A Letter From Our Director, Adela Martinez Berg
Dear Forager School Community and Families,
Thank you all for your continued support and patience as this special project steadily unfurls. It is such a privilege to introduce myself as The Forager School Founding Director and Head Teacher. After nearly a decade of professional life in San Francisco, I am so excited to return home to Mendocino County and join the exceptional team and community working to bring this vision to life.
To provide a little context: Soon after my own preschool graduation from Buen Dia Family School in the heart of the San Francisco Mission District (where I would one day return to serve as a teacher) my family chose to relocate to the little town of Point Arena, located just north of Gualala. I spent long days there enjoying a simpler kind of life attuned to the daily rhythms of good surf, plentiful gardens, and hungry farm animals. I have always felt lucky to call this place home, and The Forager School represents an important opportunity to give back to a community I love very deeply.
My upbringing in Mendocino County continues to offer a rich source of inspiration in my career as an Early Childhood Educator. During my years of study at Mills College, I dreamt of the day I could devote my skills and experience in creating a school for students set to the tune of nature. I envisioned a program anchored in play and creative expression, with a learn-by-doing curriculum based on the interests and innate curiosity of the students in my care. I am so grateful this day has finally come!
As a leader I am dedicated to protecting a learning environment where all children and families feel safe and respected. My approach is individualized and strength-based, and I make it my constant goal to meet students and families where they are at. My door will always be open to listen, learn, and lend a hand as best as I can. Raising young children in a rural area requires the development of a strong network of support — and together we will do this imperative work every day at The Forager School.
It is a gift to begin this journey with all of you, and I can’t wait to share a thousand more details about the program as we work through the next weeks, days, and hours preparing the schoolhouse to open in August! Rest assured, this program is basically my newborn baby!!
Magical adventures await; please take time to enjoy these summer months outdoors and with your children!
With gratitude and care,
Adela Martinez Berg