Fall '07 • Winter '07-08 • Spring '08 • Summer '08

Welcome to the 2007-08 school year. It is always so gratifying at this time of year to welcome back familiar faces, and to extend a heartfelt welcome to the new members of our Olympic View community. It is with tremendous enthusiasm that I write to tell you about what’s new at Olympic View!

Web Site Improvements
First, and perhaps most obviously, our website received a face-lift during the summer. Special thanks go to Daniele Mrozek, Nancy Hopkins and Arlene Hanson for their work on this project. I hope that this site becomes a frequently used resource for our families. Please have a look around, explore the content, and let me know what you think. I welcome your comments, suggestions and feedback.

New Faces at Olympic View
I am very happy to introduce several talented new staff members to the Olympic View teaching team. Ms. Mary McDaniel is our new Head Teacher (Assistant Principal). Mary and I will be working closely together to provide administrative support and instructional leadership to the Olympic View community. Ms. Jane Osterman will be our mathematics coach. Ms. Liz Devlin will be teaching a 4/5 multiage class, and Ms. Jean Nelson will be providing student support as our new resource room teacher. We are also very happy to welcome Ms. Maria McCoy back to Olympic View. Maria will be teaching 2nd grade. Welcome to Olympic View!

2007-08 Is All About Math at Olympic View
Last spring, Everyday Mathematics, a K-6 program developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project in conjunction with the National Science Foundation (NSF), was adopted as the core math program for Seattle Elementary Schools. Everyday Mathematics provides a balanced approach to math instruction by teaching basic computation skills and practice, while providing students with ample opportunities to apply their mathematical understanding in real world situations. Last summer, each of our teachers attended workshops in preparation for teaching with Everyday Mathematics. This fall, we are very excited to bring this program to Olympic View. While we will be providing you with more information about math at Olympic View during the course of the school year, please visit the Everyday Mathematics website .

Thanks to a generous grant from our PTA, we have hired a part-time mathematics coach, Ms. Jane Osterman, who will provide ongoing training and support for our teachers as they begin to teach with our new math materials. Jane brings her experience as a coach at Gatewood Elementary School with her to Olympic View. In addition to her work with our teachers, she will also help to keep Olympic View families involved in their child’s experiences with Everyday Mathematics.

We are very excited about an opportunity available to our 4th and 5th grade students as we begin our first ever Olympic View Math Olympiad team! Math Olympiad will stimulate enthusiasm for mathematics by challenging our students’ mathematical thinking in a fun, supportive team setting. Our Math Olympiad team will meet for one hour each week to practice math and prepare for competitions. Additional information about math Olympiad will be coming home with 4th and 5th grade students in kidmail.

Classroom Libraries Purchased for K-2 Classrooms
This fall, we received 500 book classroom libraries for each of our classrooms in grades K-2. These classroom libraries will be an important part of our balanced literacy instruction by providing books at a variety of reading levels and in a variety of genres so that students can access a “just right” book during individualized reading instruction. Special thanks to the Seattle Schools Instructional Services Department for funding the libraries.

Full-Day Conferences are Back!
I am happy to report that we received a one-year waiver from the State Board of Education to conduct conferences during three full-days, rather than the seven early release day schedule used by Seattle Elementary Schools. Our conferences will be held on November 19, 20 and 21. There will be no school for our students on those days. There will, however, be full days of school (and not early release days) on November 12 – 16.

Enhancements for Our Classrooms and Playground
During the summer we finished our carpet replacement project. We said goodbye to the
smelly carpet in our primary classrooms, and hello to the shiny new tile! Improvements are also being planned for our playground by a dedicated and hard working committee of parents. Click on the PTA page for more information about this exciting project.

Upcoming Events and Activities
In conjunction with our PTA, we are planning plenty of family-focused events and activities for the fall. We hope you will be able to join us for our yearly Welcome Back to School Celebration, Olympic View Fall Carnival, our annual Multicultural Dinner and Book Fair, and the Junior League Northwest Art Museum in a School Program. See the calendar section of our website for more information about these not-to-be missed events.

Again, welcome to 2007-08. It promises to be another amazing year!

See You Around OV –

Timothy J. Moynihan
Principal