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Last week, I provided free parent training on Special Education Community Complaints (SECC) for the Benton-Franklin Counties Special Education PTA. This column follows the presentation.
The most …
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By Shannon Sankstone
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1/17/25
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“I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” Lee Smith, our heroine from part 1 of this series, told me.
Like many families I help, Smith didn’t know what …
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By Shannon Sankstone
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1/10/25
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It’s that time of year again! The gifts have been given, the family has gathered, houses are still glowing with the joy that only twinkling lights can bring, and parents are blowing up my …
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By Shannon Sankstone
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1/2/25
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In this season of gift giving, I wanted to share with you, dear readers, one of the greatest gifts in our county: Citizens helping citizens.
This month, …
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By Shannon Sankstone
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12/26/24
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504 Plan or IEP? Shannon, our educational advocate digs into the subject for a parent...
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By Shannon Sankstone
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12/19/24
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The Washington Administrative Code, affectionately known as “The WAC,” is the rule of the land in Thurston County and the Evergreen State. It is the collective name for all state-level …
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If you are looking for something a little different this holiday season, let me recommend The Big Shorts Festival.
On Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, the Olympia Film Collective will present The …
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Ask artificial intelligence (AI) about special education, and the online oracle has been trained to respond with such delightful phrases as, “navigating a maze” and “demystifying …
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By Shannon Sankstone
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12/3/24
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... the percentage of students with disabilities grew from 2018-23 from 15.6% to 18.5%.
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On the way through the Bitterroot Mountain’s Lolo Pass, there’s a tree (probably many trees) with a lobed leaf that is green on top and white and fuzzy underneath. What could it be? A …
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Having been born and raised in Thurston County, I have fond memories wrapped up in this place. I remember when the Olympia Farmers Market was in the Shakeys Pizza parking lot, when the Carnegie …
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Note: This is part four in a series of articles about the Olympia School District Board of Directors’ Summer Retreat at North Mason School District in Belfair on Saturday, Aug. 10.
In …
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Recriminations, apologies, tears, emotional outbursts, and complaints about the community characterized the Olympic School District Board of Directors’ summer retreat. The event took place on …
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It wasn’t immediately clear who challenged whom to a push-up contest at the Lewis County Pride festival in Centralia last June — the white supremacist or the Pride celebrant. It was a …
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We live in an age of information overload. Distinguishing what is credible and what isn’t is no easy task.
When it comes to health, finding reputable information is crucial because the …
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It was standing room only -- and very little of that remaining -- at Yelm Community Schools’ community yesterday, May 16 at Yelm Middle School’s Commons.
Superintendent Chris Woods …
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Olympia is seeking proposals from creative design professionals to develop a master plan for Rebecca Howard Park.
The city aims to create an inspiring master plan for the 0.34-acre park that …
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Some 120 parents, teachers and students met at Madison Elementary School on Friday, January 5to show solidarity against its closure and learn of plans to organize against the district’s plan to …
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Sunshine Shirley
Shirley Pearsall is the quintessential Altrusa member, devoted to bettering her community. But in her life, she has found many ways to give back. She and her husband Bob first …
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This column is brief, but I want to just take a moment to shine a light on a few very different ways that you can brighten someone’s day during this time of year.
Light of Hope for Our …
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By Mary Beth Harrington, CVA
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12/12/23
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