eLearning, eWorship, eConnection Continues Despite Campus Closure

Dear PAA Families,

You may have already heard the news; today the Governor announced that students will not return to school campuses this school year.  I want to reaffirm that while campuses may be closed, education continues via eLearning. We are here to serve you.

The “Save Lives, Stay Home” order is working. To defeat this pandemic and keep our communities as safe as we can, we must remain vigilant and committed to stopping the spread of COVID-19. That means our PAA buildings have to stay closed through the end of the academic year.

I know that eLearning creates challenges for many students, families, and educators – not to mention the stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19 that we are all balancing.  Although we will not physically reconvene again this school year, I want you to know that we are working hard to provide excellent education for each student. Every day our teachers are meeting live with their students, worshiping together and taking some time to connect before the lesson/instruction for the class begins, as well as making themselves available for student questions and help.  Thank you for your grace, encouragement, understanding, and partnership with our staff as we make history together through this unprecedented time. 

I know that our facility closure means students will experience things differently in the next two and half months.  Chapels and worship, field trips, music tour, senior trip, award ceremonies, and graduation, along with simple classroom activities that shape lives, will be experienced very differently.  We will work hard to reimagine and provide as many of these experiences for our students as possible to ensure that they have the opportunity for connections, belonging, and making memories.  Our collective creativity and resiliency is important at this time of challenge and uncertainty.  We will share plans for these experiences as they are available.  We love each student and want to do all we can to support and encourage throughout this pandemic.

We know that we are dealing with a never-seen-before health crisis that challenges us all–as parents and educators–to lead in the face of uncertainty and deliver education in new ways. I believe that if families, churches and schools work together, we will emerge as an even stronger community.  Above all, in every situation, we are so blessed to know our God is holding and encouraging us, and providing the strength we need.  Thank you for continuing to pray for PAA, our PAA family, our country, and our world.

 – Mechelle Peinado Principal Portland Adventist Academy