This event for educators, administrators, board members, and staff will take place online

As we slowly emerge from the extraordinary challenges of the past 2.5 years, our 2022 teachers conference takes up the timely topic of exploring strategies for developing strong bonds and successfully navigating tough times in your classroom and school community—strategies that can make all the difference in retaining families, faculties, and staff, and in ensuring the health of your school. 

Join presenters Siân Owen-Cruise of the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor and Justin Trombly of the Detroit Waldorf School as they address:

• How to develop a strong parent, teacher, and class relationship—including establishing norms early on, ensuring that new families are woven in, and making parents partners 
• How to keep these relationships strong through the hard times—including keeping assumptions about intention positive, establishing structures for handling conflicts and challenging behaviors, and what to do when boundaries are crossed 
• How to support the relationships in each classroom—including strategies for parent support and education programs, holding festivals and events, and managing the differences between classes while still having consistency in experience 

Presenters

Siân Owen-Cruise came to her position as school administrator at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor (RSSAA) with over 25 years of experience in Waldorf education as a class teacher and administrator at the Minnesota Waldorf School, director of the Waldorf Institute of Southeastern Michigan, and high school coordinator at RSSAA.  Prior to her work in Waldorf education, Siân was a faculty member at the University of Minnesota. She also has experience in the public side of education, working for the Washtenaw (MI) Intermediate School District as an early childhood program administrator for five years. Siân has a BS in Technical Communication and an MA and PhD in Rhetoric and Argumentation.

Justin Trombly teaches seventh grade at the Detroit Waldorf School where he also serves as the chair of the College of Teachers. With a background in teaching children of all ages in both public and private settings, Justin has been teaching in Waldorf schools for twenty years, first in Chicago, then in Portland, Oregon, where he taught in the early childhood section and in grades 1-8 at Swallowtail Waldorf School and Farm and graduated his first eighth grade class in 2016 before returning to his native Detroit.  He earned a BA in Elementary Education and Philosophy from Loyola University in Chicago and received his Waldorf teaching certification from the Micha-el Institute.

Schedule 

Saturday, November 12, Zoom sessions: 10am-4pm Eastern Time including instructional and break times

Cost

$165, including non-refundable $25 registration fee

Discount options 

• 15% off for schools sending two or more registrants. NOTE: In order to equitably serve as many schools as possible, this event is limited to ten (10) attendees from the same school. Should you wish to exceed this cap, please contact Admissions Coordinator Barbara Vitale (info below)
• 15% off for Sunbridge program graduates
• Free to current Sunbridge program students in good standing
• 25% off for payment made in Canadian dollars

Discount codes will appear on your registration form. Other than CAD, discounts may not be combined.

Questions?
Please contact Barbara Vitale, admissions and summer coordinator, at [email protected] or 845-425-0055 x20

Sunbridge reserves the right to make faculty substitutions when necessary. See registration form for refund policy.

Sunbridge is a New York State Education Department Approved Sponsor of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (NYSED CTLE), enabling teachers of any background to choose Sunbridge for their CLTE/CEU professional development credits. Check to see if your state honors our status.