Skyward access has been restored today, April 25, after several days of being out of service. Employees and families are once again aable to access the Information System.
Thank you for your patience.
Month: April 2018
Roosevelt classroom mini-building ribbon cutting is Monday, April 30
The newly constructed two-story Roosevelt Elementary classroom mini-building opened its doors to students on Friday, April 20 and will be the site of a dedication ceremony on Monday, April 30.
The community is welcome to join Roosevelt Elementary students and staff, Superintendent Patrick Murphy, school board members, district staff, and the architect and contractor in a ribbon-cutting ceremony starting at 4 p.m. on April 30.
Guests are welcome to walk through the new classroom building following the ribbon cutting.
Roosevelt Elementary is the third of five two-story classroom mini-buildings to open its doors. Construction continues on the McLane and Centennial elementary school mini-buildings, approved by voters as part of the 2016 school bond. Pioneer Elementary School’s mini-building opened in January, followed by Hansen Elementary’s two-story classroom addition in March.
Each of the mini-buildings has eight classrooms, a music room, a commons/general classroom space for multiple uses, small learning areas between classrooms for small-group teaching and learning, a musical instrument storage area, and an administrative office and storage area. Each building also has a covered walkway connecting it to the main school building at each site, an elevator, two sets of stairs, and restrooms on each floor.
Exterior finishes and colors are designed to coordinate with the main one-story school buildings on the same campus.
Last call for Employee Recognition Award nominations! Deadline is April 17
Winners of one of the 2016-17 “The Unsung Heroes” award: Hansen Elementary School Food Services and Custodial Staff. Who will win the award this year?
Please consider nominating any of your colleagues for an Olympia School District Employee Recognition Award. We are asking that nominations be submitted by tomorrow, April 17, so that we can officially honor the winners at the May 7, 2018 Olympia School Board meeting. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Knox Administrative Center, 1113 Legion Way S.E., Olympia. This annual tradition has become a great way to honor the hard work of those around you!
Categories for this year’s awards include:
- The Innovator (Changes Making a Difference)
- The Unsung Hero (Goes the Extra Mile)
- The Champion of Differences (Celebrates Diversity)
- The Coach (Supports Others)
- The Dream Team (Above and Beyond)
Fill out and submit the online nomination form, which is sent to the Communications and Community Relations Department. If you have questions, please call the Communications and Community Relations Department at (360) 596-6103.
Nominations must be received by the Communications and Community Relations Department on or before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17.
Thank you!
Learn about retirement planning on May 2 at Knox Administrative Center
It’s never too early or too late to plan for retirement!
A team member from the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) will present information about state retirement plans in an information session open to all staff on Wednesday, May 2, 2018. The event begins at 4 p.m. in the Knox Administrative Center Board Room, 1113 Legion Way S.E., Olympia.
If you are not sure which retirement plan you are in, check the payroll or benefits office before attending. You may also view your account online.
Safety Tip of the Week: April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month
This week, Wendy Couture, the district’s safety and risk reduction manager, shares information about the dangers of distracted driving.
The National Safety Council states that distracted driving is a public health issue that affects everyone. The latest statistics show motor vehicle fatalities are up 6% from 2015. More than 40,000 people were killed on our nation’s roadways last year, and distracted driving is a major contributor.
Each death is 100% preventable. From cell phones to dashboard infotainment systems to evolving voice command features –- all pose a threat to our safety. Just one second of your attention is all it takes to change a life forever.
Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April is a united effort to recognize and eliminate preventable deaths from distracted driving. Join the National Safety Council at Distracted Driving Awareness Month for more resources.
According to the Center for Disease Control, each day in the United States, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.
Distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving. Distracted driving can increase the chance of a motor vehicle crash.
What are the types of distraction?
There are three main types of distraction:
- Visual: taking your eyes off the road.
- Manual: taking your hands off the wheel.
- Cognitive: taking your mind off driving.
Distracted driving activities
Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction. Sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system, and eating while driving are a few examples of distracted driving. Any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others.
Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction. Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, long enough to cover a football field while driving at 55 mph.
Take the pledge!
Take the pledge to be an attentive driver at Distracted Driving Pledge at the National Safety Council Web page.
Skyward unavailable April 13-15 during server and system maintenance work
The OSD Skyward system will be unavailable beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 13 through 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 15.
ESD 113 will be upgrading servers and replacing system hardware during this time. Thank you for your patience as the upgrades are completed.
Nominations due April 17 for Employee Recognition Awards
It is that time of year again! We are ready to recognize our employees who make the Olympia School District a special place.
Please consider nominating any of your colleagues for an Olympia School District Employee Recognition Award. We are asking that nominations be submitted by Tuesday, April 17 so that we can officially honor the winners at the May 7, 2018 Olympia School Board meeting. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Knox Administrative Center, 1113 Legion Way S.E., Olympia. This annual tradition has become a great way to honor the hard work of those around you!
Fill out and submit the online nomination form, which is sent to the Communications and Community Relations Department. If you have questions, please call the Communications and Community Relations Department at (360) 596-6103.
Nominations must be received by the Communications and Community Relations Department on or before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17.
Thank you!
Winners of one of the 2016-17 “The Unsung Heroes” award: Hansen Elementary School Food Services and Custodial Staff. Who will win the award this year?
Read about our latest Everyday Hero and recognize one of your colleagues
Look around you. Everyday Heroes are working in our schools daily. They are food service workers, bus drivers, teachers, office staff, maintenance workers, custodial staff and more. Remember to give a shout out to one of your colleagues for a job well done at your school or support building and watch for it to appear in an upcoming Everyday Heroes blog post.
Here is this week’s honoree:
Everyday Hero
Kristin Costello, Leadership and English Teacher, Olympia High School
“I’ve had the unique opportunity and pleasure to team teach Leadership with Kristin this school year. I say team teach, but really it is more me standing back in awe watching Kristin inspire our OHS leadership kids. She is involved in almost every aspect of our student life here and she takes great pride in her work. Our school thrives because Kristin makes things happen around here. I’m very happy to call her my colleague and friend. Thank you Kristin for being such a force for a positive and fun culture here at Olympia High School.”
Submitted by Mark Zarate
It only takes minutes 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.
What are you waiting for? Send some praise about a colleague today to appear in a future Here’s the Scoop employee blog.
Get your school computers ready for testing season
The following is shared by Scott Baker, Technology Support Manager, in advance of testing season.
With testing season fast approaching, please remember the following items to ensure your computers and Chromebooks are prepared:
- Turn off all of the Chromebooks in your COW, rather than just closing the lid. They won’t get their updates until they restart, which could mean they won’t work come test day.
- Make use of the Chromebooks at the bottom of your COW. If you have more Chromebooks than students, you may not use the last few devices, which means they aren’t getting their updates. Please have students use them and turn them off when they are done.
- If you need to use a Mac or PC COW or Lab, please contact the Helpdesk at least a week in advance so we can configure it.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Helpdesk at 6172, or email helpdesk@osd.wednet.edu.
Thank you!
Need help with your teacher Web page? Check out new video tutorials
Are you a teacher who has already created a teacher Web page on the district’s new SchoolMessenger website this year, taken the two-hour training offered by Communications and Community Relations staff, and need a refresher on how to input and organize content on the page?
A series of video tutorials have been created by Community Relations Coordinator Conor Schober and posted to the staff Intranet to help teachers remember various functions ranging from pasting text and adding photos, to updating profiles and creating tables in page content.
Log into the staff Intranet and watch OSD staff screencasts
If you need additional assistance, please contact the Communications and Community Relations Department at Ext. 6103.
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