Olympia West

Well-crafted headlines benefit everyone. They help readers digest information and publishers sell news stories. But what if the headline is misleading? What if it's crafted just to get clicks and not to inform? "Clickbait" headlines may benefit advertisers and publishers (think $$$), but they don't benefit readers. And when they go viral, they can badly misinform the public. This week, look for clickbait headlines in the media that you consume and discuss them with your family. How many can you find before Sunday rolls around!?

Video: bit.ly/OlyNMV2 All media comes with an author and an agenda. Help kids think critically about any media they view with critical questions that dig below the surface. And to really empower kids, have them create their own media with these same questions in mind.

Help your children analyze the info around them, from toy packaging to Instagram posts to news headlines, and question the purpose of the words and images they see. Teach kids how to use fact-checking tools like Snopes and FactCheck.org.

For up to date referendum news throughout February and March, please follow our district social media pages. #MaintainRetainInnovate #TaxSwap #VoteMarch19

Elementary families Spartan @ the Movies is only one week away!

NHS is sponsoring a Princess Tea Party on Sunday, February 25 from 1-3 pm. Come enjoy snacks, games, crafts, face painting, bouncy house, the Royal Runway along with photos with the Princesses! The event will be held in the high school media center. All proceeds will benefit Toys for Tots and St. Jude Children's Hospital. Reservations and pre-payment is required. Email amanda.hapgood@olympia.org to reserve your spot.

With so much media and information coming at us through the television, phones, social media, and more, it's more important than ever for kids to understand the basics of media literacy. When kids can identify different types of news and media and the methods and meanings behind them, they're on their way to being critical thinkers and smart consumers. Throughout the month, we will be sharing a set of five tips to help your children become critical thinkers of news and media. Here is a short video to get those conversations started! bit.ly/OlyNMV5

2nd Grade had a fun-packed day at The Children's Discovery Museum. We played, we did a learning lab all about matter, and we made some awesome memories!

Families, mark your calendar for our next session on depression! February 20th at 8:00 PM via Zoom. Sign up for the link to show up in your inbox!

Elementary Families, Spartans @ the Movie returns Friday, 2/9 at 6:30 PM

Kindergarten had a blast celebrating the 100th day of school on Friday!

Spartan Swim this Sunday! Elementary families join us.

Referendum Information Session Thursday, January 25th 6:00 p.m. at OHS (Library) Come with questions. All are welcome! Find out more at www.olympia.org/referendum

Coming this Sunday for all elementary families, free open swim at the high school. Bring your floats and break out the beach towels! Are you joining the fun?

Due to expected hazardous weather conditions, Olympia CUSD 16 will have an eLearning day tomorrow. Students should not report to school on Tuesday, Jan. 23rd. Full details can be found in the News story on our website.

​Due to weather concerns, all after school activities (including all practices and games) have been canceled for today, Monday January 22nd. Please be safe if you need to be outside today!

Due to the impending ice that is projected to arrive in our area during the morning commute, Olympia will not have school today, Monday, January 22nd. We are concerned about our buses and our student drivers getting to school given the ice in the forecast. This will be a traditional snow / ice day - students do not have to do any school work today as we are uncertain about power and internet stability given we are anticipating ice. We will add this day to the calendar in May. A decision about after school extra-curricular events will be made by early afternoon.

Mark your calendar and plan to join us for FREE swim!

Due to extreme cold, Olympia CUSD 16 will have an eLearning day tomorrow. Students should not report to school on Tuesday, Jan. 16th. Full details can be found in the News story on our website.

Video Link: bit.ly/olyRCv2 "It's complicated" can describe many of our relationships with others, both romantic and otherwise. Add digital devices and social media to the mix, and things get complicated even further. Help students take the first step toward building healthy and rewarding friendships and romantic relationships, both online and off. Students listen to other teens' thoughts and feelings about having and maintaining boundaries in friendships online, in a world of being constantly connected.