2025 Conference Presenters & Topics
Montessori Partners
Supporting Emotional Well-Being for a Peaceful Classroom
When children struggle to express their emotions, it can lead to dysregulated behaviours that challenge both teachers and peers. This workshop equips educators with strategies to effectively and proactively support children’s emotional needs.
Participants will explore ways to help children identify and verbalize emotions, understand the connection between emotions and behaviour, anticipate and adjust triggers, and modify the environment for improved emotional regulation. The session emphasizes practical and peaceful approaches to responding to emotional challenges while fostering a supportive learning atmosphere.
Montessori Partners was founded on the belief that collaboration is the key to growth. Drawing on decades of collective experience as teachers, administrators, and leaders in Montessori education, the organization embodies a model of peer support where professional challenges are met through shared insight and teamwork. Their approach engages the entire Montessori Partners team to craft practical, individualized solutions grounded in authentic Montessori pedagogy.
Representing Montessori Partners at this year’s conference are Tracy Grisdale and Regina Lulka, whose combined experience spans every level of Montessori education and leadership.
Tracy’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to creative, values-driven leadership. Having served as teacher, principal, board member, past president of the Canadian Association of Montessori Teachers (CAMT), and verifier for the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA), she brings deep understanding of how strong leadership and reflective coaching can unlock potential within schools and communities.
Regina’s Montessori journey began as a parent and evolved into a distinguished career as Head of School, lecturer, and accreditation leader. A past president of CAMT and past chair of the CCMA Board, she has inspired educators across Canada through her presentations on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, moral education, and the art of observation.
Together, Tracy and Regina embody the Montessori Partners philosophy: collaborative growth rooted in observation, reflection, and heart-centered leadership — unlocking new possibilities for educators, children, and schools alike.
Kathy Leitch
Observation as Love
In Observation as Love, Kathy Leitch invites educators to rediscover one of the most essential elements of Montessori practice — observation — as an act of deep care and connection. Rather than a daily task to check off, observation becomes the foundation for authentic teaching: seeing each child clearly, understanding their individual path, and responding with intention. Kathy explores how observation informs every part of the Montessori guide’s work — planning, guiding, and assessing — and offers practical strategies for when and how to observe, what to look for, and how to turn insights into meaningful action. Her keynote reminds us that through observation, we nurture not just knowledge, but relationship, respect, and love.
Kathy Leitch has been a dedicated Montessorian for more than 40 years. She began her Montessori journey as a teacher, guiding infants, toddlers, and primary children for over two decades before founding Renaissance Montessori School, where she served as Head of School for 27 years.
After retiring from Renaissance in 2019, Kathy shifted her focus to leadership and mentorship within the broader Montessori community. She currently serves as Executive Director of the International Montessori Council (IMC), where she supports schools and educators worldwide in cultivating excellence, integrity, and sustainability.
Kathy continues to share her expertise as a Montessori teacher trainer, international workshop presenter, and school consultant. She holds degrees from Barry University and Montessori credentials from the American Montessori Society (Infant-Toddler and Early Childhood). She is also a certified Parenting Instructor and Stress Management Facilitator, dedicated to fostering well-being and dignity in education and leadership.
Pablo Carlos Budassi
The Circular Timeline of Nature
Pablo will discuss his amazing graphic timespiral (look up name), including recent discoveries and information, and how he distilled two centuries of binomial nomenclature into a single image.
Pablo Carlos Budassi, born in Mendoza, Argentina in 1980, is an artist whose work encompasses various mediums and themes, including natural sciences and especially, astronomy. Beyond architecture and music, Budassi’s fascination with astronomy leads to his notable creation, the “Observable Universe Logarithmic Illustration.” His graphical representation of the world’s big history, “Nature Timespiral” has also garnered acclaim for its accessible information-dense composition.
Recent efforts see Budassi founding Awe Design, an entity involved in collaborative and commissioned projects to offer further insight into the convergence between art and curiosity.
Pablo will be explaining his creative process and his art work will be shared in poster format at the different hubs at the 2024 Montessori PSA conference.
Melissa Krahn
The Three-Hour Work Cycle in Practice
Interview with a BC public Montessori teacher about the realities, challenges, and potential possibilities with implementing extended work periods in a Montessori classroom.
Melissa Krahn has taught in Montessori classrooms in BC public schools for over 20 years. She currently teaches at Uplands Elementary in Langley. She has her Master's degree from St. Catherine's University.
Jessica Morrison
Timeline of Montessori in BC
Jessica Morrison will trace the Timeline of Montessori in BC, exploring the growth, key milestones, and lasting impact of Montessori education across the province.
Jessica Morrison has been a teacher for 20 years, with 13 of those in Montessori classrooms. She recently completed her Master of Education in Leadership (Montessori) at Vancouver Island University, focusing on the public Montessori movement in Canada. Outside of school, she enjoys life with her husband and two teenage “turkeys,” exploring ghost towns, and paddling their new canoe.
