AWSP Blog

Still worried about clock hours and your certification renewal? Many districts are issuing clock hours for teachers and administrators' work each week in PLCs. Work centered around district initiatives, school improvement planning, and instruction can be considered for clock hours. Check with your district’s clock hour committee to see if the work already being done in your schools might be eligible for clock hours.

As we near the halfway mark of this short legislative session, I want to thank all of you who were able to send emails or meet with your legislators this week! There are definitely a few benefits to virtual life, and one of those is the ease with which busy school leaders can meet with busy legislators. I was able to sit in 18 different meetings with legislators this week and to meet some new members and their staff. In scheduling these meetings with legislators, I invited principals living in their legislative district to attend. It’s great to have even a few minutes of conversation with the hope that in the future, these conversations can turn into longer ones, or even in-person school visits.

In this episode of AWSP News, we discuss our 50th Anniversary, our Member Engagement campaign, a breath of relief on testing requirements for athletes, OSPI’s COVID 19 Student survey, the AWSP/WASA Summer Conference, our Secondary School Principals and Assistant Principal of the Year, a thank you to the schools and districts who purchased the “I AM | WE ARE MLK” program, Black History Month, AWSL bringing summer camps back, an Eastern Washington Student Representative Position at the SBE, and negotiating principal contracts.

These emails are sent out weekly to leaders in special education and Section 504. Each email contains tips and resources on a variety of topics that are meant to keep you informed and up-to-date.

February 3rd was the deadline for policy bills to pass out of committees. February 7th is the deadline for fiscal bills. The most critical upcoming deadline is Feb. 15th when bills need to be out of their house of origin. It’s important that bills of import continue moving through the process.

Brad Wilson, principal at Chelan High School in the Lake Chelan School District, was named this year’s Washington State Principal of the Year. Every year, the Association of Washington School Principals selects a state winner. Wilson will also be recognized at the national level by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). He will compete with winners from other states for the NASSP’s National Principal of the Year award.

Megan Mauro, assistant principal at LaVenture Middle School in the Mount Vernon School District, was named this year’s Washington State Assistant Principal of the Year. Every year, the Association of Washington School Principals selects a state winner. Mauro will also be recognized at the national level by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), where she will compete with winners from other states for the NASSP’s National Assistant Principal of the Year award, announced in early April.

Find yourself frustrated with your current situation as a building level leader? Ever wonder who makes some of these big statewide decisions that impact the work you are doing in your school? Ever consider getting more involved in influencing the P16 education system? How about just getting better connected with other principals and assistant principals from around the state? Well, guess what -- It’s easy to get more involved with AWSP, and WE WANT YOU!

AWSP is looking for an amazing elementary principal to be the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ (NAESP) National Outstanding Assistant Principal honoree from our state. This program promotes excellence in educational leadership and calls attention to the fundamental importance of the assistant principal.

When we begin comprehensive safety planning, we do a risk assessment for our district or our school. What are those risks and hazards which we might have to deal with? How much peril are we in because of them? We establish Threat Assessment teams to help identify potential risk factors impacting the life of a student. We insure our assets and help provide safe learning environments with the help of our excellent statewide risk pools. And so on…Let’s change courses a bit. Let’s consider technology.