Summer Info

Have a great summer break!

Summer break at North Thurston Public Schools is June 18 through September 2, 2026. Check out the resources below for community events, school and district office hours, and summer learning resources to keep your skills sharp during break!

When does school start?

Grades 6–12 start Thursday, September 3, 2026
Grades K–5 start Tuesday, September 8, 2026 (you will have Family Connections meetings with your new teacher September 3-4)
Preschool starts Monday, September 14, 2026

See full district calendar

School & Office Hours

District Office

Summer Hours: Monday, June 22 through Friday, August 15, 2026, 7:30 am–3:30 pm, Monday through Friday (closed June 29–July 3)
Regular Hours: 7:30 am–4:00 pm, Monday through Friday

Student Records Office

Open Monday–Friday, 7:30 am–3:00 pm, all summer to support families who need to register their student at NTPS. They are located at the Raj Manhas Activity Center (200 Sleater-Kinney Rd NE).

Individual School Offices

Elementary offices closed for the summer, opening August 17
Middle school offices closed for the summer, opening August 12
High school offices closed for the summer, opening August 3

Once offices are open, their hours will be posted on their websites.

Summer Enrollment & Transfers

New Student Enrollment

The enrollment process takes place primarily online. Please see the New Student Enrollment page for more information.

Transfer Requests

To request a transfer to another school (inside the district, or non-resident transferring in), please refer to the transfers page.

NTPS Summer Programs & Info

Free Summer Meals

Summer Scholars (Summer School)

School Supply Lists

Need Help? Community Resources Directory

Camps & Childcare

TOGETHER! Club House @ NTPS Schools

TOGETHER! Club House: Local non-profit TOGETHER! runs a grant-funded before- and after-school club house program out of Lydia Hawk Elementary and Chinook and Nisqually Middle Schools. They have an all-day summer program that runs in July and August. Participation is free, but you must fill out an application. Learn more about the locations and program on their website.

YMCA Summer Day Camps

Boys & Girls Club Day Camps

Lacey Parks Playground Pals

In partnership with Lacey Parks, Culture & Recreation, Parks staff will be at Lydia Hawk and Mountain View Elementary Schools, offering playground supervision and organized activities, including arts and crafts, fitness, water activities, and a summer reading program from the Timberland Library.

The program is free, but pre-registration is required, and you must attend an NTPS school. Lunch will be provided by the NTPS Summer Meals program.

See the Lacey Parks Catalog and pre-register.

Lacey Parks Day Camps

Summer Learning Resources

With a little time each day, students can keep their academic skills sharp and ready for the fall! Explore these resources to help your student build on what they learned this past year.

STEM

The Engineering Design Process

Define the Problem: Identify the criteria and constraints. Consider money, time, size, environmental impact, and materials.
Brainstorm: Gather all ideas for possible solutions and conduct research as needed.
Plan: Evaluate the ideas and choose one solution. Make a drawing and identify materials needed.
Build: Use the materials to follow your plan, and make sure you stay within the problem's criteria and constraints.
Test: Test your design solution and gather data on its effectiveness. Does your solution solve the problem? Meet all criteria and constraints?
Review and critique: If it didn't work, redesign and try again. If it worked, share and critique your method with someone!

Try out the engineering design process with the following design challenges:

Design Challenge #1—Flies Everywhere: Someone left the door to your house open, and it's now full of hundreds of flies. There are way too many to swat! Design something to help rid your house of flies. Do it quickly, they seem to be multiplying!
Design Challenge #2—New Planet: You just landed your spacecraft on a new planet and need to collect samples from the surface to take back to Earth. However, everything is too hot to touch! Using any supplies you can find around your home, design a way to collect (pick up) rocks or other objects without using your bare hands.
Design Challenge #3—Lost: Oh, no! You're LOST! While going on an adventure in the rainforest, you become lost from your tour guide and group. The sounds and smells are getting weird. You want to be found... NOW! Design a device to get your group's attention, so they can locate you.
Design Challenge #4—Volcano: You are on an expedition and come to a volcano spewing hot lava and ash. There is no way to avoid it, and you must cross the lava to continue your expedition. Design something that can help you get across the lava (or floor) without touching the ground with your feet or shoes.

For more science and engineering design challenges, check out these idea cards: James Dyson Foundation Challenge Cards.

Math

Grades Preschool–5

ORIGO at Home

ORIGO has got your back! Keep your math skills sharp with this 9-week workbook of fun activities to keep you doing math. Review last year or work ahead on next year's concepts! Download the Family Guide to get started and then jump in with the Fundamentals Board Game!

ORIGO at Home Family Guide

ORIGO at Home Fundamentals Board Game

Khan Academy Summer Jump Start

Prepare for the next year in math! Although students can start whenever they like, the course is intended to kick off in August to maximize retention as we transition into the next year. Select the grade you will begin NEXT year. Click JOIN if you want to be taken straight to the course, or use the course code if you'd like to add the course to your profile.

3rd grade	UQXBK2QV	Join
4th grade	S4CEBYES	Join
5th grade	QUBNER39	Join

Other Math Resources

NumFu for K–2: Origo (publisher of our Stepping Stones math curriculum), a math resource for home practice on the go! (iPad, iPhone, and iTunes only).
ABCYa: Educational games for grades from preschool through 5th grade keep kids engaged and having fun. Topics include math, reading, typing, and just-for-fun logic games.
Math Playground: Free online math games and more! Problem-solving, logic games, and number puzzles kids love to play.
Tang Math: This site offers online and paper-and-pencil games. There are several games that reinforce number sense, fact fluency, and math reasoning.
tangmath.com/games
XtraMath: a math fluency website that helps students develop quick recall of basic math facts.

Grades 6–12

Review this year with the Summer Reset

NOTE: Aspire students have their own summer math modules. Please check their website starting July 1 for links and info.

The Summer Reset Khan Academy Courses are designed to help students solidify their understanding of the last school year's math. Select the grade that you completed THIS year. Click JOIN if you want to be taken straight to the course, or use the course code if you'd like to add the course to your profile.

6th grade	DD6SF97Q	Join
7th grade	QW7NSPWJ	Join
8th grade	7G6CY3MR	Join
Algebra 1	BJ5XTDV2	Join
Geometry	D8HNXWS3	Join
Algebra 2	MCX9XYES	Join

Get ahead of next year with the Summer Jump Start

The Summer Jump Start Khan Academy Courses are intended for all students to prepare for the upcoming school year. Although students can start whenever they like, the course is intended to kick off in August to maximize retention as we transition to the start of the next year. Aspire Firebird? Aspire has its own Khan Academy courses designed specifically for its math students. See their website. Select the grade you will begin NEXT year. Click JOIN if you want to be taken straight to the course, or use the course code if you'd like to add the course to your profile.

6th grade	6CY4K6GN	Join
7th grade	Y88DUUHK	Join
8th grade	A27HSNB7	Join
Algebra 1	SHB8642S	Join
Geometry	VEPZJ553	Join
Algebra 2	MGNXZD9W	Join

Literacy

Check out the resources our literacy specialists have chosen to help supplement your 20-minutes-a-day! Take time to visit the library and find some fun books to read!

Literacy Resources for Grades Kindergarten–2

Storyline Online provides videos of books being read aloud. While it is not a substitute for reading in-person, it can be a fun activity!
Unite for Literacy has a collection of books that are read aloud to your child while they follow along with the words! Choose nonfiction books to build world knowledge.
National Geographic Education highlights science, exploration, conservation, and education. Learn about global issues and spark curiosity.

Literacy Resources for Grades 3–5

EPIC is a subscription-based reading and learning platform that offers access to books and videos for children under 12.
National Geographic Education highlights science, exploration, conservation, and education. Learn about global issues and spark curiosity.
Readworks features content-rich articles with audio on a variety of topics and has a selection of read-along eBooks.
Time for Kids is a kid-friendly news experience that helps children stay informed about the world around them.
Unite for Literacy has a collection of books that are read aloud to your child while they follow along with the words! Choose nonfiction books to build world knowledge.

Summer Reading Programs

Timberland Regional Library

Visit the Timberland Regional Library this summer and sign up for their awesome summer reading program! The program runs June 1 through August 31.

Learn more

South Sound Reading Foundation

South Sound Reading Foundation is partnering with NTPS and Peak Credit Union for a Summer Reading Challenge!

How to Participate July 1–August 21

Download challenge flyer

Do your best to complete each reading task
Mark an X by the completed challenges
Win a prize (must come pick up).

Prize Pickup August 21, from 12:00–3:00 pm

South Sound Reading Foundation (200 Sleater-Kinney Rd NE)

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Our social-emotional curriculum, Second Step, has great online resources for discussions and practice with your student(s).

Grades Kindergarten–5

Family resources from Second Step, our Social-Emotional Learning curriculum.
Mind Yeti is a selection of guided mindfulness sessions for elementary school students.

Grades 6–12

Parenteen Connect is a family resource from Committee for Children.