With the schools closing families will have access to local services provided by the district in your area.
North Thurston Public School
Plans for serving meals
Grab-and-Go bagged lunches and breakfasts will be available for pickup at all 13 NTPS elementary schools and Salish Middle School during the closure. The meal distribution will follow the 2019-20 school calendar.
- All meals are free for children 18 and under. Children and youth will not be asked for their name, identification, enrollment status, Free and Reduced-Price meal designation, or school of attendance. Service hours are 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Children must be present to receive a meal(s).
- To minimize the spread of COVID-19, meals will be available for pickup with limited interaction with other students and our Food Services staff. Staff will hand meals to students in cars, and to students who walk up in person.
- The district is coordinating with the Thurston County Food Bank and Homeless Backpacks to continue the Friday backpack meal program (a bag of shelf-stable food designed to feed students over the weekend). Those meals will be available to students when they pick up their last meal of the week.
Plans for childcare
We are coordinating with our current childcare partners: TOGETHER!, Lacey Boys and Girls Club, Y Care, and CIELO. Childcare will be offered with priority given to health care workers and emergency responders, as well as their current clients. At this time, level of services are as follows:
- Y Care: Olympic View and Chambers Prairie will offer services from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. beginning Tuesday 3/17/20. Registration is online.
- Lacey Boys and Girls Club: 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., beginning Wednesday 3/18/20. Scholarships are available to those who qualify. Registration will take place Wednesday morning at 1105 Tracy St. SE, Lacey (off Carpenter Road). Capacity is currently limited to 100 school-aged youth. For questions, call 360-956-0755 or visit their website.
- TOGETHER!: At this time TOGETHER! is not offering Club House services, but will continue to re-evaluate and provide updated information on their Facebook page as it becomes available.
- CIELO: Services provided by CIELO will be communicated directly to families. Check their Facebook Page or visit their website for updates.
Plans for continued learning
On March 13, 2020, State Supt. Chris Reykdal informed the public that the State Board of Education and OSPI are working to minimize the negative impact of this significant school closure on our students, particularly our graduating seniors. All state testing has been canceled for the 2020 school year. Information regarding the opportunity for students to continue their studies away from the school site, when and if possible, will be communicated.
Special Education
According to OSPI, all special education services are suspended during school closures. All Individualized Education Program (IEP) services and any lapsed documentation will be rescheduled upon the return to school. More information will be sent to impacted families.
Additional Supports & Services
The NTPS Family and Youth Resource Center will continue to serve families. These services are for NTPS students only. Drop in hours are Tuesdays, 8-11 a.m. and Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Any changes in services will be communicated on the FYR Center Web Page. For additional support, families can call 211 or the Crisis Clinic at (360) 586-2800 or text 741741 to be connected to a trained crisis counselor. See other area resources on the Thurston Together website
Health Tips Reminder
Remember, the goal of social distancing is to stop the spread of COVID-19. The same simple steps that prevent the spread of ordinary flu viruses work against COVID-19 and other illnesses.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
- Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.
- Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill. Temperature should remain normal (below 99.6 F degrees) for 72 hours without any fever-reducing medication before returning to work/school.
Olympia School District
Plans for serving meals
Grab-and-Go meals (lunch and a breakfast for the next day) will be available for pickup at all elementary schools in the Olympia School District, including the Olympia Regional Learning Academy. In addition, meals will be available at Jefferson Middle School. The district is exploring the possibility of distributing meals at parks or other non-school sites as needed. We will communicate these additional sites in the coming days via email and phone messages.
- All meals are free. Children and youth will not be asked for their name, identification, enrollment status, Free and Reduced-Price meal designation, or school of attendance.
- Each child or youth can pick up a free lunch for that day, and a free breakfast for the upcoming day.
- Meals are available for pickup with limited interaction with other students and our Food Services staff. Schools will have the capacity to hand meals to students in cars, and to students who walk up in person.
- Middle and high school students can go to their nearest elementary school or to Jefferson Middle School to obtain a meal. Students can go to any site. (In fact, students can go to a different site each day.)
- All meals are to-go style (bagged lunches and breakfasts) and meet USDA nutritional guidelines.
- Meals will be available on the first day of closure, Monday, March 16, through the end of the expected closure period. This includes Spring Break (April 6-10).
- The district is coordinating with the Thurston County Food Bank to continue the Friday backpack meal program (a bag of shelf-stable food designed to feed students over the weekend). Those meals will be available to students at elementary schools only.
- Our Food Services staff always closely follow the standards for handling food safely. They will take aggressive measures to ensure proper, sanitary food handling methods.
- The district is looking for additional sites to distribute meals and will announce these quickly.
Plans for childcare
We are coordinating with our before- and after-school childcare partners to plan how childcare could be offered. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has directed school districts to work with local partners about this, and we are. We will communicate new information regarding childcare in the coming days.
Plans for continued learning
We know there are many questions about if and how some form of schooling might continue during the school closure. We are working with staff and state officials on this issue. More information about this topic will be sent in the near future.
Tumwater School District
Food Services During Extended School Closure
Beginning Tuesday, March 17th, breakfasts and lunches will be made available for all students 18 and under, regardless of enrollment or free/reduced meal designation. Meals will be grab-and-go style to limit interaction with other students or staff. Schools will have the capacity to hand meals to students in cars and/or those who walk up. Each bagged breakfast and lunch will meet USDA nutritional guidelines.
Locations serving are:
We will be available at each of these four sites starting Tuesday, from 11:30 AM - 1 PM and then again from 5 - 6 PM for those who would like to pick up breakfast and lunch for the following day. Meal service will continue daily M-F through the extended closure (including Spring Break).
Child Care During Extended School Closure
Tumwater School District is fortunate to have community partners that have stepped right in to help support our families during the extended school closure. Boys & Girls Club and South Sound Y Care understand the critical need that many families have for full-day childcare and will be providing opportunities for families to access this resource during this time.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County
The Tumwater Club will be open weekdays starting March 18th for all day camp from 7am – 5:30pm. They request that only families that need this resource out of necessity submit registrations, as they have a limited number of spaces available. Registration will take place on Wednesday morning. The program is available to current members and children of first responders and medical professionals, as capacity allows. Registration will be on first come-first serve basis. Scholarships for those who qualify are available for the $85/week per child fee.
Y CARE – Emergency Care Options
Starting on Tuesday March 17th, Y Care will operate full-day childcare programs from 8am – 5:30 pm at the following schools:
Priority will be given to current Y Care families, healthcare workers, and 1st responders.
Participation Requirements:
Students in grades K-5 from all school districts are welcome. Students should dress appropriately for the weather as we will be spending time outside throughout the day.
Payment & Fees: $185/week - Payment is due one week prior to the start of care, or at the time of registration. See below for financial assistance/free tuition options. Registration is available for one-week sessions of full time care.
- Financial Assistance - If you already receive financial assistance for childcare programs in our YMCA, the appropriate discount will be applied during registration.
- DSHS Subsidy - If you currently receive DSHS subsidy for childcare, please look for an additional email from YMCA with specific instructions regarding your registration.
- Healthcare workers & first responders - If you currently work in one of these categories, you will qualify for FREE childcare. Please register as usual for your first week of care and indicate in the registration process that you are a healthcare worker or first responder. Your first week will be refunded no additional fees will be applied to your care.
Registration - Registration for full-day childcare during school closures is now open on the YMCA website. For registration assistance please contact at 360-918-0400.
There are other school districts that will be added as the information becomes available.
