Most kids will encounter mean behavior at some point in their digital lives. For some kids, this experience is a blip that's easily forgotten, while for others it can have deep, long-lasting effects. For parents, the key is staying involved in kids' lives -- both online and off -- so they can step in and offer help if necessary. With guidance from parents and educators, kids can learn how to dodge the drama and stand up for others.
Throughout February we will be sharing 6 different tips for families to encourage best behavior when approaching the topics of Cyberbullying, Digital Drama, and Hate Speech with your families.
Define your terms.
Check in about online life.
Role-play.
Encourage upstanding.
Take breaks.
Review worst-case steps.
Due to the forecasted storm that includes large amounts of snowfall and high winds, students WILL NOT report to school on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd or Thursday, February 3rd. Wednesday will be a remote learning day and Thursday will be a traditional snow day. Wednesday - elementary students should work on materials that have been prepared and sent home; middle and high school students should await information from teachers regarding assignments and online class meetings. Thursday is a traditional snow day, there will be no expectation of new / additional school work. This day will be added to the end of the school calendar. The last day of school will now be Tuesday May 24th, 2022 if no additional traditional snow days are utilized.
There will be no extra curricular activities or practices on Wednesday or Thursday, and all Olympia buildings will be closed.
Due to the forecasted storm that includes large amounts of snowfall and high winds, students WILL NOT report to school on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd or Thursday, February 3rd. Wednesday will be a remote learning day and Thursday will be a traditional snow day. Wednesday - elementary students should work on materials that have been prepared and sent home; middle and high school students should await information from teachers regarding assignments and online class meetings. Thursday is a traditional snow day, there will be no expectation of new / additional school work. This day will be added to the end of the school calendar. The last day of school will now be Tuesday May 24th, 2022 if no additional traditional snow days are utilized.
There will be no extra curricular activities or practices on Wednesday or Thursday, and all Olympia buildings will be closed.
With the 2022 Winter Olympics right around the corner, the OMS staff is kicking off the festivities tomorrow with a “Lighting of the Torch”. Staff will give their colleagues a little extra “spark” by writing an encouraging/uplifting note to them. Let’s go Spartans!
It's Yearbook Time!
OMS yearbooks are now on sale. Your student should receive an order form this week. Yearbooks can also be ordered online use code 62604 at inter-state.com/order . The cost is $15. Orders are due by February 28th.
Friday Market is this week! High School students come to high school cafe. Middle School students come to the back hallway behind the middle school gym. We encourage students to take what they need and need what they take. Don't forget your reusable Friday Market Bag.
Olympia is now officially on Instagram! If Instagram is your social media platform of choice, follow your favorite Olympia sites using these handles:
bit.ly/ConnectWithOly
Wikipedia.org is where millions of people stop first for information. Tools like it are what make the internet so valuable. But they also teach an important lesson, one you can start teaching your kids now: don’t believe everything you read. Family Tip Sheet: bit.ly/OlyNMFR2
The OMS choir conducted their annual Holiday Concert last night in the OHS auditorium. They sang a variety of holiday songs to help get us in the holiday spirit. The evening concluded with a collaborative effort by all OMS choir members and the OHS chamber choir. Thank you to Mr. Gallegos and all OMS choir members for their hard work and effort.
Check out this list of trustworthy resources to help you learn what's true (and what is not!) on the web. You can even use one of them to look back in time and what was on a website in the past!
Tip #5: Choose a Variety of Sources.
Show your children how you get news and information from different places, and explain how you make your choices. Use words like "credible," "trustworthy," "respected," and "fair." Ask them where they get their information, and if they think about those same words when choosing. As kids get older, introduce the ideas of bias, satire, and clickbait.
If a picture's worth a thousand words, do the words always tell a true story? One way to find out is through a reverse image search. Search with an image instead of a keyword and see what you discover!
Tip #4: Play "Should You Share?"
Talk through the kind of content you and your tween or teen pass along to friends online. What types of things do you like to share? Do you always check to make sure something is true before you share it? How do emotions factor into your decisions to share things? Have you ever shared something and later found out it wasn't true?
OHMS staff participated in a Spartan Selfie Elfie Scavenger Hunt where they searched for Mr. Jones and Dr. J. Bitmojis and took selfies with them. Congratulations to Mrs. Crebo our OMS winner and Mrs. Cahill who was our OHS winner!
The middle school boys basketball games scheduled for Dec. 13th and Dec. 14th have both been cancelled due to the opposing teams Covid protocol.
Tip #3: Explore Different Sides of a Story!
Use real-life examples to help kids understand how people can view the same situation with totally different perspectives. One child might experience a game on the playground as fun, while another might feel like the rules are unfair. Sibling conflict can be a great example of how two people can have wildly different opinions about the same event. With older children, talk through controversial subjects and take turns arguing for different sides to help kids understand various viewpoints.
Congratulations to the OMS XC team! They were recently recognized by the Olympia School Board for making the state finals this season. The boys finished 17th out of 128 2A teams. State runners included: JT Piper, Kaleb Jacobs, CJ Moore, Hollis Scheets & Clayton Piper (the dynamic duo), Tucker Garey, Evan Petri, Owen Knuffman, Callan Clark, and Ethan Labelle. Coaches Hamilton and McFarland could not be more proud! Go Spartans!
7th Grade students are participating in a simulation of their very own presidential campaign! Students created campaign posters, established their party’s policy platform, and wrote campaign speeches. They even participated in a town hall debate followed by a Primary Election. They will end with a final debate between one Republican candidate and one Democratic candidate. The final debate will help them decide, when they vote in the General Election, who will be our next president!
Give Back to a Spartan This Season!
Angel Tree Update: All of our OMS students have been sponsored! Way to go Spartan Nation! Now let's expand that generosity to our students at OHS. There are still around ten students whose holiday season can be made bright with a sponsorship from an Olympia community member. Share this message, and let's get those ornaments on the tree! 🎄💙
https://www.olympia.org/page/nhs-angel-tree
Fake News has been around for a long time. Track its history from 63 B.C. through present day in this infographic. Where do you see Fake News today? How does it impact your life? Does it impact the type of media you consume, or where you consume it?
