Adult Education

Fostering Belonging and Inclusion in Our Community Life:
An Evening With Meggan Gill of Alma Partners
Waldorf Early Childhood Educator & Director of Education
and Organizational Culture at Sunbridge Institute
Date: Thursday, August 31
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: WSL Auditorium

During Meggan's parent and caregiver conversation, we will explore the foundational theories of Anti-Bias Education (Derman-Sparks) and simple ways to help one another support ALL the children in our lives to become healthy and happy! The conversation will explore what happens in the meeting between the child and their classmates. As your children meet one another in the classroom, they also meet themselves: growing new capacities, making connections, and witnessing others doing the same. Discovering similarities and differences makes life multi-faceted and is worth celebrating! However, young children are naturally predisposed to sorting, naming, and exploring what feels "true to them." We can support our children to become confident in their burgeoning sense of self while remaining curious and open to others by understanding how identity development occurs in young children and engaging with tools for modeling healthy community connections among children and adults alike.

The Waldorf Method: What it is, and Why
with Heather Scott, Pedagogical Director
Date: Tuesday, September 19
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium

Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, proposed an educational method with meaningful, practical activities rich in storytelling and artistic work that meet the child’s developmental stages. Learn how our teachers bring this methodology into their classrooms throughout the day and how families can integrate Waldorf practices into their home routines. Join Heather Scott, Pedagogical Director, for an engaging conversation, with plenty of time to dive into any questions you have about Waldorf education.

The Waldorf Method and Why: Early Childhood
with Heather Scott, Pedagogical Director
Date: Wednesday, November 1
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium & GoogleMeet
Join Pedagogical Director, Heather Scott for our next Parent & Community Education event! Heather will provide insights into why rhythm, repetition, and reverence are essential in these early years. Discover how creative, imaginative free-play builds a strong foundation for social, emotional, and academic intelligence. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions, share experiences, and discuss parenting tips that can be incorporated at home.

Additionally, Pauline Kelly, seasoned Early Childhood Educator and WSL Mentor, and Beth Dowd, WSL's Early Childhood Developmental Specialist, will join us to answer questions and offer their insights.

The Waldorf Method and Why: Grades 1-4
with Heather Scott, Pedagogical Director
Date: Wednesday, November 15
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium & GoogleMeet
Join Pedagogical Director, Heather Scott, as she provides insights into Waldorf principles, curriculum, and developmental milestones during the early grades years. Attendees will discover how the Waldorf method meets the growing child and will have a chance to ask questions, share experiences, and discuss parenting tips that can be incorporated at home.

Childhood Anxiety Discussion
with Selene Aguayo-Gisholt LMHC, Therapist
Date: Wednesday, December 6
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium & GoogleMeet
Selene Aguayo-Gisholt will present information related to childhood anxiety, covering the following topics. The evening will culminate with a Q&A session.

• What is “normal” anxiety and when to seek professional help

• Temperament and how to avoid passing anxiety on to your kids

• Tips for parenting and calming anxious kids

• Working in collaboration with your child’s school for a consistent approach to address anxious behaviors

About Selene Aguayo-Gisholt, Community Ser­vices Therapist
Ms. Aguayo-Gisholt began as an intern at Community Therapeutic Day School (CTDS) in 1996. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University and an M.A. in Art Therapy from Lesley University. Se­lene is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has worked at CTDS as a Therapeutic Teacher and Program Manager. Selene has also served as an adjunct professor at Lesley University and a visiting speaker at Universidad lberoamericana in Mexico City. She is currently providing child therapy, family therapy and consultations to professionals in various private and public schools and co-leads the Community Services Sibling Groups. Selene is particularly interested in child development, attachment theory, temperament, and mindfulness. She is the mother of two young men.

The Waldorf Method and Why: Grades 5-8
with Heather Scott, Pedagogical Director
Date: Wednesday, January 10
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium

Join Pedagogical Director, Heather Scott, as she provides insights into Waldorf principles, curriculum, and developmental milestones during the middle school years. Attendees will discover how the Waldorf method meets developing adolescents. Please bring any questions you have regarding the curriculum as well as any experiences and or parenting tips that you would like to share. 

This multi-sensory event is designed for an in-person experience; we strongly suggest that attendees join us in the Auditorium. If you are unable to make it, we have provided a GoogleMeet option below.

Google Meet Joining Info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/rzy-nrho-wvi
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 985-300-5987‬ PIN: ‪988 655 729‬#

Eurythmy: What it is, and Why
with Rachele Perticari, Eurythmy Teacher
Date: Monday, February 26
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium

Eurythmy brings a somatic approach to language and music, as children embody stories through gesture, movement, and imagination. As a class, students learn how to move together as one, choreographed by the teacher and accompanied by live piano music. First graders start with simple geometrical forms and learn how to coordinate their movements to work as a whole. As children grow through the grades, the patterns become more complex, requiring students to differentiate their movements and develop more sophisticated spatial awareness. Come learn more and experience Eurythmy for yourself!

Movement Curriculum: What it is, and Why
with Marie-Douce Dorion, Movement Teacher
Dates: Tuesdays, February-April
While each session focuses on the curriculum of specific grades, all of the evenings are open to everyone in our community (Early Childhood through Grade 8).

• Grades 1 & 2 Curriculum: March 5

• Grades 3 & 4 Curriculum: March 19

• Grades 5 & 6 Curriculum: March 26

• Grades 7 & 8 Curriculum: April 2

Time: 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Location: Gym
Registration Required by 2:00 p.m. on the day of session. REGISTER HERE
Wear your sneakers and athletic gear—be ready to move!
Physical activity not only boosts fitness, it also improves students’ psychological, social-emotional, and behavioral health—as well as their brain development, academic performance, and confidence. At WSL, no student spends the day behind a desk! Every student participates in a rich array of movement, games, and athletics that advance along with the developing child.

Come experience our Movement program! Movement Teacher, Marie-Douce Dorion, will begin the program with 15 minutes of conversation about the goals, methods and reasoning of the movement program for the specific grade/age of focus for the evening. The group will then experience a 45 minute movement class, followed by a 15 minute period of reflection/conversation.

Who’s Raising Our Kids? Nurturing Human Values in a Digital World
with Sharon Maxwell, Ph.D. and Chelsea Maxwell, Ed.M.
Date: Monday, April 8
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium (this is an in person event—a virtual option will not be available.)

This event is generously funded by the WSL Community Association

From smartphones to video games, from texting to Snapchat, media technology provides an infinite source of information, stimulation, and opportunities for communication. This environment brings our children into a cyber culture that has a profound impact on how they understand themselves and is changing the way our children socialize and communicate. How do we best use this powerful resource to enhance our lives? How do we keep it from shaping our children and undermining the values we want to impart?

This mother-daughter team shows parents how kids are using and abusing media technology and helps parents set balanced, realistic guidelines that bring the internet into alignment with family schedules and values.

Sharon Maxwell, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, educator, and practicing clinical psychologist. Chelsea Maxwell, Ed.M, is an educator, specializing in curriculum development. Together they bring their courses and workshops to parents and students internationally.

Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2022
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Cost: Free & Open to the public
Sponsored by: Waldorf School of Lexington & Farmers To You
Location: WSL Auditorium, RSVP Here

Many parents wish they knew who grew their food and how it was produced; they struggle with food sensitivities or picky eating; they want to eat local but find it inconvenient or inaccessible. And yet, our families’ and childrens’ health depend on clean and transparent food options. This conversation with Geneva and Greg will provide practical tools for families seeking to transform their dinner table—and the food system—and help their children to benefit from healthy, lasting eating habits. Join Waldorf School of Lexington's Kitchen & Lunch Program Director Geneva Cooper and WSL alum parent and founder of Farmers To You Greg Georgaklis for a lively, adults-only discussion and Q&A session on the joys and benefits of simple, healthy, local food. Bring questions and an appetite for learning and sampling farm-fresh food. Reception with food and beverages to follow the talk. Bring friends. All are welcome!

Parenting Evening Event: Healing Movements for Children

Featuring: Stephanie Johnson
Date: Thursday, October 6
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Cost: Free & Open to the public
Sponsored by: Waldorf School of Lexington
Location: WSL Auditorium, RSVP Here

What does healthy movement have to do with emotional regulation and social development? Join Stephanie Johnson MA, R-DMT, LPC as she empowers parents to use movement to advance the emotional regulation and social development of their children. Stephanie will offer practical tools to implement into your daily routine. This event is free and open to the public—click here to reserve your seat. We hope you are able to join us!

Stephanie Johnson—educator, therapist, and author of Baby Bare A Bottom Up Approach to Growing Strong Brains and Bodies—is known for her ability to make current research accessible and is brimming with effective, simple strategies and the science that supports them. Learn more about Stephanie here.

Adult Handwork Class

Featuring: Needle Felting with Going Gnome At Homespun
Date: Wednesday, March 23
Time: 9:30 a.m.–Noon
Cost: $35
Sponsored by: WSL
Location: Homespun

Make a songbird out of nothing more than a ball of wool and a needle under the guidance of Waldorf alums Jennifer and Melissa Vansant! This two-hour, adults only workshop includes instruction and tips from two experienced needle felters. This class is great for beginners, yet even experienced felters will pick up tips to take their projects to the next level. There is a $35 per participant fee (includes materials fee). Masks will be required for this indoor event.

A Special Evening With Denise Collazo

Featuring: Denise Collazo, author of Thriving in the Fight: A Survival Manual for Latinas on the Front Lines of Change
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to the public
Sponsored by: WSL’s Diversity Book Club
Event Location: Virtual

Denise is a social justice leader, a mentor to fellow women of color, and a family work integration innovator. She is squarely focused on encouraging women of color to lead into their vision, live into their fullest selves, and love past negatives that hold them back. She is the senior advisor for external affairs and director of institutional advancement at Faith in Action (formerly PICO National Network), the nation’s largest faith-based, progressive organizing network, where she has advanced the cause of social justice over the past twenty-five years.

Denise is a gifted speaker who leaves listeners compelled to take action on how they can act on their purpose. She mentors, coaches, and raises funds in collaboration with other women to find the just solutions we so desperately need. By doing this, she models what a woman working with and for women really looks like.

Guided Meditation & Visualization with Julia King

Featuring: Julia King
Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Time: 7:30–8:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Sponsored by: WSL
Event Location: Virtual

All adults in our community are warmly welcomed to join Julia King for a guided meditation and visualization session. During this online event, Julia will share meditation and breathing exercises that can help alleviate stress and strengthen your wellbeing during these dark winter months.

Ms. King holds a B.S. in justice and policy studies with a minor in education from Guilford College. She went on to earn an M.Ed. in counseling psychology from Cambridge College, with certification in school guidance for grades 5–12, as well as a second master’s degree in principal administration at Boston University. Ms. King’s professional experience includes ten years working as a certified school counselor in the Belmont Public School system, and two years at the Waldorf High School. Ms. King is a graduate of the Waldorf School of Lexington, and her two young sons now attend WSL.

Go Beyond an Awareness of Racism:
Contribute to the Formation of a Truly Just and Equitable Society

Featuring: Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author
Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Time: 5:00–8:00 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to members of the WSL Community
Sponsored by: WSL
Event Location: Virtual

This AISNE program offers a webinar talk with Ibram X. Kendi from 5:00-6:00 p.m. followed by member-facilitated AISNE Community conversations:

• Educators, Administrators, Staff and Board Members (6:15–7:00 p.m.)

• Parents, Including Dedicated Groups for Parents Who Are Board Members (7:15–8:00 p.m.)