AWSP News for December 19, 2018

Hello and welcome to another episode of AWSP’s News You Can Use. This is scary, but this is our last episode of 2018 before we roll into 2019.

Did I just say 2019? I did. We have some big plans in the next year to help you make the magic happen for kids in your school. For starters, we encourage you to bring a team to our annual one-day Building Hope Together workshop in Federal Way on January 18. This is a partnership between WEA, AWSP, and Kids at Hope. We will help you create a strong foundation in your school built on HOPE.

If you can’t make the January 18th event, then consider taking a team to The Science, Culture and Practice of Hope - Two Day Academy - in March. That workshop features some great leaders...like Anthony Muhammad. Register and learn more about either of these events on the Kids at Hope website, or look for the link in Principal Matters.

Hey 509ers, we’ve got a principal leadership workshop coming to ESD 123 on January 11-12. We know this is short notice, but why not start the 2019 year by making your own professional learning a priority? Check out our website for registration info.

We love team events where you can learn with colleagues. 2019 has another rare and incredible opportunity for you to do just that. Spokane is the location of next year’s national elementary school principals conference in July. What a great way to engage with school leaders from around the country...right in our backyard. Check out the NAESP website for more info.

We are super thankful to our many business sponsors and partners that help us support you as you serve in your schools. It’s financial commitments like these with the corporate world that reiterate how important your role is in our system. From sponsors like Capturing Kids Hearts, to partners like the Gates Foundation, together we can make a difference for all kids. Know anyone in the corporate world who would like to join us in supporting principals, have them reach out to me so we can expand the partners supporting your work.

Last week, Governor Inslee presented his budget for the next legislative session. We’re happy to see lots of support for education in the budget. Unfortunately, even though revenues are up, we don’t have enough to pay for the projected costs of current programs. We need additional revenue to pay for new programs we know our education system needs – like special education funding, additional nurses and counselors, and additional mental health supports. The Governor proposes an increase in several different taxes to pay for issues like education, mental health, and clean energy. Look for more details on the budget and our Legislative Platform in early January.

A group of high school principals asked if we’d be willing to organize an Innovation Summit for high school teams to gather and share different strategies to help our kids navigate the 24 credit graduation requirement. Many of you are worried about your increasing list of kids at-risk of not graduating on time. If you want to learn how to provide remediation, exploration, and acceleration within the school day, this summit is for you. Email me if this sounds like something you would like to attend or if you and your team have ideas to share.

As you start reflecting on 2018 and planning for 2019, consider how you maximize your students as leaders to help you create the culture you want in your school. What are you doing to build strong relationships with kids? How are those relationships building the foundation in your school? Need some ideas or inspiration? Check out Principal Matters for a list of amazing resources provided by our very own Association of Washington Student Leaders.

Your well-deserved Winter Break is just around the corner. We can’t say enough about the importance of taking care of yourself during this upcoming vacation. Principal self-care means Resting, Recharging and Recuperating over the next two weeks, so you can be your best YOU in 2019. We believe in this so much that AWSP is launching a brand new strategic partnership with world renowned Kevin Carroll. Kevin believes wholeheartedly in the important role principals play in our schools, but knows you can’t do that unless you take care of yourself spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. And guess what...he is so committed to this that Kevin is in the studio today to give you a quick glimpse into his why and our future.

Thanks, Scott. So fantastic to be here at AWSP. I’m thrilled to be here, once again actually, Cause some of you might have had an opportunity to meet me at Summer Conference. If not, just know that I’m about that action. I’m about raising your game. I’m about being better, and more importantly, I’m about students too. And it’s so important, the work that you do, and please know that I wouldn’t be in front of you all, a success that I am at this point, if it wasn’t for principals, leaders, faculty, and staff. I’m a product of you, I’m a mosaic of many of you, and so the more that you begin to recognize about recharging, recouping, and resting during this break, and coming back and showing up in the right way, with the right frame of mind, it’s game on. So, I encourage you to take great care of yourselves, Recharge as you need to, and more importantly, be ready to bring 2019 in with the right kind of energy. Because that’s what we need from you – to show up – so game on, peace and play, AWSP.

Thanks Kevin. Well, that’s it for all of us here at AWSP. As always, keep up the great work for kids and we’ll see you in 2019!