Olympia Middle School

Happy Holidays from the OHMS Band Department. You will find a link below that takes you to a short virtual concert of some Christmas carols to get us into the holiday season. Wishing you a happy, and safe, Christmas! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLavxSqyAqH8fKLJstnIv_oJfpRzb7PaRo

Fake News & Media Messages Tip #5: Choose a Variety of Sources. Show your children how you get news and information from different places, and explain how you make your choices. Use words like "credible," "trustworthy," "respected," and "fair." Ask them where they get their information, and if they think about those same words when choosing. As kids get older, introduce the ideas of bias, satire, and clickbait.

If a picture's worth a thousand words, do the words always tell a true story? One way to find out is through a reverse image search. Search with an image instead of a keyword and see what you discover!

Fake News & Media Messages Tip #4: Play "Should You Share?" Talk through the kind of content you and your tween or teen pass along to friends online. What types of things do you like to share? Do you always check to make sure something is true before you share it? How do emotions factor into your decisions to share things? Have you ever shared something and later found out it wasn't true?

Fake News & Media Messages Tip #3: Explore Different Sides of a Story! Use real-life examples to help kids understand how people can view the same situation with totally different perspectives. One child might experience a game on the playground as fun, while another might feel like the rules are unfair. Sibling conflict can be a great example of how two people can have wildly different opinions about the same event. With older children, talk through controversial subjects and take turns arguing for different sides to help kids understand various viewpoints.

Fake news is nothing new. Check out this timeline to learn about some ways it has been utilized throughout history to influence society. Ask your family about other examples that you know of and why they were used!

Fake News & Media Messages Tip #2: Play "Spot The Ad" 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.

Filter Bubble Trouble! 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. Show students ways to escape the filter bubble and make sure their ideas about the world are being challenged. https://youtu.be/mh1dLvGe06Y - BBC

Fake News & Media Messages Tip #1: Encourage Healthy Skepticism Help your children analyze the messages 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.

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.

Thank you Mr. Jones and Mrs. Litwiller for bringing the OHMS staff a little holiday treat - Grinch style! Much appreciated!

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

Make sure to check out your Skyward Family Access Wall for the updated return to learn metrics and a letter from Dr. O'Donnell.

Social media offers a chance to choose how we present ourselves to the world. We can snap and share a pic in the moment or carefully stage photos and select only the ones we think are best. Listen as students reflect on how this impacts their lives. Video: bit.ly/Oly2DFV4

Article Time! How Colleges Use Kids' Social Media Feeds. Learn how what you post can hurt - and help - the admissions process. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-colleges-use-kids-social-media-feeds

OMS students and staff created a display to spotlight our favorite books and authors. #ThankfulForBooks #ReadersAreLeaders

Adjustments for OMS Sports on Thursday 11/19 7th and 8th grade boys basketball contact day is cancelled. 6th-8th grade volleyball contact day is on in the MS Gym. Chess is having practice.

OMS Cancellations for 11/18 7th Grade Girls Basketball Contact Day is cancelled. MS Dance practice at West is also cancelled for today.

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

😲 WOW! Our Virtual Angel Tree is off to an amazing start! In FIVE days, all of our students were sponsored, and we have raised nearly $1,000 dollars towards helping those in our community! Every dollar donated to the Angel Tree will go towards Spartan Council, which helps OUR families and OUR children who need it most. Families who have lost their housing due to a fire, electricity/water bills that have been shut off due to hard times, and food/clothing needed for students who would otherwise go without are all examples of how Spartan Council helps our community. Our students may be sponsored, but your donation still means the world to other Spartans in need. Watch the progress & donate today @ https://www.olympia.org/o/district/page/nhs-angel-trees Thank you! 🎄💙🎄