AWSP Blog

We are clearly in some of the most challenging times of our careers. And, quite frankly, you probably never envisioned leading your school in and through these circumstances. We hear you. AWSP has been supporting school leaders since 1972 and continues to make the necessary changes to provide the relevant, timely, and personalized support you need. Just as COVID has impacted members like you, COVID has impacted AWSP in many ways. At our recent annual September AWSP and Foundation Board meeting, the board made a difficult decision to terminate our Chewelah Peak Learning Center contract with the Department of Natural Resources and ESD 101. This was by no means an easy decision. Word is spreading quickly about both the action related to Chewelah Peak and the precarious position of our Cispus Learning Center because we officially launched our “Cispus Forever” Campaign this week. This state (and national) campaign is focused on both the short-term survivability of Cispus (in response to COVID) and the establishment of an endowment to forever secure the future of Cispus. We have to start somewhere while we work to build an endowment that will help us weather future storms like COVID.

Our Principals Month celebration continues with a special surprise: We’re offering a brand-new workshop on inclusion absolutely FREE to AWSP members. How to be 'ALL IN' as an Inclusive Leader is a 5-part series with international film-maker Dan Habib.

Every fall, the Association of Washington Student Leaders holds a Fall Leadership Conference. With obvious travel restrictions and complexities at the beginning of the school year, we decided to shift our conference course.

Picture it: The buses roll into the learning center and kids begin to pile out of the buses with luggage in hand. Surrounded by trees and fresh air, each student knows they are about to take on the outdoors. They're in a place where no one has an advantage, only a fresh start to explore what everyone has to offer. Accelerated learning is about to take place.

In this episode of AWSP News, we discuss National Principals Month, a brand-new workshop on inclusion absolutely FREE to AWSP members, our “Lead Out Loud” series for Assistant Principals, our WELL Summit (Women Leading and Learning), our Stay Smart Network, AWSL’s Fall Conference, a message from former Governor Christine Gregoire, our brand new AWSP Leadership Framework Version 3.0, OSPI’s Safety Guidance for updates on leading during COVID, our Cispus Forever campaign, and our Principals Month prompts.

Check out this new resource, share it with your teacher-librarian, and begin a conversation about how you can work as a team to impact student learning: Let's Talk: A Conversation Starter to Help Future Ready Librarians Build Collaborative Relationships.

October is Disability History month. Washington public schools are required to conduct or promote educational activities that provide instruction, awareness, and understanding of disability history and people with disabilities. The activities may include, but not be limited to, school assemblies or guest speaker presentations.

​When we talk about comprehensive school safety and safety planning, we consider the four main areas of threats and hazards: natural, technological, biological and human/man-made. It feels like we are experiencing all four of these threat and hazard areas at the same time right now. Here are some resources to help you work through these challenging days.

October is National Principals Month. Principals and APs, you are a beacon of hope for your entire school community. And, if there has ever been a time in our history where hope is essential, it is now. Don’t ever underestimate the power and influence of your leadership, nor the hope that you can breathe into the lives of both your students and your staffulty. As your professional association, you can count on AWSP to continue shining a bright light on the life-changing work of principals and assistant principals throughout and beyond this October’s National Principals Month. The world needs to know about your incredibly hard, yet amazingly rewarding work.

In this edition of AWSP News, we discuss National Principals Month, our great professional learning opportunities, our Lead Out Loud Assistant Professional Learning series, this week's board meeting, your brand new AWSP Leadership Framework Version 3.0, a message from our board president, Cameron Grow, the passing of Ruth Anderson, and our Cispus Forever campaign.