2026 FEBRUARY CONFERENCE
at Sacramento Waldorf School
Nourishing the Human Soul
A Conference for Rejuvenation
17-19 February 2026
The children of today need our full humanity to be engaged. We need to find the balance between over protection, disconnection, and extreme reactivity. In these challenging times, the need for courage, resiliency, and taking care of ones’ self is developed by nourishing the deeper resources of the soul. Join us for three days of tending our inner light through inspiring keynote lectures, nurturing discussions with colleagues, and rejuvenating artistic workshops.
We have purposely kept costs low to create a more distributed financial model so that costs are kept low and more people can attend and offer their gifts
Participation cost is $50 per person. Participants with Schools providing presenters and/or facilitators will pay a discounted fee of $25 per person
All presenters and facilitators will be donating their time for this endeavor. The minimal fees will cover the costs for facilities use, administration, and hospitality
Please contact institute@sacwaldorf.org with any questions.
Speaker Biographies
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Dunja Popovic
Dunja loves helping students discover who they are and what is precious and important to them in this world. She chooses to teach in a Waldorf school because she wants to educate the whole human being and believes the study of humanities should not be about gaining particular skills but, rather, about exploring our values and what it means to be human.
With a BA in History and Literature from Harvard University and an MA and PhD in Russian Literature from Princeton University, Dunja obtained her Waldorf High School Teaching Certificate and Foundations in Anthroposophy and the Arts from Rudolf Steiner College.
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Nicole Fields
Nicole teaches at a Waldorf school because she believes deeply that the curriculum meets the developmental and educational needs of the growing child and adolescent. Her teaching philosophy leads her to address the child who stands before her and see what is asking to be called forth. This information inspires Nicole to offer appropriate challenges and accommodations to make the learning path as interesting and accessible as possible.
She holds a BA in Liberal Studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and both a Waldorf High School Teacher Education Diploma and a Waldorf Handwork Teaching Certificate from Rudolf Steiner College.
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Oriana Ides, M.A., APCC, PPS
Oriana is a School Mental Health Training Specialist in the Student and Staff Wellbeing program stream at the Center for Applied Research Solutions.
Oriana has extensive experience working with young people across various life stages, from elementary school through college, as well as care providers and families serving in various roles such as school and community-based therapist, educator, school leader and program director.
She is committed to generating equity within school structures and policies by focusing on evidence-based mental health techniques and institutional design. Her work to forge a more just world is motivated by and dedicated to Amilca Ysabel Mouton Fuentes.
DRAFT SCHEDULE:
2026 February Conference at Sacramento Waldorf School
Artistic Workshops
Poetry with Andrew Sullivan
John Keats considered poetry an art of "soul-making." For him, it involved a nurturing and deepening into the sources of the self and world, overlapping territories rich with imagination and grace. In this workshop, we will explore these territories in both individual and group poetry-writing exercises.
Spacial Dynamics with Thom Schaefer
Spacial Dynamics workshop that will center around the notion that a person’s behavior and consciousness is strongly influenced by the spaces she inhabits. We will explore the five skins or five spacial relationships that people experience. We will focus on self-care and interactions with others that are related to each of these spaces (Physical/Body, Personal, Interpersonal, Social/Peripheral, and Supra-Personal). Come play with yourself and others.
Geometric Drawing with Ari Magruder
Do you find the precision and balance of creating geometric forms to be soothing? Is coloring within the lines relaxing for you? Join Ari Magruder for three days of geometric drawing.
Being Fed Through Service with Stephen Payne
Come enjoy service-based activities on the farm as we actively participate in the balance between plant, animal, and soil. Exploring the relationships between work and play, nourishment and healing, grit and flexibility, as we deepen our ability to listen.
Watercolor Painting with Marianne Gray
On the first day of watercolor painting, we will focus on color relationships related to themes from grades 1-3. On day two, we will explore themes from grades 4-5 with an emphasis on bringing clear forms into our paintings. On the final day, we will explore themes from grades 6-8, working with both the wet-on-wet method and the wet-on dry paper method.
Felting with Khalehla Simms
An opportunity to both wet felt and/or needle felt to create a beautiful community-sized spring scene.
Meditative Exploration
Journaling with Isabelle Tabacot
Journaling helps us process and express inner thoughts and emotions. It brings us greater clarity and peace, and contributes to physical and mental well-being. Come and join me for two nurturing writing sessions.
Yoga Nidra with Marcela Iglesias
Sanctuary of Rest & Renewal: A one-hour sanctuary of rest through story and guided Yoga Nidra. A short archetypal story leads into a deeply restorative body-based meditation, offering space to rest, listen, and renew.
Six Basic Exercises with Andrew Sullivan
For those of us who practice the six basic exercises of Steiner, we can sometimes lose sight of the fact that they really should be considered meditations to participate more profoundly in the life of the soul and to bless and love other human beings and the world more. If you feel like working on that little project, come join these afternoon sessions.