SPEAKER LINEUP
14 sessions total + Keynote = a lot of learning!
Tracy Walters
This session will allow participants to look closely at their relationship with Technology and how it may be impacting attachment and relationship with their child both during and post pandemic. Specifically we will look at areas of attachment, attunement and neurodevelopment. This seesion is an opportunity to reflect on how Technology has situated itself in the lives of of our children and families.
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Micaela Raine
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Barbara Murphy, PhD
The challenges faced by humanity in recent times have underscored the importance of building resilience by proactively integrating well-being into the learning experience. In this session, we will explore the elements of Montessori theory that we can draw upon to build resilience through the mindful promotion of well-being in our classrooms and beyond. By doing so, we can replenish ourselves as Montessorians and better prepare the whole child for life in today's world.
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Pauline Novak
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Sinuda Kapalczynski
Join this interactive workshop to learn new and proven ways to utilize Grace + Courtesy for yourself, your children, and your environment and to support character strengthening and whole person growth. With lessons, peer problem-solving sessions, discussion, and practice, everyone has the opportunity to use this workshop as an introduction, refresher or peer support group. Take this workshop and offer yourself the chance to come away feeling refreshed, strengthened and replenished in your confident use of Grace + Courtesy. Ready to see Grace + Courtesy in new ways and have a willingness to grow as a person? See you here!
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Sheridan Roush
A typical Montessori classroom has 20 to 25 students of varying ages and education levels, yet a Montessori educator is able to reach and guide each student through their individualized educational journey. This presentation will explain not only the basic principles of Montessori environment, but also how we as Montessori educators are able to cultivate a classroom of learners to reach Virginia state standards, how our curriculum aligns with the Science of Reading, and how we are able to reach each child.
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Molly Wheeler
Take an in-depth look at CLASS observations to learn how to strategically schedule your sessions, optimize your rating, and demonstrate your effective practices. Learn more about specific dimensions, and state-level requirements, and bridge the gap between Montessori and CLASS. Familiarize yourself with which areas Montessori environments easily demonstrate and which require strategic planning to fully illustrate. Finally, discuss your own school's process with other professionals for support. Let this system work for your program, rather than against it!
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Tamara Sheesley Balis
The way you bring new staff into your school community makes a significant difference in their feelings of belonging, success in the role, and longevity at the school. In this session, Tamara will share lessons learned during her years as a Montessori head of school, and the structures and strategies she has found make a significant difference. She will go into detail about how to build and implement each of these structures so that school leaders walk away with a successful framework for onboarding supporting new staff.
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Corinna Hann Ferro
"A bay is a noun only if water is dead," Robin Wall Kimmerer writes in Braiding Sweetgrass. In this session, we'll explore key points of her essay "Learning the Grammar of Animacy," how it can enrich our lives, augment our understanding of current state of the natural world as well as the world we Montessorians envision, and methods for developing deeper relationships as a community both within and outside of your classroom and school walls. We'll discuss ways to implement stewardship of the earth lessons, citizen science, field experiences and studies that embrace the Grammar of Animacy.
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Castle O'Neill
Trust between teachers and parents was frayed before covid and the challenges of the pandemic only increased the tension. In a society that discourages trust and encourages perfectionism, how can we heal and rebuild healthy relationships between families and teachers? In this workshop, we'll explore strategies for proactively setting the relationship up for success, rebuilding trust, creating a compassionate adult community and finding meaningful connection between parents and teachers.
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Debby Norton
Participants will learn the basics of the ukulele and leave with songs to sing, tools for teaching ukulele, and ideas for furthering study. Debby will have 13 extra ukuleles to share, but if participants have ukuleles, they should bring them!
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Corey Borgman, EdD
A growing body of research demonstrates the powerful potential of the Montessori method to address pernicious racial and socio-economic opportunity gaps. This session will provide an overview of the last decade’s worth of research coming out of Dr. Angeline Lillard’s lab at UVa showing that all children have the opportunity to thrive and flourish in full-implemented Montessori classrooms.
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Keynote by Katie Keller Wood, EdD
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Innovator's roundtableThinking about starting up a new Montessori project? Have you started your own school or other innovative programming and have experience to share? Maybe you’re just curious about the movers and shakers in the Virginia Montessori world! Come to our innovator’s roundtable to share your ideas, learn from the experiences of others, and keep abreast of Montessori expansion across our state. Everyone is welcome to join; the session will be facilitated, but the speakers are you!
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Q&A SessionBring all your questions about Montessori and join this panel of seasoned Montessori educators and researchers, to get all the answers you're seeking ... and then some! Experienced Montessorians at the Infant, Toddler, Primary, Elementary and Middle School levels will be available to share their wisdom with parents, new and old teachers, and anyone from outside the Montessori world who would like to learn more about this beautiful method. You won't want to miss it!
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