

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 Structure (4 Days Total)
2.5 Days — Introduction to the Alexandrian Great Work
Sowing the Seeds of Advanced Classical Studies at the Second Plane (Ages 6–12)
A full demonstration framework exploring:
- Alexandrian Latin
- Grammar and Language
- History and Civilization
- Creative Dramatics
- Foundations for later adolescent and adult study
Presented by:
- Kathleen Allen
- Gerard Leonard
- David Kahn
1.5 Days — Keepers of Alexandria: 2026
Designing Advanced Montessori Classical Studies
A visionary exploration of Montessori education across:
- 15–18 (Third Plane Adolescent)
- 18–21 and 21–24 (Fourth Plane Young Adulthood)
Participants will engage in a hypothetical design context for an expanding global humanities curriculum with purpose, rooted in classical studies, moral development, and service to humanity.
Presented by:
- David Kahn
- Baiba Krumins Grazzini

