A note from Southern California
I just received a delightful message from Marilee Cosgrove of the Fullerton School District. Over recent years, Fullerton has sent a wide range of representatives to Opal School for professional development activities. From her letter:
The group coming to Symposium is thrilled! Our group coming in November is thrilled! So, you have a lot of thrilled people.
When I first started researching and investigating the Reggio approach, I was pretty much by myself except for discussion with my colleagues at Fullerton and Cerritos College.. Now we have this movement in Fullerton that is amazing. What was the turning point? Yes it was Opal that turned the corner for the district…
[Compared to other offerings] Opal is a much deeper connection that is hard to describe in words. The opportunities that the Opal professional development provides made it possible for so many in Fullerton to further their knowledge. The intensive in April was deep, thoughtful, reflective and pertained to all. The observations and reflections with the teachers enabled us to make our own connections and what we need to do. As summer approaches and I have time to think at work I will meet with our group and we will forward you our personal thoughts and feelings. We are Opal groupies – that is all I can say. It says a lot about you and the school that a Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Educational Services, Principals and a Board member, were blown away as they saw practices that they did not know, that they always knew in their hearts are the right approaches for educating children.
Whether you work with children in Orange County or Oregon, British Columbia or Tucson or Bulgaria, we’re eager to partner with you to strengthen educational opportunities. Register now for a workshop or contact us to arrange something for next year. You can’t have November 5-7, though: Fullerton already booked it.
