SENIA February 2022 Newsletter


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The Best Laid Plans

"Pivot"- Ross Gellar, TV Show: Friends

One of my favorite scenes from Friends was when Ross, Rachel, and Chandler tried moving a large couch up a narrow staircase. Ross kept yelling "pivot" and I laughed until I cried.

Now I find myself yelling pivot each and every time we have a plan "set in stone" and it changes. Unfortunately, that seems to happen often lately. Now, instead of laughing until I cry, I end up crying until I laugh.

From canceled podcasts to having to postpone our upcoming Europe conference (yes, you read that right- you can find out more about that below), those of us at SENIA find ourselves pivoting more often than we'd like. And we imagine you are all having similar experiences in your school or home setting as this pandemic goes on and on, heavy workloads continue, and world and local tensions build.

According to Kendra Cherry from verywellmind.com, "Resilience is what gives people the psychological strength to cope with stress and hardship." SENIA friends, you've all been experiencing so much and you've had to remain resilient. If you're like me, you're becoming a little tired of having to be resilient all the time. I just want to personally thank you for your continued efforts and time spent supporting your students. Our mission at SENIA is to advocate for and provide supports for the individuals with learning differences in our lives. All of you continue to live our mission each day, despite all you are dealing with at this time. It has not gone unnoticed, even though you may feel like it has.

As we all are pivoting through life, know that all of us at SENIA support you and are so incredibly grateful for you.

What can you do to make yourself laugh today? I'm just going to click on this link and watch the Pivot scene again- my happy tears are flowing just thinking about it.

PIVOT!

-Lori Boll, Executive Director

Friendly reminder: We have lots to share. Sometimes in your email, our whole newsletter does not show up. Make sure you click on the 3 dots to "show more."

SENIA Europe Conference Postponed

Yes, we are disappointed. In the end, it comes down to making sure all of us are safe during this time.

Do you have questions regarding your previous registration? Contact us.

There is some good news. Our Keynote, Pre-conference, & the majority of our teacher/expert speakers will all be able to attend on the new date,

And don't forget Oktoberfest! Munich's biggest celebration of the year happens that month, so why not celebrate by attending a SENIA conference AND Oktoberfest?

Please mark your calendars and we'll see you in Germany, just a little later than we originally planned.

Join our SENIA Certification Program- Next Course begins March 7th

Our coursework is perfect for the beginning to intermediate level Learning Support teacher or general educators who want to learn more about supporting students with learning differences.

You can take one course or all six. The certification enrollment is on a rolling basis, so you can start at anytime. Educators who take all six will earn a SENIA certification and badge.

Our March course is entitled Learning Differences & Diagnosed Disabilities. In our April course, we'll be focusing on Universal Supports.

World Changer Award

Congratulations to Jakob Yoshua Jeffry as February’s SENIA World Changer Award Recipient.

Jackob Yoshua Jeffry, along with his partner, has paved the way for animated storytelling to be regarded as a practical and effective means for learners to communicate their ideas and express their artistry. In 2020, the pair produced a series of animated tales that made their debut in Brunei literary festival which received positive responses from the audience. In early 2021, he took part in the storytelling category of Asian English Olympics organized by BINUS university in Indonesia. He became the first special needs learner to take part in the regional competition which, just like other activities, usually involves individuals with no special educational needs. In 2022, he received a special recognition from the Ministry of Education for his contribution in the national education system. Since his involvement in several international activities, there have been several special needs learners at his school that have successfully followed in his footsteps.

Watch Jackob's Storytelling Here

20 Fun Facts About SENIA

We interviewed one of SENIA’s founding members, Tanya Farrol, to share with us some of SENIA’s history.

Where is SENIA’s birthplace? China
What made you decide to create SENIA? We wanted special educators to network and connect with each other in China.
In what year, was SENIA founded? 2002
In which school was the first meeting held? Beijing International School Singapore (BISS)
What was SENIA’s first name? SENIC (Special Education Network in China)
Where is SENIA’s first conference? Western Academy of Beijing
Name some of the founding members that you’re still friends with today? Sandra Helmig and Kirsty Kelly
Roughly how many members did SENIA have when it first started? 8
What was your role in SENIA when it started? To support the foundation of SENIC and think of ways to promote its reach in China.
Who is SENIA’s first executive director? Lori Boll
What was SENIA’s first local chapter/s? SENIA-Manila and SENIA-Beijing in 2010
What was SENIA’s first award? SENIA Student Award
What was SENIA's first logo? The yellow is a student and the heart represents the care we have for our students. The colors represent China (yellow and red) We had the English above and the Chinese translation below which is like an embrace with the student at the center of everything we do. (You can see this logo in the picture of Tanya above).
Who was SENIA’s first partner, sponsor or affiliate? The IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization), then EARCOS (East Asia Region Council of Schools).
What is your favorite SENIA in-person conference and why? I have been to almost all of the SENIA conferences and each one is different and special. One thing they all have in common is making connections with friends and colleagues in our field which is my favorite part of the conference.
What was your biggest challenge when SENIA was starting that you overcame? The biggest challenge was knowing that there was a real need for special educators to connect and network with each other and getting the word out there about our conferences.
What is the first continent outside Asia that joined SENIA? Europe
Who was SENIA’s first keynote speaker? Dr. Lynette Levy, educational psychologist located in Hong Kong.
What are you most proud of seeing SENIA’s growth over the years? SENIA’s growth can be attributed to the strong, grassroots network of its members. Members enjoy the conferences and the opportunity to network and support the growth of local chapters in their communities. This has spread SENIA’s mission of inclusion around the world.
Where do you see SENIA in the next 20 years? I see SENIA continuing to be a leader in promoting inclusion around the world, celebrating those who are making a difference, and creating a space for educators to network and support each other in the work we do.

Throughout this year we'll be sharing more of SENIA's history. Do you have a SENIA story to share? We'd love to hear it. How has SENIA impacted your life? What is your favorite memory from a SENIA conference?

Share a SENIA Memory Here

A Message from Our SENIA Youth

Do you have any students at your institution who are passionate about inclusion? SENIA Youth inclusion network is looking for students excited about inclusion and mental health to join the global community as part of the SENIA Youth Executive Team. The positions available are Director of Outreach, Graphic Designer, Secretary, Writer, Organizational Vertical Lead, Director of Media, and Researcher. Detailed descriptions can be found here. If you know of any one interested please direct them to this google form! Please do not hesitate to contact us at seniayouth@gmail.com if you have any further questions.

What We Are Watching

Check out this thought-provoking short clip about what inclusion really means.

Local Chapter Highlight

This month SENIA International would like to highlight our SENIA chapter in Malaysia. Here is their reflection on their chapter’s accomplishments last year:

Recently we had our first board meeting for the year 2022. It was one of reflection and excitement. After a much needed break for many, we connected and understood that our wellness is connected to us disconnecting from our work (which we all love to do!) and reconnecting with family and friends near and far. Although 2021 was a year of many uncertainties, we had many successes through our SENIA events. Covid did not stop us from trying to connect with each other and helping our community to stay connected!

In 2021 SENIA Malaysia held the following events:

April 2021: Light it Blue for Autism Event: Busting many myths about autism.

June: 2021: ASK an Expert Week: A series of topics over one week, where participants could zoom in and 'ask an expert' about a topic.

October 2021: SENIA Presentation on Wellness with Chris Wright: Participants learned how to take care of themselves and their students. This was the first event where workshops were offered in both Bahasa and English and had a Bahasa translator.

December 2021: SENIA Conference Watch Party: Their local watch party was a great opportunity to connect and look at what they value around inclusion.

December 2021: 12 days of Christmas: Looking to support local NGOs and give back to the community, SENIA Malaysia posted a different NGO each day to help promote giving back to wonderful organisations in Malaysia.

In 2022, SENIA Malaysia is already planning two events including a Speed Geeking Discussions Event and an Understanding and Advocating Autism at Bridging Hope Event.

Congrats SENIA Malaysia on all of your awesome events!

What We Are Reading

Growing Up In Transit: The Politics of Belonging at an International School- Danau Tanu

Review by Tanya Farrol, SENIA Founding Board Member

The Inclusive Book Club, hosted by Karen Killeen, decided to read “Growing up In Transit” by Danau Tanu and I am very glad they did. I found myself thinking about my international school experience as a teacher and reflecting on how I create (or don’t create) a sense of belonging with my students. It also made me think how my child is affected by the politics of belonging as a transnational student at an international school.

Growing Up In Transit is an ethnographic study of high school students at an international school in Indonesia. Danau Tanu spends a year delving into the culture of the school conducting interviews with students, parents, teachers and administrators, and examining school policies and documents. What she finds is that being “international” is promoted in a Eurocentric version in most international schools. Transnational students struggle to find their place and sense of belonging within the hierarchies of race, culture and class.

This book puts a lens on the “international” or “globally-minded” experience of international schools that many educators had not considered. It forces educators to examine the social constructs of their school and acknowledge the influence of colonial history and cultural capitalism in shaping international schools.

While this book shines a spotlight on the inequities in international schools, it does not provide solutions. As the author states, the answers lie within the schools themselves and once we know about the inequities the school can find solutions to dismantling the institutionalized Western-style cosmopolitanism.

If you are interested in joining the Inclusive Book Club, please come and join Karen Killeen on Mondays @5pm East African Time at https://www.instagram.com/kare...

Don't Forget Our Scholarship & Awards

Apply or Nominate Today

Is Your School Considering Opening an Intensive Need Program?

A team from SENIA invested significant time into researching best practices of numerous international schools that run intensive needs programs. The team compiled and organized the data into a series of helpful videos that outline the necessary steps to create a program of your own.

In addition to full access to our five-part series, you will receive a one-hour individual meeting with a member of the SENIA team to help you in your preparations towards your intensive needs program. You then have the option of continuing the conversation with one of our team members.

Join a growing number of international schools who are committed to supporting all learners by opening an intensive needs program. We are happy to help you along the journey!

Get the Video Bundle

Would Your School Like to Host a SENIA conference?

SENIA is looking for partner schools to host our conferences in 2023 and beyond.

Hosting a SENIA event at your school is a great opportunity. We would love to hear from interested schools so we can start planning now for future conferences.

More information

SENIA Happy Hour Podcast- Flashback

Between our Happy Hour Podcasts and Round Table Discussions, SENIA has well over 60 shows for you to explore.

In this podcast flashback from 2020, Jon Nordmeyer and host Lori Boll speak about multilingual students and WIDA ‘s work in supporting a global network of international schools. They also discuss how all of us can Bridge the Gap between and move past silos as learning support and English language teachers and how we can collaborate to provide the best education for all of our students.

Jon Nordemeyer Podcast

All SENIA Podcasts

News from our Sponsors

More About SENIA Europe 2022

SENIA has lined up top-notch keynote speakers as well as amazing presenters from all over the globe to take part in this conference. Stay tuned to our conference website for updates.

SENIA International

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Based in Oregon, USA

Operates Worldwide

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