check out this Poison Control resource website for more information.

Classified School Employee Week is March 13-17

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Proclamation 030617 Classified School Employee Week OSD original

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The Olympia School District is joining the state in recognizing Classified Public School Employee Week March 13-17.

During the March 6 school board meeting, Olympia School District Superintendent Dick Cvitanich read a proclamation designating March 13-17 as Classified Public School Employee Week.

The proclamation, which will be posted next week at each of the district’s schools and support buildings, says in part that classified school employees are dedicated individuals who “deserve recognition and thanks for the outstanding work they are doing for this state, their communities, and the students enrolled in Olympia’s schools.”

Cvitanich noted there are more than 700 classified employees who work with and help children throughout the school district. Classified employees in attendance at the board meeting received applause as they were asked to stand and be recognized.

Classified employees are involved in nearly every aspect of education, including maintaining school buildings and school grounds; providing administrative support; preparing and serving meals; providing safe transportation; keeping school facilities clean; assisting in the classroom; providing a secure environment; providing information technology and media services; and offering other specialized services.

Tech Tip: Beware! It’s Tax Scam Season

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This week’s Tech Tip, submitted by Chief Information Officer Marc Elliott, is the first in a series focusing on tax scams that become more rampant during tax season.

Spring is around the corner, meaning it’s that time again —Tax Scam Season! As many of us know, tax scams are ramping up in volume and sophistication, so please take a moment and learn about the scams the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning U.S. citizens about the most.

In this week’s blog post, I will focus on the  IRS Impersonation Telephone Scam.

In this scenario, taxpayers are targeted by scammers impersonating IRS agents attempting to collect on owed taxes. The scammers provide fake IRS badge numbers to appear official, fake their caller IDs to look like an IRS phone number and use aggressive tactics to scare their targets into compliance. Additionally, they often research their targets to learn as much publicly available personal information as possible to seem “official.”

The fake IRS agents tell the taxpayer that they owe the IRS money and that they must pay immediately under threat of arrest, jail time, deportation (immigrants are heavily targeted) and/or suspension of a business license. Most often they want the target to pay using a preloaded debit card or wire transfer.

Conversely, scammers will sometimes tell targets that they have an unclaimed refund. They try and talk the taxpayer into providing personal information to “claim” the refund. Such information could include: social security number, driver’s license number, birthdate, bank account and credit card numbers.

It is important to know that the IRS and its agents will never:

  • Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe any taxes.
  • Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
  • Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
  • Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

If you receive a phone call like this and:

  • If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1 (800) 829-1040. IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.
  • If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1 (800) 366-4484 or at www.tigta.gov.

Superintendent search update

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The Olympia School Board is expected to review superintendent job applicants and possibly name finalists by mid-March. Finalists will be invited to tour the district and meet with employees, students, community members and the school board.

The district has tentatively set aside March 20-23 for the daylong finalist interviews; however, the schedule could change depending on the number of finalists selected by the Olympia School Board.

Each finalist will visit the district for an entire day and will meet with various groups at the same time each day.

Mark your calendars: District employees are invited to meet candidates between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. March 20-23 at Olympia Regional Learning Academy (ORLA), 2400 15th Ave. S.E., Olympia. 

Save the date for the Annual Ice Cream Social

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Annual Ice Cream Social

Mark your calendar for this year’s Olympia School District Annual Ice Cream Social. The social takes place in the Capital High School Commons beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 25.

During the event, our school board will honor dedicated staff members who are retiring this year. The Olympia Education Association will also recognize our Advocates of the Year and honor one of our faculty members with the Teacher of the Year Award.

Staff and families are welcome to attend. We hope to see you all there!

Safety Tip of the Week

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This week Wendy Couture, the district’s safety and risk reduction manager, provides information about eating healthy and National Nutrition Month.

“Put Your Best Fork Forward”: March is National Nutrition Month

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has designated March as National Nutrition Month. Eating healthy is attributed to better health and the prevention of chronic diseases. Many people look forward to healthy New Year’s resolutions and by March are ready to check their progress. The “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020” is a great place to review the most up-to-date standards for healthy eating. Read the Dietary Guidelines.

These guidelines are focused on healthy eating patterns and a variety of nutrient-dense low-calorie foods with a limited intake of sugars. This resource can help you identify what your healthy eating patterns are and how to tailor your eating patterns for optimal health. In addition to healthy eating, it is important to also understand healthy physical activity patterns. There are many great resources found in the appendixes of the guidelines linked above to help you navigate your way to better health.

The campaign for National Nutrition Month focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. What better way to understand what you are eating than to read the nutritional fact labels on the food you buy. Currently there are new, upcoming requirements for the food labels which will help you better understand what is in the food you are purchasing. If this is something that you want to know more about, view this quick video.

Are you interested in getting a personalized plan for food and physical activity? Check out this free food and fitness tracking program.

Making small changes over time will improve your health now and in the future.

Learn more at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website

Oly Bear Preschool registration is March 6-14 for all OSD employees

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Oly Bear Preschool registration for the 2017-18 school year opens for all OSD employees on Monday, March 6 and continues through Tuesday, March 14. The program, located at Olympia High School, provides preschool-aged children the opportunity to have daily interaction with high school “buddies” who are enrolled in Early Childhood Education classes.

The AM class is for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds. Class times are 8:15 – 11 a.m.  The monthly fee is $175.

The PM class is for 4- and 5-year-olds. Class times are 11:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.  The monthly fee is $185.

Both AM and PM classes are held Monday through Thursday (4 days a week). All children must be fully potty trained.

To enroll a child in the preschool program, fill out the form linked at the end of this article and return it to the preschool with a $25 non-refundable registration fee to hold your child’s place. The form and fee need to be returned to the preschool between March 6 and March 14, prior to the program’s Open House. Open House will be held on Thursday, March 16 from 5:30-7 p.m. in Room 311 at Olympia High School, 1302 North St. S.E., Olympia.

Open House is when registration opens up to all community members and the preschool begins its wait list. Spaces fill quickly! During this time, you may pick up other registration materials, meet the teachers and see the classrooms. Children are welcome!

Please contact the preschool if you have any questions. Preschool Director/Teacher Shelly Wilson may be reached at mlwilson@osd.wednet.edu or (360) 596-7021.

Tickets available for OSD Night at the Tacoma Rainiers on April 15

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osd_flier_with_ticket_link_2017

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Tickets are available for the annual Olympia School District Night at the Tacoma Rainiers on Saturday, April 15.

The Rainiers will take on the Albuquerque Isotopes beginning at 5:05 p.m. at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma.

All students, families, teachers, staff and the Olympia School District community are invited to join us for this fun-filled district event. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us and show support for the Rainiers and our schools.

Last year we sold more than 200 tickets. Let’s see if we can surpass that this year!

Be sure to arrive on time to watch Superintendent Dick Cvitanich throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Then stick around after the game for “Kids Run the Bases.”

We hope to see you there!

Purchase tickets online (use Promo Code “OSDNIGHT”)