Our STAR - Olympia School District

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e-Update
Volume
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olume 23, Issue 7
Staff Newsletter
Provided by Communications & Community Relations
May 2006
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On the eve of National School Nurse Day, Melissa Young
is too busy to celebrate. She’s getting student files at Hansen
Elementary School ready to take to Camp Cispus.
“We need to know the children’s health conditions, check with
the parents and fill out the proper forms if kids are getting any
medications. Each school prepares a box like this,”
this, she says,
reaching for a carefully-organized box with files and lots of
sealed plastic bags. “There are emergency action plans. It can
get very involved.”
involved.
Young has been a school nurse in the Olympia School District for five years and this year she rotates between Hansen,
Garfield, and L.P. Brown Elementary Schools and Jefferson
Middle School. Every school has its own social environment, Young says, but the one thing that doesn’t vary is the
caliber of her fellow educators. “I
“ feel honored to be a part of
the team. The quality of people I work with is astounding.
astounding.”
Melissa Young gets ready for the day to help keep
kids healthy and safe.
Melissa Young has earned some raves of her own. “She’s
“
awesome,” says Jefferson secretary Susie Senner. “We
We love Melissa. She’s really nice and easy-going.”
easy-going.
“She’s very thorough,” says Hansen Principal Ernie Rascon. “She
She spends a lot of time going over emergency procedures and
is very pleasant. We’re lucky – all of our nurses have been really good
good.”
Her tiny office sheds insight into what Melissa’s day must be like. There are files, a scale, a poster of common wounds
and how to treat them, an eye-test chart, and information about immunizations.
Young describes being a school nurse as “multi-tasking to the max.” She juggles phone calls from parents, helps kids
who are sick or bleeding, fills out paperwork, talks to doctors about health histories and trains staff on how to use an
Epi-pen or treat diabetes. Some of the most common ailments she sees right now are asthma and seasonal allergies.
She also works with other staff members to see that a lot of kids get basic supplies like clothes, jackets or toothbrushes.
“II have to get the basics done and I couldn’t do it without the health room assistants. They’re incredibly valuable.
valuable.”
As a school nurse, Melissa Young has seen first-hand the challenges of our health care system. “Our
“Our health care system
is crumbling,” she says. “More
More and more families don’t have health care coverage and it’s getting worse. There are more gaps.
It’s a little scary.”
When she’s not at one of her four schools, Melissa Young likes working in the garden, hiking, reading and listening to
all kinds of music. And she keeps in touch with her four grown children and two grandchildren. “Th
“ ere’s always something going on with them. But these kids,” she says, pointing out the window to children playing on the playground, “I
think of these kids as my family, too.”
Around Our Dist
ri c
t
Governor Gregoire unveils new state
quarter at Centennial Elementary School
It was great to see Gov. Christine Gregoire and a dozen
dignitaries from around the state earlier this month at
Centennial Elementary School as she unveiled the new
Washington state quarter. Former Centennial student
Emily Locke and her father, Gary Locke, were also
on hand for the event. Best of all, there was an excellent representation of our students who had a chance to
witness the unveiling. One of the radio reports about
the event called the students, “perfectly behaved.” Gov.
Gregoire promised to return to Centennial Elementary
once the new quarter starts in circulation next year.
Washington Middle School receives Solar Power
Grant for their new School Building
The remodeled Washington Middle School has received another recognition before its doors have opened.
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), a non-profit organization which markets green power
products, has awarded a “Renewable Energy Products” grant to Washington Middle School. This Solar
4R Schools grant project will consist of installing approximately six Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the
new school. These PV panels will generate electrical power at the school as part of a demonstration tool;
they will also provide additional power to the school building. A kiosk will be installed in the school that
will enable students and staff to monitor the power being generated, as well as tracking power generation
trends and relevant environmental factors. Congratulations and thanks to our Facilities and Operations
staff for winning this grant.
Olympia students score well at poetry contest
Last month, three Olympia students competed in the “Poetry Out Loud” contest sponsored by the
Washington State Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
Students from eight area high schools competed. We’re proud of Blake Lugar from Avanti and Carly
Holbrooks from Olympia High School who tied for second place and Lauren Hays from Capital High
who placed seventh. Great job!
Capital students join forces with city forestry program
Students enrolled in the Capital High School Horticulture program teamed up last month with staff from
the City of Olympia’s Neighborwoods Program to help grow more trees for our neighborhoods. Students
worked with 150 container-grown cherry trees and several bundles of cuttings taken from the heritage
weeping cherry tree located at the Association of Washington School Principals office on Eastside Street.
The students studied the history of the tree, and then practiced their technical horticulture skills by grafting the heritage cherry cuttings onto the container-grown rootstock. City workers picked up the newly
grafted trees a few days later, and returned them to the nursery for growing out. As the trees were being
wheeled through the halls of CHS, a number of school staff members and other students marveled at the
handiwork of the Horticulture class, which is taught by Kathy Watts, and many even offered to purchase
the trees. If all goes according to plan, in a few years, we will see these cherry trees lining streets in neighborhoods all around town.
Read More...
Around Our District continued...
Parents try out new Family Access program at Jefferson Middle School
Starting in September, Jefferson Middle School parents and students will have access to a new computer
program that will help them keep up-to-date with their assignments and grades. The Family Access program allows students (and their parents) to view their grades and assignments on line. Last month, more
than 20 parents were on hand to see a presentation about the new Family Access program that Jefferson
Middle School will be using next year. Parents at Jefferson heard about how the program will work and
tried it out themselves.
School Board Honors Olympia Educators
Twenty-six educators from around the school
district were honored by the Olympia School
Board at its May 8th meeting. The fact is, on
any given day, each of our staff members is
deserving of an award or recognition for their
hard work and commitment to kids. We’re
proud of all of our staff and for this year’s
Olympia School District Staff Recognition
Winners. They are:
Joann Johnston – Reeves Middle School
– The Instructor; Tony Gimenez, Washington
Middle School – The Innovator; Jodi Borreson, Reeves Middle School – The Bridge
Builder; Cynthia Freytag, Capital High
Pam Leicht, Ruth Paxton, and Pamela Margon, McLane
School – The Sparkplug; Kay O’Sullivan,
Elementary School – The Unsung Heroes
Roosevelt Elementary School – The Conductor; Arne Ranta, Soc My and Chhum My,
The Jefferson Middle School Custodial Team – The Playmakers; Kathy Latourrette, Reeves Middle School
– The Champion of Differences; Pam Leicht, Ruth Paxton, and Pamela Margon, McLane Elementary
School – The Unsung Heroes; Barb Crump, Olympia High School – The Trailblazer; The Olympia High
School Math Department (Alice Carpenter, Dan Casler, Karen Carlson, Mike Carlson, Brad Davis,
John Grosey, Paul Rae, Mick Ryan, Scott Rutledge, Mike Steen, Jan Stuckey, Amanda Tomlinson,
Suzanne Victoria) – The Dream Team. Congratulations, and thanks for all of your hard work!
Avanti students take on Shakespeare
The next time you stop by the Knox Building, you may hear students speaking in verse as they take on the
roles of Puck, Lysander, Hermia and all the other characters from William Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. Avanti students are rehearsing every Wednesday after school and have been hard at work
building sets, memorizing lines and getting ready to hit the boards on June 7, 8 and 9. It’s great to see
the direction of teachers John Hanby and Virginia Murray, and how they’ve been able to get so many
students excited about performing a Shakespeare classic. Mark your calendars for the performance.
Opportunities
Centennial Elementary to Host International Children’s Art Exhibition
The Olympia School District is very fortunate to be chosen as a host for the 35th International Children’s Art
Exhibition. The exhibition, which features 200 pieces of award-winning art created by children from 67 countries
and territories, makes its only stop in the Pacific Northwest at Centennial Elementary School later this month.
Children ages 3-15 submitted their drawings, paintings, collages or woodcuts for judging. There were more than
200,000 total entries with 1500 coming from the United States. The exhibition will be open for viewing at Centennial Elementary from May 15th to June 2nd, Monday thru Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For more information,
contact Shelley Stern at 596-8300.
Watch the Mariners from a Luxury Suite and Meet Dave Niehaus
The Washington State Employees Credit Union and KOMO 1000 News are sponsoring a Teacher of the Week program. The weekly winners will get two tickets to watch a Mariners game from one of the luxury suites at Safeco,
will meet Mariner announcer Dave Niehaus and also will win a $500 classroom grant. What a deal! Let’s flood
them with nominees. Go to http://www.wastatecu.org and click on the Teacher of the Week icon or e-mail me at
prex@osd.wednet.edu and I’ll send you a form. The nomination form is very short and easy. Remember, the winning teacher gets two tickets.
Capital High School Students Hold Plant Sale on May 12-13
For all of you last minute Mother’s Day shoppers or gardeners, you need to stop by the Capital High School Horticulture Plant Sale. These plants, which include hanging baskets, perennials and annuals are all grown at
the school’s own greenhouse by the Horticulture students. And the prices are reasonable. The event will take
place at the Capital High School greenhouse, located by the tennis courts on Friday, May 12th from noon – 5 p.m.
and on Saturday, May 13th from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. You don’t want to miss this one.
Free Money for Your Classroom!
Everybody’s favorite foundation, the Olympia School District Education Foundation, is preparing their next round
of classroom grants. The OSDEF provides funds twice a year in four categories: Mini-grants up to $250, Extended Learning grants up to $1500, Science up to $500 and Artists-in-Residence up to $1000. The Science category
is new this year, supplying funds for materials, supplies or equipment needed to supplement students’ science
experience; and field trips related to science. The deadline for grant applications is June 15th. Winners will be notified before September 1st and the successful applicants will receive funding in September. Teachers and staff are
welcome to submit an application in any of the categories. A new common grant application is available at their
new website www.osdef.org. You may also obtain an application form and the grant evaluation guidelines from the
OSDEF office. Call the foundation coordinator Bev Sperry at 753-8853 or email her at bsperry@osd.wednet.edu.
Student Diversity Committee to Hold Forum
The Olympia School District Student Diversity Committee will be hosting a showing of the video “Not in Our
Town” and a follow up discussion at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, May 24th
from 7:00-8:30 p.m. The video is a documentary about the people of Billings, Montana who joined together to
stand up for Native American, African-American and Jewish neighbors who were under attack by white supremacists. Students and their parents and teachers are invited to attend this free event.
Thurston County Big Brothers, Big Sisters to Hold Bowl-A-Thon
Are you adept at picking up the impossible 7-10 split? Well, even if you can’t, you’re invited to join Big Brothers
Big Sisters in their fundraiser by raising pledges and coming out to bowl on Saturday, May 20th, from noon – 2:00
p.m. at the Westside Lanes. The money goes for expanding their current programs for the children who need mentors in Thurston County. For more details, call Roger Jones or Tammie Pruitt at 943-0409.
From The Board of Directors
Regular Meeting, Knox Building, April 17, 2006
Superintendent Bill Lahmann acknowledged and honored teachers who have earned the National Board Certification. Teachers recognized were: Kelli Ehresmann, teacher at L.P. Brown, Jan Matzelle, teacher at L.P.
Brown, Janet O’Halloran, teacher at McKenny Elementary School; Kate Chan, teacher at Olympia High
School; and Cindy Johnson, teacher at Pioneer Elementary School.
The Ad Hoc Citizens Advisory Committee for West Side Boundaries presented their final report and recommendations for two possible options to the Board. Bob Wolpert, Director of Facilities and Operations, provided some background information on the materials provided to the Committee and their process. Dawn
Erdelbrock presented a detailed report on Option 1, and Maria Spivak presented Option 2. (Details of the
two proposals are available on the Olympia School District’s website: http://osd.wednet.edu)
Jim Jesernig spoke on behalf of the Capital High School Baseball Alumni Association and provided the
Board with an overview of their proposal for a fundraising effort that would enable them to donate the labor
and materials to create a completely renovated and improved Waits Field at Capital High School.
Board Study Session, April 24, 2006
Britt Nederhood, Principal at Garfield Elementary School and Hans Landig, Executive Director of Student
Support presented a proposal for a new approach to teaching students who are English Language Learners.
Under the plan, the District would consolidate its E.L.L program and place “newcomer centers” at three
schools -- Madison, Garfield and Hansen elementary schools. The District’s newest students would attend
one of those schools until they reached a certain level of English proficiency.
Hans Landig also presented to the Board the budget priorities for special education services and student
support. The requests include additional support for students who have autism, more staff for the Life Skills
Program and a coordinator to work with special education students who are transitioning between high school
and after-school life.
Regular Meeting, Knox Building, May 8, 2006
Board members presented 26 staff members from around the District with recognition awards.
The Board also approved contracting with Third Way Consulting Group to complete an evaluation process for
the Superintendent’s annual performance review.
Matt McCauley, Executive Director of K-12 Teaching and Learning, Monica West, Dean of Students at
Capital High School, Eli Normyle, math teacher at Jefferson Middle School, and Jennifer Anders, parent,
presented the recommendations of the Middle School Math Review Team. The team voted to recommend
a new middle school math curriculum that uses the Connected Math Program materials as well as provide
supplemental learning materials for elementary schools and replacement books for high school math courses.
The Board will consider the recommendation at the May 22nd meeting at Boston Harbor Elementary School.
Bob Wolpert, Director of Facilities and Operations, presented a summary of the two options to change
boundaries for west side elementary schools and responded to questions relating to educational impacts, fiscal
issues, transportation and other issues. The Board is likely to make a final decision at the May 22nd meeting.