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What we've been up to

PEI Update – Annual Report

That’s a wrap! Check out the amazing things we accomplished this year in our Annual Report.

We have much to celebrate at PEI. As we navigate the new reality of virtual learning, the value of our programs and FieldSTEM learning model are more relevant than ever. We are pleased to highlight our progress in supporting schools to offer equitable, integrated, career-connected, locally relevant learning in our 2020-2021 Annual Report.

Read our Annual Report here

Indigenous Peoples' Day 

Preparing Lessons

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is Monday, October 11. This day reminds us to set aside time to honor all Indigenous communities and people in Washington State, the United States, and around the world. Indigenous People’s Day originated in South Dakota as “Native American Day” in 1989. In Washington State, the City of Seattle was first to declare the second Monday of October Indigenous People’s Day in 2014. Olympia, Spokane, and Bainbridge Island joined in 2016, followed by Port Angeles and Tacoma in 2019. As of this time last year, over 130 cities and seven states across the country celebrated Indigenous People’s Day on the second Monday of October.

We are often taught about Indigenous history as though Indigenous People no longer live among us, when in fact, we all recreate, work, learn, and live together on native land. Even before Pacific Education Institute (PEI) became an official organization, an important foundation of our work was centering our partnerships with Indigenous tribes and leaders across the state. Our founding Executive Director, Lynne Ferguson, worked with several Indigenous partners in the late 1980s to produce and publish The Indians of Washington and the Environment, which helps “students gain an awareness of tribal ways of life through exploration of historical and contemporary interactions with the natural world and non-Indian people.” Several years ago, we participated in the creation and publication of the Shadow of the Salmon resource guide to accompany the video that follows a young Indigenous man as he learns about the history and environmental legacy of the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, we have partnered with tribes across the state to incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing throughout our ClimeTime Solutions Oriented Learning Storylines.

On Monday, October 11, PEI will take time to continue our personal learning journeys, as well as our collective growth as an organization, by expanding our Indigenous knowledge. We have created a collection of resources and guiding questions that will support that process. We invite you to peruse these resources and follow the guiding questions yourself. They are designed to support any individual in their learning journey, regardless of where they are on their path.

If you are interested in learning more about how to incorporate our teaching materials into lesson plans for this upcoming Indigenous Peoples’ Day, please feel free to connect with your Regional Coordinator for support. They will be happy to connect you with locally relevant and place-based materials that will expand yours and students’ knowledge of Indigenous history, culture, and ways of knowing.

PEI Welcomes New Staff

Lara Tukarski and Lisa Best
We are excited to welcome Lara Tukarski and Lisa Best to the PEI team. Lara is joining as the South Sound FieldSTEM Coordinator, supporting and empowering educators to teach real-world science outdoors in and around Thurston, Mason, and Lewis Counties. Lisa is joining as our new Operations Coordinator, helping support the statewide team further PEI’s mission. Please join us in welcoming them!
 
Learn more about our team

Celebrating FieldSTEM and the people that make it happen 

November 10, 2021, 4pm-6pm at the Olympia Ballroom

Each year through our FieldSTEM Celebration, PEI recognizes individuals and organizations in the community that support our mission to empower educators to advance equitable civic and scientific literacy by promoting outdoor, integrated, career connected, locally relevant, real-world science. We specifically recognize a K-12 teacher, a school, a school district, a community collaborator, and legislators, who have gone the extra mile to ensure that FieldSTEM is implemented throughout K-12 education. And, PEI appreciates the support from all of our educators and collaborators as we implement FieldSTEM across the state.

Take a peek at last year's Honorees

RSVP here

Upcoming events

 
Date Workshop Location (online)
Oct 5 & 12 Solutions Oriented Learning Storylines: Forest Ecosystem Benefits ESD105 & ESD171
Oct 6 & 20 FieldSTEM: High Impact Field Experiences  Statewide*
Oct 12 FieldSTEM: FieldDesign & Urban Forests Eastern WA*
Oct 26 & Nov 9 FieldSTEM: Fostering Outdoor Observations & Utilizing Science Notebooks Statewide*
Oct 28 & Nov 4 Solutions Oriented Learning Storylines: Forest Ecosystem Benefits ESD105 & ESD171

*Registration will open to public at a later date. Visit our calendar for more information.

With Gratitude

Thank you to last month's funders!


Battelle
Katie Hatam
Leslie Druffel
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