EL Education was founded in 1992 by the Harvard Graduate School of Education in collaboration with Outward Bound USA based on the belief that learning and achievement flourish when teachers and students are engaged in work that is challenging, adventurous, and meaningful. Our Outward Bound roots live and breathe in our school and ground us in developing strong character through our experience with each other and our world. The article, What Outdoor Education Teaches Us About Coping Through a Pandemic shares a powerful message of patience, community and compassion during a pandemic. “Now’s the time for unity, compromise and coming together. We need to approach every decision in our day through the lens of compassion and understanding.”
After listening to the stories of so many brave families last week, our staff refocused and adjusted to better meet the needs of all of our students and families. We recognize that every family is faced with different challenges and circumstances and we want to offer you compassion, understanding, and flexibility to meet the needs of your family.
Yesterday, the Idaho State Board of Education voted to extend the current soft closure of all Idaho K-12 public schools and charters through the end of local schools’ academic year. In addition, Moscow School District decided to follow this recommendation. Palouse Prairie will also follow the State and local decisions in efforts of keeping our community healthy and safe. If we receive different guidance from the State, local officials, and the health department, we will re-evaluate.
We are committed and will continue to work to provide your students opportunities to engage in meaningful learning and offer support as needed to every child and family. One of the shifts we made includes moving more towards online platforms. You will also notice K-5 teachers have all adopted a similar format for communication which outlines the student’s week, prioritizes tasks and clearly indicates which tasks need to be turned back in. In Middle School, we have worked to create math classes that will deliver the content in a more consistent and manageable way for both students and teacher. We have also designated staff to support any child that is struggling through distance learning.
As a staff, we have learned that the daily connection with our students gives purpose to our work. They are incredible human beings that bring us so much joy and we miss them so much!
