A limited amount of Olympia Education Foundation grant funding is available this school year for Olympia School District staff who work directly with students. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, February 17.

These grants, available via a simple application, are enhancing student learning, addressing opportunity gaps and funding opportunities that the district and individual schools cannot, including:

• library and classroom books
• musical instruments that are used in K-5 schools by all students
• intervention tools for students who need assistance catching up as a result of the pandemic
• art projects
• school gardens
• sensory tools to center students so they can engage in learning

Last month the Olympia Education Foundation Board of Trustees approved $38,400 in Teaching & Learning, SEL/Mental Health and Browsers Books grants. This is in addition to the nearly $70,000 in grants approved in October.

You can find a list of grants awarded during the 2021-22 school year here. And you can learn more about how these grants are transforming students’ lives by watching this video.

Questions? Contact Olympia Education Foundation Executive Director Katy Johansson at info@olyedfoundation.org.

Ballots for the November 8, 2022 General Election have been sent to registered voters and must be mailed or dropped off in postage-free ballot drop boxes by Election Day to be counted.

While there are no Olympia School District measures or candidates on the November 8 election ballot, our district regularly shares election information with the community, including how to register to vote and a reminder to vote on Election Day.

Ballot drop boxes are open 24 hours a day during elections and will continue to accept ballots until 8 p.m. on Election Day. For a list of drop box locations in the Olympia School District, visit the Thurston County Auditor’s Office Elections Division website.

There is still one more opportunity to register to vote or update your current voter registration for the November 8 General Election:

• November 8, 2022: Register to vote or update your current voter registration in person only until 8 p.m. on Election Day November 8, 2022 at any county Auditor’s Office, voting center or any other designated location. The Thurston County Auditor’s Office Elections Division is located at 2400 Evergreen Park Dr. S.W., Olympia, WA 98502.

To register to vote you must be:

• A citizen of the United States.
• Residing at your current address for a minimum of 30 days before Election Day.
• A legal resident of Washington state.
• At least 18 years old by Election Day. (Note: Citizens may pre-register to vote at age 16 and will be automatically eligible to vote and sent a ballot during the first election after their 18th birthday).

For additional voter registration information, visit the Thurston County Auditor’s Office Elections Division webpage. You may also call (360) 786-5408 or email elections@co.thurston.wa.us. For more information about ballot items, read the Thurston County Official Local Voters’ Pamphlet.

The Olympia School District is continuing to consider the possibility of adjusting the school calendar to be more balanced, and has convened a new community committee (the Balanced Calendar Exploratory Committee or BCEC) to deepen our exploration of the idea.

A balanced calendar has the same number of school days (180) as our traditional calendar. The difference is that there could be more breaks added into the school year, which would then mean a summer break that isn’t so long.

Please let us know what you think about this idea by participating in this interactive survey.  There are just a couple of questions, and your thoughts will help the committee better understand what is truly important to our community. The deadline to complete the survey is 12 p.m. on Monday, October 17, 2022.

Thanks in advance for taking part!

For more information about the BCEC and work that was done last year, please visit the Balanced Calendar webpage on the OSD website.

Please take the survey

Nearly 150 people, including OSD employees, families and friends attended the OSD Annual Ice Cream Social on May 23, 2022 in the Olympia High School Commons.

Guests enjoyed ice cream and toppings as they celebrated this year’s OSD retirees and school advocates, as well as the Olympia Education Association Teacher of the Year and Gary Brown Award winners.

The after-school event kicked off with a special surprise recognition: Superintendent Patrick Murphy welcomed Washington State Rep. Laurie Dolan to the podium and announced that starting this year, the school advocate awards will be presented in her honor as the “Laurie Dolan School Advocate of the Year Award.”

The event was captured on Facebook Live. View the video

Governor Inslee directed on Tuesday afternoon, May 24, 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 the victims who tragically lost their lives on May 24, 2022 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.”

Flags should remain at half staff through Monday, May 30, which is Memorial Day. This federal holiday is in remembrance of those who lost their lives while serving in the country’s armed forces.

Flags return to full-staff at all OSD schools and support buildings on Tuesday, May 31.

Gov. Jay Inslee directed earlier this week that Washington State and United States flags at all state agency facilities, including schools and support buildings, be lowered to half-staff in remembrance of two individuals:

• Flags are flying at half-staff today, Friday, March 25, 2022 in memory of Pierce County Deputy Sheriff Dominique Calata, who died in the line of duty on March 16. Flags will remain at half-staff until close of business or sunset today.
• Flags were lowered to half staff on Wednesday, March 23 in honor and remembrance of former Secretary of State Madeleine Korbel Albright. Flags will return to full staff on Monday morning, March 28, 2022.

All flag lowerings are also posted at the top of the district Home page under Announcements.