Empowering students with language-based learning differences
Employment
About
Employment at The Siena School
Empowerment through Education
Join our dedicated, expert team of faculty, staff, and administrators at The Siena School and make a difference in the lives of students with language-based learning differences.
The Siena School is always interested in speaking with highly qualified teachers, staff, and administrators who share our passion for teaching children with language-based learning differences. While we may not always have jobs available, we are happy to learn more about your interests and keep your information on file. Given our continuing growth, it is likely that we may be hiring for jobs of interest in the future.
If you are interested in applying for a job at our Silver Spring or Northern Virginia locations, or as a tutor with Siena Tutors, please submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@thesienaschool.org.
The Siena School is committed to equitable hiring practices and enthusiastically encourages professionals of all backgrounds to apply.
Why Join Us?
Working at Siena is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the lives of students with language-based learning differences. As a member of our team, you'll inspire students to discover their potential while building their confidence as independent learners. You'll also be part of a supportive, innovative educational community dedicated to providing each student with the tools they need to succeed academically and personally.
Cross-Campus Employment
The Siena School (www.thesienaschool.org) in Silver Spring, Maryland, is entering its 20th year with an expanding enrollment and a second campus in Oakton, Virginia, now entering its 5th year. The Siena School has become a national leader in educating bright, college-bound students (grades 3-12) with mild to moderate language-based learning differences. Siena enrolls approximately 40% students of color. The school focuses on the professional development of its staff who are regularly published and have presented at national and international conferences, including the NAIS Annual Conference. Siena is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The Siena School is committed to equitable hiring practices, and enthusiastically encourages professionals of all backgrounds to apply.
Interested in applying? Please submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@thesienaschool.org.
Northern Virginia Campus
The Siena School in Oakton, Virginia, is entering its 5th year with an expanding enrollment of approximately 45 students in grades 3-12. The Siena School has become a national leader in educating bright, college-bound students with mild to moderate language-based learning differences like dyslexia. Siena Northern Virginia allows us to continue serving more students with language-based learning differences, as well as to train more leaders and teachers. Siena Northern Virginia replicates the established Siena mission, curriculum, core values, and framework, as well as focuses on the professional development of its staff, who have presented at national and international conferences, including the NAIS Annual Conference. Siena is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Interested in applying? Please submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@thesienaschool.org.
Silver Spring Campuses
The Siena School has two campuses in Silver Spring, Maryland, and is entering its 20th year with an expanding enrollment. Our Forest Glen campus is for grades 5-12, and our Satellite campus (entering its 2nd year) is for grades 3-4. The Siena School has become a national leader in educating bright, college-bound students with mild to moderate language-based learning differences. With approximately 150 students in grades 3-12, including 40% students of color, the school focuses on the professional development of its staff, who have presented at national and international conferences, including the NAIS Annual Conference. Siena is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Interested in applying? Please submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@thesienaschool.org.
Siena Faculty and Staff in the News
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Siena Dean Presents at National Conference
Siena congratulates Middle and High School Dean of Students Maya Kratzke for her recent invited presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Middle Level Education in Indianapolis, Indiana, in early November 2025.
Kratzke’s speed learning session, “Reclaim Your Time: AI-Powered Efficiency,” highlighted some ways that generative AI — such as Gemini and ChatGPT — can help teachers streamline their work and keep the focus on their students. Her presentation strongly reflects Siena’s mission to create active, engaged classrooms where teachers have the time and flexibility to focus on what matters most: students’ strengths, growth, and authentic learning experiences.
Some key takeaways from Kratzke’s presentation include:
- AI-driven differentiation and tailored communication directly address diverse student needs and can individualize assignments to adjust the levels of support or challenge needed.
- By automating tasks (e.g., grading and emails), teachers can reclaim time to focus more on one-on-one student interaction, designing deeper, student-centered learning experiences, and more.
- Generative AI can be the ultimate tool for efficient task management, enhancing overall teaching effectiveness.
As both a Siena educational leader and member of the AMLE Board of Trustees, Kratzke encouraged educators to stay active and hands-on when integrating AI into their practice. “Don’t just listen, do,” she reminded her audience — highlighting that meaningful experimentation is essential to unlocking AI’s potential in modern classrooms.
The session also had an interactive element: Kratzke provided prompts to generate example emails or assignment prompts. Attendees paired up and studied how AI could further improve writing they’d done in the past.
“This is not a fad; it's a foundation for teacher innovation,” she shared — echoing The Siena School's mission to support creative, research-informed approaches that help students thrive.
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Siena History Teacher Elected to National Cohort
Siena congratulates history teacher and history department chair Sonja Hayes for being chosen for a national program of educators tasked with providing teaching and research guidance about American history for K-12 educators.
“A Great Honor”
The Researching Silent Heroes program is sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), which maintains American military cemeteries and monuments overseas. Learn more here about NHD Silent Heroes. Hayes is 1 of only 60 teachers nationwide selected for this important historical initiative.
“It was a great honor to be chosen for this from among 162 applicants,” she shared. As part of this program, Hayes will be teaching students how to use credible historical sources and develop transferable academic skills. Hayes also plans to incorporate this work into her 8th grade curriculum at Siena later this year.
A Silent Hero® from the Vietnam War
Hayes’s Silent Hero® is servicemember U.S. Navy Seaman Kylis Therod Payne, a Baltimore native who died at sea in June 1972 while serving on the USS Chipola during the Vietnam War. She chose Payne because she wanted to research a person of color who served in Vietnam, particularly one who died so young and left, as she shared, “an important story waiting to be told.”
Hayes also has a personal connection to the Vietnam War since her father and two uncles served in the Air Force and Army, respectively.
Payne left behind a wife and two daughters, and one of Hayes’s hopes is finding a friend or family member to learn more about him. He was a Gold Star recipient from the Maryland state government and is memorialized at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, and Baltimore National Cemetery.
Over the next few months, Hayes will work with credible resources (such as military records and Ancestry.com) to contextualize Kylis Therod Payne and his role in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. Hayes would ultimately love to have a wreath placed in the area in the South China Sea near Vietnam where Payne was last seen.
Other educators in the Silent Heroes Program will do similar work with their chosen subjects from World Wars I and II and the Korean War. This cohort of expert historians will stress the importance of archival research, especially in cases when records are incomplete or otherwise elusive (such as through missing documents). Each cohort member will eventually write a profile of their Silent Hero® for the Silent Heroes website as a research and teaching tool. Their work will also be incorporated into future educational content offered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
“I want to help tell Payne’s story, in part, to enable his remaining family members and friends to remember him since he died so young,” Hayes reflected. “This is a way of telling the important individual stories behind our history.”
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Siena Reading Teacher Performs in Legally Blonde: The Musical
Siena congratulates our elementary and middle school reading teacher, Jillian Curd, for her successful run as Pilar in Legally Blonde: The Musical at Bowie Playhouse.
Photo by Nate Jackson Photography This version of Legally Blonde: The Musical was put on by 2nd Star Productions, an all-volunteer community theatre in Bowie, MD. Consistent with 2nd Star Productions’s dedication to inclusion and equity, Director Summer Moore specifically wanted to cast a black woman as Elle, as well as have a diverse cast to reflect their retelling of the story. The show ran on weekends from September 5th to October 4th.
Ms. Curd gave 13 performances as Pilar, one of lead character Elle’s close friends. “I loved getting to bring Pilar to life,” she reflected. “It’s really special getting to design your own version of a character — and I’ve made so many friends to share the experience with. I can’t wait to audition for my next show.”
Legally Blonde: The Musical was Ms. Curd’s 10th show in her stage acting career, as well as her debut with 2nd Star Productions. She auditioned for the role in early June, got the part, and then began rehearsing with the cast in July. An alum of Ball State University’s Theatre and Dance program, Ms. Curd shared that she thrives most when expressing her creativity and sharing an artistic journey with others on stage.
Looking ahead, she expects to audition for Shrek: The Musical with 2nd Star Productions for Spring 2026. Ms. Curd also hopes eventually to share her stage experience with Siena’s performing arts program and future performances.
Brava, Ms. Curd!
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Siena Admissions and Marketing Team Gives AI Presentation
On Friday, April 25, Siena’s Director of Admissions Bekah Atkinson, Digital Marketing and Communications Manager Kaitlin Sarago, and Admissions Associate Ari Burdusi gave a virtual presentation about the uses and applications of AI in various professional settings.
Their presentation, “The Curious Learner Will Win in the AI Age,” discussed how integrating AI into work can elevate important professional skills, enhance efficiency, and introduce helpful tools and strategies.
Atkinson, Sarago, and Burdusi also highlighted how AI can improve time optimization and task management and efficiency through such AI tools as MixMax, Canva AI, and Notebook LM. The team shared some examples of using AI tools for Siena’s social media, admissions email communications, graphics, presentations, and new website and SEO content.
“Curiosity and adaptability are the real power tools” for meaningful career growth, they emphasized.
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Siena’s Senior Office Manager, Teacher Honored by National Organization
“Advocacy is simply part of me doing the work as an educator.” —Siena Teacher Sonja Hayes
Siena congratulates Senior Office Manager Vickie Pierce and Middle School Humanities Teacher Sonja Hayes for being honored as Adult Advocates by the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE).
Nominated by their colleagues at Siena’s Forest Glen campus, Pierce and Hayes warmly accepted their awards during an all-school assembly in early April. As Pierce shared after, “Thank you all for bestowing me with such an incredible honor and this special award. I’m truly overwhelmed and emotional, and honestly, I’m at a loss for words. This is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Hayes added,
Thank you for this distinguished recognition. While the nomination was known to me, receiving this special award is a truly unexpected honor. I have always approached my work as simply fulfilling my responsibilities, and I am deeply humbled and grateful that my 7th and 8th graders share in this excitement.
The Adult Advocate award is part of AMLE’s annual Middle Level Education Month activities each March. This important advocacy award recognizes any school team member who excels at “build[ing] positive, trusting relationships with kids” and showing them “an attitude of caring that translates into actions.”
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Siena Executive Head of School Featured on Podcast
Siena congratulates Executive Head of School Dr. Jilly Darefsky for her recent appearance on The Special Ed Strategist Podcast with host Wendy Taylor.
The episode, “Brain-Based Strategies for Students with Language-Based Learning Disabilities,” discusses several topics relevant to families in the LD community, such as how the brain processes language and how parents can best support children with learning differences.
“We want to recognize that everybody has areas of strength and we’re all seeking different pathways in life to utilize those strengths,” Darefsky emphasized about how we help build resilience and confidence in children with learning differences. “Let’s celebrate them, let’s see how we can tap into them [...] to really build those academic skills.”
Darefsky also stressed how special education advocates can help families make sure their voices are heard throughout the special educational process and give guidance on how home learning structures can support what is happening at school.
A certified Educational Therapist, Wendy Taylor is Executive Director of Learning Essentials. Previous podcasts have covered such topics as IEP Progress Reports, neurodevelopment and brain reorganization, and children’s emotional regulation.
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Siena Faculty and Staff Members Attend National POC Conference in Denver
“I had an amazing time at my first in-person POCC. It's so important to be in close proximity with educators of color and bond over similar professional and personal experiences.” —Mimi Pham
In early December 2024, staff and faculty members from all three Siena campuses attended the annual NAIS People of Color Conference (POCC) in Denver, Colorado. The 2024 NAIS POCC theme was Meeting the Moment: Anchoring and Enriching Our Education Futures.
Siena staff members Samantha Fletcher, Cindy Gunja, Sonja Hayes, Mimi Pham, Robert Rinehardt, and Che Simmons joined nearly 8,000 teachers, leaders, and students at this important annual conference. Conference highlights included equity seminars, affinity groups, and workshops on anti-racist teaching, technology and AI, and much more.
Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Samantha Fletcher Keynote speaker Kenji Yoshino shared concrete skills pertaining to allyship and strategies from his 2023 book, Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice. As he shared in his talk, "Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Allyship is the way we close that gap.” For Siena high school teacher Mimi Pham, Yoshino’s talk nicely “facilitated reflection about allyship [and] provided skills and strategies to support those who have been marginalized. His ideas were practical and not just theoretical.”
Siena’s Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Samantha Fletcher presented on a panel, “A Rose by Any Other Name…Stinks: Addressing Trauma of Repeated Name Mispronunciation or Erasure,” with over 200 people in attendance. Alumnae of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the panelists looked at names through the lens of belonging, also sharing data on facing/overcoming harm and methods for educators and colleagues to rethink names.
This important national conference goes back over 35 years and is dedicated to creating spaces for independent school teachers and leaders of color to come together, reflect on their individual experiences, and learn from each other.
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Siena Teachers, School Counselor Present at National Conference
Faculty Presenters for the Debunking Math Myths Session Just like Siena, AMLE cares deeply for students and for the educators who change their lives. —Maya Kratzke, Middle and High School Dean of Students
Siena congratulates the 6 teachers and 1 staff member from Siena’s Forest Glen and Northern Virginia campuses who presented at the 51st annual AMLE conference in Nashville in early November 2024.
School Counselor Haley Scranton. Here are some of the highlights that our team members shared:
- Laura Fodge: “By presenting at AMLE, I had the opportunity to talk about and share ideas regarding the need to explicitly teach vocabulary across the curriculum. We shared tangible ideas and strategies that could be immediately implemented in any classroom.”
- Justin Kanka: “Our team was able to network and connect with a wide range of teachers across the country, many of whom we are building strong connections with. It is important as an educator to attend conferences such as this one for a range of reasons. First, the content that is presented is often the most updated, research-based instructional tips or strategies that allow Siena to stay up-to-date with the ever-changing education industry. Second, we are able to make and build great connections with other teaching teams across the country. Third, we put Siena on the national map of industry leaders who are helping to steer the way for national education standards.”
- Maya Kratzke: “AMLE is uniquely focused on the middle level, a space that often has an unfairly negative reputation. The educators who are a part of AMLE—and certainly those who attend the annual conference— have a passion and energy like no other. They care greatly about the education of students and the education of educators. AMLE also works to advocate for the middle grades on the national level.”
- Haley Scranton: “I was happy to present at AMLE this year for the first time! I provided a session on navigating the rise of anxiety and depression amongst our students, and adolescents in general. Our students' social and emotional well-being is so important to be mindful of in conjunction with their academic selves.”
- Meredith Shinners: “It was great to have time to collaborate with Siena teachers from all campuses. Sharing our presentations with teachers from all over the country confirms that we are using best practices to support our students. It's important to learn and share how best to support, teach, and push our middle school-aged students in developmentally appropriate and fun ways.”
Learn more about the sessions where Siena faculty and staff presented:
- Beyond the Table: Crafting Effective Accommodations (Kratzke)
- Debunking Math Myths for Better Math Instruction (Kanka, Shinners, Shumate, Virmani)
- Supporting Young Adolescents: Navigating the Rise of Anxiety and Depression in Students (Scranton)
- Vocabulary Strategies Across All Content Areas (Fodge, Kanka, Shinners — this session had over 100 audience members!)
This national conference offered over 600 sessions and other professional learning opportunities for educators from across the country. Read about Siena’s entire team of dedicated faculty and staff here in our directory.
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Siena College Counselor Publishes Article in National Counseling Journal
Siena congratulates College Counselor and Internship Coordinator Marian Carpenter for publishing an article in the Fall 2024 issue of LINK for Counselors.
Carpenter’s article, “Removing the Sage from the Stage: Multisensory Teaching and College Programming for Juniors,” shares how she has integrated Siena’s established multisensory teaching methods into her college counseling work. College counseling is an integral part of Siena’s high school curriculum, and Carpenter guides Siena students through the college selection, application, and transition processes beginning in their junior years.
Carpenter’s Mock Admissions Committee workshop has students and families use multisensory strategies such as a bound graphic organizer, physical manipulatives, and highlighters to annotate sample college application packets.
As she writes, “The multisensory nature of the simulation is so much more powerful than me explaining the process to students and families,” adding, “Their anxiety is eased, and they’ve made a valuable discovery through their own authentic analysis.”
Carpenter adopts similar strategies during the fall Junior College Evening (about the college selection process) and spring field trip to an area college.
This is Carpenter’s third article published in LINK. See her previous pieces in the Spring 2022 and Spring 2021 issues.
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Siena Performing Arts Teacher, Students Attend Maryland Thespian Festival
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In mid-January 2024, Siena Performing Arts Teacher Amal Saade and a group of Siena theatre students attended the Maryland Thespian Festival in College Park, MD.
Nine high school students and three middle school students participated in this annual festival, which attracts hundreds of theatre students and educators from across Maryland. The festival’s many offerings included a One-Act Festival, Quiz Bowl, Speed Charades, Trash Costumes, Makeup Challenge, and Improv Show. Several high school students enjoyed the different types of workshops and look forward to bringing what they learned about lighting, design, and more to their stage work at Siena.
And, as 9th grader Gabi shared,
I really enjoyed the One-Act that I saw, “The Never-Before-Seen Pilot Episode of Dipsy the Dinosaur.” It was very well written and very funny. As a Spanish speaking person, I especially enjoyed it because most of the jokes were in and about the Spanish language.
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Performing Arts teacher Amal Saade valued being around hundreds of people equally passionate about theatre, describing it as “invigorating and inspiring.” “It opened great possibilities for what we can do here in terms of one-act plays and other opportunities at Siena,” she reflected.
For the first time, the Maryland Thespian Festival dedicated a day expressly for middle school students and offered workshops on puppetry, stage design and props, and being a “triple threat” as singer, dancer, and actor. “I enjoyed every workshop there was, especially design,” 8th grader Theia shared.
“It was a wonderful day at the first-ever Junior Thespian Festival,” Saade added. “Our three middle school students stepped out of their comfort zones and self-sufficiently navigated among the workshops.” The three Siena 8th graders created and presented their Mt. Olympus Theme Park design to a room full of students and teachers at the festival’s scenic design workshop.
To keep the momentum going, the Siena theatre department is making plans to form a thespian troupe to attend the 2025 festival, with the longer-term goal of putting on their own one-act at the festival.
As high schooler Gabi added, “Every dancing experience I get helps me build more confidence, and the dance workshop was such a positive environment. Being in a space with a bunch of other theater kids was incredible. It was a very supportive space.”
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Siena Faculty and Staff Members Attend National POC Conference
"POCC reminds you that you're not alone. It offers encouragement and helps you to reflect on what your purpose is as a teacher and changemaker in a PWI.” —Siena Elementary Teacher Che Simmons
In November 2023, staff and faculty members from both Siena campuses attended the annual NAIS People of Color Conference (POCC) in St. Louis, Missouri. This important national conference goes back over 35 years and is dedicated to creating spaces for independent school teachers and leaders of color to come together, reflect on their individual experiences, and learn from each other.
The 2023 NAIS POCC theme was “Gateways to Freedom: A Confluence of Truth, Knowledge, Joy, and Power.” Panel and workshop topics included historical black excellence, women of color as leaders, and multilingual multicultural mindfulness.
For Siena middle school humanities teacher Sonja Hayes, “This conference also allows me to learn from others who directly work with our BIPOC students, giving me a different perspective on how to work with not only BIPOC students but all students.”
Over 8,000 teachers, leaders, and students attended POCC 2023. Watch the conference highlights video on the NAIS website.
"Like a flower, we [educators] must cultivate the genius that is already within our students," opening keynote speaker Dr. Gholdy Muhammad told a packed auditorium. “Belonging is the feeling. Inclusion is the act.”
Hayes adds, “At the end of the day, POCC is a huge family reunion where I learn but also belong to a community who truly is supportive and family for life.”
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Siena Director of Technology Gives Presentations on ChatGPT
On Tuesday March 14, 2023, Siena’s long-time Director of Technology Simon Kanter held two Zoom webinars for various community members about ChatGPT in an educational setting.
Organized in partnership with DCIDA, “AI: Cheating or Assistive Technology” explored how ChatGPT is a tool with the potential to transform the way people write, communicate, and research. (For example, see this Washington Post article from December 2022 about a business owner with dyslexia who has used Chat GPT to bolster his professional communication skills.)
Kanter discussed several related topics and shared real-world examples, including the origins of ChatGPT and its likely applications in education and the broader world. “It’s important to understand how teachers and students can use ChatGPT constructively while protecting against its misuse,” Kanter notes.
As Kanter shared in the webinars, ChatGPT can help with simple reference requests and basic programing, among other uses. He also highlighted some potential classroom uses for ChatGPT:
- Generating word problems
- Creating different types of writing for students to study
- Fact-checking a ChatGPT example to test students’ research skills
“AI language systems like ChatGPT have the potential to fundamentally change the way that we learn, the way that we work, and the way that we communicate with one another,” Kanter summarizes. “Our job is to help students harness the power of these tools in a way that enhances their learning, rather than supplanting it.”
Watch Kanter’s Zoom presentation recording here. Kanter will again be presenting on ChatGPT on April 13 in partnership with Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools and the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools.
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Siena Staff Member Presents at National Humanities Career Diversity Workshop
On Friday July 23, 2021, Communications and Advancement Associate Joe Fruscione gave a virtual presentation to 30 doctoral students about his career journey from academia to Siena. The presentation was part of Humanities Without Walls, a series of interactive workshops designed for pre-doctoral students in the Humanities to explore various careers.
“Your career path can be winding and nonlinear. It’s very normal,” Joe noted when charting his own path from English doctoral student to part-time professor and then to full-time freelancer. “You’re always gaining necessary skills and experience, even if you don’t quite know it at the time.”
Joe also talked about the importance of networking, informational interviews, and social media in navigating the freelance landscape. “Always be connecting,” he stressed when talking about how useful Twitter and LinkedIn can be. The presentation included a live Twitter Q&A about how scholars, editors, and more use Twitter professionally.
After sharing his experiences and lessons from his work as a freelance editor, Joe talked about his transition to Siena in 2019 and how he’s both transferred and added skills, such as writing, digital project collaboration, and proofreading.
Housed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Humanities Research Institute, Humanities Without Walls works across 16 colleges and universities in the Midwest to advance collaborative research, teaching, and professional resources in the humanities. Joe also presented at Humanities Without Walls in 2019 when it was held in Chicago.
See The Siena School Blog for some of Joe’s writing, such as this piece about college-level writing tips geared toward high school seniors and incoming college freshmen.
Siena Tutors
The Siena School is hiring tutors for elementary, middle and high school students to provide targeted instruction and support in reading, writing, math, executive functioning skills, and other core subjects. Our Tutors work 1:1 with students outside of school hours to target skill development, support knowledge and use of student learning strategies, and promote healthy self-confidence. We are looking for tutors who understand the connections with language and learning, have excellent people skills, and are enthusiastic about helping children who learn differently.
What do Siena parents say about our faculty?
"We had a wonderful and very encouraging experience meeting with all of her teachers. I continue to be amazed and grateful at how clearly her teachers see her for all of her gifts and can clearly identify ways to address her challenges." - Siena Parent
"We have seen our son grow into a self-confident and mature young man thanks to the dedication and support of all the amazing staff at Siena and the programs they offer." - Siena Parent
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