Vista Day of Service

Vista celebrated our annual winter service day this week by traveling to three local service organizations.

6th Grade traveled to Food Lifeline in Shoreline, 7th Grade traveled to the Garden Club in Bellevue, and 8th grade traveled to Operation Sack Lunch in Seattle.

6th & 7th were also visited by Greg Nelson, a Vista parent who told us about how he built his bamboo bike.

To end the day, all three grades gathered together and broke into small groups where each grade was able to share about the activities of the day over cocoa and cookies. What a fun way to celebrate our commitment to our community!


Here are pictures of our 8th grade class at Operation Sack Lunch with Mr. Costello and Ms. Long. They made lunches for the homeless in Seattle, traveling to a site under the Aurora bridge to distribute food to those in need.







Here are photos of the 7th grade at the Garden Club, a nearby senior citizen home. Students were accompanied by Mr. Olson, Mrs. Slominski, Sr. Sanjines, and Ms. Redfern. We chatted with residents as we made cookies and gingerbread houses together. The students finished our time by singing winter songs for the residents, a treat we all enjoyed!








Here are pictures from the 6th Grade trip to Food Lifeline. They were accompanied by Mr. Gulotta, Ms. Yandell, and Mrs. Coulon. To quote a student the main task was “repackaging Costco-sized food into human-sized food.”





After 6th & 7th returned, they were visited by Greg Nelson, a 7th grade parent. He and his son shared a special presentation on bamboo bikes. Bamboo is cheap and durable and the use of the material in making bikes makes this useful transportation available to developing African countries. Mr. Nelson and his son had made a special trip to San Francisco to build their own bike which they shared with our students. We saw that we don't have to travel beyond our own families at OWS to learn about important global issues.




Finally, we all gathered together to share our experiences while enjoying hot cocoa & cider and some festive treats. Thanks to the parents who contributed goodies and a special thanks to those who volunteered their time by helping run treat distribution!

Vista Student Led Tours for 4th & 5th Grade

Over the last couple of weeks, 7th and 8th grade students had a great time showing off Vista to 4th and 5th graders. It gave the students a chance to learn about what changes once you get to middle school and how it's still the same OWS campus they know and love!

5th Grade Lunch with Vista

As part of Experience Vista Project, the 8th grade class joined 5th grade for our December Pizza Friday. Students sat in small groups and it gave 5th graders an opportunity to ask the 8th graders about what it's like to be a Vista student.

FIRST Lego League Competition

Congratulations to the Vista First Lego League Robotics team for their award in teamwork at the
Bellevue Regional Competition!

YADA - Youth Awareness Disability Assembly

YADA visited Vista students last week and put on a special assembly in the gym. Students went to five different stations and learned about different kinds of disabilities. There was a mobility station with wheelchairs, sensory station where students wore distorted glasses to learn about visual disabilities, a brain station where students learned about dyslexia, an adaptive equipment station where students used a braille machine, and a service animal station!