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The question is: Would these 2021 North Thurston High School graduates have achieved better educational results had the district adopted a Balanced Calendar? Shown, l-r, are Hannah Brannam, Maddie Hansen, Annie Hoffman, Cirena Adams and Helene Budd.

Balanced Calendar: not the same as year-round school

North Thurston Public Schools (NTPS) will hold its first community forum this Wed., Jan. 19, to get insights on their plan to explore a “balanced calendar” for the upcoming school … more

By JC Medina | 1/18/22

NTPS's Sarah Rich, executive director of assessment & student achievement, spoke at the Jan. 11, 2022 NTPS board meeting.

North Thurston school board revises gender-inclusive policy, signs partnership with three Washington universities

Timberline High School hosted North Thurston Public Schools’ (NTPS) first regular board meeting for 2022 on Jan. 11, 2022. Timberline Principal Paul Dean and some student representatives … more

By JC Medina | 1/12/22

Tumwater School Board President Melissa Beard addressed concerns regarding Superintendent Sean Dotson’s performance. Dec. 9, 2021.

Tumwater schools’ staff questions superintendent’s performance

The Tumwater School Board addressed district staff who have in recent weeks expressed “continued dissatisfaction” with Superintendent Sean Dotson’s leadership in their meeting last … more

By Kristine Javier | 12/10/21

Teams from Olympia High School and North Thurston High School competed together against two other schools on Nov. 13, 2021.

First robotics competition of the year hosted at North Thurston High School

Robotics, not long ago reserved for the realm of science fiction and multi-million dollar factories, has become hobby and sport for local high school students who design and build their own … more

By Danny Stusser | 11/17/21

Tumwater Middle School Assistant Principal David Parascand noted that school closures have a significant impact on student’s behavioral and academic abilities. Nov. 11, 2021.

COVID-19 stunts students' behavior and learning abilities

As schools finally re-open, teachers are starting to realize the impacts that COVID-19 had on students. Discussing school-improvement opportunities at last night's Tumwater School District … more

By Kristine Javier | 11/12/21 | 2 comments

Tumwater and other school districts’ budgets and staffing levels affected by enrollment decline

As the pandemic drags on, some parents across the U.S. and locally have elected to keep their students at home or send them to private schools. The drop in enrollment brings a proportional drop in … more

By Kristine Javier | 11/8/21

SPSCC is eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence based on Aspen Institute's announcement on Nov. 4, 2021.

SPSCC named one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges

For the fourth consecutive time, the Aspen Institute named South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community … more

11/4/21

Forming new habits takes 21 days, according to various sources, and is a key idea behind this program.

Tumwater’s 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge open to all

Tumwater’s city government and school district have teamed up to deliver the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, a series of brief videos, readings, audio recordings and discussion guides designed … more

By Danny Stusser | 10/12/21 | 3 comments

Year-round education under serious review by local school districts

School districts around the state, including Olympia, Yelm, Tumwater and North Thurston, are looking at a new educational concept called “Balanced Calendar.” It’s … more

By Ken Balsley | 10/12/21 | 1 comment

Tumwater School District and Tumwater City boards met on Oct. 7, 2021 and discussed the city's 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge.

Outgoing Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet discusses racial equity in joint city-school board meeting

As a part of the Tumwater Community 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, city leaders including Mayor Pete Kmet stressed the need to discuss racial equity in an online meeting with the Tumwater School … more

By Kristine Javier | 10/11/21 | 5 comments

Molly Hoghaug expressed safety concerns on her son’s bus route during the NTPS regular school board meeting on Tue., Oct. 5, 2021.

Lacey-area parents complain about school bus service at NTPS board meeting

Several parents spoke out to the North Thurston Public Schools (NTPS) board yesterday, complaining about the lack of accommodations from its transportation department for safer alternative bus … more

By Kristine Javier | 10/6/21 | 1 comment

Olympia HS graduates Jenny Jang, Ann Murphy and Michale Tsien pose for family photos following their commencement ceremony.

Congratulations to Olympia High School's Class of 2021

The Olympia High School Class of 2021 received their diplomas on Fri., June 18 during its commencement ceremony at Saint Martin's University. Proud family members and friends filled the bleachers in … more

Never too late to congratulate! | 9/23/21

Welding is one of the skills that can be learned at Lacey MakerSpace.

$1 million federal grant awarded to Lacey MakerSpace

Lacey MakerSpace received $1 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) to help retrain workers and business owners who were impacted by the … more

By Kristine Javier | 9/22/21

Griffin School serves students in Grades K to 8 who live west of Olympia, largely in the Steamboat Island area.

Griffin School to open a new Boys & Girls Club location

To meet the growing demand for out-of-school programming for youth, Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County is partnering with the Griffin School District to open its eighth Boys & Girls Club … more

9/16/21

Dr. Antonio Sandifer, NTPS's new Director of Equity and Languages, made his first presentation to the school board on Sept. 7, 2021.

North Thurston schools are safe, majority of students agree

In a district-wide survey conducted by North Thurston Public Schools (NTPS) in 2020-21, results showed that the majority of students felt safe in their schools. During the regular NTPS board … more

By Danny Stusser | 9/10/21

Ocean Laura shares Avanti High School experiences during the 2021 graduation ceremony.

Congratulations to Avanti High School's 2021 graduates

Avanti High School held its graduation on Fri., June 12, 2021 from 1 to 4 p.m. "Avanti's commencement ceremony each year is a special one because each teacher says something about several … more

By Danny Stusser | 9/7/21

Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek, the Thurston County Health Officer.

County health officer writes to school leaders today about how to proceed

Dear Thurston County Superintendents and Heads of Schools, I am writing to inform you about the COVID-19 guidance from the Washington State Department of Health for the 2021-2022 school year. The … more

8/31/21

A student browses the shelves at the Lacey Timberland Regional Library on April 9, 2019.

Celebrate Back-to-School and Library Card Sign-Up Month with Timberland Regional Library!

Timberland Regional Library supports students of all ages with easy-to-access resources in its 28 libraries and online, and an effortless process to obtain a library card. Parents and teachers can … more

By Taniah Najih | Timberland Regional Library | 8/26/21

Critical Race Theory: In response to a push for culturally responsive teaching that gained steam following the police killing of George Floyd, Republican lawmakers and governors have championed legislation to limit the teaching of material that explores how race and racism influence American politics, culture and law.

Critical race theory: A political debate hits WA schools

By Venice Buhain / Crosscut.com August 24, 2021 Unlike in previous years, instead of kicking off this year’s English literature class with reading, Mark Gardner plans to … more

8/25/21 | 1 comment

This image shows Kaleena Pierce, Austin Moser-Attaway, Ryan Spiva, Clifford Kettle who graduated in June 2021 from Envision Career Academy of North Thurston Public Schools. Not pictured: Karina Herrera.

Envision Career Academy graduates listed

Last and smallest among North Thurston Public Schools' graduations this year was the Mon., June 21 ceremony to commemorate the accomplishments of the five students who graduated from Envision Career … more

By The JOLT Staff | 8/19/21