Olympia CUSD 16

The OHS cross country teams ended their season in fine fashion yesterday at the IHSA 1A State meet at Detweiller Park! This was the 7th year in a row that the Lady Spartans have advanced to the state meet. With no seniors on the team, the future looks great for these gals. They placed 22nd out of the 30 teams that qualified for the meet. The seven runners included freshman Amelia Kistner (season best 21:39), sophomore Rachel Andris (21:08), freshman Raquel Birky (season best 20:58), junior Madison Bales (all-time best 20:31), junior Abby Litwiller (20:21), junior Anna Bieber (season best 19:59), and junior Chrystal Cornwell (all-time best 19:46). Finishing 8th place, our boys’ team is on a 4-year streak of qualifying for the state meet. Unlike the girls’ team, the majority of the runners (5 out of 7) were seniors. The seven guys included senior Brad Schardan (all-time best 18:21), freshman Cooper Phillips (season best 17:59), sophomore Caden Clark (all-time best 16:50), senior Anthony Ragland (season-best 16:30), senior Carter Phillips (16:24), sophomore Logan Demling (all-time best 16:05), and senior Owen Dare (all-time best 15:50). Congrats to all for another outstanding XC season! Coach Hoskins, Coach Stine, and the entire XC team would like to thank everyone for all of the support that we’ve been given by so many parents and fellow students. It was really awesome to see so many of you at the state meet. Thank you!

After over a year and a half, the OHS Speaking Spartans had their first in person tournament, hosted by Olympia! The team had an amazing day with 11 finalists, including 2 tournament champions - Grace Birkey in JV DI and Michael Bagby in Varsity DI! WAY TO GO SPARTANS!

Did you miss Wednesday's Parent Engagement Night? No worries! The Olympia website parent page has the recording for you to view under the parent engagement resource tab. Do you want to participate in a follow-up discussion? Contact michelle.maris@olympia.org for details!

Today's Activities

The OHS FFA organized a half day AG Expo for all 8th grade OMS students. The OMS students participated in various agriculture -related stations include livestock judging, welding, and much more. A huge thank you to Mr. Hoffman and all of the OHS FFA members for planning such a engaging event.

What mark will you leave on the world? What is your “purpose”? How can you foster an online identity for yourself that supports and drives forward this purpose? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRkhkO4fKAg&feature=youtu.be

Check out these 6th grade writers learning about and applying conventions of English language through the celebration of author’s purpose and craft. #OlyWriters

Meet the Speaker for Wednesday's Parent Engagement Event. Dr. Stephen Grcevich MD serves as the founder and President of Key Ministry. He is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who combines over 25 years of knowledge gained through clinical practice and teaching with extensive research experience evaluating medications prescribed to children and teens for ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Dr. Grcevich has been a presenter at over 35 national and international medical conferences and is a past recipient of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

In a time of 24/7 connectivity, do the benefits of online sharing outweigh the risks? In Nov. our digital citizenship focus will be on the topic of Digital Footprint & Identity. Look for posts throughout the month to use as discussion points with your family!

Screening times still available

Join the OHS National Honor Society students for Halloween Fest! The fun will begin at 1:00 PM on Sunday, October 31st at Olympia High School. Admission is free and donations for the Angel Tree project are encouraged. Costumes are encouraged and masks required indoors.

Congratulations to Rylee and Sawyer for winning a Mini Refrigerator stuffed with CASH!

Q&A: My kid seems addicted to her phone. What do I do? It may seem like your kid is addicted (and may even "feel" addicted) to the phone, but it's more likely normal teen behavior. Read more: bit.ly/Oly_QA1

Be sure to get signed up for the Parent Engagement Night next Wednesday night!

Article: How to Set Screen Rules That Stick Easy tips for limiting kids' computer, TV, game, and movie time. | Caroline Knorr | 2/21/2019 https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-set-screen-rules-that-stick

Today's Activities

With both boys’ and girls’ teams advancing to Sectionals after 2nd place finishes, our cross country student-athletes put their hard work and dedication on display at Regionals. The girls started Saturday morning off well. Abby Litwiller paced the group with a season best time of 19:18 for 9th place. The girls ran tough and were only outdone by a strong #5 ranked Eureka team. Our 2-7 runners had great performances across the board: Anna Bieber (20:04), Chrystal Cornwell (20:08), Rachel Andris (20:27), Amelia Kistner (20:47), Madison Bales (20:47), and Raquel Birky (21:01). The boys followed suit with Owen Dare leading the group in a personal best of 15:42 for 4th place. The race saw #9 U-High narrowly beat out our Spartans by 12 points. Our 2-7 runners similarly saw success on the boys’ side: Anthony Ragland (15:54), Logan Demling (16:06), Carter Phillips (16:33), Caden Clark (16:46), Cooper Phillips (18:10), and Brad Schardan (18:30). We saw multiple season and all-time bests across the team that allowed for a 1-5 spilt of only 1:29 on the girls’ side and 1:03 from the boys. Looking forward to Sectionals at Elmwood on Saturday, our runners seek to stamp their ticket to State and continue to see their efforts being rewarded.

OHS students attended the Future Educator Conference at Illinois State University. Students learned from multiple presenters through the day and witnessed a performance from the Gamma Phi Circus! The future of education is bright with this group!

New Healthy Media Habits for Young Kids Article Now that screen-time recommendations are more flexible, it's time for new rules. | Caroline Knorr | 10/18/2017 (older, but still great!) https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/new-healthy-media-habits-for-young-kids