Jan. 9, 2026 Newsletter
Capital High School Family Communication
January 9, 2026
Upcoming Events
- January 16 - MLK Assembly
- January 19 - MLK Jr. Day - No School
- January 22-24, 30-31 - CHS Drama Production
- January 23 - Pack the Gym - 6:00 p.m.
- January 28-30 - 1st Semester Finals (Special Schedule)
- January 29, 30 - Half Day for Grading
Donations Needed
We are in need of hygiene products (such as deodorant and toothpaste) as well as laundry soap and dish soap for families utilizing our new CHS pantry. If you are able, please drop off these items to our main office. We appreciate our wonderful CHS community and the amazing support of our new pantry.
If your family is in need of food or hygiene products, please stop by the main office Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to visit our CHS Pantry!
CHSPO News
Teacher Grants Update - $7,000 Awarded!
CHSPO recently funded $7,000 in faculty grants for items benefiting our school community. Funded items include textbooks, jump ropes, batteries and vests for classroom emergency backpacks, specialized markers, virtual reality headsets, gardening gloves, and a 3D laser printer.
Thank you to all who donated or supported fundraising efforts—your generosity made this possible!
More requests were received, including for major band equipment replacements. Another grant cycle is planned for 2026.
Staff Appreciation
A huge thank-you to our community for your overwhelming support! Special appreciation goes to our parent volunteer who organized the October staff meal.
Our next staff appreciation event is coming in January—stay tuned!
CHSPO 2nd Annual Rummage Sale
Save the Date!
Friday, April 18 | 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Early Sign-Ups:
- Students & Staff: $10 per spot
- Community Members: $25 per spot or 2 for $40
A great opportunity to:
- Fundraise
- Showcase crafts or creativity
- Declutter
- Connect with the CHS community
Event held outdoors, rain or shine. Register by April 11, 2026.
Senior 2026 Grad Night
- Looking for a perfect holiday gift for your senior? Consider a Grad Night ticket! https://chspo.org/grad-night-2026/
- Lock in the $99 rate now—prices increase next year. This year’s event is being fully planned by the Grad Night 26 Committee, not an outside vendor.
Next CHSPO Meeting
- Tuesday, January 20
- 6:00 PM
- CHS Library (enter through the front doors)
We welcome your questions and involvement!
We are seeking:
- Volunteers interested in learning about future Grad Night planning and assisting at Grad Night 26 on June 12, 2026.
- Volunteers for all four CHSPO officer positions for the 2026–27 school year.
Warmly,
Capital High School Parent Organization (CHSPO)
“Together, we make CHS stronger!”
Library News
Olympia Reads! will be welcoming author Renée Watson to Capital High School during the week of February 9th in a community-wide celebration of reading. Watson is a Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Award Honoree whose writing is deeply rooted in themes of home, identity, and the power of art. Growing up in the Portland area, Pacific Northwest references and a focus on self-love, social awareness, and the intersectionality of race, class, and gender have powered her writing for children, middle-grade, and young adults for 15 years. February 10th, she will be at the downtown Olympia Timberland Regional Library for a community presentation and book signing from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Then, on February 12th, she will be at CHS to visit with secondary students. We are encouraging students to read her books from our library prior to our event; the Timberland library system has multiple ebook, audiobook, and physical copies throughout their system as well. The teacher-librarians of the Olympia School District are very excited to host Ms. Watson and thank our event partners, who include WEA Chinook, Olympia Education Foundation, Lacey Loves to Read, and the Timberland Regional Library, for their support.
Pack the Gym - January 23rd
Hey Cougs, we will be hosting a Unified basketball Pack The Gym on Friday, January 23rd at 6pm. The Cougars will be playing against the Timberline Blazers Unified team. Unified athletes and mentors make sure you go to Unified club to get more information.
There will also be our Staff vs Student basketball game right after. If you would like to play on the student team, please see Mrs Turcotte in E-1. Current winter athletes are only allowed to be a coach, you may not play on the student team.
Olympia Reads!
Olympia Reads! will be welcoming author Renée Watson to Capital High School during the week of February 9th in a community-wide celebration of reading. Watson is a Newbery Award Honoree whose writing is deeply rooted in themes of home, identity, and the power of art. Growing up in the Portland area, Pacific Northwest references and a focus on self-love, social awareness, and the intersectionality of race, class, and gender have powered her writing for children, middle-grade, and young adults for 15 years. February 10th, she will be at the downtown Olympia Timberland Regional Library for a community presentation and book signing from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Then, on February 12th, she will be at CHS to visit with secondary students. We are encouraging students to read her books from our library prior to our event; the Timberland library system has multiple ebook, audiobook, and physical copies throughout their system as well. The teacher-librarians of the Olympia School District are very excited to host Ms. Watson and thank our event partners, who include WEA Chinook, Olympia Education Foundation, Lacey Loves to Read, and the Timberland Regional Library, for their support.
9th - 11th Grade Registration/Information Night
9th-11th Registration/Information Night will be held on February 11th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. This is for all 9th, 10th, and 11th graders and guardians are welcome to come on campus to hear about what CHS has to offer. Learn about how to register for next school year, graduation requirements, the IB program, New Market Skills Center, and Running Start options!
Community Connections
Thurston County Food Bank
- The mission of the Thurston County Food Bank is to eliminate hunger in our community.
Stonewall Youth
JBLM Military and Family Support
- The Military and Family Support Center's programs and services are a key resource for you and your family.
- Highlighted:
News from the CCRC
FOR ALL STUDENTS and FAMILIES
It is never too early to think about Financial Aid Resources, all grade levels can start thinking about how to fund post high school plans...Here are some resources that you may want to check out!
Financial Aid Resources:
Materials & Tools
- Financial Aid Padlet for Students: This digital information board includes all the links to financial aid applications and where students can find support applying.
- Financial Aid Calculator: Use Washington’s financial aid calculator to estimate your Washington College Grant and Federal Pell Grant awards.
- Otterbot: Otterbot is a free texting service created to support high school seniors who have signed up for the College Bound Scholarship. Otter sends financial aid info and reminders to College Bound seniors
- CSS Profile: The CSS Profile is a supplemental financial aid form from the College Board, that SOME colleges require in order to determine how much institutional, need-based scholarship money to award. Watch this short video for more information on what to expect when filling it out. Here is the list of Participating Institutions with CSS Profile
- Parent/Guardian Financial Aid Glossary: Helpful resource for understanding the language related to financial aid.
Websites
- How to Apply for Financial Aid: Applying for financial aid is a crucial first step toward an affordable degree or credential. This is especially true for students from low- and middle-income families. If students don’t apply for financial aid, they can’t get scholarships, grants, or loans from schools or state and federal financial aid programs. This web page provides information on both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA).
- Washington College Grant: The Washington College Grant is one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country. The grant gives more money to more people for more kinds of education and training beyond high school. Funding is guaranteed for eligible students. The guarantee of financial aid can help reduce the affordability barriers that currently prevent students from pursuing college and career education.
- Plan Your Future: The Plan Your Future page provides information on career exploration, applying to colleges, state financial aid programs, and more for high school juniors and seniors.
- College Bound Scholarship: The College Bound Scholarship is an early commitment of state financial aid to eligible students who sign up in middle school and fulfill the scholarship pledge. Visitors to the site can find information on College Bound eligibility and access. Counselors will also find a host of resources to help parents and students understand and access the program.
- Passport to Careers: The Passport to Careers program helps students who have experienced foster care or unaccompanied homelessness to prepare for and succeed in college, apprenticeships, or pre-apprenticeship programs.
- Visit the Federal Student Aid Resources site for downloadable resources in English and Spanish on a variety of topics from “Who’s my parent?” to “Understanding dependency”.
- WASFA information https://wsac.wa.gov/wasfa
SchooLinks: Remember to do your SchooLinks tasks that help with learning more about Financial Aid and your High School and Beyond Plans.
- Complete your BRAG Sheet in SchooLinks, yearly. This will help your teachers and counselors write informed recommendation letters for you later.
- Submit your SMART GOALS, Tasks and High School and Beyond Plans-yearly-This helps your teachers and counselors and guardians see what you are hoping to do after high school. It opens up communications and allows us to see how we can support your future decisions.
- Resumes-If you haven't already-you will want to upload your resume to your High School and Beyond Plan as a pdf document. (This is for ALL SENIORS-including Running Start students).
Scholarships: Remember to be accessing the CCRC Scholarship Website to see what Scholarships you might be eligible for:
https://capital.osd.wednet.edu/counseling/career_center/scholarship_information
FOR SENIORS ONLY:
PRIORITY DEADLINES For Financial Aid at many colleges are coming up. IF you haven't completed the Financial aid for your post high school education, now would be a great time to do it.
FAFSA and WASFA information
College Information: Early Action: for some colleges this has passed but there are others that are still open for early action. Be careful to understand the difference between Early Action, Early Decision to make sure they are NOT binding. If they are binding, it is a good idea to know what you are bound to. Please check with your student's colleges to see when they need to apply. Remember, after you apply to your colleges, you must ADD your college in SchooLinks so your school information can be provided to your college. Here is the College Application guide: SchooLinks_Student_College_Application_Guide_1_1.pptx.pdf
Teacher RECOMMENDATION is also through SCHOOLINKS under each COLLEGE they apply for. If you are requesting any recommendations from any other people outside of an educator, you will do that either through Common App or the School Specific app, BUT all teacher recommendations will go through SchooLinks. You may refer to this SchooLinks_Student_College_Application_Guide_1_1.pptx.pdf or come into the CCRC to get help from Mrs. Smith.
Scholarships for all grades: Remember to be accessing the CCRC Scholarship Website to see what Scholarships you might be eligible for:
https://capital.osd.wednet.edu/counseling/career_center/scholarship_information
Questions:
Contact Mrs. Smith at
[email protected] or schedule an appointment using the link:
Schedule Appointment
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