“We are so grateful for the generosity of the students, staff and Lacey community in support of the Lacey Food Bank,” says Robert Coit, Executive Director of the Thurston County Food Bank. “We want to showcase the connection between how we grow the food and our community members’ tables at home. It’s about community values and making a difference to help others.”

This year, the district will be collecting acts of kindness instead of coins. The goal is to log 100,000 compassionate acts! Students, staff and community members, as well as local businesses, are encouraged to submit “compassionate act” entries which will be tracked online in a big heart. Each school, the City and Chamber will also have large posters to chart their progress and there is a Facebook page.

“Compassionate acts are happening every day so why not share them to inspire more?” says Courtney Schrieve, Executive Direc-tor for district Community Relations. “Our students are demon-strating that when we treat each other with kindness and respect differences, we can make our district a place where everyone be-longs and feels safe!”

Learn more at nthurston.k12.wa.us/compassion.

100,000 Acts of Compassion

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS A Newsletter of North Thurston Public Schools Fall 2018

Walk down the halls at any school in North Thurston Public Schools and you’ll probably hear or see the word compassion. It’s no accident!

Along with the District’s new theme Everyone Belongs (see Super-intendent’s Message), compassionate attitudes and actions help create a culture of service. Last year, students conducted coin drives to raise over $27,000 for the new Lacey Food Bank as part of the Compassionate Community Project, a partnership with the City of Lacey and Lacey South Sound Chamber. Located at 7027 Martin Way E., the project will include a community garden, a farm stand and a client services building.

“Our students are demonstrating that when we treat each other with kindness and respect differences, we can make our district a place where everyone belongs and feels safe!”

Building for our Future

North Thurston High School

Modernization on North Thurston High School began in May 2015. Highlights include a new health & fitness building, upgraded safe-ty systems, creation of a new central student plaza, additional 22 teaching spaces eliminating the need for 16 portable classrooms, improved daylight, upgraded parking, softball fields and tennis courts. Most of the work being done now in Phase II is on the in-side as more classrooms are updated. The project’s architect is Cornerstone with construction management by Parametrix. The 205,000 square foot facility will house 1,574 students when com-plete. Phase III is scheduled to solicit bids in January 2019 and planned to be completed September 2019. The estimated project cost is $75,000,000.

2014 bond-funded construction projects continue to take shape

River Ridge High School

Construction started on the new 13,000 square foot auxiliary gym in June 2018. This will be a stand-alone building located east of the current RRHS pool building. The new gym, designed by Tovani Hart Architects, will contain a gymnasium as well as a separate large activity room for wrestling and other school activities. The successful bid was submitted by Construct Inc., a local contractor with a bid proposal of $4,588,200. The project is scheduled to be completed in September 2019. Additional improvements to River Ridge, include a complete replacement of all data cabling (morebandwidth), a new roof, exterior paint, STEM classrooms, new

Pleasant Glade Elementary

Construction on the modernized Pleasant Glade Elementary started April 2018 with a scheduled completion date of September 2019. The main school building will be just under 53,000 square feet with a capacity for 590 students. Jones & Roberts, a local con-tractor, was the successful bidder with the project staying within budget estimates at $14,192,000. The school will have a new front entry and parking lot configuration, along with a new cafeteria and play shed, and a new 8-plex for classrooms. Also included in the plans will be a new Early Learning Center scheduled for 2019-2020. Thanks to local neighbors as we figured out our traffic flow.

Want to know what’s going on at your neighborhood school? Visit www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/construction for more information and photos.

flooring in classrooms and a recent student furniture refresh. The pool, used by the public, also received a new pool shell, light-ing upgrade, deck drainage improvement and complete HVAC and electrical upgrade, which also included the gym and theater building.

Want to help plan district future construction? Join the Facility Advisory Committee (monthly meetings)! www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/fac

North Thurston Public Schools does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle your questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:

North Thurston Public SchoolsSection 504 Karen Remy-Anderson, Exec. Dir. of Student Support305 College St. NELacey, WA 98516(360) 412-4555

Charles Burleigh, Exec. Dir. Human Resources305 College St. NELacey, WA 98516(360) 412-4452

In North Thurston Public Schools, it’s no secret that we are proud of our diverse student population! Time and again, parents tell us they specifically moved to our district because they heard we are the most diverse district in Thurston County and that we in-tentionally teach and promote acts of compassion. Last year, we surveyed all of our students for the first time and found most of our students said they feel welcome in our schools, and that they are comfortable interacting with people from a different racial or ethnic background.

As a district, we are committed to sustaining a welcoming environ-ment which is why we chose Everyone Belongs as our district-wide theme this year (check out our video on YouTube). Our hope is that this theme of acceptance will serve as a cornerstone for empow-ering our students as they demonstrate compassionate attitudes toward one another and give back to their community. Schools will be promoting this theme in their unique way along with our 100,000 Acts of Compassion Project (see cover story). I encourage you to talk to your students about compassion and how it impacts their own school and learning.

Debra J. Clemens, Ph.D., Superintendent North Thurston Public Schools Superintendent@nthurston.k12.wa.us

From the School Board “As our district and community continue to grow, we want to assure voters that the bond-funded construction projects they approved in 2014 remain on time and within budget. Interested citizens are welcome to join our Facility Advisory

Committee to help plan for the future.”

--Graeme Sackrison, President, NTPS Board of Directors (NTHS, Class of 1962)

Of course, we still have work to do in the area of equity. Accord-ing to our survey results, students want to see themselves more in the books and materials used in our classrooms. We need to work harder at eliminating achievement and opportunity gaps on standardized assessments. And we need to continue to recruit staff who reflect the diversity of our student body. We have al-ready committed to more professional development in the area of equity for our staff.

Based on feedback from our community, we also added an out-come to our strategic plan around diversity. Specifically under Goal 2) Responsible, Resilient, Empowered Learners we added outcome d. Increased percentage of students open to and ac-cepting cultural diversity. We continue to promote multicultural awareness in our schools through special events. Our Multicul-tural Action Council meets in the evenings throughout the school year and is always open to new members. Join us in celebrating our rich diversity and helping our students know that each and every child is welcome in North Thurston Public Schools!

Yes, diversity is alive and well in North Thurston Public Schools, where Everyone Belongs!

Superintendent’s message

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGEPAIDTacoma, WAPermit No. 378

ECRWSS RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER

North Thurston Public Schools305 College Street NELacey, WA 98516-5390

Madigan provides new services at River Ridge

Military students at River Ridge can now access healthcare on campus.

Madigan Army Medical Center’s new school-based health clinic at River Ridge is a comprehensive, primary care clinic staffed with a nurse practitioner, a nurse and administrative staff who specialize in taking care of teenagers. This service is available to DEERS eligible Tricare beneficiaries at no cost to the student or the school.

“We are committed to keeping students in school, on time, all day, every day! By providing access to medical services on-site, we are better supporting our students and their parents by reducing the time away from school for routine medical appointments,” said Dr. Debra Clemens, Superintendent for North Thurston Public Schools. “At River Ridge High School approximately 40 percent of our students are military connected; therefore, the classroom truly becomes the clinic’s waiting room. This expansion of services would not be possi-ble without our strong partnership with Madigan Army Medical Cen-ter.”

Health clinic keeps students in school

Service with a Smile! In NTPS we believe in a culture of service.

Our high school students can now earn a varsity letter in community service if they complete 145 hours volunteering. Additionally, Gateway Rotary Club is honor-ing students for their service on a monthly basis. If you would like to volunteer in our schools, visit www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/volunteer or call 360-412-4451.

Fall Theater Calendar

Radium Girls presented by Timberline High School, November 2-3 & 8-10,

7 p.m., Timberline Theater.

The Addams Family Musical presented by North Thurston High School, November 9-10 & 15-17,

7 p.m., Koval Center.

Twelve Angry Jurors presented by River Ridge High School, December 7-8 & 14-15,

7:30 p.m.,River Ridge Theater.

View the Arts Calendar online at www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/arts

www.nthurston.k12.wa.us 360-412-4400