Fake News & Media Messages Tip #1: Encourage Healthy Skepticism
Help your children analyze the messages around them -- from toy packaging to Instagram posts to news headlines -- and question the purpose of the words and images they see. Teach kids how to use fact-checking tools like Snopes and FactCheck.org.
Video: bit.ly/OlyNMV2
All media comes with an author and an agenda. Help kids think critically about any media they view with critical questions that dig below the surface. And to really empower kids, have them create their own media with these same questions in mind.
Thank you Mr. Jones and Mrs. Litwiller for bringing the OHMS staff a little holiday treat - Grinch style! Much appreciated!
With so much media and information coming at us through the television, phones, social media, and more, it's more important than ever for kids to understand the basics of media literacy. When kids can identify different types of news and media and the methods and meanings behind them, they're on their way to being critical thinkers and smart consumers.
Throughout the month, we will be sharing a set of five tips to help your children become critical thinkers of news and media. Here is a short video to get those conversations started!
bit.ly/OlyNMV5
Make sure to check out your Skyward Family Access Wall for the updated return to learn metrics and a letter from Dr. O'Donnell.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Olympia High School graduate Carley Martin was selected as a distinguished Student Ambassador for the Bowling Green State University Schmidthorst College of Business. The Schmidthorst College of Business is ranked among the top business programs in the country. Congrats Carley!
If you are an OHS graduate with something to celebrate, email lisa.steve@olympia.org to share your story!
Social media offers a chance to choose how we present ourselves to the world. We can snap and share a pic in the moment or carefully stage photos and select only the ones we think are best. Listen as students reflect on how this impacts their lives. Video: bit.ly/Oly2DFV4
Mr. Jones visited OHS teachers during their planning day to deliver some freshly popped popcorn. Thank you Mr. Jones for popping in and delivering snacks to the staff!
Article Time! How Colleges Use Kids' Social Media Feeds.
Learn how what you post can hurt - and help - the admissions process. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-colleges-use-kids-social-media-feeds
Quick reminder; anything you post online can be searched, copied, and shared. Think about that~
https://d1pmarobgdhgjx.cloudfront.net/education/Digital_Footprint_Animation_2017.mp4
Unified PE is looking for students to enroll for the Spring '21 semester. Earn a PE Credit, promote inclusion, and have fun in a unique PE environment. Talk to Coach Hoffman, Mrs. Anderson, Mr. Kris, or a guidance counselor to learn more/ enroll.
What mark will you leave on the world? What is your “purpose”? How can you foster an online identity for yourself that supports and drives forward this purpose?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRkhkO4fKAg&feature=youtu.be
😲 WOW! Our Virtual Angel Tree is off to an amazing start! In FIVE days, all of our students were sponsored, and we have raised nearly $1,000 dollars towards helping those in our community!
Every dollar donated to the Angel Tree will go towards Spartan Council, which helps OUR families and OUR children who need it most. Families who have lost their housing due to a fire, electricity/water bills that have been shut off due to hard times, and food/clothing needed for students who would otherwise go without are all examples of how Spartan Council helps our community.
Our students may be sponsored, but your donation still means the world to other Spartans in need. Watch the progress & donate today @ https://www.olympia.org/o/district/page/nhs-angel-trees
Thank you! 🎄💙🎄
Video: bit.ly/Oly2DFV3
Lots of students are exploring and developing their own identities, and they often do this online and on social media. Some kids use multiple accounts, each for a different audience, but with this, what’s real and what’s unrealistic can often get blurred. In this video, your kids can hear other teens talk about the ins and outs of presenting themselves to others online, and consider what it means to “be yourself” in digital spaces.
The BACC Open House will now be virtual. Students and parents can Zoom into any BACC program using the link below at 6:00p, 6:30p or 7:00p on Tuesday November 17th!
https://www.district87.org/cms/lib/IL02212106/Centricity/ModuleInstance/638/BACC%20Virtual%20Open%20house.pdf
Help! My Kid Wants to Use Social Media!
Get your child, and yourself, ready for the next step with these conversation starters.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/help-my-kid-wants-to-use-social-media
Our Virtual Angel Tree event is off to a great start; we already have a few students who will have a brighter holiday this season! Learn more and #SponsorASpartan today! bit.ly/olyAngelTree20
Instagram, Middle School, and Digital Citizenship!
"Forming an identity is a big part of being a middle schooler. Most students are working it out through experimentation, with plenty of awkward missteps and mistakes along the way. It's a normal, natural part of growing up. But in the age of social media, this part of adolescence can be tough -- both for kids to navigate and for adults to understand. New social media platforms come and go, often with features designed to captivate young users right in the midst of figuring out just who they are."
Read more about how teachers use classroom lessons to teach about online identity: https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/instagram-middle-school-and-digital-citizenship
One more congratulations to Coach Mike Neisler and the Olympia High School cross country teams. Last Friday the teams ran in the final meet of the strange, yet spectacular 2020 season. Since IHSA chose to not host a state meet, ShaZam Racing (a timing company out of Peoria) organized a state meet at Three Sisters Park near Chillicothe. The girls’ team placed 6th and the guys were 5th. In his final year of teaching and coaching at Olympia, Coach Neisler was able to add 2 more to the list of All-State athletes that he has coached. Seniors Savanah Beavers and Charlie Kistner secured those spots, finishing 5th place and 6th place, respectively. Congrats to Mr. Neisler for an awesome teaching/coaching career and thank you for the 30-plus years of dedication to our students and athletes. This coach and this year’s cross country teams will be forever remembered as some very special individuals in Olympia history!
Post, Comment, & Upload Responsibly! As teens start sharing content and engaging with others online, it's vital to understand what they're leaving behind and what they might reveal. Help guide kids toward creating the kind of footprint they can be proud of @ bit.ly/Oly2DF
