September 27 - Olympia School District

Olympia School District
News & Notes
September 27, 2013
It’s Harvest Festival Time at Lincoln Options
On the last Friday of each September, Lincoln students celebrate the
results of their hard work in the Lincoln Garden and share the bounty
of their harvest! While the weather didn’t exactly cooperate today, the
Harvest Festival activities, students and families
were out in full force.
After an opening ceremony that took place in
the Lincoln gymnasium students dispersed to
participate in activities throughout the school
and play shed. The activities included; apple
bobbing, corn tossing, leaf crowns, pumpkin seed
spitting, cider pressing, jump rope, sack races,
face painting, drawing and nature collages.
Lunch was provided with contributions from each
class using produce grown in the Lincoln garden.
Yearly favorites included three sisters soup, pesto pasta, pumpkin pie and apple crisp.
This annual extravaganza was a pleasure to attend; there were nothing but smiles on the faces of
the students, parents and community members as they celebrated the culmination of all the hard
work done in the Lincoln Garden this year. Thank you so much Lincoln Options family for sharing
that bounty with our community!
Technology Arts Program at Washington Middle School Thrives
If you’re a student at Washington Middle School chances are you’ve seen or created some of the
amazing works of art coming out of the Technology Arts program, run by Brian Morris.
Recently students created laser engraved boxes, with depictions of the WMS
administration features on the sides! The boxes are made from 1/8” thick
basswood; with the design being put together using Adobe Illustrator. The
engraving itself and joints of the box are engraved and cut out using the
laser engraver. The handle of the box is made using SketchUp 3D modeling
software and then printed on a 3D printer. The result, as you can see, is
quite amazing.
Mr. Morris said that his students are doing the image editing and using base templates for the
pieces, and that there will be more designs and shapes designed by the students once the full
scope of the process is understood. This is just one wonderful example of cutting-edge technology
currently in use by our students. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next!
Capital High School Dance/Drill Team To Perform Nationally
Over the summer the Capital High School Dance/Drill Team qualified for the UDA National Dance
Team Competition, which will be held in Orlando, Florida this February.
The CHS squad won 1st place with their home routine, while also
bringing home the Superior Camp Award; Team Leadership Award;
Super Spirit Stick and Coaches’ Leadership Award. In addition there
were five CHS team members selected as UDA All-American Dancers.
Congratulations ladies, and best of luck in Orlando next February.
The Structure of Love is Indestructible
On September 11 Olympia sculptor Ross Matteson unveiled a work of art
entitled ‘The Structure of Love is Indestructible’ at the Harbor House on
Percival Landing here in Olympia. The sculpture consists of two, 10-foot-tall
glass and polished stainless steel towers etched with doves and dedicated in
remembrance of victims of tragedy, starting with the 9/11 victims and growing
from there.
Three Olympia High School students performed at the ceremony: Sarah Smith
(violin), Belinda So (violin) and Danzhu Zhou (piano). The students performed
a tribute to 9/11 titled New World by Michael McLean and introduced by OHS
music director Chip Schooler.
The sculpture was on display for five days at the Harbor house and
is scheduled for display on April 14, 2014 in the Gilcrease Museum in
Tulsa, Oklahoma. Matteson says he has a vision of a final home for
the piece, saying, “I’d love to see this piece in the World Trade Center
Museum in New York City.
5th Annual OSDEF Breakfast A Huge Success
The Olympia School District Education
Foundation recently put on their 5th Annual
Foundation for Success Breakfast, which benefits
the Principals’ Emergency Checkbook Fund.
The breakfast took place at the Olympia Center
in downtown Olympia, and was extremely well
attended by members of the Olympia community.
Les Purce, President of The Evergreen State
College, was the keynote speaker. Hansen
Principal Ernie Rascon and Centennial Principal
Alice Drummer also shared personal anecdotes.
The Principals Emergency Checkbook Fund ensures that the basic
needs of all students are met, so they are ready to learn. Chris
Woods, Principal at Capital High School here in Olympia told us; “It
brings a smile to my face when I see a student light up because they
know we care enough to get them what they need.”
For more information about the OSDEF and the Principals’ Emergency Checkbook fund, visit the
OSDEF website at http://osdef.org.
Ground Breaking For New Olympia Regional
Learning Facility Underway
On September 9 we broke ground for the new Olympia
Regional Learning Academy facility. There were
remarks from Superintendent Dick Cvitanich, OSD
School Board President Eileen Thomson, ORLA
Principal Joy Walton Kawasaki, and ORLA parent Jason
Taellious.
After the opening remarks students, parents and
community members got to grab shovels and take
a few ceremonial shovels of gravel, to make the
groundbreaking official.
The new facility will be 66,000 square-feet in size. In
addition to classroom space, it will include an athletic
field, playground equipment, gymnasium, and a covered play shed. Our goal is to make the new
Academy a net-zero facility, meaning it will produce as much energy as its uses.
Pioneer Elementary Celebrates Beage Kiley
Pioneer Elementary recently unveiled the newly
named ‘Beage Kiley Bear Den’ in honor of Mrs.
Kiley who recently retired after a long and storied
career at Pioneer. It was quite an event with a
huge number of friends, family and supporters
from the Olympia community. Congratulations to
Mrs. Kiley; you are greatly missed. We hope you
continue to visit us even though you are newly
retired!
High School Graduation Candids
Mark Your Calendar!
Upcoming Dates
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• One Hour Late Start (K-12) - Wednesday, October 2
• Technology Community Feedback Forum (Jefferson) - Monday, October 7 at 6pm
• Board Meeting (Knox) - Monday, October 14 at 6:30pm
• Teacher In-Service (No School) - Friday, October 18
• Technology Community Feedback Forum (Knox) - Monday, October 21 at 5:30pm
• Elementary & Middle School Conferences (Half Days) - October 22-25
• Board Meeting (Avanti) - Monday, October 28 at 6:30pm