Year-Round Support for Exceptional Learners
Farmin Stidwell Elementary School in Sandpoint operates an Extended School Year program designed to maintain academic and life skills progress during the summer break for students with learning disabilities. The three-week initiative serves two distinct groups of learners from across the Lake Pend Oreille School District, providing structured instruction and support when regular classes are not in session.
The program operates two parallel tracks. A life skills group serves preschool through sixth grade students already enrolled at Farmin Stidwell, while a resource group draws kindergarten through sixth grade students from schools throughout the district. Both groups benefit from instruction delivered by paraprofessionals who hold teaching certification, ensuring continuity of care and educational approach.
Building Consistency and Independence
Danette Boyle, who heads the ESY program and serves as a services for exceptional children teacher at Farmin Stidwell, emphasized the importance of maintaining routine during the summer months. “They need the consistency from what they had during the school year,” Boyle said. The program balances structured academics with practical life skills and recreational time, including craft sessions, recess, and a consistent daily schedule that mirrors the rhythms students experience during regular school sessions.
Boyle joined the ESY program in 2019 and has shaped its development since then. Her background in exceptional education informs the curriculum and approach, which focuses on foundational competencies that students often take for granted. One example illustrates the program’s philosophy: “Nobody thinks that washing hands is a critical life skill, but it is,” Boyle noted. The life skills instruction covers handwashing, communication, fine motor skills, and other everyday competencies that enable independence and self-care.
Teaching Team and Curriculum Innovation
Kyla French, a kindergarten teacher in the general education program at Farmin Stidwell during the regular school year, has been part of the ESY team since 2021. French served as a member of the pilot team for a new curriculum that the Lake Pend Oreille School District purchased, bringing fresh instructional approaches to the summer program.
The Extended School Year program reflects a broader commitment within the district to serve students with exceptional needs beyond the traditional nine-month school calendar. By maintaining instruction and structure through the summer, the program helps prevent the learning loss that can occur during extended breaks and reinforces the progress students make during the regular academic year.
For families of students with disabilities, the ESY program offers both educational continuity and practical support during months when school is not in session. The combination of certified paraprofessional instruction, consistent daily structure, and focus on life skills ensures that summer months become an extension of each child’s educational and developmental plan rather than a break from specialized support.
What Comes Next
The Extended School Year program at Farmin Stidwell continues to serve as a model for maintaining services to exceptional learners during the summer break. Families interested in enrollment or staff members seeking to join the program can contact Farmin Stidwell Elementary or the Lake Pend Oreille School District directly for information about availability and application procedures for future summer sessions.
For additional context on special education initiatives and district operations, see coverage of leadership changes within Lakeland School District and recent staffing transitions across West Bonner County schools.