parent groups &
Speaker series
2024/2025

Marin Waldorf School hosts an annual program of guest lectures and community conversations with experts in health, parenting, and education. We also offer parent education events and support groups.

The Proactive Power of Waldorf Education with Jack Petrash
Monday, October 21, 6:30-8pm

Join veteran educator Jack Petrash for an engaging discussion aimed at parents, educators, and community members interested in child development. He will explore Waldorf education principles and share insights on nurturing authentic creative intelligence in children, preparing them for future societal roles in a changing world.

Jack Petrash is a former class teacher at the Washington Waldorf School, where he taught from grades one to eight four times. He co-founded the Nova Institute to connect mainstream education with Waldorf Education and authored books including "Understanding Waldorf Education" and "Turning Lead into Gold." His TEDx talk, "Preparing Children for the Journey," has reached many in Waldorf communities. Petrash has also focused on parent education, especially for fathers, with writings in the Washington Post and on NPR, along with books like "Covering Home" and "Navigating the Terrain of Childhood."

Parent and Caregivers Workshop with Daniella Baker
Join us every third Tuesday of the month

This holistic year-long workshop recognizes that effective, empathetic parenting stems from a well-nurtured caregiver. Through anthroposophical exercises, mindfulness techniques, and practical self-care strategies, including journaling, artistic expression, discussion, and humor, the workshop aims to help parents and caregivers:

  • Reconnect with their inner selves & replenish their emotional reserves

  • Model emotional resilience

  • Create a home environment that nurtures emotional and spiritual growth

  • Foster secure attachments & deepen their connection with their children

  • Build connection and community with other parents and caregivers

We will meet every third Tuesday of the month (9 sessions total), from 7pm to 8:30pm. Our first meeting will be Tuesday, October 1.

Fathers’ Group with Roland Baril
Meeting approximately every third Monday throughout the school year

Roland Baril, MWS’s 5th grade class teacher, is launching a continuing group of up to 20 fathers, meeting approximately every third Monday evening. The Fathers’ Group sessions will:

  • Provide a forum to deepen our understanding of effective parenting skills and our roles as fathers.

  • Offer tools for being a conscious father, through understanding of developmental phases.

  • Strengthen connection within the school community by establishing and deepening friendships.

  • Increase understanding of Waldorf movement activities to strengthen a father’s connection to his child’s education, and to simply enjoy the fun of playing together. 

  • Many meetings will open with an athletic game of Spaceball, so bring your sneakers!

These group sessions are dynamic, informative meetings that encourage sharing of experiences, as we work together to strengthen parenting skills.

Date/Time: 9/30, 10/21, 11/18, 12/9, 1/13, 2/3, 2/24, 3/24, 4/21, 5/12 (approximately every third Monday), 6:30-8:30 p.m.

I can’t stress how helpful this group has been to strengthen my understanding and commitment to our MWS community. It’s given me deep personal enlightenment into Waldorf education and what differentiates Marin Waldorf from the rest of the educational paths in the Bay Area: its exceptional and experienced staff and supporters. I now have more emotional buy-in to the school and my child’s education, their childhood and my own Fatherhood, than before joining the group. —Michael Resnick, parent

About Roland Baril:  Roland has led a Fathers’ Group at Marin Waldorf for four years, at Summerfield Waldorf School in Santa Rosa for four years, and at Greenwood School in Mill Valley for eight years. He a 33-year veteran Waldorf teacher and is the father of two sons, now young adults, who attended Waldorf schools from grades K-12.

Singing Circle With Miranda Mallard
Meeting on select Wednesday mornings throughout the school year

Please join the incomparable Miranda Mallard, MWS grades music teacher, in her upcoming Community Singing Circles, which will take place on select Wednesdays in the music room. The first meeting is next Wednesday, September 25, in the Peace Garden (weather permitting). No experience required! All are welcome. 

Wednesdays after drop off. October 2, October 16, October 30, November 13, December 4, and December 18.

Handwork Circle with Isabel Dow
Tuesday mornings in the library

Join Handwork teacher extraordinaire (and San Francisco Waldorf School alum) Isabel Dow, on select Tuesdays after drop off at 8:30 am in the library. No experience required! Come have a cup of tea and work on a project from home, or Ms. Dow will be happy to assist you in creating projects from the lower grades curriculum. Tuesday October 7, 21, November 4, 18, December 2, 16.  No registration required.