Olympia Middle School

Today at Olympia

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 (AI anyone!?)? How does it impact your life? Does it impact the type of media you consume, or where you consume it?

https://youtu.be/mh1dLvGe06Y - BBC video When we get news from our social media feeds, it often only tells us part of the story. Our friends -- and the website's algorithms -- tend to feed us perspectives we already agree with. Check out these ways to escape the filter bubble and make sure your ideas about the world are being challenged.

Early voting begins today! Check out details for your county at www.olympia.org/vote #MaintainRetainInnovate #TaxSwap #VoteMarch19

Today at Olympia

When you see advertising on TV or on a billboard, ask your children to figure out what the ad is selling. Sometimes it's obvious, and sometimes it's not. Help them explore why certain pictures, sounds, or words are used to sell certain products. Could AI be being used in the ad?

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!?

Today at Olympia

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.

Happy National School Counseling Week to our School Counselors!

6th grade students just finished their Rube Goldberg projects. The students worked extremely hard on these projects. It was a great opportunity for the students to flex their problem-solving skills.

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

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

Congratulations to Semester 1 OMS Artists that were chosen for Principal's Picks on their final projects! Great work artists! Stay tuned for what Semester 2 has to offer! All OMS artwork from this year can be viewed on Artsonia!

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!

Today at Olympia

Today at Olympia

Today's Activities

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