Speakers and Session Summaries

Nele Geuns, Occupational Therapist

Nele is a Belgian Occupational Therapist with a degree in Special Education and specialization in Sensory Integration. She is passionate about finding ways to breach barriers in inclusion in order to have all students participate in their learning environment. Nele believes every student has unique talents and gifts which can help them become successful. When she is not working with children, you can find her surfing or hiking!

SESSION SUMMARY:

This workshop will focus on practical strategies to support students in a classroom setting. As each student is unique, their sensory system should be tailored to fit their needs. How can we support students with different sensory needs in a busy classroom that may be limited by space or a tight schedule? Lets find out together!

Dr. Alicia Chodkiewicz, Educational Psychologist

Dr. Chodkiewicz is an accomplished Educational Psychologist from Australia. Her work focuses on helping children and adolescents better understand their learning profiles in order to develop a positive approach to learning. As part of a research project, Alicia created a program to promote resilience among school aged children, which has subsequently been published as a book titled: Believing You Can is the first step to Achieving. It is now a resource for psychologists and teachers to promote positive thinking styles and learning. You can learn more about Alicia's work on her website here: www.educationalpsychology.ch


Prior to finishing her PhD, Alicia worked directly with students as a teacher of English, literacy, mathematics, and piano. She has experience working in schools in Australia, the U.K., Germany, and now Switzerland.


SESSION SUMMARY:


Alicia joins us to discuss a format she has created called a Teacher Snapshot that helps all teachers better understand the detailed information included in an educational psychology report.

Petal Jaffrey, Early Childhood School Counselor

Petal has an MA Counseling and is currently the Early Childhood Counselor at the International School of Brussels. She has worked in a variety of settings: private practice, intensive learning support classroom, PS-12 schools and non-profit for children with special needs and has loved it all. Petal is passionate about teaching social communication skills and emotional regulation in young children.

SESSION SUMMARY:

This session will provide a discussion on how the global pandemic has affected young children and in particular young children's resilience. The discussion will be followed by solution focused concrete suggestions on how to support young children and their families during this time.

Susannah Mc Glamery, Upper School Counselor

Susannah is inspired by her work as a counselor and the opportunity to support students in this critical time of their lives. She joined the counseling team at the American International School of Bucharest this year after seven years as a counselor at the American International School Chennai. Prior to her work overseas, Susannah worked in the U.S. public school world as a counselor and special education teacher. Susannah holds a B.A. in Urban Studies in Education from the University of Connecticut and M.A. in Counseling from New York University. She is a licensed School Counselor and licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

SESSION SUMMARY:

Susannah and Vera den Otter ask: What are the benefits of a strong Counseling-Learning Support partnership? What strategies can be used in the classroom for supporting tweens and teens with ongoing Covid-related grief and loss (including loss of life as we knew it)? This session will explore these topics and open up a lively discussion for all participants.

Vera den Otter, Upper School Counselor

Vera is driven by the idea that every person is unique and is the expert of their own life. Being part of students’ journey to find answers or solutions to the challenges they experience related to their wellbeing and mental health is a privilege. Vera is a middle school counselor at the American International School of Bucharest (AISB). Becoming a school counselor was a career change after 15 years in international development in Thailand and Tanzania. Vera holds a MEd in International Counseling from Lehigh University and a MA in International Development from the University of Amsterdam.

SESSION SUMMARY:

Vera and Susannah McGlamery ask: What are the benefits of a strong Counseling-Learning Support partnership? What strategies can be used in the classroom for supporting tweens and teens with ongoing Covid-related grief and loss (including loss of life as we knew it)? This session will explore these topics and open up a lively discussion for all participants.

Kerry Mees, Speech & Language Pathologist

Kerry Mees, M.A, CCC-SLP, is a certified speech-language pathologist currently residing in Romania. After she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology, she completed her master’s in speech-language pathology from the University of Kansas (USA). For over seven years, she’s had the pleasure of supporting children and adults with communication difficulties as well as their families and school faculty. Prior to working as a consultant for the American International School of Bucharest in 2020, she was part of the faculty at Seoul Foreign School in Seoul, South Korea for five years. She is experienced in assessing and treating students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in the areas of receptive and expressive language, articulation and phonology, fluency, social-communication, and voice. In her freetime, when she’s not out for a run, practicing yoga, or searching for the best flat white, she enjoys creating and singing ridiculous songs for her husband and two-year-old son.

SESSION SUMMARY:

  • Signs of possible receptive and expressive language difficulties

  • Strategies to implement in academic settings to support students with language difficulties

  • Resources to explore further