TOL K-8 Family Newsletter
October 11, 2026
Happy Sunday, TOL Families!
October is flying by, and we're so glad to be settling into another month of learning, growing, and building our Tacoma Online community! Fall is officially here, and we're finding plenty of ways to celebrate, connect, and keep learning together.
We Made It Through Our First PLP Cycle!
A big thank-you to our families for partnering with us through our first Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) cycle of the year! These conversations are an important opportunity to celebrate student strengths, identify goals, and make sure we're working together to support each student's individual learning journey. We appreciate the time you've taken to connect with teachers, share insights about your students, and help us build a plan for a successful year. We're so glad to have you as partners in this work!
Keep Connecting Through Support Sessions & Small Groups
As we move further into the school year, we encourage students to take advantage of the support sessions and small-group opportunities offered by their teachers. These sessions are a great way to ask questions, get extra help with challenging concepts, practice new skills, and connect with classmates. Learning online doesn't mean learning alone! Building relationships and knowing when to ask for help are important parts of becoming a confident, independent learner.
Check in with your student's teacher to find out which sessions are available and which might be a good fit for your learner.
Happy Octo-Day, TOL!
On Thursday, we celebrated Octo-Day (and Gertie's birthday!) together online! It was a fun opportunity to bring our community together, celebrate our school spirit, and enjoy a little TOL personality. We love finding creative ways for students and families to feel connected, even when we're learning from different places.
Prime Time Is Off to a Wonderful Start!
We also held our very first Prime Time meeting at the library this week, and it was wonderful! We're excited to create more opportunities for students to gather, discover great books, share their love of reading, and build friendships. Seeing our community come together in person is a great reminder that some of the best parts of school happen when we have opportunities to learn and connect with one another.
Looking Ahead
As we head into another busy week, thank you for everything you do to support your learner. From helping establish routines and encouraging daily engagement to celebrating the little wins along the way, your partnership makes a difference.
We know that every family's online learning journey looks a little different, and we're grateful to be part of yours. Keep showing up, keep asking questions, and keep celebrating progress, one step at a time!
Wishing you a cozy, fun-filled fall weekend!
Mrs. O'Hara
Here is news from Mrs. Kamla!
Our Pumpkin Patch Meet-Up is at Sterino Farms in Puyallup on Oct. 14 from 1:00-3:00!
It’s not too late to RSVP! Admission is free for all kindergarteners. You are welcome to bring other children, but admission for children over 5 and adults for the corn maze is $10. This is not a drop-off event. Parent/guardian must transport and stay with the student. Please fill out the RSVP form so we know how many to plan for.
Follow a Salmon on Its Journey!
Survive the Sound: Homecoming starts October 12!
Ready for a little salmon adventure? Survive the Sound is a free, interactive educational game based on real-world salmon research. Families can choose a salmon and follow its journey as it migrates back to its home river for fall spawning season.
Choose your fish, check in throughout the week, and see how its journey unfolds! Along the way, you'll learn more about salmon migration and the challenges these amazing fish face in the wild.
Will your salmon make it home? Pick your favorite and follow the results throughout the week!
Personally, I'm putting my money on Rake Troll to win! Think your salmon can beat mine? We'll see!
Get started here: https://survivethesound.org/home
Game Night!
Tacoma Online ASB would like to invite our middle and high school students, teachers and their families to the first ASB game night fundraiser of the year on Friday, October 23th from 4pm-6pm at our Oakland High School campus. Board games, card games, and Switch video games will be available for play. Snacks and water will be for sale for $1 to help raise money for future TOL ASB events. If you are planning on joining us on October 23rd please take a moment to fill out this RSVP form.
TOL ASB meets weekly on Tuesdays after school at 3:00pm. Members plan events, volunteer at school functions, work together to help build a school community and learn valuable leadership skills. If you are a middle school or high school Tacoma Online student interested in joining or learning more about ASB please contact advisors Sarah Purdin (SPURDIN@Tacoma.K12.Wa.US) and James Stowe (JSTOWE1@Tacoma.K12.Wa.US)
TOL Spirit Week! October 19-23rd!
Your ASB team is excited to present Spirit Week, happening October 19th–23rd! We invite all students and staff to join in and show their school spirit. 6-8th grade students can meet on Teams every day at 12:15 PM (link coming soon) and K-5 students will meet with during their morning meeting times to take part in the fun and connect with our school community!
Spirit Week themes are:
Monday the 19th: Color Wars! – Support your class by wearing your class color! (Elementary colors coming soon!)
Tuesday the 20th: Sports Day - Dress to support your favorite team!
Wednesday the 21st: Horror/Costume Day – its October, time to dress up in your favorite costume
Thursday the 22nd: Dress Up Day - Cosplay as your favorite fictional character or bring one of your own original characters to life!
Friday the 23rd: Mix & Match/Crazy Day – Wear your weirdest and wildest outfit.
📚 Calling all middle school readers!
Join Ms. Foster for a fun, virtual book club as we read Room One by Andrew Clements together. We'll meet Mondays from 12:30 - 1:00 p.m., November 2 through December 7, to discuss the book, share ideas, and connect with other students who enjoy reading. RSVP required.
We are planning a field trip for Oakland, TOL Middle & High School students to the Tacoma Dome, Friday, October 30 for an exciting day of hands-on exploration and connections with more than 100 local employers, apprenticeship programs, colleges, and training partners.
We are working on paper field trips for Oakland students, while TOL students use the digital form below. Busses will take students from the Oakland campus and return to the Oakland Campus. This is just announced so bussing details will be firmed up soon.
It's new that this is opening to Middle School. If you're a TOL teacher who would like to chaperone this trip, please let Paul know.
Click the button below to learn more about:
- How to login to Edgenuity
- Keys to success at TOL
- How TOL's ALE laws are different than in-person schools
- How to monitor your student's progress
- Understanding weekly progress reports in your email
- The Edgneuity dashboard and course maps your student sees
Hats off to the TOL ASB students and advisors for putting together another TOL gear sale with a new vendor. This sale includes youth sizes for many products. Unlike other sales, this doesn't have an end date, but you'll want to order soon and sport your gear at events throughout this school year.