Our first Inclusion School Spotlight of the season is here, and we couldn’t imagine a more fitting place to begin!

We’re celebrating Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), the host of SENIA’s next in-person conference: Championing Inclusion: Celebrating 25 Years of SENIA, taking place February 26–28, 2027.

For nearly 75 years, JIS has cultivated a community where belonging is woven into the fabric of school life. Across four campuses serving approximately 2,200 students, the school continues to expand inclusive practices, strengthen MTSS and UDL, and create individualized pathways that help every learner thrive.

In this episode, Head of School Maya Nelson shares how the JIS Learning Center is opening doors for more students, building meaningful connections across the school, and creating a community where every child is known, valued, and missed when they are absent.

As Maya reminds us, our job is to believe in students—because we never know how they will astound us.

What a joyful way to launch this season and begin the countdown to two extraordinary milestones: 75 years of JIS and 25 years of SENIA! We can’t wait to celebrate, learn, and champion inclusion together in Jakarta.

On today’s Happy Hour podcast, host Lori Boll sits down with Rachael Thrash, Senior Director of Education and Innovation at Big Bad Boo Studios and author of Let the Learners Lead, for a thoughtful conversation about story-based learning, student voice, and inclusive communities.

Rachael shares how creative approaches to social-emotional learning and citizenship can help educators nurture belonging, connection, and agency in meaningful ways. With programs that have reached more than 3 million children worldwide, this episode offers practical insight and inspiration for anyone committed to building more inclusive learning environments.

Connect

• Website: BigBadBoo

• Website: Co-create Schools

• Linkedin

Connect:

• Organized Binder Website 
• Mitch’s Linkedin
• Mitch’s Email
• Sarah’s Website
• Sarah’s LinkedIn

Resources from Today's Show

How to buy 

US Book Purchases: 

• Book 1: Executive Functions for Every Classroom, Grades 3-12: Creating Safe and Predictable Learning Environments
• Book 2: Executive Functions for Every K-3 Classroom: Promoting Self-Regulation for a Strong Start

Outside of the US Book Purchases: 

• Book 1: Executive Functions for Every Classroom, Grades 3-12: Creating Safe and Predictable Learning Environments
• Book 2: Executive Functions for Every K-3 Classroom: Promoting Self-Regulation for a Strong Start

Connect:

Website: Applied Harmony

Linkedin

Instagram: @kat_huels

Resources From Today’s Show:

Katrina’s books

• Transformational Tools for Special Educators: How to Beat Burnout and Become the Best at What You Do

• The Motivation Toolkit: Cultivate Your Inner Drive

• How We Feel App (Yale)

In today’s episode of the podcast, host Lori Boll speaks with Dr. Gary Roberts-Walker (they/them), Assistant Professor at National University and global educator, about imposter syndrome and how it quietly influences educators, parents, and professionals who support neurodivergent and disabled students.

From explaining away success to hesitating to step into new opportunities, imposter syndrome often shows up in subtle language and internal dialogue. Dr. Gary offers practical tools for recognizing the signs, reframing self-talk, and building a trusted “power of five” support circle to grow into the next level of identity with confidence.

A thoughtful conversation for anyone doing important work while quietly questioning whether they belong.

Connect

• Linkedin
• [email protected]

On today’s episode, host Lori Boll speaks with Reabetswe Maarohanye, Lower School Student Support Leader at Hangzhou International School, about what it truly means to build inclusive systems that serve students first.

“We don’t ask if a student is good enough for HIS, we ask if HIS is good enough for the student.”

The conversation explores how this belief shows up in daily practice through a collaborative student support model that blends EAL and learning support, a schoolwide wellness and SEL program, and intentional MTSS problem-solving. Reabetswe also shares how aligning UDL and WIDA standards helps ensure multilingual learners can fully access the curriculum.

🎧 Tune in for a thoughtful, practice-driven discussion on inclusion, collaboration, and designing schools around student needs

Connect

• Website: Hangzhou International School 
• LinkedIn: Hangzhou International School
• Reabetswe’s LinkedIn
• Reabetswe’s email

Resources from Today's Show

• WIDA

Today on the podcast, host Lori Boll is joined Hallie Sherman, a licensed speech-language pathologist, author of the new book The Secondary SLP Roadmap, and the CEO behind Speech Time Fun, where she creates materials, training, and support for SLPs working with students in grades 4 through 12. After 17 years in New York public schools, Hallie learned early on what it really takes to motivate older students, build confidence, and help language skills transfer into real classroom progress. In this conversation, Hallie and Lori dig into what speech therapy can look like in the upper grades, the misconceptions that still linger, and practical strategies teachers can use right away to support language and learning.

Connect

• Website: Speech Time Fun

• Instagram: Speech Time Fun

Resources from Today's Show

• Book: The Secondary SLP Roadmap

• Diffit: AI differentiation tool

Podcasserole:

• Think Inclusive
• Getting Smart Podcast
• Better Learning Podcast
• Literacy Matters: Empowered Conversations
• What School Could Be
• An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
• COPAA
• The Disability Almanac

On today’s episode, host Lori Boll speaks with Reabetswe Maarohanye, Lower School Student Support Leader at Hangzhou International School, about what it truly means to build inclusive systems that serve students first.

“We don’t ask if a student is good enough for HIS, we ask if HIS is good enough for the student.”

The conversation explores how this belief shows up in daily practice through a collaborative student support model that blends EAL and learning support, a schoolwide wellness and SEL program, and intentional MTSS problem-solving. Reabetswe also shares how aligning UDL and WIDA standards helps ensure multilingual learners can fully access the curriculum.

 Tune in for a thoughtful, practice-driven discussion on inclusion, collaboration, and designing schools around student needs

Connect

• Website: Hangzhou International School 
• LinkedIn: Hangzhou International School
• Reabetswe’s LinkedIn
• Reabetswe’s email

Resources from Today's Show

• WIDA

On today’s episode, Lori is joined by Reneé Foster, Director of Student Support Services at ICS Addis in Ethiopia. With more than twenty-five years of experience in education, Reneé has worked across international and U.S. school settings as a secondary inclusion coordinator, learning support teacher, and bilingual specialist. She brings a deep commitment to inclusion, student voice, and building systems that ensure all learners belong and thrive.

In this conversation, Reneé shares how responsible inclusion comes to life at ICS Addis, from culturally rooted community practices to intentional collaboration across student support teams. The episode explores MTSS, post-secondary transitions, empowering educational assistants, and the importance of shifting from deficit-based thinking to strength-based, asset-focused practices. Reneé also reflects on leadership, growth, and why inclusive systems must be viewed as an ongoing journey rather than a finished destination.

Connect:

• Website 

• Linkedin

• Virtually ConnectEd

• Linden Global Learning Support

Connect

• Website: Hangzhou International School 
• LinkedIn: Hangzhou International School
• Reabetswe’s LinkedIn
• Reabetswe’s email

Resources from Today's Show

• WIDA