Virginia Chapter

The geographic area served consists of the state of Virginia.

Region / Chapter Member Care Manager: Edi Francesconi

After careful deliberation the organizing committees of A4LE events have decided that it will be in the best interest of all delegates to postpone upcoming events through May. Our number one priority is to ensure the safety and security of our members and delegates. Given the rapid escalation of the COVID – 19 (“Coronavirus”) and subsequent declarations of emergencies and health crisis concerns from local, state, provincial and federal government officials, we felt the need to take this course of action.

At this time, A4LE staff and volunteers are negotiating to find alternative dates that are suitable for postponement of events. The planning committees have promised stellar events, and we do not want to lose that momentum. We will be seeking a remedy to this that will carry all of the hard work forward, taking all events to fruition at a later date. We will continue to update on the progress.

Please visit the Virginia Department of Education, CCSSO and CDC sites for information the COVID19 situation.

Chapter Town Hall

Post COVID-19 Panel Discussions

12:00-12:30 pm – Lunch & Learn

Please join us for one or ALL of our conversations!

Everyone is busy trying to figure out how schools will operate in the fall. A4LE Virginia is providing some opportunities for educators, facility managers, and designers to discuss ideas and share together. Our hope is that this series of conversations will give school systems across the Commonwealth an opportunity to talk and discuss how different counties and cities are trying to address the impact of COVID-19 on opening schools.

June 17th	Transportation Panelists Kerry Miller, Associate Director Pupil Transportation, Virginia Department of Education Shay Coates, Director of Transportation, Newport News Public Schools Eddie Walters, Director of Transportation, Montgomery County Public Schools Francine Furby, Director, Office of Transportation Services, Fairfax County Public Schools
June 24th	Hybrid Teaching / Learning Panelists Michael Bolling, Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Innovation, Department of Education Virginia (DOE) Brian Mott, Executive Director, Virtual Virginia Karen Woodford, Chief Learning Officer, Bedford County Schools John Hendron, Director of Innovation and Strategic Planning, Goochland County Public Schools
July 1st	Nutrition Programs Panelists Andrea Nannery, SNP Coordinator, Virginia Department of Education Helen Philips, SNP Specialist, Virginia Department of Education Karen Arthur, Supervisor of School Nutrition, Bedford County Amy Hegarty, Food Service Consultant Adam Russo, School Nutrition Director, Prince William County
July 8th	School Climate / Culture Panelists Dr. RJ Webber, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Novi Community Schools Dr. Thomas Epperson, President, InnerWill Leadership Institute Nikki Wilcox, School Safety Audit and Climate Survey Coordinator, Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Quyen Duong, Student Services Specialist, Virginia Department of Education
July 15th	Student Feedback Panelists Anna, rising senior, Staunton River High School, Bedford County Schools Benjamin, rising senior, Jefferson Forest High School, Bedford County Schools Isabelle, rising 8th grader, Monicello High School, Albemarle County Schools Charlotte, rising 8th grader, Matoaca Middle School, Chesterfield County Schools Asiah, rising 8th grader, Matoaca Middle School, Chesterfield County Schools

Register to join one or all sessions. These meetings are FREE but you must register!

Information on panelists and links for joining the discussions will be sent to the registrants on the day of each event.

President's Message

A4LE Mission :: Leading innovation at the intersection of learning and place.

The A4LE mission statement above is at the core of work we do in the Virginia Chapter for the Association for Learning Environments (VA4LE). Our chapter consists of design professionals, planners, facility and operational leaders, and educators, all of whom are focused on K-12 facilities and environments and providing innovative facilities and spaces that support learning in today’s world.

This past year has been a transformative year in our chapter as we have expanded our message and purpose to reach those not historically involved in our organization – educators! The response has been overwhelming as many educators have attended both our mid-year and annual conferences and K-12 teacher/administrator membership in our organization is growing.

For this coming year, we are planning further innovation with our annual conference by combining with the SE and NE A4LE Chapters to bring you a never-been-done-before event, the A4LE 2021 East Conference in Washington, DC, where we will truly revisit our purpose and empower our creativity by looking “Inside the Mind of the Learner”. We hope that you will join us there for what should be a remarkable coming together of thought leaders in how children learn and in planning learning environments to support the needs of the “whole” child. Please stay tuned for more details as planning for this amazing event unfolds.

RESCHEDULED

2021 East Conference

March 18-20, 2021 Inside the Mind of the Learner Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 Click here for more information and to register for the conference.

A4LE Vision :: A world in which place is a catalyst for inspired learning. Connected professionals imagining, promoting, and realizing that vision.

We invite you to become involved in our chapter as there are many ways to participate and further the mission of VA-A4LE. Each year we host a one-day conference in the fall (to be virtual in 2020) and our annual conference in the spring. These are opportunities to engage other professionals in workshops, lectures, small groups, panel discussions and in other social settings to further the mission to provide the best and most innovative learning environments to students. The success of our chapter is also dependent on our professional partners whose support through the sponsorship of our two conferences is vital. We thank them for their continued support of our chapter and for the relationships we share outside of the chapter.

It is an exciting time to be a part of this evolving vision for planning K-12 learning environments with such a diverse group of people committed to innovation and success! I invite you to become involved today.

C. Michael Ross, AIA, REFP