Month: September 2022

Panorama Fall Survey scheduled October 3-14

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OSD Logo with words underneath reading "Panorama Fall Survey for Students, Staff & Families"

During the first two weeks of October, OSD students, staff and families will be asked to participate in the Panorama Fall Survey.

Here is a quick overview:

What: The Panorama Fall Survey is a survey that our students, families and staff members will take to gauge our overall well-being. Some of the items we explore include:

  • Do our students feel a strong sense of belonging?
  • Do our families feel like they are heard?
  • Do our staff feel supported?

The data that we receive from the Panorama survey will inform decision-making.

Why:

  1. Using Panorama makes the well-being of students, our families, and our staff the fundamental value in all decision-making and actions.
  2. The Panorama climate survey (in Fall and in Spring) is the bare minimum of hearing from our students and our families to inform our decision-making.
  3. The Panorama Climate Survey allows us to get a temperature check of where we are as a community. It allows us to see where we may need to dive deeper into our data to be intentional in our support. While we need to make sure we have multiple ways of hearing from and partnering with our students and families, the climate survey is one of the unique opportunities in which we can potentially hear from all of our students and families.

When:

Panorama Fall Survey: October 3 – 14, 2022
Panorama Spring Survey: March 16 – 31, 2023

(Please check with your school when it will host the Panorama Fall Survey)  

How:

  • Students will take the Panorama survey in class (as designated by each school).
  • Staff and families will be emailed a Panorama survey link to complete.
  • Surveys are provided in multiple languages including English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Scenic photo of the week

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A bumblebee gets nectar off of bright red flowers
“Flight of the Humble Bee,” by Cassie White, Teacher-Librarian, Thurgood Marshall Middle 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.

Resources for interfaith celebrations, holidays and observances

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Four students work on a worksheet at a round table in a first-grade classroom on the first day of school

The Olympia School District is an increasingly diverse community, and we have students with different home languages and family traditions.

As part of the district’s work related to the board-approved Student Outcomes, specifically Outcome 1, Indicator 1, we annually provide employees with resources of various interfaith celebrations, as well as holidays and observances. Student Outcome 1 states “Our Students Will: Be Compassionate and Kind.” Indicator 1 states our students will “Be aware of and appreciate one’s similarities and differences with others.” The OSD District Improvement Plan also identifies staff will be provided “a list of religious/cultural observances throughout the year with notations of when to be mindful of fasting periods or other events.”

Schools are not being asked to celebrate or recognize religious events. Rather, these resources are designed to make staff aware of interfaith calendar events and observances so you can be mindful and understanding throughout the year. Please keep the dates included in the resources below in mind as you schedule school events to avoid conflicts.

One of the newest and most comprehensive resources shared with us is a “Diversity Calendar” published by Cultures Connecting in Seattle.

The 2022-23 calendar includes notations of observances with fasting periods and/or days that work or school should be suspended, and provides direct links to information about each observance. In the opening page of the calendar, the Mission Statement reads: “The purpose of this calendar is to address and support the diversity of students, staff, and families in K-12 education settings and beyond. We recognize that by increasing our understanding of diverse cultures, group experiences, traditions, values and beliefs, we can enhance our relationships with one another and hence, create culturally responsive environments where everyone feels valued and respected.” Download the PDF for easy reference throughout the school year.

Other resources include:

Remember you can always return to the staff blog at any future date to access these resources. We will continue to update this list as we become aware of new resources.

Flags lowered to half-staff in memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Patriot Day

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American flag flying at half-mast

Pursuant to a Presidential Proclamation, Governor Inslee directed on September 9, 2022 that Washington State and United States flags at all state agencies, including schools and support buildings, be lowered to half-staff immediately in honor and remembrance of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Flags will remain at half-staff until close of business or sunset on the day of interment, which is to be determined. 

Additionally, the governor has directed that flags be at half-staff on Sunday, September 11, 2022 for national Patriot Day, the annual memorial to the victims of the 2022 tragedy. Note: Flags will already be at half-staff on September 11 as a result of the September 9 presidential proclamation.

Learn more about the Deferred Compensation Program

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Calculator with accounting sheet and pen

Did you know you can save even more for retirement with the Washington State Deferred Compensation Program (DCP)?

DCP is a supplemental retirement savings program administered by the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS). 

Why save with DCP?

  • You can save with as little as $30 per month
  • Your contributions are tax-deferred so if you save $100 per month, your paycheck may only be reduced by $85
  • You don’t need to know anything about investing –- if you complete the Quick Enrollment form, a professional team will invest for you
  • Getting started late? That’s okay! You can save as much as $20,500 this year, and even more if you are age 50 or older

To learn more about DCP, visit the DCP website at drs.wa.gov/DCP and watch this short DCP video.

Ready to get started?

Complete the DCP Quick enrollment form and mail or fax the form to DCP.

If you have funds in another tax-deferred account that you would like to roll into your DCP account, complete and mail in the Rollover-in form.  Also, don’t forget to contact the custodian of that account to request the rollover of funds.

It’s never been easier to get started so enroll today!