Summary.

In this episode of AWSP News, we discuss our January Advocacy Weekend, our annual Day on the Hill, the changes to our governance structure, AWSP's third annual Future School Leaders Day, a Networked Community Improvement grant, MTSS Fest, our “A Matter of Principals” podcast, our survey about the pay gap and your workload, a Seattle Times report on mental health and schools, and our Calm Room video.

Hi there. It’s your friendly state principals association reaching out to say hello. Be honest…how many of you just opened this blog post by accident? You might have meant to click on an update about Harry and Meghan and landed here instead. Either way, welcome…we’re glad you’re here.  A lot of you know us well already, but some of you are still getting to know us, and for those of you in that camp, you might not even know why you’re getting emails from AWSP*. Either way, let's all start here and check out this list of five things you need to know about AWSP.

Hearings and any resulting actions moving bills out of committees have begun as both houses move toward the first cut-off date. This is only a summary of bills that have had some degree of action to date or have been recently introduced. Last week’s report covered all the bills that been introduced to date.

In the beginning, there were close to 300 bills pre-filed even before the Legislature convened. And then, once started, new bills continue to be introduced. Included among those are a number of bills affecting pensions, health, and job benefits.

As part of a PBIS initiative, Ridgeview Elementary in the Yakima School District created a space called the "Calm Room" to help students with social-emotional learning. The Calm Room is a place where students and staff members can come and relax when needed.

In this first episode of AWSP News for 2020, we discuss another great monthly school safety newsletter, AWSP's third annual Future School Leaders Day, a Capturing Kids’ Hearts workshop, the AWSP Advocacy Advisory Council, a message from Roz Thompson, a call for presenters at this May’s Annual Equity Conference, some new Fact or Fiction videos for you about the new Graduation Pathways, the Xicanx Institute for Teaching and Organizing (XITO) at the Cispus Learning Center, an opportunity to serve a two-year term on the AWSL Student Voice & Advocacy Board, and a reminder about the powerful and impactful role you have as a school leader.

According to data from the US Center for Disease Control, one in four women (and one in 10 men) have been victims of domestic violence. One in three teens have experienced dating violence. Help and resources are out there. Check out this great list of resources provided by the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and while you're at it, make sure you know how to find your local support center.

No doubt there will be a lot of new technology coming into homes over the holidays. Check out and share the Connect Safely Guides. You’ll find both one-page Quick Guides and longer Parent Guides to help all adults understand many of the apps, sites, and technologies which they may be seeing or hearing about.

Dr. Scott Seaman sits down with Sean Goode, CEO of Choose 180, to talk about hope for kids.

Fact or Fiction? A student is directed to leave the classroom in order to have a conversation with the teacher in the hallway. This action needs to be documented as a Classroom Exclusion.

In this final episode of AWSP News for 2019, we discuss our annual principal workload and compensation survey, our 2020 Legislative Platform, a Capturing Kids’ Hearts workshop, our 3rd annual Future School Leaders Day, next year's Annual Equity Conference, the 2020 AWSP/WASA Summer Conference, Richard Sherman, new faces at AWSP, the 2020 Census, our AWSL Student Voice and Advocacy Board and some professional advice for you during your Winter Break.

2019 Elementary Principal of the Year Alfonso Lopez shares five tips for embracing diversity in your school.

Fact or Fiction? A “Brief Duration” is defined by law as 5 minutes or less.

On behalf of all of us here at AWSP and the students and principals in our state, we want to wish you all a happy holiday season, well-deserved winter break and a chance to rest, relax and recharge for the 2020 year.

‘Twas the week before break and all through the school, the students were studying for exams that aren’t cool. The students’ work was hung on walls with care, with hopes that high scores would soon appear there.

We recently met with representatives from the Washington School Counselor Association (WSCA) and would like to share some information and resources with you for maximizing the role that school counselors play in your building. According to a 2008 report by the NASSP, the College Board, and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), when principals and school counselors work together effectively, they can have a huge impact on student achievement.

WEA's Human and Civil rights Coordinator Ben Ibale joins our executive director Dr. Scott Seaman to talk about cultural competence and the role of the principal.

In late October, our Grade Level Committees and Advisory Council's met. Here's a summary of what we was talked about.

Fact or Fiction? A “Classroom Exclusion” occurs whenever a student is removed from the classroom.