March 2025

5th-grade families: Is your music-minded student interested in attending Aspire Performing Arts Academy for middle school? Apply today! 5th-grade students selected in the application lottery have the opportunity for a unique 6th- through 8th-grade experience performing in Aspire’s award-winning orchestra, band, or choir! Submit your application by 4:00 pm on Friday, March 14. Learn more about applying to Aspire.

Watch NTPS staff and Joint Base Lewis-McChord military service members compete for a good cause at the Hero Hoops Classic basketball game at noon on Saturday, March 15, at Komachin Middle School. Suggested donation for admission is $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for students, and free for kids under 5. The game is hosted by the Horizons Elementary School Community Service Squad to benefit several local charities.

Join the NTPS School Board for a Community Conversation on world languages: our Dual Language program, the Seal of Biliteracy offering, and support for multilingual learners. Join us from 6:00–8:00 pm on Tuesday, March 18, in the District Office Boardroom.

This Community Conversation focuses in part on NTPS Strategic Plan Goal 5: Preparedness for Post-Secondary Success, Outcome f: Increased percentage of students who earn a Washington State Seal of Biliteracy.

RSVP to Attend

Join us during our annual Billy Frank Jr. celebration from 5:00–7:30 pm on Wednesday, March 19, at Timberline High School. Enjoy activities and presentations from our schools and community partners. Food trucks will be on-site for those wishing to purchase refreshments. 

We proudly present this event in partnership with the Nisqually Indian Tribe.

Conferences are a great way to discuss student progress and opportunities. All schools will be on a half-day schedule. Please check your school website for specific release times.

At the NTPS College and Career Fair, students and families can consider their next steps after high school! Join us from 12:00–3:00 pm on Wednesday, March 26, at North Thurston High School to visit with representatives for:

• Career opportunities
• Colleges and universities
• Community and technical colleges
• Military
• Apprenticeships
• Volunteer opportunities
• Scholarships and student resources

The North Thurston Education Foundation (NTEF) offers scholarships for NTPS graduates who will attend post-secondary schools, including vocational or trade schools, colleges, or universities. The scholarship application period is open until Wednesday, March 26! Each scholarship has a minimum value of $2,500, and some scholarships are renewable yearly.

Completed applications must be submitted to the student’s school counseling/career center or mailed to NTEF on or before the March 26 deadline. Students can also visit their counseling/career center for help with the application process. Download an application on the NTEF website.

Participate in the Thurston County Chamber’s Math for Life this Spring Break! Visit local businesses and learn how they use math every day. Students who visit at least five locations on the Math for Life map they receive at school can enter to win prizes. Learn more about Math for Life!

All district and school offices will be closed to the public during spring break, from Monday, March 31, through Friday, April 4.

Applications for the 2024-25 Varsity Letter in Community Service are due Monday, April 21! Students who volunteer 250 or more hours of community service in high school can earn their school's varsity letter, the same letter earned by athletes and musicians. Learn more and apply! 

Each year, NTPS gathers feedback from families and community members on a variety of issues. It helps us track our progress toward Strategic Plan goals and drive plans for improvement with school leaders. The survey runs through Friday, March 28 and is available in English and Spanish. Take the survey now!

We are now enrolling for the 2025-26 school year:

• Kindergarten: If your child turns 5 on or before August 31, 2025, they can start full-day kindergarten this fall. Visit our kindergarten webpage for helpful information about registration and preparing for this exciting step. Complete your child’s enrollment by May 1 to be entered into a drawing for one of several prizes donated by our community partners, including Amazon gift cards donated by TwinStar Credit Union, and a Chromebook donated by Comcast!
• Future-Ready Kindergarten: If your child turns 5 between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026, and needs support for kindergarten readiness, they may be eligible for our full-day transitional kindergarten program at select elementary schools. Learn more and apply on our Future-Ready Kindergarten webpage.

NTPS leaders had fun in February bagging food items for All Kids Win, the local nonprofit that provides food for students to take home over the weekend! Supporting All Kids Win is our 2024-2025 Compassionate Community Project. Learn more about how you can support our Compassionate Community!

The Bezos Academy Lacey — Southeast is now accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year. This preschool will be located at Seven Oaks Elementary School through a new partnership with North Thurston Public Schools. It offers tuition-free, full-day, Montessori-inspired preschool for children and families in the community. Applications are due Friday, May 2. Families can learn more and apply on the Bezos Academy website. 

The City of Lacey is beginning a multi-month project to improve College Street NE and extend a new roadway and sidewalks from 6th Avenue NE to 15th Avenue NE. The project starts in March and is expected to last more than a year. Traffic impacts will occur at times during the project, including for North Thurston High School, Ignite Family Academy, Chinook Middle School, Envision Career Academy, Summit Virtual Academy, and the NTPS District Office.

To help with traffic, we encourage NTPS families with students at area schools to consider registering students to ride the bus. For families with student drivers, please talk with your student about the importance of following all signs and directions given by traffic control members and driving slowly in the project zone.

Find project information and sign up for email updates from the City.

Thanks to voter support, a new facility dedicated to early learning and family services will open in 2027! The building will include North Thurston Public Schools preschool classroom space, indoor and outdoor spaces available for community use, and a library. Future phases could include more recreational opportunities.

The NTPS School Board has approved the schematic design for the building, which we are currently calling the Young Child and Family Center. We welcome community input on the building name. Please share your name ideas before March 28 for the Board’s consideration.

Share your name ideas

Did you know high school students can receive college credit for certain classes they take in high school? NTPS offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses, College in the High School (CiHS) courses, Career & Technical Education (CTE) Dual Credit courses, and participates in the Washington State Running Start program. These four programs offer different ways for high school students to earn college credit while still in high school. CiHS and CTE Dual Credit courses are free for all NTPS students. There are fees associated with AP course exams and the Running Start program, but students who are foster youth, who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, or who receive state-funded public assistance may be eligible for fee waivers. Visit our College Credit webpage to learn more. Interested students can ask their school counselor about participating in one of these dual credit opportunities.

Each week at Lydia Hawk Elementary, staff from the Thurston County Food Bank offer garden recess as an alternative to traditional recess. In January, staff from the Thurston Conservation District volunteered at garden recess, leading an art activity, teaching safe shovel skills, planting seeds in the greenhouse, and helping students find and identify different bugs. Thank you to both partners for supporting the school garden at Lydia Hawk! 

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Visit our district’s Facebook and Instagram pages for more examples of learning and fun in our schools!

Our School Board meetings are an excellent place to hear the latest news around the district. Be sure to review our Board meeting highlights from the February 4 meeting, which included a thank you to NTPS Partner in Education TwinStar Credit Union, a welcome to new Board student advisors, an update on high school graduation rates, and more.

Thurston Community Media hosts the Superintendent's Roundtable forum several times a year. Superintendents from the four largest districts in our region (North Thurston, Olympia, Tumwater, and Yelm) share their perspectives on various education topics, including current legislative issues. Watch the latest forum:

Next up in our school video series is Seven Oaks Elementary! Watch the Welcome to Seven Oaks Elementary video to hear about how a caring culture is supporting student success every day!

March 10–14 is Education Support Professionals Week. Thank you to all NTPS education support professionals! From paraeducators working in classrooms and schools, kitchen crews preparing and serving meals, the transportation team providing safe transportation, to facilities staff keeping our buildings safe and clean, the list goes on! Thank you for all the vital work you do for NTPS!