News from NAREA

December 2008

NAREA eNewsletter

CALENDAR

To see what NAREA

members are doing

around the U.S.,

go to our website

click on "NAREA"

and refer to

Conferences and

Initiatives

"The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" Exhibit

Tulsa, Oklahoma
January 16, 2009 -
June 30, 2009

"The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" Exhibit
Opening Celebration
January 16-17, 2009
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Speakers: Lella Gandini & Jennifer Azzariti

Atelier and Languages of Materials Study Group
Reggio Emilia, Italy

April 5 - 9, 2009

North American
Study Group
Reggio Emilia, Italy

May 3 - 8, 2009

The Fifth NAREA Summer Conference
Dialogues for Quality in Education: The School as a Place of Relationships and Connections

Tulsa, Oklahoma

June 27-30, 2009

More Photos
of 2008 NAEYC Conference

NAEYC was held at the

Dallas Convention Center

November 5-8, 2008.

Please refer to the

November issue of the

NAREA e-newsletter to read

a summary of the

conference and see

additional photos.

Pioneer Plaza honors Dallas'

cowboy past. The famous

"Pegasus" building houses

the Magnolia Hotel.

Margie Cooper (L) talks

with Alison Maher.

Conference attendees visit

the NAREA/Reggio Children

booth.

Beth McDonald, Jennifer

Strange, and Judy Abrams

meet in front of the NAREA

booth.

Jennifer Kesselring (L) and

Kacey Davenport promoting "The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit and The Fifth NAREA Summer Conference for Riverfield Day School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

2009 NAREA
SUMMER

CONFERENCE

The Fifth NAREA Summer Conference, "Dialogues for Quality in Education: The School as a Place of Relationships and Connections" will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 27-30, 2009, in connection with the presence of "The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit. Speakers will include educators from Reggio Emilia, Italy and North America. For ongoing information about the NAREA Summer Conference, log onto the Annual Conference section of the NAREA website www.reggioalliance.org

Fundamental Workshops
Fundamental Principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach Workshops

The Fundamental Principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach Workshops began in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2004. The workshops stemmed from a desire to create an opportunity for educators, parents and advocates across the continent to engage in conversations surrounding the philosophical values and underpinnings of the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education. The initial premise of the workshops was the need for more accessible and affordable professional development initiatives for educators, parents and advocates in order to initiate and maintain local networks and support systems. Over the years, the Fundamental Principles Workshop Series has evolved and expanded.

This springtime workshop series has become an annual NAREA tradition. Many educators offer workshops as a way to begin sharing their work and thinking with colleagues. For many, participation in the Fundamental Workshops initiatives has lead to the creation of additional professional development opportunities for educators in their unique contexts. We encourage you to open your doors and start conversations. If you are interested in hosting a Fundamental Principles Workshop, have questions or are in need of support, please contact Simonetta Cittadini-Medina at 305-662-2326.

Innovations in Early Education:
The International Reggio Exchange

The fall 2008 issue of Innovations, v. 15, n. 4, will focus on the experience of educators from five states in the May 2008 Study Group to Reggio Emilia, Italy. This issue will include:
· "Reflections from Amelia Gambetti on the May 2008 Five-State Study Group"
· "Across State and International Boundaries: Collaboration, Networking and Professional Development"
· "A Visit to 8 Marzo Scuola dell'Infanzia"
· "Meeting with Iuna Sassi, Commissioner for Schools, Universities and Youth for the Municipality of Reggio Emilia"
The fall 2008 issue of Innovations will be published and mailed to subscribers in December. The PDF file of this issue will also be accessible to NAREA members on the Members Only section of the NAREA website:
www.reggioalliance.org

Membership

IS YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IN THE NAREA MEMBERSHIP DATA BASE ACCURATE?

The NAREA Membership Office would like to ensure that your contact information in the NAREA on-line data base is accurate and up-to date. To view your membership record, log onto the Members Only Area of the NAREA website. In the Membership Directory section, you will find the Update Your Profile page, on which your contact information will automatically appear. Review the information, make edits, if necessary, and click on "submit update." If you have a change in your contact information in the future, you can edit your record in this way.

Holiday Idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Give a NAREA Membership!

2008 WINNER OF FREE STUDY TOUR TO REGGIO EMILIA

Nancy Fincke, Director of the Lincoln Nursery School in Lincoln, MA

Message from Nancy Fincke:
My name is Nancy Fincke and I am thrilled to be the winner of the 2008 NAREA Study Group drawing. For 14 years, I have been the director of Lincoln Nursery School (LNS), a parent cooperative school founded in 1944 in Lincoln, Massachusetts. I read The Hundred Languages of Children for the first time in 1995. The spirit of the Reggio schools described in this book seemed familiar to me because of the parent participation and emergent curriculum at LNS. I have pursued my interest in Reggio through reading, participating in conferences and striving to develop Reggio-inspired approaches with the LNS faculty. The opportunity to participate in a study group will enhance my work with children, parents and collaboration with the faculty. I am full of gratitude. Thank you NAREA for making this experience possible.

An assistant teacher works with a group of 3 year-old children on constructing a house at Lincoln Nursery School.

GREETINGS FROM THE NAREA OFFICE

We would like to send you our best wishes for a
wonderful holiday season and take this opportunity

to tell you a little bit about the staff members who

support the NAREA office. The office is located in
Roswell, Georgia, and we have a casual, yet busy

environment. Our office hours are generally 8:00 to 1:00 Monday through Thursday.

There are two staff members working in our

office--

Cheryl Rapaport, Administrative Coordinator

for NAREA since 2003

Cheryl supports the membership committee, maintains the

membership and conference databases, and performs other

volunteer in the Roswell community.

Julie Sewell, Communications Coordinator

Julie was a Business Education teacher in Chicago, IL and in

The Hague, The Netherlands. She works part time in the NAREA

office coordinating the monthly e-newsletter and supporting the

NAREA professional development committee. She makes and

sells sculptural and functional pottery in her spare time.

and two staff members outside of our office--

Judith Allen Kaminsky, Exhibit Project Coordinator
and Website Consultant
Judith is the Editor of Innovations in Early Education: The
International Reggio Exchange, a quarterly periodical published
by Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan since 1992.
Innovations is the official periodical of NAREA and a membership
benefit. Judith is also the coordinator of Innovations in Early
Education: A Seminar Series for Early Childhood Educators,
which in its ninth year on Wayne State University campus.

Chad Cramer, Webmaster

Chad has a computer science degree from the University of

Michigan as well as an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

He keeps the NAREA website running smoothly. In his spare

time, he works with various schools and other non-profits

throughout the United States, helping them update their

technology.

Happy Holidays--

We wish you a happy and healthy 2009!

The NAREA office will be closed for
the holidays on December 22 and will

resume regular hours on January 5,

2009.
Email and telephone messages

will not be returned during that time.

Please note:

Use the scroll bar at the bottom of

the newsletter if you are unable to see

all of the text in the left- or right-hand

columns.

***********************
S E E K I N G

FUNDAMENTAL WORKSHOP HOSTS

******************************

Dear NAREA Members:

On behalf of the NAREA Professional Development Committee, we are contacting
you about the 6th annual workshop series focusing on the Fundamental
Principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach. This NAREA professional development
initiative is an opportunity to connect our work across the U.S.A., Canada, and
Mexico. We are looking forward to increasing the number of Fundamental
Principles Workshops to be offered in 2009 and the coming years.

With the group of regional Membership Coordinators growing, our potential to
add locations has expanded. As in prior years, we would like to invite NAREA
Membership Coordinators and Board Members to be involved in hosting a
Fundamental Principles Workshop in their geographic location in 2009. We will
compile a list of locations and contact persons that will be posted on the NAREA
website.

On the NAREA website, you will now find a section dedicated to the
fundamentals principles initiatives which includes the following:

-         A descriptive piece about the history of this initiative since 2004
-         A PDF that will include practical information about the organization of the
          workshop, which will be also in Spanish.
-         An article by Lella Gandini that introduces some of the fundamental

values.

If you or someone in your area would like to be included in the 2009 listing of
Fundamental Principles Workshops, please fill in the following information and
send it to Julie Sewell in the NAREA office at her email address

julie.sewell@mindspring.com.

    Location: city/town/state
    Date: (if you have it)
    Contact Person:
    E-mail address:
    Phone number:
    NAREA member:    Yes    No

We are pleased that some of you have already sent information about your 2009
workshop to the NAREA office. It will be posted on the NAREA website.

Workshop hosts may also request the following materials from the NAREA office:
(contact Julie Sewell, Coordinator, phone: 770-552-0179 email:
julie.sewell@mindspring.com)

- the NAREA logo for your brochure or flier
- copies of the NAREA membership brochure
- a certificate of attendance
- a reflections sheet

If you would like assistance regarding your workshop format, program content,
common threads to be shared, or possible resource materials, please call or send
an email to Simonetta Cittadini-Medina, who is the contact person for the
Fundamentals Workshop Initiative. She is available to have phone conversations
about your workshop and support you any in any manner. Telephone her at

305 662-2326 or email her at scm@latelier.org.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Members of the Professional Development Committee

"The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred
Languages of Children"
A New Exhibit from Reggio Emilia, Italy - North American Version

NAREA Professional Development Series:
Dialogues for Quality in Education

"The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit is currently at
the Denver Public Library until December 2008. In January 2009, the exhibit will move
to Northeastern State University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it will be located through
June 2009. The opening of the exhibit will be accompanied by a professional
development initiative on January 16-17, 2009 featuring Lella Gandini and Jennifer
Azzariti. On June 27-30, 2009, The Fith NAREA Summer Conference will take
place in Tulsa and will coincide with the closing of the exhibit there.

From July-December 2009, the exhibit will be located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
For ongoing information about "The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages
of Children" Exhibit and the NAREA Professional Development Series initiatives,
log onto the Exhibit pages of the NAREA website www.reggioalliance.org. For
information on the NAREA Summer Conference, log onto the Annual Conference
pages of the NAREA website.

New to NAREA Website: Map of Contexts

In September, NAREA unveiled the Map of Contexts feature of the NAREA website www.reggioalliance.org. The idea behind the Map of Contexts is to create a visual representation of schools, centers, universities and programs in North America
whose work is inspired by the experiences and philosophies of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Inclusion in the map is a self-nominating process and, therefore, the map will represent a diverse range of work in terms of experience, depth, interpretation and quality. NAREA members can submit their schools, centers, universities or programs on the Map of Contexts Information page in the Members Only section. NAREA member contexts will appear on the Map of Contexts page in the NAREA section of the public part of the website.

New Resource from
Davis Publications

Insights and Inspirations from Reggio Emilia:

Stories of Teachers and Children from North America