Olympia CUSD 16

Help! My Kid Wants to Use Social Media! Get your child, and yourself, ready for the next step with these conversation starters. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/help-my-kid-wants-to-use-social-media

Olympia West kindergarten students send their thanks to our Veterans

Our Virtual Angel Tree event is off to a great start; we already have a few students who will have a brighter holiday this season! Learn more and #SponsorASpartan today! bit.ly/olyAngelTree20

Happy Veteran's Day from Olympia High School!!! Each high school advisory has created a celebratory slide! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTL_x76Fz7RG5Lg8ZLNFXAHcolyonVOyutUvv63H_TtX2Gmztt4mM1YgUyFSo9x_ce5Wg24ystE7sA3/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=3000

Instagram, Middle School, and Digital Citizenship! "Forming an identity is a big part of being a middle schooler. Most students are working it out through experimentation, with plenty of awkward missteps and mistakes along the way. It's a normal, natural part of growing up. But in the age of social media, this part of adolescence can be tough -- both for kids to navigate and for adults to understand. New social media platforms come and go, often with features designed to captivate young users right in the midst of figuring out just who they are." Read more about how teachers use classroom lessons to teach about online identity: https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/instagram-middle-school-and-digital-citizenship

Great day for learning how to write number sentences in first grade! The first graders in Mrs. Estes’s class were working hard today.

One more congratulations to Coach Mike Neisler and the Olympia High School cross country teams. Last Friday the teams ran in the final meet of the strange, yet spectacular 2020 season. Since IHSA chose to not host a state meet, ShaZam Racing (a timing company out of Peoria) organized a state meet at Three Sisters Park near Chillicothe. The girls’ team placed 6th and the guys were 5th. In his final year of teaching and coaching at Olympia, Coach Neisler was able to add 2 more to the list of All-State athletes that he has coached. Seniors Savanah Beavers and Charlie Kistner secured those spots, finishing 5th place and 6th place, respectively. Congrats to Mr. Neisler for an awesome teaching/coaching career and thank you for the 30-plus years of dedication to our students and athletes. This coach and this year’s cross country teams will be forever remembered as some very special individuals in Olympia history!

As soon as you share the first photo of your child, you're establishing their digital footprint. As kids get older and start creating their own content or engaging with others online, it's important for them to understand the tracks they're leaving behind and what those tracks might reveal. Parents can help guide kids toward creating the kind of footprint they can be proud of. https://www.commonsense.org/education/family-tips/k-5-digital-footprint-and-identity

Post, Comment, & Upload Responsibly! As teens start sharing content and engaging with others online, it's vital to understand what they're leaving behind and what they might reveal. Help guide kids toward creating the kind of footprint they can be proud of @ bit.ly/Oly2DF

Video: bit.ly/OlyDFV1 Many kids are already posting and sharing information about themselves. But in a world where oversharing might seem like the norm, it’s important for kids to think about their digital footprints. Listen to what these teens have to say about sharing on social media. Are you making the right sharing decisions?

Every day, teens engage with countless images and videos that have been edited or digitally altered. But are your kids aware of, or have they thought deeply about, disinformation online, including the phenomenon of deepfake videos? For more information about this new media manipulation method, check out the following video. It has never been more important for our students to think critically about the media they consume and identities they see online. https://youtu.be/OUSworJiRWg For more information, and some wonderful discussion points to talk over with your kids after watching the video, check out this lesson: https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/are-deepfake-videos-a-threat-to-democracy

#DigCit! 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!

Like the clockwork that got turned back last night and as promised in last week’s article, the Olympia High School cross country teams continued to make their Spartan Nation as proud as they can be yesterday at the IHSA Sectional meet. Both teams had a great day, despite the adverse conditions they faced(grueling hills to climb and crazy high winds). In the girl’s race, our ladies rocked the XC world with a 2nd place team finish that surprised many people, including some of the so-called experts that had recently pushed Oly’s state ranking down to #19. Olympia scored 88 points, only 10 points behind #6 ranked U-High Pioneers, and ahead of #3 ranked Eureka, #14 ranked Auburn, and #17 ranked Sacred Heart-Griffin. Leading the way for our gals was Savanah Beavers with a 2nd place finish, clocking in at 18:14. Also earning an individual medal was Abby Litwiller, placing 9th with a personal best 19:14. The remaining Spartan racers were Rachel Andris (20:09), Maddie Litwiller (20:44), Chrystal Cornwell (20:48), Cam Lawson (21:37), and Emily Litwiller (22:38). On the guy’s side, our Spartans also made a statement to the experts that like to make predictions. Most of the predictions had #3 ranked Elmwood picked to win the team battle and Miles Sheppard from Hamilton-Warsaw to take the individual crown. Olympia’s senior star Charlie Kistner saw things differently, and executed a perfect race plan to defeat Miles by nearly 7 seconds with a time of 14:55.99. The rest of the guys joined Charlie in the prevailing underdog theme, piecing together an overwhelming victory! For the second year in a row our guys were Sectional Champs, scoring a mere 36 points, while the 2nd place Elmwood Trojans scored 85. Rounding out the field of Spartan runners were individual medalist Logan Wheeler (6th at 15:58), Owen Dare (11th at 16:16), Carter Phillips (12th in all-time best 16:18), Lucas Lawless (17th at 16:35), Anthony Ragland (17:01), and Alec Pfeffer (17:38). This race marked the conclusion of the unusual 2020 IHSA XC season. It was truly an amazing day for our runners! They couldn’t have purchased a better gift for coach Mike Neisler on his last day as head coach of Olympia XC. Congrats to all runners on your outstanding performances and to Coach Neisler for an outstanding coaching career at Olympia!

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

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

If you’re finding yourself down as a result of the seemingly endless negativity that surrounds us these days, look no further! Simply read up on the Olympia High School cross country teams. They have been creating great news since their first meet in August and it just keeps getting better. Yesterday the Spartans hosted the IHSA Regional meet, where our girls’ team placed third (86 pts) behind #9 ranked U-High (45 pts) and #3 ranked Eureka (35 pts). Leading the way for the Lady Spartans was senior Savanah Beavers who placed 3rd individually with a time of 18:23. The remainder of the pack included Abby Litwiller (9th at 19:29), Maddie Litwiller (season best 20:58), Crystal Cornwell (20:58), Cam Lawson (all-time best 21:04), Rachel Andris (21:20), and Emily Litwiller (22:33). In the guy’s race, our #1 ranked Spartans secured the Regional Championship for the third year in a row. Leading the charge was senior Charlie Kistner, who officially lowered his own school record for a second time with an astonishing time of 14:55.30! Charlie was also the individual Regional Champ. Other individual medalists for Oly were Logan Wheeler (2nd with a season best 15:52) and Owen Dare (5th with an all-time best 16:06). Rounding out the crew was Lucas Lawless (11th with a season best 16:30), Carter Phillips (12th at 16:34), Anthony Ragland (14th at 16:36), and Alec Pfeffer (17:23). The top 5 teams from each regional advance to the sectional meet next Saturday, so both of our teams will race next Saturday at Elmwood. Congratulations to all of the runners for another job done well! Stay tuned for more good XC news next weekend!

Nine Lady Spartans represented Olympia at today’s Sectional Swim Meet. Even with a shortened and unusual season, all swimmers ended the day with seasonal best times! Most with all time personal best times in their individual events! Way to go Lady Spartans!

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

Olympia North teachers dove into professional development after school while processing how teacher clarity reinforces the gradual release of responsibility of learning from the teacher to the students so that students feel ownership of their work. Teachers are also learners and we are thankful to have such dedicated and thoughtful teachers at O.N.E.!

OHS Degree NOW students worked virtually with State Farm Mentors during advisory to learn how to code using Python. These activities align with the Associate’s Degree in Computer Science program these students are participating in.