Hello and welcome to another episode of AWSP News.
We hope you are continuing to press on despite the uncertainty of the pandemic and the unrest in society. These are certainly trying times, but actually might serve as an incredible opportunity for us to make changes in our educational system that truly put the needs of students and families first.
If you missed our statement on the tragic death of George Floyd and our continued commitment to lead an equitable and bright future, be sure to check our website.
We know you are exhausted and working longer hours than you’ve ever worked before. We also know it’s like running a race without a course. Between the Department of Health and OSPI, we hope to have some guidance released next week that will help districts begin to formulate health-based reopening plans for the fall. We’ve made sure to have principal voice at any and all reopening discussions.
As long as we’re talking health, I wanted to let you know about a new immunization campaign “Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Vaccinated” that the Department of Health, Office of Immunization and Child Profile, is partnering with WithinReach and the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to get the word out about the importance of keeping kids up to date on their vaccines. See Principal Matters for more information.
Speaking of students, a group of student leaders from Skyline High School are conducting a statewide survey to collect student voice and perceptions about distance learning. They want to hear from as many students as possible. Your help in pushing out their effort to capture student voice is vital. See the survey link in Principal Matters.
Big shout out to the Elementary GLLC for participating in their Spring Learning Event this past Thursday. They were able to come together collectively to provide input to principals who served our state’s leaders on the Re-Opening Washington School’s Task force. The professional development focus for the year has centered around Improvement Science and the use of root cause analysis as well as reverse root cause analysis to assist leaders in thinking about how to solve complex problems in the field. Great ideas and input from many stakeholders have helped to get leaders ready for OSPI’s Reopening Guidance dropping this next week. If you or your system is looking for resources, feel free to reach out to Associate Director, Gina Yonts for details.
Have you signed up for the 2020 AWSP/WASA Virtual Summer Conference yet? It’s going to be an amazing conference. For more on this, let’s go almost live to Scott Friedman in Spokane. Scott?
<Video from Scott Friedman>
<Video from Joe Sanfelippo>
Thanks Scott (and Joe!). Wow, I can’t wait to hear Joe's full keynote and message.
Thanks to all of you who’ve joined several of our AWSP Office Hour opportunities. From Grade-level specific conversations to our general membership gathering on Friday mornings, this is a great way to connect with us and your colleagues. In addition to our grade-level specific conversations, you can join me and my team every Friday morning at 7:00a for our Coffee Chats. Bring your coffee, thoughts, ideas, questions and/or concerns. We take your voice straight to those who are making big policy decisions. For all Office Hour dates and times, check out our website.
As another school year winds down, please take a minute to fill out our online change of status form if you will be changing positions, changing school districts, or retiring for the 2020-21 school year. An unwanted lapse in membership and important benefits may occur if there is a change to your current position and contact information that AWSP does not know about. The form should take less than 1 minute, and there's no need to log in. Questions? Email Membership Coordinator Annalee Braley or call 800.562.6100.
Relationships, Resiliency and Hope. Those are the topics that I'll be discussing with leaders from around the country and the executives from Why Try, a company focused on supporting the mental health of kids in our schools. We’ll be talking about strategies for leaders to prioritize their own health, as well as student health, as we march forward in these uncertain times. We will also address redesigning the opening of schools with relationships at the center. Why Try Webinar info can be found in Principal Matters.
Well, that’s it from all of us here at AWSP. As always, keep up the great work for kids and we'll see you next week!