Beyond Bonding and Behavior: A Comprehensive Cohort Program for Student Life Professionals and Division Directors

Alternating Wednesdays, 9:00 - 11:00 am (ET)

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January 29, 2025 - The Adolescent Brain: Development & Decisions 

We have learned not to ask: "What were you thinking?!" of adolescents when they have made a mistake. Using recent research and case studies/real life scenarios, participants will learn how the adolescent brain functions and develops and the why's and how's of effective approaches to difficult conversations, along with new approaches and support for students navigating adolescence and its many decisions.

February 5, 2025 - Discipline: the “D Word” 

From the big picture, overarching mission and values of your school to the “small stuff” like attendance and dress code, what are expectations you have (or your Head of School has) for the students? How can you incorporate restorative practices into your culture and policies regarding community expectations and consequences?  How does your school define discipline–is it really a dirty word? Teenage behavior is ever evolving–how can you stay in the know about the most recent concerns: social media, drugs and alcohol, boundary violations…and relate them to what you know about the adolescent brain?  

February 26, 2025 - Leadership! Social Connection! Growth!
What We Love About Student Life… 

Building upon some of the principles of the previous session, participants will learn how to be proactive about student behavior and build positive student culture. Using classic and current metrics, participants will learn  how to  build leadership skills in each of their students along with examining different models of leadership development programs. How is student voice valued and how much power does student government–or any student–have in making change happen? What is the “low hanging fruit” at your school for student belonging: how does participation in athletics, the arts, clubs and organizations, weekend activities (the fun stuff) help inspire and connect students? Which students are you worried about in terms of belonging–which groups might not feel they belong at your school?  Who decides how “unstructured time” is spent? How can you balance structure with spontaneous fun?  An introduction to Type I and Type II Fun.

March 12, 2025 - Optional Spring Meet-up

While the March sessions do not continue with formal content or specific topics, we will host an informal, optional meetup for participants to stay connected and in community during this month.

March 26, 2025 - Optional Spring Meet-up

While the March sessions do not continue with formal content or specific topics, we will host an informal, optional meetup for participants to stay connected and in community during this month.

April 9, 2025 - Staying Centered and Effective in The Swirl of Student Life 

There’s never a dull moment in student life, but it’s not always clear what the moment calls for. In this session we’ll explore problems vs dilemmas, reacting vs. responding, being consultative vs. decisive, and prioritizing the individual vs. the community. We’ll leverage tools like the Eisenhower matrix and decision-making protocols while building time and space for reflection, planning, and tools for personal centering and personal wellness.

April 23, 2025 - Focus Topic Conversations

This session is actually three sessions! Participants will choose a focus topic that best serves their professional setting and development needs. Each breakout session is facilitated and will include targeted resources and learning activities to meet the needs of participants:

• • Focus Area 1: Team Leadership
    Suited to team leaders who oversee one or more members within student life (e.g. Dean of Students leading Assistant or Grade Deans and/or Counselors or Directors of Residential Life leading dorm faculty)

• • Focus Area: Difficult Conversations
    Suited to professionals looking to build or hone their skills at navigating difficult conversations with students, families, colleagues, and even supervisors.

• • Focus Area: Residential Life
    Suited to participants who work in schools with a residential or boarding program.

May 7, 2025 - Return, Reflect, and Renew 

We close our program by returning to the case studies from January, synthesizing learning and insights, reflecting on and celebrating growth, and looking ahead. Participants will leave with a strong network of peers, a grounding in both foundational and advanced topics in student life, and a greater sense of personal and professional efficacy in their work.

Over two decades as an independent school educator and academic leader, Meera Shah has overseen the professional growth of faculty at the department and all-school level, run leadership teams, and shepherded curricular and programmatic change in schools. Meera founded Trey Education to help independent school leaders move their faculty and programs forward.

As a consultant, she's provided one-on-one thought partnership and mentorship for academic leaders, facilitated custom all-school leadership development programming for department chairs, coached teachers and developed teacher mentorship programs, facilitated team retreats, partnered with regional associations for professional learning, supported schools and leaders with program visioning and development, optimized schedules, conducted senior administrative searches; and more. In short, Meera provides strategic school leaders with added capacity, expertise, and third-party perspectives and facilitation.

Meera partners with schools and leaders with the belief that change, growth, and empowerment are intertwined, and thus prioritizes authentic relationships, responsive design, and collaboration in her work.

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After earning a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and French from William Smith College and a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Boston University, Wendy Skinner began her career teaching French and ESL, running dorms, and coaching at boarding and day schools. For the past 20 years, she has worked in a variety of administrative roles at co-ed and single gender schools: Dana Hall (MA), Oldfields School (MD), Shady Side Academy (PA), Western Reserve Academy (OH), and most recently at King’s Academy in Jordan. A believer in the unique power of deliberate communities, student life has been her focus and her passion and she looks forward to welcoming to and working with others in the student life realm and learning about and celebrating the challenges and opportunities this work brings!