October 2024 update
our speaker series is back!
All OSD families welcome to attend virtually!
We are excited to announce that our Student & Family Well-Being series kicks off next month!
Family therapist and parent coach Alexis Roberson is our first speaker this year. This will be a virtual opportunity to learn more about becoming a neurodiversity-affirming caregiver.
To receive the link for this event, click the "register to attend" button below.
While the feedback we received about last year's series was overwhelmingly positive, we heard from many of you that you would appreciate a greater variety of speakers and topics.
Look for more details soon about the rest of our speakers this year. They include: Emily McMason, Dr. Bre Hazlip, Aidan Key, and Jessica Martinez.
All of these events are community informed. Use the "request a topic or speaker" button to share your feedback about a topic or speaker that would be helpful to you.
wreath orders open now through nov. 3!
Support students and schools with your purchase!
You can help help fund experiences and projects in all of the district's elementary schools* -- as well as all of our work to cultivate student potential -- by purchasing a holiday wreath!
Choose from one of two pickup locations -- Olympia High School or Capital High School -- when you place your online order.
Then mark your calendar for Sunday, Nov. 24. All wreaths must be picked up by the purchaser or a designee on this date -- and only from the location selected at the time of purchase.
Hurry! Sales close Sunday, Nov. 3.
Not interested in a wreath, but still want to support students? Feel free to make a donation instead.
P.S. If you have any issues with the link to the online order form, try refreshing your page.
*Thanks to the current availability of state funding for outdoor education, the district doesn't need our support to send fifth-graders to Cispus in spring 2025. We thought we'd help parent organizations this year -- as well as our own programs -- in a joint effort to cultivate student potential!
school staff: last chance for grants!
With help from a Browsers Books Grant, students in Lacey Mies' class at Jefferson Middle School participated in a book study last year of "I'm Not Dying With You Tonight" by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal. Some students mentioned to Mies that the project "helped create a safer space to engage in tough discussions and to take into consideration the background and personal experiences of others as potentially different."
Requests due by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25!
The final deadline for Olympia Education Foundation Grant Requests is this Friday.
District staff who work directly with students may make requests in any amount up to $2,000. (Exception: Browsers Books Grant Requests may be made in any amount up to $500). Please review the guidelines outlined in Step 1 on this page before submitting a request. Applications may be accessed here.
Applicants will be notified of the status of their request by mid-November, and funds will be made available before the end of that month.
An applicant's Grant Request for the 2024-2025 school year will not be considered until a Post-Grant Report is submitted for any outstanding projects funded by the Foundation in previous years.
community spotlight
We're excited to once again participate in Give Local -- alongside many of our wonderful nonprofit colleagues. You can support community-wide generosity Nov. 11-12 as we all come together to give back to the South Puget Sound causes that make our communities stronger and more vibrant places to live.