AWSP Blog

Our Roz Thompson sits down with Jill Patnode, Thriving Schools Program Manager for Kaiser Permanente of Washington, to talk about all the programs and resources KP provides to support schools and the people in them.

In this episode of AWSP News, we discuss the most trusted professional in all the country, our Facebook giveaway and this week's winners, your Principal’s Advisory Council, enrollment for the School Employee Benefits Board, our first-ever WELL Summit, a part-time position opening up at AWSP, our Washington Principal Magazine and nominating next year's Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year.

In this episode of AWSP News, we discuss National Principals Month, a special message from Governor Jay Inslee, our favorite contest of the year and the chance of winning a $25 Amazon gift card, using social media to tell the story of your school, our Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year Award, AWSP, WASA and ESD sponsored School Leader Paradigm and Leadership Framework trainings, and resources provided by OSPI’s Safety Center.

“It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.”

In the last couple of years, a number of policies and proposals have been implemented on a wide range of immigration enforcement issues such as border security, interior enforcement, tighter vetting on asylum hearings, exclusionary visas to certain groups of people, restricting temporary protected status/DACA, travel bans of certain countries, expansion of family separations, penalties for accessing public assistance, and most recently, proposed family detention centers without time limits. These policies can potentially impact 23 million non-citizens who live in the United States, as well as 12 million children who are predominantly U.S.-born.

Most of our school-aged children have parents that work. These schedules can make it challenging for parents to find quality before/after school care for their children. They often look to schools to provide quality programs. In the attached article by Dr. Helen Wang, read how some of our Washington State Elementary schools are providing unique experiences for their students.

Check out five great school safety tips courtesy of OSPI's Mike Donlin and their School Safety Center.

In this episode of AWSP News, we discuss our School Leaders Collaborative, AWSP-hosted WELL Summit, Kaiser Permanente, Washington State’s new Teacher of the Year for 2020, APLN, the 2020 legislative session, our Political Action Committee, and our tribute to the Mariners during this year's Summer Conference.

The Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO) and Rooted in Rights have partnered to create 6 student voice videos highlighting students with disabilities’ experiences in Washington’s public K-12 schools, as part of the One Out of Five: Disability History and Pride Project, an educational resource for teachers and students.

Q: Are elementaries required to have formal student councils? A: There is no legal requirement to create a formal student body organization for elementary. The WAC states that if you have 7th grade or above, then you must create a student council structure.