Back to School

On this page:

Meet Our Admin

We have a new Principal, Ms. Charles!

Ms. Jacqui is back as our Assistant Principal!

Meet the PTA

Get to know other families, make your voice heard, and have some fun! You can join the PTA here!

You do not need to be a PTA member to attend and have some fun at PTA events like Movie Nights, Family Engagement Nights and more.

Stay Connected

Get up to the minute info, reminders, fun views into your kids’ life at school, and so much more right to your social feeds!

Facebook

Instagram

Sign up for the PTA Newsletter. Every year we request the new all-school email list from the district, but they can be a little slow getting it to us and we only get it once a year with no updates. This means we tend to miss new families as they join the school and miss all incoming kindergarten families for a couple months. If you’d like to make sure you are receiving our monthly PTA newsletter, please sign up below.

Subscribe to our list

There is also a Facebook group not run by the PTA where you can connect with other parents in the neighborhood. Olympic Hills Parent’s Network Facebook Group

Olympic Hills Elementary calendar

The calendar, updated by the PTA, includes District dates and holidays, Olympic Hills Elementary school specific dates and events, as well as PTA dates and events. Check out the ‘Upcoming Events’ section on this page for important upcoming dates and times.

Want to keep up to date and be in the know? You can subscribe to add it to your outlook, ical, google calendar and more! Link to subscribe is at the bottom of the main calendar page.

Volunteer

Throughout the year there are many volunteer opportunities at the school! You can volunteer for special events, field trips, in your child’s classroom and more! You MUST register as a volunteer to volunteer at the school when children are present. The process to get set up as a volunteer through Seattle Public Schools takes a little time, so it’s best to start early. Once you are registered as a volunteer, its easy to renew your volunteer status and get a new background check every two years. Get started on the SPS Volunteer Application Process today!

Feel free to reach out to the PTA Volunteer Coordinator if you have any questions or need any help with the process. volunteer@olympichillspta.org

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a school supply list?

The short answer is no. School supplies at our Olympic Hills Elementary are provided by the school. However, your child will need to bring a backpack and reusable water bottle to school every day. The backpack should be large enough to hold a 9 inch x 12 inch folder in it without bending or folding as well as their water bottle. Mini backpacks don’t work well. If your child is in need of a backpack, they will be available at the PTA table in the foyer at the Back to School Open House on September 3rd, or please reach out to your classroom teacher.

Teachers may have supplies requests for use in class throughout the year that you can contribute to. They will let their classes’ parents know. These supplies typically include things like disinfectant wipes, facial tissues, snacks, etc.

When will I find out who my child’s teacher is?

The teachers will be given their list of students at the end of August and will start reaching out to parents after that. Please be patient with them as they navigate reaching out to you.

How do school breakfasts/lunches work?

Your child will be issued a 4 digit pin number that they will need to use at breakfast and lunch when picking up a meal. Don’t fret! We know that is a big ask for small children and the teachers and cafeteria staff will support them learning these numbers over time and they will never be denied food if they forget their number! Breakfast is served before school in the cafeteria when the doors to the school open at 7:35am. Please, if your child is having breakfast at school, have them dropped off with enough time to eat their meal before the first bell rings at 7:50am. Lunch periods are 20 minutes long. There is assigned seating for lunches and your child will sit with their class. Two grades have lunch at a time in the cafeteria. Kindergarten and 1st grade eat together, 2nd and 3rd grades eat together, and 4th and 5th grades eat together.

School menus and more info about meals can be found here:

Please fill out the free and reduced school lunch form found at the bottom of this page. Even if you are sure you do not qualify, it can help with the continuation of this free meal program for our school. The information they receive on this form about our community also gets our school additional funding and resources from multiple places. There is an online as well as a paper form and it is available in many languages.

What day does school start?

For grades 1-5 school will start on Wednesday, September 4th.

For Kindergarten and preschool, school will begin on Monday, September 9th. Kindergarten teachers will use the 4th, 5th, and 6th to host family connection meetings with families of incoming kindergartners to better get to know you and your child and answer your questions.

You can view the full school calendar here: OHE Calendar. We recommend subscribing to this calendar (bottom of the calendar page) as fun and informative events are added all the time!

What time does school start?

The doors are open and students can start being dropped off at 7:35am. The first bell will ring at 7:50am. At this time students K-5 are expected to be on the blacktop and will start lining up with their classes. The second bell will ring at 7:55am. At this time teachers will escort their classes into the school and the school day will start.

What time does school end?

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday the school day ends at 2:25pm. Occasionally there is a 1 hour early release. These happen before long holiday breaks or on the last day of school. Check out the OHE calendar to see when these are happening this year.

On Wednesdays, also known as “Wacky Wednesdays” we have early release (except on September 6th, the first day of school). Wacky Wednesday release time is 1:10pm.

How does pick up and drop off work?

Drop off (arriving at school):

Bus: If your child takes the bus you will receive a letter from the Transportation Department by September 1st. They will be picked up at their designated bus stop and dropped off on 20th ave NE in front of the school. There will be staff present to help usher them into the school.

Driving through the circle drive: you can drop off your child in the mornings using the circle drive by the “Ottertorium” (cafeteria) doors. See map below.

Walking/Biking/Skipping/Driving and parking/etc: You can drop your child off at the main entrance (see map below), or Ottertorium (cafeteria doors).

If you or your child need a bike rack to lock up your bicycle, they are available in front of the main entrance to the school and also to the right of the Ottertorium doors. If you are driving to park and then walk to dropoff, you can park on any of the surface streets except 20th Ave NE between 130th and 133rd which is reserved for bus traffic. You can park at the Church of Christ North Seattle parking lot as well (13315 20th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125). You MAY NOT park in the preschool parking lot (unless you are also dropping off a child in the Seattle Preschool Program or OHE Head Start) or staff parking lot.

The school asks that parents do not enter school grounds for drop off. This means not entering the main entry doors, Ottertorium doors, or going past the garden or east gate onto the blacktop/playground. If this is not possible for your family, please reach out to the OHE administration or your child’s teacher.

Pick Up (leaving school):

At the beginning of the year your teacher will ask you where you plan on typically picking your child up. You can either be a walk/ride pickup on foot, or a drive through pick-up and use the circle drive. Do not enter the school building for pick up. It is ok to enter the blacktop/playground after the final bell has rung for the day.

Bus: Students taking the bus will be ushered from their pods directly to their busses by a staff member. Their bus will drop them off at the location designated in your letter from the Transportation Department.

Driving through the circle drive: You will pick up your child at the circle drive (see map below). Please be patient and courteous to other parents in the circle drive. The lines can get long, but it does tend to move quickly. Staff will assist the kids in recognizing your car and verify they get into the correct vehicle.

Walking/Biking/Skipping/Parking and walking/etc: You will pick your child up at the blacktop/playground area (see map). If you are driving and parking to walk to pickup you may use any of the surface streets to park except 20th Ave NE between 130th and 133rd which is reserved for bus traffic. You can park at the Church of Christ North Seattle parking lot as well (13315 20th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125). You MAY NOT park in the preschool parking lot (unless you are also dropping off a child in the Seattle Preschool Program or OHE Head Start) or staff parking lot (see map). There are bike racks outside of the main entrance and Ottertorium doors.

What if I’m late?

If you are late to drop off your student(s) for the day, you will need to check your child in at the main office. Use the main entrance doors on 20th Ave NE using the doorbell button to the right of the doors.

If you are late to pick up and your child is not where you expected, they are probably waiting for you in the office. Please ring the office by pressing the button to the right of the main entry doors.

What happens if my child needs to be excused from school for illness or other?

If, for any reason, your child will be absent. Please call the main office and let them know. (206) 413-2200.

What if my child gets sick or injured at school?

If it is a very minor cut or injury you will likely not receive notification from the school. You will receive a call from your child’s teacher or the acting nurse for anything relating to head injuries, larger injuries, or other medical issues that happen at school. They will relay information and a plan to you. If you need to pick your child up from school they will let you know. If your child needs to stay home for additional days, they will also let you know that information.

Is Olympic Hills Elementary safe?

Very. All of the Teachers, Staff and Admin are trained to handle various emergencies. The entire school will have drills throughout the year that cover a variety of scenarios. These drills are handled from not only a practical safety perspective, but also with attention and care to the social and emotional well-being of the students and staff. There are many safety precautions in place including lock down procedures, a good relationship with Seattle Police, an abundance of caution, locking of all gates and exterior doors during the school day, background checks for anyone admitted onto the campus during the school day, a check in and out procedure for every person entering or exiting campus, and more. The staff and admin take your child’s safety and the safety of our school community very seriously. Please reach out to admin if you would like to discuss this further.

What are my options for after school care?

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of after school care options at Olympic Hills Elementary. The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) is the only on-site after school care available and they can only take about 50 students every year. This is hard when our school has about 500 students enrolled. They are working with SPS to expand their program. There is currently a wait list for the BGC. There are other BGC programs off campus at other schools and other locations and sometimes busses can be arranged to take your child to one of these after school. Please reach out to BGC for more information on this.

There are a few neighborhood in home childcare providers that take students for after school care.

The PTA currently does not provide any after school care or enrichment. It is a lack of volunteers and a lack of funds. If you are interested in helping with either please let us know and join the PTA! info@olympichillspta.org. Some families choose to participate in an after school childcare swap/rotation and have connected on this Facebook group for those purposes.

Upcoming Events

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