Earthquake
During an emergency event the school district will make every effort to provide information to parents and guardians of our students. This information is sent to you based on the contacts you have provided the school, which is why it’s incredibly important that your contact information is always updated and correct.
Study Up
The more different ways your youngster reviews what he’s learning, the more likely he is to remember the information. Here are games that will add variety to his study time.
Spelling Scramble
Let your child use magnetic letters or Scrabble tiles to practice spelling or word-study words with this game. Each player secretly chooses a word from his spelling list and drops its letters into a cup. Exchange cups. On “go,” dump out your letters, and arrange them to spell a word. The first person to spell his word correctly earns 1 point. After using all the words, high score wins. Note: If a player spells a word correctly but it’s not the one on the spelling list (say, porter instead of report), he still gets 1 point. Be sure to tell him the actual word, and have him spell it, too.
Vocabulary Hangman
Try this vocabulary version of hangman. One player draws dashes to stand for each letter in the definition of a word. Other players take turns guessing letters to fill in the blanks. The player who reveals the definition and can name the vocabulary word wins the round.
Math War
Your youngster can work on math with this twist on War. Deal a deck of cards evenly to players, who stack their cards facedown (ace = 1, face cards = 10). On each round, players flip over two cards (say, 3 and king) and add their values (3 + 10 = 13). The player with the highest total takes the cards. If there’s a tie, each player flips over two more cards and adds again. Collect all 52 cards to win the game. Variations: Multiply your cards instead of adding. Resources for Educators, Bonus Issues 2018
A Family Guide to Homework
Homework is valuable practice for what your child is learning in school. To help it go smoothly in your home, here are tips that have worked for other parents. On the issue next month, you’ll find a section with ideas to make study time more fun and productive, too.
Getting Started
“Our son Jake was always ‘just a minute’ away from doing homework. We discovered that sticking to a regular time and place made a big difference. He knows that every evening after dinner, we clear off the table and he starts homework. His dad or I often sit with him and do our own ‘homework,’ such as paying bills, catching up on emails, or making a grocery list. As a result, it’s easier for Jake to get going—and sometimes he has to remind us that it’s time to work.”
Staying Focused
“A big family plus a small house equals a lot of distractions at homework time. Sophia, our third grader, would pay attention to what everyone else was doing instead of focusing on her work. So we put together a ‘study station.’ I got a trifold cardboard display (like those used at a science fair), and Sophia personalized it with her artwork. She loves standing it up to make an ‘office’ area, and it has helped her to block out distractions.”
Being Thorough and Careful
“I recently came up with an idea to encourage my son Seth to do his homework more carefully. Before, he’d rush through it, which meant he sometimes made careless mistakes. Plus, his handwriting was hard to read. Now I have him ‘grade’ his own homework. He pretends to be a teacher as he looks over each completed assignment. Then, he tells me what grade he thinks he would earn. This gives him a chance to make his work more legible and to correct his mistakes before he turns it in for a real grade. Since Seth started looking at homework through a teacher’s eyes, he has been handing in cleaner work.”
Remembering Assignments
“When my daughter Emma left her homework assignment at school for the third time in a week, I knew we needed to do something. I took her to the dollar store and let her pick out a folder to use just for homework. At school, as soon as she gets an assignment, she tucks it inside the folder. We also attached a bright pink luggage tag to her backpack that says ‘Homework?’ This reminds her to put the folder in her backpack at the end of the day. These two changes are great reminders— now Emma is a lot less likely to forget her assignments.” Resources for Educators, Bonus Issues 2018
Upcoming Events
11/21-23 Thanksgiving Break
11/26-12/7 CES Canned Food Drive to go towards the OHS Food Drive
11/29 Parent Information Night Screenagers- Growing up in the Digital Age at OHS-PAC 6:00-7:30 p.m.
11/30 Star Show Case Assembly – 2:45-3:15 p.m. – gym
Booster Club Movie Night – 6:30-8:30 p.m.
12/7 Band & Orchestra Concert at CES – 9:15 a.m.
12/12 Walk ‘n’ Roll to school
12/13 Lion’s Club Vision & Hearing Screening
12/14 Star Showcase Assembly – 2:45-3:15 p.m. – CES gym
12/17 Fourth & Fifth Grade Choir Concert – OHS-PAC 7:00 p.m.
12/19 – 1/2 Winter Break
Parent Night - The Screenagers Movie- Growing Up in the Digital Age
Parents are invited to view this film with other eastside families from OSD elementary schools on November 29th at the OHS PAC. The screening will begin at 6:00 -7:30 p.m.
Screenagers dives deep into how technology impacts kid's development and the challenges of parenting in the digital world where parents must compete with.
Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, Screenagers reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.
OSD 2018-19 Notice of Nondiscrimination
The Olympia School District will provide equal educational opportunity and treatment for all students in all aspects of the academic and activities program without discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, honorably-discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. The district will provide equal access to school facilities to the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. District programs will be free from sexual harassment. Auxiliary aids and services will be provided upon request to individuals with disabilities.
The following people have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies, reports of alleged sexual harassment, concerns about compliance, and/or grievance procedures: