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Let’s Prepare! Preparing ourselves and Our Environments for Back to School
August 19, 2026
6:30 PM EST
Registration Fee: $45 per participant
Short Description
The prepared environment is made up of three components: the physical environment, the adult and the community of children. In order to best meet the needs of our new and returning primary children, we must ensure that all elements of the prepared environment are in fact ‘prepared’ for when the children come to us on the first day of school. Let’s review and reflect on how to best do this!
Professional Development
Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will:
- Be able to assess their own environments
- Triage what needs to be dealt with immediately versus what can be worked on over the course of the year
- Become aware of their own state of mind
- Have a solid understanding of what planning looks like (lesson planning, daily planning, routines, etc)
- Have an idea of what constitutes a properly prepared environment and how this sets the tone for everything and everyone
About Our Speaker
Sara (Priolo) Manna is from Toronto, Canada. She attended an AMI Montessori school as a child. During her time as an undergrad at the University of British Colombia, her mother became an elementary guide, inspiring Sara to get back to her Montessori roots.
In 2006 she finished her AMI primary training at the Foundation for Montessori education. Over the next 8 years she taught in two different primary environments, had three children and eventually found herself on the pathway to trainer….
Conference Overview
A 4-Day In-Person Conference & Orientation | October 7-10, 2026
Conference Fee: Early Bird through 7/15/26: $895.00 | Full Price: $1,125.00
Part I: The Alexandrian Great Work — Seeds Planted in the Second Plane
The opening 2.5 days immerse participants in the living structure of the Alexandrian curriculum as it unfolds in the elementary years.
Presented by Kathleen Allen, Gerard Leonard, and David Kahn
Part II: In the Fullness of Time — From Adolescence to Adulthood
Beginning Friday afternoon, the lens widens. The conference turns explicitly toward the continuum from Second Plane foundations to Third and Fourth Plane culmination.
Presented by Baiba Krumins Grazzini, David Kahn, Mary Boehnlein, Xavier Angelo Paez Barrameda, and Caren Ross
Conference Hospitality
To support a collegial and reflective learning environment, the conference includes morning and afternoon tea each day, along with a light bagged lunch. These shared pauses in the day provide space for informal conversation, continued inquiry, and connection among participants and presenters.