Located in Northwest Oregon's Columbia County, the Rainier School District has a 260 acre forested campus that the K-12 team is working to integrate into everyday learning for all students. Plans for active community engagement and collaboration are in the works for 2021. This page houses all resources used during this work for quick access by Rainier School District teachers and administrators.
Rainier Teacher Corlee F. facilitates an Upper Pond planning conversation with her K-12 Rainier teacher colleagues.
Corlee is working directly with a local manufacturing partner to design and build an accessible observation deck on the Upper Pond.
The Rainier STEM Leadership Team poses with the Northwest STEM Hub leadership at the Lower Pond on campus.
What needs to be built so that all students can access this part of the campus? Who could the team involve - beyond their students - to approach the accessibility design for the campus in new and innovative ways?
The STE[A]M Leadership Team met up multiple times with the Northwest STEM Hub to plan out and envision community engagement and student participation in the beautiful campus surrounding the district office and all school buildings. Pictured above are members of the Rainier STE[A]M Leadership Team along with Northwest STEM Hub leadership who are supporting this innovative work in their region.
Inquiring in the history and historicity of the land by working with local tribes and Indigenous community members, engaging district families with the campus with an outdoor Back to School STE[A]M night, thinking big about community and collaboration moving forward, and...building an observation deck on the upper pond!
These guides are meant to help you plan for taking students outdoors and are provided for supportive suggestions to help with success.
Some of the the strategies we used and talked about on August 24, 2021 include:
Creating a routine so that there clear expectations about learning outside
Having students practice walking alone, in pairs, and in groups of four so they get used to the arrangements you will have them work in for future adventures
Setting a home base outside where you always start and end your outdoor time with students with a grouping in a circle
Always stand with your face to the sun so that students can see you.
Speak with a focus but do not shout and instead speak at a normal level so students have to pay attention to....well pay attention.
Providing students with baggies to carry around their neck with materials.
Carrying a tarp or large ziplock baggies stuffed with newspaper for outdoor seats
Creating clipboards from cardboard and binder clips.
The Rainier School District is using the Teton Schools Place-Based Education framework to engage community, inquire into place, and work towards student-driven learning design.
