Setting the Table with Watercolor
Following last week’s workshop in Hong Kong, I received this message over Twitter from @LewisNewman12: I don’t think I have ever attended a PD with so many engaging speakers, wonderful provocations, big questions being explored, that also provided so many real life examples of best practice and tangible takeaways. I simply love the idea of […]
Glimpses into the first week
When people come to visit Opal School, we often hear the question, “What does all of this look like in the beginning of the year? How do you start?” And really, that can feel tricky to respond to, because it never looks just the same as it did before. New children, new families, new teachers, […]
Starting with Story Workshop
Story Workshop begins on the first day of the new school year. Here’s what it looked like!
Getting Ourselves Ready
The teachers are back to work at Opal School this week, getting environments ready, cracking open big ideas, and imagining possibilities in anticipation of the children arriving on Tuesday. The primary team began our work together this year by sharing our excitement: things that each one of us was looking forward to exploring with children […]
Building nests together
Opal School has a long relationship with Alise Shafer Ivey and Pedagogical Institute of Los Angeles. We’ve admired and contributed to the important work that they’ve led with teachers in Los Angeles and Nest centers serving young refugees in Greece, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and, now, the US/Mexico border. Here, we offer insights […]
Becoming Who I Am
What is the lifelong value of an exceptional early childhood learning environment?
A treasury of video resources
As this school year comes to a close, many of you are on the verge of having more flexible schedules – allowing some new viewing time. Readers at this site might not be aware of all the resources being posted on our companion site. In case you’ve been missing them, here are a few videos […]
Working on Whiteness
Have you read the book Not My Idea by Anastasia Higgenbotham? Several weeks ago, Anastasia dropped by Opal School to speak with the 4th and 5th graders in our Willow classroom. She joined us there to talk to us about whiteness. The children were ready for her.
The rights of bugs
One of our goals for all students in our school is to take action as mindful citizens who care about making contributions to a future that acknowledges living systems as an integrated whole. We want every child to know, as we do, that their unique ways of being offer essential ideas and strategies which deepen […]
Materials In All Phases of The Writing Process
The kindergarten and first grade children in Cottonwood have been preparing to publish stories about characters that they invented and developed over time. These characters include hummingbirds, snapping turtles, crabs, ladybugs, deer, a peach, many different kinds of owls, and even a hiker named “Mikey Hikey.” In the early stages of writing, the children were […]