Preparations are underway for the 3rd Annual Teacher Material Exchange. All staff, especially those who are retiring, are encouraged to box up new or gently used classroom materials or office supplies that could benefit new Olympia School District teachers.

Items may be boxed, labeled and sent from schools to the old John Rogers School between now and the last day of school Friday, June 23.

For specific instructions on how to label and send items, as well as a list of ideas for materials to donate, view the flier adjacent to this article (click the flier image to see a larger version that can be downloaded and printed). The deadline to donate items for the teacher materials exchange is Friday, August 4.

New teachers will receive an invitation to come to the old John Rogers School in August to select from these usable items for their classrooms. First-year teachers get the entire first day to pick out items. It will be terrific!

If you need boxes for your donations or are interested in donating items over summer, email Jane Allaire, eallaire@osd.wednet.edu or Ruth Ickert, ickertr@osd.wednet.edu, or call Ruth at 360-628-7770 to arrange a date and time to get items to the old John Rogers School. There is no mail pickup at schools once school has ended.

The material exchange will take place August 15-18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the old John Rogers School building. John Rogers is located at 2001 26th Ave. N.E., Olympia.