Olander Mission
Empowering children to reach their full potential and fostering the love of learning through a collaborative, creative, purposeful education.
The Olander Experience
The Olander School for Project Based Learning is a free and public neighborhood elementary school within Poudre School District. Our classrooms offer a comprehensive K-5 curriculum based on the Colorado Academic Standards. We focus our lesson development on best practices to promote high levels of academic growth, achievement and engagement. Each grade level has three project based learning (PBL) units they complete throughout the school year. When students are working on a project, they occur during a specific time of day dedicated for project based learning. We utilize this approach to deepen conceptual learning and to enhance the 21st century skills students learn throughout the school day.
In addition to our K-5 curriculum, we provide educational opportunities for Early Childhood, Art, Music, Physical Education, Technology, Gifted and Talented, Counseling, Integrated Services, and small group targeted literacy and math instruction.
In the fall of 2009, Olander Elementary officially became Olander School for Project Based Learning! The roots of PBL lie in the long-standing education philosophy that students learn best through experiential, hands-on, and student directed learning experiences. Utilization of PBL has exploded over the last 10 years for many reasons. One reason is that the current research indicates that students need to construct knowledge through engaging and rich learning experiences. Another reason is that educators are becoming increasingly aware that high school graduates will be entering a global economy in which both knowledge and integrated skills are required to succeed. In other words, students will need to be able to plan, collaborate, think critically, solve problems, and communicate effectively to be successful. These 21st Century Skills are central to project based learning and reflect the world in which children now live.
