Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool has been on a journey to grow and learn from the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy for over 20 years. This journey is never-ending (as all good learning should be!), and this year we are excited to add a physical journey to our philosophical one. In May 2019, 13 members of the PPP staff will spend a week where it all began; absorbing, connecting and challenging ourselves in Reggio Emilia. We are lucky enough to be members of an individually tailored 5 State Tour of the schools and centers of Reggio Emilia, and equally lucky enough to have the support of our school community to make this dream a reality!
PPP’s director, Sabrina Ball, created the Reggio Journey Fund early last year with the goal of sending as many of our staff to Italy as wanted to go. As a team, we worked to identify and create new events for our preschool families that would enrich their lives as much as the funds were enriching our path to Reggio. And it has been a tremendous success!
Parents’ Nights Out have brought many of students together in a fun way outside of the classroom while their moms and dads spend some lovely time connecting with each other. Our first ever Mommy/Son Superhero Day and Daddy/Daughter Tea Party made lasting and beautiful memories. This year we have added a few more activities, including movies under the stars and an intimate Indian Cooking Class with our beloved Miss Juliet. The PPP staff is in awe of our community’s enthusiastic participation in these events and the kindness and excitement shown by our families when they hear about our upcoming journey.
Behind the scenes, the member of the 5 State Tour are busily preparing for this magical week. We are studying together, reading The Hundred Languages of Children and reflecting on our reading with members of the tour from all over Arizona. The PPP members have started a book club, meeting once a month and engaging in deep and exciting conversation about how we can create positive change from our learning in Reggio Emilia.
We cannot wait to bring back all of the learning that we will experience this May to our very own PPP community, and let it guide and foster your own children’s early childhood experience. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting our Reggio Journey!
“Teachers-like children and everyone else-feel the need to grow in their competences; they want to transform experiences into thought, thoughts into reflections, and reflections into new thoughts and actions.”
-Loris Malaguzzi, inspiring developer of the Reggio-Emilia approach
