Welcome to the Environmental Charter Schools Distance Learning Hub

Working Vision for Distance Learning

ECS has not wavered in our commitment to our mission. During this time, ECS will deliver a high-quality distance-learning program that attends to students’ social, emotional and intellectual needs. Now more than ever, our students must engage in conscious critical thinking with their teachers and classmates. We will, therefore, provide rigorous, engaging, equitable instruction to all ECS students to help them make sense of the world right now. As we develop our plan for ECS education online, we will ensure that our approach is student-centered, collaborative, flexible, and sustainable. When we reopen our campuses, ECS students, teachers, and staff will return ready for continued learning, teaching, and community-building.

In attending to this vision, we commit to the following goals:

The isolation we are all experiencing presents major challenges to our social and emotional well-being. Students need opportunities to remain connected to their classmates, teachers, and counselors. All ECS staff are collaborating closely and will be using a variety of methods to achieve this.

In addition to continuing to provide meals and technology access, we will work to understand challenging circumstances that may impede student progress. We will do everything possible to alleviate challenges and support families during this time.

We will seek ways to focus our curriculum on essential standards that support critical thinking, cultivate student agency, and provide inspiration. We remain focused on engaging students in content and supporting students who are not meeting the standards.

We are continuing to communicate with other local districts, the county, and the state regarding report cards, final grades, and grades on transcripts. This is an evolving discussion, and we will continue to communicate with families when updates are available. Furthermore, we aim to provide the highest quality culmination/graduation experiences possible under the circumstances.

Our teachers, counselors, paraeducators and staff are working to adjust to a whole new model of instructional delivery, often while dealing with the challenge of working from home and caring for families. We also recognize some of our students are experiencing similar challenges. To the best of our ability, we will work together to help provide students the support they need to plan, manage, and structure their day. We understand that lessons and assignments may take a little longer or turn out differently than we expect.