"August to June" film screening at CCPPNS Convention

Filmmakers Amy Valens and Tom Valens

"This lovely documentary traces a full year in a Northern California public school classroom (part of the Lagunitas School District's parent participation Open Classroom) that happily ignores "standardization" and the single-minded pursuit of high test scores. It follows the final teaching year for Amy Valens, who works with her 26 students, aged 8 to 10, in writing poems, raising chickens, exploring academic realms, resolving differences and finding their own voices.

While there are other contemporary documentaries sounding the alarm, August to June is exploring ways forward based on the idea of teaching the whole child. It's been praised by such educators as John Merrow and Jay Featherstone, who called it "a brilliant poem of childhoods in motion over time." This school isn't a typical public school, but this film demonstrates that it could be. Camera/Editing: Tom Valens. Directors: Tom & Amy Valens. (US 2010) 88 min.

For more information, please visit www.augusttojune.com

Please join Amy Valens on Saturday for workshop related to the film and how you can make a difference in your child's education.