The following is an outline and subject to change based on your needs as they emerge – and based on the professional judgment of the Retreat leaders. We welcome teacher workshop leaders to contribute to their peers through sharing of their own practice. See the link to the Teacher Workshop Application Form. 

October 10th (school leaders, Board and Board committee members, and leadership team)

8.00 Devotions

8.20 Welcome and announcements (grab coffee and doughnuts)

8.45-10.00 

Workshop One A: 

Workshop One B: 

10.00-10.30 Reflection Break

10.30-11.45 Workshop Time

Workshop Two A: 

Workshop Two B: 

11.45-12.45 Lunch $15.00 payable to Grace Christian School

12.45-1.45 Affinity Groups (meet in self-selected interest groups)

1.45-2.00 Reflection Break

2.00-3.15 Workshop Time

Workshop Three A: 

Workshop Three B: 

3.15-3.45 Reflection Break

3.45-5.00 Taking away a plan of action for your own school

Workshop: 

Workshop: 

5.00 Depart

October 11th (school leaders, Board and Board committee members, and leadership team)

Note: you also have the option to join your teachers in their sessions. 

8.00 Devotions

8.20 Welcome and announcements (grab coffee and doughnuts)

8.45-10.00 

Workshop One A: 

Workshop One B: 

10.00-10.30 Reflection Break

10.30-11.45 Workshop Time

Workshop Two A: 

Workshop Two B: 

11.45-12.45 Lunch $15.00 payable to Grace Christian School

12.45-1.45 Affinity Groups (meet in self-selected interest groups)

1.45-2.00 Reflection Break

2.00-3.15 Workshop Time

Workshop Three A: 

Workshop Three B: 

3.15-3.45 Reflection Break

3.45-5.00 Taking away a plan of action for your own school

Workshop: 

5.00 Depart

October 11th (teachers)

8:15-8:40         Music Worship 

8:40-8:55         Coffee, mingle, sit at mixed tables with at least three schools at each table.

8:55-9:30         Welcome and Shape of the Day

What impact did the 2023 High-Impact Schools retreat have on the children in your class? 

• What do I believe about children?
• How has thinking shifted? How have practices matured?

9.45-10.30       Workshops I that explore the question: What are adults doing that children could be doing? Teacher led. Workshop application at the bottom of the page.

10.45-11.30     Workshops 2 that explore the question: What are adults doing that children could be doing? Teacher led.  Workshop application at the bottom of the page.

11.30-12.30     Lunch / Reflection and Collaboration ($15.00 for lunch payable to Grace Christian School)

Choose an interest group (discipline, grade, special topics) and meet together to share and break bread together.

12.40-1.30       What is a CPLC? (sit with your own school)

Where are you on your CPLC journey?

                        Where to start and/or continue?

1.45-2.30         Workshops 3 to illustrate the strength of the community: teacher practice and sharing expertise. Teacher led.  Workshop application at the bottom of the page.

2.45-3.30         Workshops 4 to illustrate the strength of the community: teacher practice and sharing expertise. Teacher led.  Workshop application at the bottom of the page.

3:30-4:00         Closing session: Play 

The cost is $52 per person per day, or $97 for two days. For schools, we offer a special rate of $350 per day for up to 10 attendees. 

Please note that lunch is not included in the registration fee. We kindly ask that you bring $15.00 to cover the cost of lunch each day. The lunch cost is payable to Grace Christian School.

Lodging: 

In Bennington, there is a Hampton Inn; Knotty Pine; Best Western as well as local inns, B&Bs etc. 

Please contact Natalie Waters, GCS Business Manager, if you wish to use a local dormitory for a low fee.  [email protected]

To register for the event scroll to the bottom of this CSM website page for purchasing tickets. We look forward to seeing you there!

Terri Broce

I will provide an environment for learners to find their voice, discover their passions, and explore tools to navigate obstacles.” This statement drives my focus and continuous personal and professional development. For 23 years, I served as a teacher, personalized learning coach, and educational thought leader alongside a variety of influential colleagues around the world who share a similar mission.  Living life through the eyes of a curious wonderer, I have come to realize that there is no hierarchy of learners.  Teachers and learners bring their own expertise to the table to share, support and create.   A Master’s Degree in Gifted Education helped crystalize the idea that strength and interest based learning is for everyone, not just those labeled as academically gifted. We are all born with gifts to be discovered, nurtured, celebrated, and utilized in the way God designed.  I find no greater joy than in witnessing the development, grit and fine-tuning of artistic gifts, athletic prowess, musical creation, problem-solving sleuths, to name just a few of the infinite paths a child may choose. My own curiosity and love of learning drives me to nurture and challenge learners of all ages to uncover the path to their greatest potential.   As a Personalized Learning Coach, I worked with teachers, children, leadership, parents and community organizations to cultivate student-directed learning, entrepreneurial exploration, and global citizenship.  This is my passion: Help children find their passion. While working directly with children and families brings me immense joy, coaching teachers and school leaders to think first, foremost, and deeply about the child allows me to support children on a larger scale. I squeal with joy when a teacher gets excited about empowering children.  Some of the greatest words I have heard from a child is, “I don’t want to go to recess-I’m working on something very important!” Ultimately, I am a fierce advocate for learner and teacher autonomy with the goal of enabling each person to realize their God-given gifts and to live a life of purpose and fulfillment.

I split my time between Miami, Florida  and Boone, North Carolina with my husband and two golden doodles, Red and Blue.  We enjoy visits to our four children who live in three different time zones. Reading, pickleball, scuba diving, the cool mountain air and the salty ocean breeze are all things that make me smile.

Simon Jeynes

Simon is co-founder and Executive Director of Christian School Management. Simon is passionate about ensuring that every seat in every Christian school is full and that every student in those seats is having a joyful, transformative experience.

He consults onsite and online with Christian schools across North America. Simon has worked with Christian schools in strategic health checks, strategic planning, strategic financial management, strategic academic planning, scheduling, management structure analysis, mission review, school by-law review, enrollment recovery, inbound and word-of-mouth marketing, Board retreats, Executive Coaching, Growth Conversation and Compensation (teacher), and website content review and development.

Simon started teaching in 1977 and served in Christian residential and day schools for 26 years including acting as Head of School at 3 schools. He keynotes and speaks at conferences across North America. Since 2003, Simon has consulted in 5 countries, 38 states and four provinces. At CSM, he has worked in Christian schools of many types including evangelical, Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopal, Reformed, Orthodox, and non-denominational.

Simon earned his MA from the University of Oxford (School of Modern History), his BEd (Hons.) from the University of Lethbridge, and his MEd (Educational Leadership) from Concordia University. As a believer in life-long learning, he:

• has taken graduate and other courses from Prairie Bible Institute, Athabasca University, and the University of Western Ontario and continues to train in various aspects of management/leadership.

Gerry Goede

Gerry has enjoyed serving God by teaching and leading Heritage Christian School in Bozeman, Montana for 20 years.  He has seen the joy that comes from seeing God’s faithfulness in providing the teachers, students and families to build the school community that He desires.

Gerry’s first degree is in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at Virginia Tech.  He enjoyed more than 20 years working in engineering, planning and scheduling, engineering management, and financial planning and controls management at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory.  During this time, he managed groups that developed schedules for industrial operations as well as strategic plans for initiating and executing $10 million to over $100 million dollar projects.  He also managed the financial planning and controls with a yearly budget of $125 million.

God led Gerry to switch careers to begin teaching at Heritage Christian School that was beginning a high school after having K-8 for 20 years.  He taught high school math and science classes while getting his master’s degree in Math Education at Montana State University.  During these years, he also taught Calculus at Montana State University.

Gerry moved into school administration after school enrollment had decreased by 30% over a three year period.  Gerry became the Head of School and during this leadership time, God faithfully provided:

• That the school continued after an arson fire caused $4.5 million in damages.
• Increased enrollment from 140 students to 300 students
• Increased operation reserves from $0 to $1.3 million
• Revitalized annual giving to increase from $20,000 to $200,000 per year

Gerry has experience in strategic planning and strategic financial management, scheduling, management structure and mentoring.

Let’s imagine you have to make a pitch to your Board to make these funds available. What might you say? Of course, you know your own needs. The following might be helpful.

1. I will bring back, not just one idea, but an actionable direction that I can put into effect almost immediately. 
2. I will come back better at my job. I will know more about the Scriptural foundation for my work, potentially new ways of communicating with our families, volunteers, and colleagues that will inspire them, and better understanding of the way in which I can structure our efforts.
3. We need volunteers. We need committed volunteers. We need educated volunteers. I will come back knowing much more about how to engage them in this important work.
4. These are not just generic workshops. They are carefully targeted. 
5. I’m not going to listen to long lectures. There will certainly be information shared that I may not already know. As important though, is that I will have time to work without distraction on my own materials, data, plans but with expert instructors at my shoulder to guide and coach. 
6. I am going to meet other Christian education professionals who will extend my professional network of advice and support. And enrich my learning. 
7. Bringing the team would mean that “we” can have a glorious two days together making the kind of progress that normally I could only dream about. No phone calls. Just working together to make our school’s future brighter. 
8. As a result, we are going to make our school better. Period. 

If you are a Principal of a smaller school and have no other professional staff, this is a great way to get enormous knowledge and insight very quickly. Bring a Board volunteer, learn and plan together, return to the school loaded for bear. 

If you are a team leader with no ‘team’, come with your Principal or Head of School and a Board / Board Committee member volunteer. Together, you can imagine the next steps and take your school to another level. 

If you are a teacher and just hunger for ways to grow, come and be inspired by the Retreat leaders and by your peers. Return not just with a single idea but with meaningful ways to deepen your practice and move your vocation / career onward.

If you have a teacher or administrative team, come and learn a common language. Remember our mission is Christian education and that makes a generational difference. Plan together. Determine objectives and steps to success. Be coached as you do that. Return to school with greater clarity and new energy.

Even if you are only a short distance into your vocation / career as a Christian school leader, you can still mark your progress by attending CSM Retreats and gathering credits towards CSM Principal Certification. If you are a teacher and have some thought about leading in a Christian school, this is a great way to think about and learn crucial skills and gain a knowledge base. 

 If you are a current school leader, or a potential school leader, CSM Retreats are a practical, sophisticated journey towards CSM Principal Certification. They are typically two days. 

No cost. 

No bureaucracy – keep track of your Retreats. 

CSM will run up to three each year – on different aspects of school leadership and teaching. It’s a powerful process because it is designed to first significantly support you in what you are actually doing in your school, and then articulate itself into a ‘journey’ of professional growth. 

Each day of Retreat is one credit. To qualify for the CSM Principal Certificate, you need 10 credits from at least three different areas of Christian school leadership. 

For current school leaders, with each Retreat, we offer a personal 90-minute session with one of the instructors, either at the Retreat or remotely afterwards if there was not enough time at the Retreat. 

10 days of CSM Retreats and five 90-minute sessions one on one is an in-depth engagement process!

For everyone, there are three more requirements:

1. A case study of strategic actions that you took after and as a result of one of the Retreats
   1. What was the issue?
   2. What did you do?
   3. What was the outcome?
   4. What were the data points before and how did they move as a result of your actions?

This case study must be good enough and presented professionally so that it can be published to inspire others on their journey – this is what is possible! The ability to publish is a part of the task. 

1. An in-depth reflection by you about the nature of Christian school leadership through the prism of your journey. These must be intensely personal. They will not be published in any form whatsoever. 
2. A Professional Learning Journey Transcript that identifies the steps in your growth including the CSM Retreats. 

When you think you’re done, tell us and we will evaluate your journey. If you want us to pray with you on the journey, tell us as you start and we will stay in touch and provide you with encouragement on the way. 

“Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go” (1 Corinthians 16:6).