ABCs of Olympic View

A is for Art Class. Lauren Karbula teaches art at Olympic View on A week Wednesdays and every Thursday and Friday. A is for After School Enrichment. Sign your child up for a variety of fun classes, three sessions each year. A is for Art Docents. Volunteers are trained to teach specific art skills to students in the classroom and guide them to make art inspired by great artists from around the world.

B is for our Building Leadership Team (BLT), which make vital decisions that keep our school running smoothly. Parents and staff work together to direct our school  resources to ensure our students achieve success. B is for Back to School Night, when we welcome families in to meet the teachers, see your students classroom and tour the school. B is for Beaky, our very own eagle mascot. Look for Beaky at special events!

C is for Conferences. These happen in November and this is the time to discuss your child’s learning with teachers. C is for Choir. Our music teacher, Ms. Helbach, leads choir after school for 3rd-5th grade.

D is for DanceChance, a special program through Pacific Northwest Ballet for selected 3rd graders to study ballet on a full scholarship! D is for Drama. The school musical is an exciting opportunity for 3rd-5th grade OV students to work together both on and off stage. There are three performances in the spring.

E is for Olympic View’s motto, the Eagle Way: “We take care of ourselves, we take care of each other, and we take care of our school.” Students receive Eagle Eyes for demonstrating Eagle Way behavior. The Eagle is also the name of our school newsletter. E is also for Eagle Packs, which are free food bags for any student that wants one, provided by the University Food Bank and distributed weekly by our PTA volunteers. E is also for Eagle Time, which is targeted learning time with extra support for smaller group instruction.

F is for Fundraising. The PTA supports our school by holding fundraisers throughout the school year. Money raised by those events help pay for field trips, library books, art and PE supplies, art docents and a lot more! F is for Fall Festival. The Fall Festival is an exciting and free event for all  families. It is held in mid-October each year and relies on volunteer support. F is for Field Day! Every June, our PE teacher, Barbara Bruecher, bhbruecher@seattleschools.org organizes a fun-filled afternoon of activities. Volunteers are needed to make this all school event successful.

G is for Global Reading Challenge. OV partners with the Seattle Public Library for a battle of the books. Students in 4th and 5th grade sign up to read a selection of books and team up to answer questions to compete against other schools.

H is for Hot Lunch. All students are eligible for free lunches at Olympic View. Our lunchroom manager Kejing Pan.

I is for Instrumental Music. 5th grade students can learn how to play musical instruments at OV. I is for Involvement. Student success is linked to involvement in schools. We can use your help at home or in the classroom and attending school events.

J is for Join the OVPTA. Our PTA works best with many members and participation. Join the OVPTA

K is for Kindness. We practice kindness with ourselves, each other, our school and community. This is another way we can show the Eagle Way by “taking care” each and every day.

L is for Leadership. Andrew Bean ajbean@seattleschools.org is our school’s Principal, Crystal Parry cnparry@seattleschools.org is our Administrative Secretary, and Emily Sheppard ejsheppard@seattleschools.org is our Office Assistant in the main office. Anna Burkett and Sabrina O’Brien are our PTA Co-Presidents. Your ideas inform our leaders on ways to better serve our whole community. L is also for our Library, staffed by Kristi Leland, klleland@seattleschools.org where students can check out books for fun and information.

M is for Multicultural Community. Part of what makes our school so great is our diversity. We celebrate our community each year, typically in January, with a potluck at Multicultural Night. M is for Multi Language Learners (MLL) and lead MLL teacher, Rachel Modi. M is also for Music class with Olivia Helbach okhelbach@seattleschools.org. Move-A-Thon is an all school event and fundraiser in the spring. It is such a fun celebration!

N is for Newsletter. Most classroom teachers regularly send home newsletters. The Eagle, the school newsletter, comes out at the start of each week via email. The PTA also emails a monthly newsletter. N is for our Nurse, Angie Sterwald amsterwald@seattleschools.org who helps us keep students healthy and safe.

O is for the Office, which is open 7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. to answer your questions or to help you sign-in when you volunteer at OV.

P is for Parent Teacher Association (PTA), which plans and funds many events throughout the school year. General meetings are held in the evenings three times per school year. Please join the PTA, come to a meeting, and help us make OV a better place! P is for Plant Sale. Each spring, our PTA hosts a large sale of vegetables, flowers and garden supplies. Come volunteer or  purchase plants to raise money for our school!

Q is for Quality Instruction. Our entire staff is dedicated to bringing your child the best quality education possible. Q is for Questions. We know that questions drive our learning and help us be responsive to needs as they arise. Please ask questions! We will try to find answers that work.

R is for Racial Equity. We are working to dismantle racism and increase equity at Olympic View and Seattle Public Schools. R is for Reading. An important part of your child’s day is to read at school and at home, read together or read alone – just read! Students are expected to read at least 20 minutes each evening as their homework. RULER starts with “R” and is a way for our school to talk about feelings, self-regulation and develop empathy for others. 

S is for School Assemblies. The second Monday of the month, we meet in the cafeteria for our Becoming a Change Maker Assembly and discuss the monthly attribute. Please join us!

T is for TalkingPoints. We use this app to communicate with families via text messages or the TalkingPoints app if you have it. This allows for two-way translated communication.

U is for Understanding. If there is something you understand, please share it with others. If there is something you do not understand, please share it with the staff. We are here to support you and help your students succeed.

V is for Volunteer Opportunities. Interested in helping teachers and/or students in or out of the classroom? If you have any time or energy, we can use your help! All volunteers must complete the paperwork and online training.

W is for Wednesday Spirit Days! Once a month we have a fun spirit day. This day is always the same week as the Changemaker Assembly.

X is for X-ing Guards or “Safety Patrol”. Look for our 5th grade students in the orange vests helping students and families to cross streets safely each morning and afternoon. 

Y is for Yearbook. Every June, OV produces a yearbook for sale. Please collect pictures during the school year and contribute them to this wonderful memory book.

Z is for Zeal. We teach and learn with zeal and enthusiasm at Olympic View!