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Parent & Faculty Education Conference

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The 21st Parent & Faculty Education Conference

Cultivating Connections through Curiosity

Scott Shigeoka

Saturday, February 1, 2025
8:30-11:00 am, Spieker Center

Please join fellow parents and faculty to come together for the 21st Menlo Parent and Faculty Education Conference. We’ve invited Scott Shigeoka to share his expertise, blending cutting-edge research with vulnerable storytelling to teach parents how to strengthen their own curiosity muscles and build deeper connections with their kids. Scott will teach us ways we can use curiosity as an antidote to the judgment, division, and loneliness that so many of us are feeling in our workplaces and communities.

Event Schedule

8:30-9:00 am: Registration & Refreshments
Welcome
Keynote: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life
Fireside Chat: Rachel Blumenthal in Conversation with Scott Shigeoka
Putting Curiosity into Action: Scott Shigeoka
Closing: Than Healy, Head of School

Register Today!

Conference Speaker

Scott Shigeoka

Scott Shigeoka is an internationally recognized curiosity expert, speaker, and the author of the award-winning book Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World. His research-based work promotes positive well-being and relationships, including at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and through his groundbreaking courses at the University of Texas at Austin. 


He has spoken at schools, organizations, and conferences around the world. He is also a screenwriter and playwright, and he has two major development projects. He is from Hawaii but now lives in California. Scott’s work has appeared on The Today Show, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Financial Times, Forbes, CNBC, and more than 70 other outlets worldwide. His dynamic, creative, and interactive keynotes and workshops have been experienced by hundreds of thousands of people across the world.

More to Explore

How curious are you, really?

To find out—and discover ways you can strengthen it like a muscle—take this quiz curated by Scott Shigeoka, the author of SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World, with support from Meg Rice and the Greater Good Science Center team.

Take the Curiosity Quiz!

 

Watch Scott on the Today Show

About the PEC Conference

The Parent & Faculty Education Conference is a cornerstone of Menlo School’s commitment to supporting parents and faculty in raising engaged, confident, curious children.

Few school events bring the entire adult community together to act on a core value we all share profoundly: raising engaged, confident, compassionate, thoughtful children. A tradition founded by a few visionaries, the conference gives us an invaluable opportunity to hear from professionals with a wide variety of expertise on wide-ranging topics. The conference encourages attendees to reflect on our roles individually and collectively. With renewed energy, attendees leave each conference with practical tips to put to use, inspiring ideas to reframe perspective, and common experiences to fuel discussions long afterward.

Get Involved

We are always looking for volunteers interested in parent education.

Our committee is the hub for fantastic discussions and teamwork. If you would like to help with this year’s conference, please email the parent co-chairs, Meeta Gaitonde and Susan McLaughlin.

Menlo’s professionally licensed counselors work with parent co-chairs to bring this conference to our community. The parent-faculty planning ensures the themes are relevant and connected to those facing our students. The Parent Education Conference committee strives to link conference content with topics pertinent to the support, education, and engagement of our Menlo community. If you have questions for our faculty coordinators, please contact Upper School counselors: Jessica Azer, Stefie Domingez, and Jake Fauver and Middle School counselor Kaila Uniacke.

Frequently Asked Questions

Content from previous site pages, can be copied into new design as needed

burnout. 

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Dr. Sara Konrath:
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