Bridging Isolation: Parent participation at the time of Covid 19

Relationships are at the basis of all learning. Relationships in a school extend to parents, children and teachers. In this workshop, we invite parents from different Reggio Emilia inspired schools in the Bay Area to share their experiences of having their child in school at the time of Covid, and about new initiatives, opportunities and experiences that developed during this time in their respective schools. This dialogue seeks to spark reflection, and inspire practices, on how to increase parents participation in each of your schools at the time of Covid 19

PRESENTERS:

• Federica Lentini, Director of Early Childhood Preschool- 3rd Grade, La Scuola International

• Beatrice Balfour, Principal PreK-1st grade, Escuela Bilingue International

Date: Saturday | April 2, 2022
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Cost: $25

From Isolation to Collaboration: A dialogue among Leaders inspired by the Reggio Approach

This event is for all educators who consider themselves in leadership positions inspired by the Reggio Approach to Early Childhood Education.  Reflection, practice and interpretations will be shared among leaders in both public and private early childhood settings.  Our intentions is to understand more deeply our participation  in the time of Covid 19.

Presenters:

• Maria Allis, Site Supervisor - Friends of St. Francis Childcare Center, San Francisco

• Darcy Campbell, Executive Director - Cow Hollow School, San Francisco

• Simona Chongo, Head of Preschool - Presidio Knolls School, San Francisco

• Danielle Loughridge, Site Principal -Junipero Serra Early Education School, San Francisco
  

Date: March 15, 2022
Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Cost: $25

Connecting The Dots: The Hundred Languages of Children, Embodied Education and Shared Leadership that Cultivate School Community Resiliency and Capabilities

By interpreting the Hundred Languages of Children as our educational framework, this presentation will share a collaboration spanning over 15 years that began with support from California’s Senate Bill 65 (SB 65). Tim provided professional development focused on evidence based practices that cultivated school community resiliency. Tim worked at the state level as well as with staff at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco’s Mission District during Raymond’s tenure as principal. Sanchez School was involved in a network of schools at the district and state levels with SB 65 support that emphasized improving students’ Attendance, Attitude and Achievement. Sanchez students demonstrated significantly higher academic growth than the statewide average during Raymond’s tenure. Kamala Harris, who was San Francisco’s District Attorney, carefully studied Sanchez School’s approach to enhancing attendance because of the steady improvements attained.

Tim and Raymond will discuss their collaboration and share insights gleaned from neuroscience research as well as useful practices that can be readily applied through distance or in person learning. All participants will receive two useful manuals entitled Brain in Motion and 101 Energizers that Tim has developed. The manuals offer plenty of time-tested enjoyable and effective activities aimed at nervous system integration and deepened student engagement.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

• Tim Burns, M.A. - In 2020, Tim and Dr. James Brown published Anatomy of Embodied Education: Creating Pathways to Brain-Mind Evolution. Tim is an educator and author whose background includes over forty years of experience as a teacher, counselor, adolescent and family drug-treatment program director, and university instructor

• Raymond Isola, Ed.D. - In 2019, Raymond and Dr. Jim Cummins published Transforming Sanchez School: Shared Leadership, Equity and Evidence. Raymond has been a bilingual public school educator for over forty years, serving as a teacher, principal and university professor.

Please join us and three great educational protagonists who will be facilitating a new digital seminar on Saturday, October 24, 2020: Embracing the Reggio Principles of Participation and the 100 Languages of Learning from Preschool through Elementary grades: Sharing Insights from Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco's Mission District. 

About the event:

Using the Reggio principles of Participation and the 100 Languages of Learning through shared leadership, the Sanchez School community engaged in a 13 year transformation that produced positive student academic achievement outcomes, deeper levels of engagement by parents/community members and stronger professional identities of staff members. Three of the educational protagonists involved in this transformation, will share useful insights from their experiences that can readily be applied to other school contexts.

This is a new digital Seminar - via Zoom - and we have a great line up of facilitators. Access details will be provided, via email, a day before the event. 

About the Facilitators:

Nancy Gittleman: Teacher on Special Assignment | Ceramic Specialist and Transitional Kindergarten Arts | SFUSD Visual and Performing Arts Department

     Nancy Gittleman has been teaching visual arts in San Francisco Unified School District from the preschool through elementary grades for over 15 years. Nancy taught visual arts at Sanchez School for 8 years. She is currently a teacher on special assignment focused on the language of clay and the integration of the arts in Transitional Kindergarten.

Dr. Helen Maniates: Associate Professor, Teacher Education School of Education University of San Francisco 

     Dr. Helen Maniates is Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco. Her research focuses on equitable teaching practices at the preschool and elementary level that extend access and ensure more equitable outcomes for all children.  Dr. Maniates was the USF faculty representative collaborating with Sanchez School staff to develop  a successful partnership. She and Dr. Isola co-wrote several articles that most recently included a chapter focused on the evolution of the Sanchez preschool program in Transforming Sanchez School: Shared Leadership, Equity and Evidence.

She is currently studying transitional kindergarten and community-based practicum experiences for teacher education candidates.

Dr. Raymond R. Isola: Former Principle Sanchez Elementary School 

     Dr. Raymond Isola has been a bilingual teacher and principal for over 40 years from preschool to the university, and in rural, suburban and urban settings. He was principal at Sanchez Elementary School for 13 years. The culmination of his 13 year tenure as principal at Sanchez School is the recent publication with Dr. Jim Cummins of Transforming Sanchez School: Shared Leadership, Equity and Evidence:.

Three of the chapters in this book relate to key areas of this professional development seminar: 1. Evolution of the Reggio-inspired Early Childhood Education Program; 2. Expressing the Self: Integrating the Arts across the Curriculum; 3. Shared Leadership and the Role of the Principal.