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Greetings!
The OMA is reaching Montessori communities around the state! Get involved today - we are establishing the Traveling Speakers' Bureau and have just returned from a very successful workshop weekend in Bend.
Our thanks go out to the Bend Montessori volunteers who worked to bring us all together, Louise Wilson, in particular, and to Sue Pritzker for her inspiring and informative presentations to parents and guides. We were thrilled to host over 40 parents for the Friday evening talk, The Triangle: Child, Parent, Teacher. And, the Saturday workshop, Montessori Leadership, saw 40 guides, assistants, and administrators come together to collaborate and refine their work. Over 15 schools were represented from cities around the state, including Medford, Prineville, Eugene, Corvallis, Springfield, Bend, Sherwood, Vancouver and Portland. Thank you to all who participated and contributed to the rich dialogue that makes our practice better.
Outreach - communication - collaboration - OMA's mission is fulfilled by wonderful events like we experienced in Bend.
We have two more events this Spring - the Spring Workshop and the Spring Tea.
April 21st, 9am - 4pm, will be our Spring Workshop: Special Needs in the Montessori Classroom. Nancy Lechner has been working with young children since 1977 and holds AMI credentials in Assistants to Infancy and Primary. Her work in the area of special needs has been widely recognized and she has presented in Australia, Europe, and the US. She is in the Training of Trainers program for A to I and is the course assistant at MINW. As a mother of a child with special needs, she offers unique insights to the parent perspective, as well as her wealth of knowledge for teachers.
She is joined by Hillary Hyde, MSW, who will share the process of identifying special needs, utilizing resources, and communicating with parents. She is the Outreach Specialist at CCR&R of Multnomah County, and works with providers to identify children who may benefit from a referral and screening. Her work focuses on infants through 6 yr olds, and she can also provide tools and concrete resources for those working with elementary children. Registration will open very soon. The workshop will be at Providence Childcare Center and the cost is $55 for members, $100 for non-members, and an extra $10 for a Panera lunch.
OMA's Spring Tea is on May 6th, between 2pm and 4pm, at the All Saints Episcopal Church, 4033 SE Woodstock Blvd. We will present the Susie Huston Memorial Award, the Outstanding Dedication Award, and honor upcoming graduates from teacher training programs. Please, nominate those who inspire and go beyond! We are creating a thorough biography to share the special work of Susie Huston, for those who did not meet her during her time as an elementary guide in Corvallis. See our website for a nominating form: http://oregonmontessori.com/educators/
Volunteer! OMA is planning the Assistant's Workshop and a Sharing Fair for the early Fall - please, contact us to help make these events rich and successful.
We are establishing a Traveling Speaker's Bureau and are beginning to collect biographies and topics from interested speakers. The website has more info and speaker's agreements and policies will be published very soon.
OMA is enhancing its presence throughout the state by establishing Regional Board Liason positions. We are staying in touch with the needs of Oregon and SW Washington.
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Volunteer opportunities are plentiful:
Write a Forza article for your colleagues
Find an article of interest to parents for our Parent Resource Center on the website
Be a Traveling Speaker, sharing a topic of interest and expertise with another school or Montessori community
Help organize an upcoming workshop or the sharing fair
Join our Outreach Committee
Contact Jennifer Ryznar at info@oregonmontessori.com
I hope to see many of you at the Administrator's Meeting on April 4th at 2pm at Ate-Oh-Ate! We will have a key topic to discuss and enjoy updates from administrators around the city.
With thanks,
Jennifer Ryznar
OMA Executive Director
email: jbryznar@gmail.com
www.oregonmontessori.com
503-688-0526
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