News – Olympic Elementary School

Striving for Excellence at Olympic – 2018

Dear Olympic Families,

For those who are returning to Olympic, welcome back! If this is your first year at our school, we look forward to meeting you and sharing all there is to know for a successful year.

Start-up

You should be receiving a welcome letter from your child’s teacher in the next day or two, if you haven’t already had it arrive in the mail. This allows families to get to know their child’s teacher before the first day of school. If you don’t receive a letter by August 23^rd, please contact the office at (360) 575-7084.

We are excited to continue a tradition at Olympic by holding our Back to School BBQ on Tuesday, August 28^th from 1:00 – 3:00. The purpose of this event is to allow parents and students to meet their teacher, see where their classroom is and drop off supplies before the first day of school. Families can come anytime between 1:00 and 3:00, it isn’t intended to be a two hour event that everyone stays for the whole time. Our wonderful PTO will be providing a complimentary hot dog lunch as a way to welcome students and families back from the summer and allow for some time together as a school community.

The first day of school is Wednesday, August 29^th and the hours are from 8:30 – 3:00. Breakfast is served from 7:45 – 8:10, in the gym. In fact, all students report to the gym before school and line up in class lines marked by cones with teachers names listed on them. We ask parents to drop their child off at the doors to help us keep everyone safe and secure.

Handbook

Our handbook provides students and their parents with important information about our school. It will come home with your child on the first day of school. We ask that all parents read through the handbook to be familiar with our policies and practices at Olympic. Please sign the top page and have your child do the same before he/she returns it to the classroom teacher. We would like to receive all signature pages back at school by September 7^th and thank you, in advance, for your cooperation.

Wednesday Early Release

One of the ways we are working hard to help all our students reach their potential is by allowing teachers to meet together, weekly, to look at how students are progressing and make plans for meeting all students learning needs. This weekly meeting happens from 2:30 – 3:30 on every Wednesday (except the first and last days of the school year). So, we dismiss students at 2:00 on Wednesdays.

PTO

We have an OWLstanding PTO at Olympic and their first Meet and Greet of the year will be held on Thursday, September 6^th at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is held in our library with dinner and childcare provided at no cost to families. We welcome more parents to get involved with fundraising, family nights, helping in the classroom and more for the 2018-19 school year. Flyers will be going home each month to announce the date and times of PTO meetings. They are also listed in the Longview School District calendar.

Explorer’s Club

Youth and Family Link provides a granted-funded after school program at Olympic that runs from 3:00 – 5:30 Monday through Thursday (Wednesdays 2:00 – 5:30). This is not a drop-in program where students can come some days, but not others. One of the grant requirements is regular attendance to see how much of a difference it makes for students’ progress in school. Registration forms are in the main office and space is limited to 60 children. So, you will want to fill out and return a form as soon as possible, if you are interested in your child(ren) attending this program.

Family Partnerships

At Olympic, we believe that students succeed when families and teachers work together and communicate, when necessary. Please call, e-mail, message on Classroom Dojo or write letters to your child’s teacher whenever you have questions and/or concerns. This clears things up quickly and helps everyone involved take care of issues in a timely and effective manner.

If you have questions about our school, have ideas for improvements, or would like to be involved in some way, please call me at 575-7084.

Sincerely,

Mike Mendenhall
Principal, Olympic Elementary School

lnixon 2018-08-16T20:12:35+00:00 August 16th, 2018|

LPS celebrates summer reading!

Longview Public Schools Superintendent Dan Zorn and School Board member Phil Jurmu set the pace at Longview’s Go Fourth parade.

While serving as grand marshal of the 2018 Go Fourth parade, Superintendent Dan Zorn and his crew of LPS staff, board members, family and friends passed out thousands of bookmarks encouraging everyone to read this summer.

The bookmarks include a link to “Superintendent Storytime,” where Dr. Zorn shares several of his favorite children’s books.

scoomber 2018-07-09T15:05:44+00:00 July 9th, 2018|

Please note: important information

Let’s be safe out there everyone! No fireworks are allowed on district property.

rbyman 2018-07-06T01:27:55+00:00 June 29th, 2018|

LPS graduates take diverse paths: Becky Grubbs, MMHS

Young people sample lots of activities in high school, and by the time they graduate each has a unique set of experiences to call their own. We asked three members of Longview’s class of 2018 to share something about their high school careers, a piece of advice and their post-graduation plans.

Mark Morris grad Becky Grubbs

Mark Morris High School: Hardwired to help

Becky Grubbs seems hardwired for volunteering.

“I’ve been doing non-profit work since I was 18 months old,” said
the senior, describing those early times with her grandparents
at FISH of Cowlitz County, which distributes food and other services.

This year and last, Becky received Volunteer of the Year honors from the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum United Way.

Becky began volunteering at the United Way as a sophomore and soon was helping plan events, like the Day of Caring campaign. This year she worked with LPS to implement a literacy program that put 100 Mark Morris and R.A. Long students in third grade classrooms where they encouraged the younger students to read for fun.

“Becky took it on as her pet project … and set up student teams at the high schools,” said Brooke Fisher-Clark, United Way executive director. “It was really magical to see that partnership.”

Becky said volunteer work has taught her that there is always a way to help.

“United Way really helped me find out how to contribute,” she said.

Next steps: Finish an associate’s degree in business at Lower Columbia College and then pursue a four-year degree to become a financial planner or accountant.

Advice for younger students: “I would suggest they look for opportunities for things they can do in their own community. There’s always some way to help. You can always find something to do.”

Click here to read about Discovery graduate Natalie Rodriguez .

Click here to read about R.A. Long graduate Hamzah Amjad.

*

Story originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of the Longview Schools Review.

scoomber 2018-06-21T21:54:49+00:00 June 21st, 2018|

LPS grads take diverse paths: Hamzah Amjad, R.A. Long

Young people sample lots of activities in high school, and by the time they graduate each has a unique set of experiences to call their own. We asked three members of Longview’s class of 2018 to share something about their high school careers, a piece of advice and their post-graduation plans.

R.A. Long High School: Intent on STEM

R.A. Long grad Hamzah Amjad

From Hamzah Amjad’s perspective, having technology isn’t enough.

“It can be used to solve most of the world’s problems,” he said. “We just haven’t yet figured out how to help people who need it.”

Hamzah is preparing to do just that. In April, he was among 49 Washington high school seniors—one from each legislative district—who signed letters of intent to pursue careers in STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In September, he will begin engineering studies at the University of Washington.

“I like things that manifest into real-life scenarios,” he said, describing how his calculus and AP statistics classes helped him see real-world applications for theoretical material.

Hamzah points to medicines that are designed to cure cancer but perhaps aren’t used in the most efficient way. And he mused about artificial intelligence in cars—couldn’t it be used to prevent vehicle accidents?

His teachers anticipate he will make a difference.

“Hamzah is a phenomenal person who is always ‘on his game,’ and he carries himself with a humility that people are drawn to,” said math teacher Paul Jeffries. “He is committed to his future and will be successful, because he doesn’t know how else to be.”

Next steps: Study engineering at University of Washington.

Advice for younger students: “Everyone’s different, so you have to find your own way … but ask for help if you need it.”

Click here to read about Discovery graduate Natalie Rodriguez.

Click here to read about Mark Morris graduate Becky Grubbs.

*

Story originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of the Longview Schools Review.

scoomber 2018-06-21T12:09:40+00:00 June 21st, 2018|

LPS graduates take diverse paths: Natalie Rodriguez, Discovery

Young people sample lots of activities in high school, and by the time they graduate each has a unique set of experiences to call their own. We asked three members of Longview’s class of 2018 to share something about their high school careers, a piece of advice and their post-graduation plans.

Discovery High School: Finding her wings

Discovery grad Natalie Rodriguez

After moving back to Longview from Texas in her sophomore year, Natalie Rodriguez’s plan was to finish high school online so she could avoid people.

Then the self-described “really, really shy” student heard about Discovery, Longview’s alternative high school, and gave it a try.

When Natalie was required to make her first presentation, Discovery teacher Tamra Higgins nudged her through it.

“Ms. Higgins was like, ‘It’ll be OK. You’ll be fine,’” Natalie recalled—and found out she was.

She continued trying new things, including a library science class at R.A. Long and volunteer work at Monticello Middle School. Along the way, she found a passion for libraries.

“I realized if you work in a library, you’re helping people,” she said.
“Libraries are like hospitals for the mind.”

Higgins and English teacher Ron Moore agreed that Natalie has evolved into a whole new student.

“Natalie consistently asked some of the best questions and offered the deepest and most sophisticated insights,” Moore said. “She became a class leader and risk taker—miles away from that timid girl who was hesitant to put her toe in the water.”

Next steps: Start at Lower Columbia College, preparing for a career as a library technician.

Advice for younger students:
“If you’re on a cliff and you need to jump, but you’re too scared to jump, find some wings, staple them on—and just jump.”

Click here to read about Mark Morris graduate Becky Grubbs.

Click here to read about R.A. Long graduate Hamzah Amjad.

*

Story originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of the Longview Schools Review.

scoomber 2018-06-21T21:53:36+00:00 June 21st, 2018|

Olympic Summer 2018 information

Last day office is open: June 22, 2018

Summer programs:
• Summer school, July 9-July 27, 8:30am-12:30pm

Meals for Longview kids:
Northlake Elem, 2210 Olympia Way
June 18 – August 17 (no meals July 2-6); Monday – Friday
Breakfast 8:30 – 8:45am, Lunch 12:00 – 12:15pm

Kessler Elem, 1902 Kessler Blvd
June 18 – August 17 (no meals July 4); Monday – Friday
Breakfast 8:30 – 8:45am, Lunch 12:00 – 12:15pm

~~CVG Elem, 2644 30th Ave~~
~~July 9 – July 27; Monday – Friday~~
~~Breakfast 8:30 – 8:45am, Lunch 12:00 – 12:15pm~~ Cancelled

Olympic Elem, 1324 30th Ave
July 9 – July 27; Monday – Friday
Breakfast 8:30 – 8:45am Lunch 12:00 – 12:15pm
Aug 7 – Aug 16; Tuesday – Thursday
Breakfast 8:30 – 8:45am Lunch 11:00 – 11:15pm

St Helens Elem, 431 27th Ave
July 9 – July 27; Monday – Friday
Breakfast 8:30 – 8:45am, Lunch 12:00 – 12:15pm

Monticello Middle School, 1225 28th Ave
July 9 – July 27; Monday – Friday
Lunch 12:00 – 12:15pm

Archie Anderson Park, 22nd Ave and Alabama St
July 9 – Aug 16; Monday – Thursday
Lunch 12:00 – 12:15pm, Snack 3:00 – 3:15pm

Longview Teen Center, 2121 Kessler Blvd
June 18 – Aug 17 (no meals July 2-6); Monday – Friday
Snack 3:00 – 3:15

Office opens in fall: August 20, 2018

First day of school: August 29, 2018

lnixon 2018-08-17T19:20:56+00:00 June 19th, 2018|

Painting with Ms. Wohele

Students who had no referrals during the school year were able to put their name into the drawing, for a chance to get a free painting class. Here is a couple of pictures of their painting night.