Belonging in September

There is a particular sound to September in an independent school — the squeak of new sneakers in a freshly waxed hallway, the rustle of syllabi being handed out for the first time, a hundred quiet “you remember me?” conversations happening at drop-off. Lockers are being decorated. Name tags are (still) being double-checked. And somewhere in every building this month, a teacher is getting to know a new student and connecting them to the school community.

That is belonging in its most ordinary clothes. It doesn’t always look like a mission statement — sometimes it just looks like someone holding a door, or a returning student showing a new one where the good water fountain is.

John A. Powell, in Belonging without Othering, puts language to what our schools are quietly practicing every August and September: he writes that we do not have a self unless we have others. It is a simple sentence carrying a big claim — that belonging is not a nice-to-have layered on top of learning; it is the condition that makes learning possible in the first place. A student who does not yet feel seen is not withholding effort; they are waiting for evidence that this room is one they are allowed to be fully in.

So what does that mean for us this month?

It means the “soft stuff” — advisory check-ins, buddy programs, the extra beat a teacher takes to learn how to pronounce a name right — is not soft at all. It is the infrastructure. Powell’s work reminds us that belonging is built through bridging, not through waiting for people to arrive already alike. Our schools do this work daily, often without naming it. This month, take a moment to notice where your community is already bridging, and notice, too, where the door might still be closing a little too fast for someone to catch up.

And Speaking of Welcome…

At VAIS, we are practicing what we preach, because we are counting down to the VAIS Annual Conference, and this year’s welcome is going to be a big one.

Coffee. A lot of it. The good kind, kept hot, kept coming. And tea or water if coffee is not your thing.

An opening keynote from Dr. Pascal Losambe, who will walk us through the three questions every student is silently asking: Can I learn here? Do I matter here? Am I safe enough to struggle here?

Slightly longer breaks between sessions to slow down the pace, make connections with colleagues, and refill your water bottle.

A full hour with “no lunch duty.” For one hour, your only job is to eat, sit, and talk with someone new or someone you have missed all year.

Nearly 60 concurrent sessions, built by educators for educators.

This is our version of belonging without othering: a room built wide enough for the veteran teacher and the first-year hire, and everyone in between, the person who knows everyone and the person who knows no one yet. Come find your people.

October’s Momentum MeetUP

Differentiation Matters: Supporting Students with Learning Differences

Led by Dr. Jacqueline Johnston Wilson, ElevatEd Leadership and Learning, LLC | October 6 | 4–4:45 p.m.

Every classroom is filled with learners who think, process, engage, and demonstrate understanding in entirely different ways. Responding to that variability is the core of effective teaching—and exactly why differentiation matters.

In this highly practical, 45-minute session, Dr. Jacqueline Johnston Wilson will guide educators through manageable strategies for adjusting content, process, product, and the learning environment. You will learn how to identify hidden barriers, respond directly to learner needs, and provide appropriate support—all without lowering your academic expectations. Teachers will walk away with fresh ideas and the confidence to put these strategies to work immediately.

About Dr. Jacqueline Johnston Wilson: Dr. Wilson is a Richmond-based educational consultant, researcher, special education advocate, and founding partner of ElevatEd Leadership and Learning, LLC.

Both/And This Fall

VAIS and AIMS have teamed up to bring members a virtual series inviting educators to explore productive tensions between competing educational priorities, including individualized versus shared learning and protecting students from distraction versus teaching them to manage it.

VAIS Technology Week

October 19–23, 2026 | 9–10:30 a.m. daily | Virtual

Designed to meet the varied needs of school leaders, Technology Week offers five focused sessions. One school registration covers unlimited participants, with recordings shared afterward.

Technology Week details →

Professional Learning Events at a Glance

Explore details and registration information for VAIS professional learning opportunities.

Links lead to the VAIS event listing or professional learning page; registration may not be available for every event.

September MeetUPs

Partner Offerings

MERC AI Implications seminar (September 29); Virginia School Counselor Association Annual Conference (October 14–16); Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Prejudice Awareness Summit (October 16); MERC Literacy Professional Development (October 20); Learning Forward Virginia Coaches Conference (October 23); Diversity Dialogue Day (October 29); VACMS Annual Conference (November 5–6); Mid-Atlantic Educators of Color Conference (April 2–3, 2027); Boost My School webinars; Virginia ABC education resources; 9ine Trust; National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium courses.

School Offerings

A Better Low at Highland School (October 8); Mountaintop Montessori Fall Fest (October 11); Northstar Academy Homecoming (October 22); Sabot School Fall Fest (October 24); Strelitz Fall Festival (October 25).