​Hey Area 1!


Hope your first week back was wonderful! Attached as promised is the compiled list of ideas, suggestions and resources that YOU shared with US! I am in awe of the number of great ideas we came up with. 

If you have any questions or would like to expand on something you have shared let me know. 

Enjoy a restful and relaxing weekend.

Hi WACA 2016 AREA 1 Participants:

Thank you for attending our For the Love of the Game WACA 2016 conference. Finally, I was able to get names and faces matched up. I enjoyed meeting everyone at the Area 1 meetings even during my moments of panic. 

I suggest if you haven't shared your experiences with a teaching partner, administrator or even your leadership students please do so soon. I have found this helps me review some of the best parts of the conference. This also helps me make a plan of implementation for the new strategies, ideas and resources. Also if you have ideas or realizations that you'd like more information about a certain topic please make note of that information to share with me or on our on-line survey. 

If you have not had an opportunity to provide the Board feedback on the conference, please take the time to do so: Click Here Your opinions and suggestions help board members make decisions about next year's conference.  Your feedback is important. The survey took me between 10 and 15 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the survey!

Next year we will be holding the conference in Vancouver, Washington. The theme is GONE FISHIN' FOR GREAT IDEAS - MARCH 15, 16, AND 17, 2017. I hope to see you there!

Finally, if you are looking for ideas, inspiration or insights please check our wonderful WACA website - wacaonline.org! 

Take Care of Yourself! 

I just returned home from our Fall WACA Board Meeting in Vancouver.  Our March conference is looking better and better every day!  As a reminder, the conference will be held March 9-11, 2016 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, WA.  If you’re not certain what to expect, here is a link to the trailer for the conference: http://www.wacaonline.org/conference-2016.html

Registration is live for anyone planning on using a PO and for those using a credit card, registration will be available no later than Oct. 5th.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve already submitted my substitute request and travel documents.  I can’t wait!

The official conference hotels are the Springhill Suites (newly opened and connected to the Convention Center) and Hilton Garden Inn.  Both are accepting reservations for the conference at this time.  The rooms at the Springhill Suites are just as they sound, suites. Several people will be able to share a room if that is of interest to you.  What a great way to save some money!

Nominations for the Hall of Fame are open now as well and the nomination forms have been updated to make things quick and easy. If you know someone who has given a great deal to leadership and students in our state, take a minute and fill out the application.  We have many worthy people who deserve to be recognized.  Nominations can be done at http://www.wacaonline.org/hall-of-fame-application.html

And, as always, we are looking for a few experts, in other words…YOU, to present at the conference.  If you have created an event, seen great success in a particular fundraising activity, or simply have a great classroom lesson, we want to see it!  We are in need of both 50-minute sessions and 10-minute Meet the Pros sessions.  I know how incredibly talented you all are, so please consider sharing your expertise with others!  If you’re interested, please go to http://www.wacaonline.org/presenter-application.html to submit a description of your workshop.

If you are interested in being a part of the WACA Board, there are several positions open this year – Technology Coordinator, Communications Coordinator, President-Elect, Middle Level Representatives, and Areas 2, 4, 6, and 8.  Consider being a part of the board and sharing your knowledge!

Also, if you have a great Partner (vendor) you use in the area that you think might be interested in having a booth at the conference, please shoot me an email with their contact information.  We are always looking for new vendors and they get great exposure!

I know we are all desperately looking for new fundraisers to replace the many we lost as a result of the changes to nutrition guidelines.  I have two I’d like to share with you:

Cutie Clause – instead of selling candy cane grams, last year my students bought Cutie oranges, mini santa hats, and google eyes and sent out fun little holiday cards to kids in our school.  They were a hit!

Cocoa Café – each February we transform our cafeteria into a “coffee shop” for the night and invite students and staff to share their talents with us.  It is not judged and we give out free hot cocoa to those who are in attendance.  We also sell pastries (outside of school hours).  The show is a hit and we make a good profit because there is very little overhead.

These are just a couple examples of what you can learn if you come to the conference, as I’ll bring pictures and videos of each to share!

Here is a link to a great video I just showed my students that I found on the WACA video library.  It is called “Can We Auto-Correct Humanity.”  I used it as a great way to show we all want to belong (as in the third tier of Maslow’s Hierarchy), but sometimes social media gives us a false sense of belonging.  In addition to having a great message, it’s a great example of a spoken-word poem for all of you English teachers!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRl8EIhrQjQ

One last thing - I will be sending out a short questionnaire so that I can get to know you and your school.  

I hope you have had a great start to the beginning of the year!

Laura Maaradji
WACA Area 1 Representative

Here is your final check list for WACA 2015 Ordinary Heroes at the Yakima Convention Center

1. Time to pack that bag and include your super hero swag for Thurs. and a school T-Shirt for Friday.  Some like to dress it up a little for the banquet on Thurs. night when we honor Advisers of the year and induct others into our Hall of Fame.

2. Bring ideas of what your school does for our Idea Exchange that we will do in our Area meetings.  Questions are
     
A.. Student/Staff Appreciation ideas
B. Assembly speakers you have had that ROCK and for what assembly.
C. Fundraisers With no money up front so you can't lose money on it
D. Student Recognition ideas.
E. Vendors you are using and how it is going with the new nutrition laws.

3. Stop by the store and buy your favorite candy bar and drink item like coffee cup, coffee, tea.  These will be two separate drawings we will have on our last area meeting.  If you put something in for the drawing you will get a ticket and have a chance to win.  I will have other drawing items that you will all be able to be in the drawing for.

4. This year you do not have to plan your own dinner on Wed. night we will be providing it for you.  This is the first year we have done this and it is because of your comments at the end of last years conference.  So do not forget to do the online survey after the conference we do use the information.  You can also check out the schedule on line at wacaonline.org

5. Come with a plan on how you can learn the most to bring back to your school to bring about change.  If you split your group up and hit different classes you will get more ideas.  I find if I talk to as many people as possible also I learn a ton about what they do at there schools that works.  Like my good friends Craig Iversen and Kevin Judkins say " I have never gone to this Conference with out coming away with a new idea to help make my school a better place".

6. As you get to Yakima take exit 33B, turn right after the exit and the Holiday in will be on your Left and the Red Lion will be on your right just after the Conference center.  If you pull into Yakima around lunch time and you are not doing a pre-conference take exit 36 and go to Miner Burgers where you can get a cheese burger the size of your head.  It truly is an experience.

That is all for now and I will see you at check in at the Conference On Wed. March 11th.  Area 1 ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone had a well deserved Holiday break!!!!  I am sending this out since we just got back from the Tri-Cities and our last meeting before WACA 2014.  Driving over Saturday morning through the monsoon rains on Snoqualamie pass and entering the blue skies and sunshine just over the pass I realized the biggest pro of having our conference on the East side of the Mountains (Vitamin D).  Here is some important information that I think you need to know.

1. Its time to register for this years WACA Conference.  Go to wacaonline.org and you will be able to register easily.
2. Lodging- The Hilton Gardens is already full but there is still room in the Red Lion.  Just click on the button that says lodging.
3. Dinner is on your own on Wed. Night so plan to meet as a school group and set your goals for what your delegation will achieve at this conference.  There are many places to eat on your way into the conference so scout it out on your way in and stop and make reservations if they are needed.  There is a button on the home page for directions to the conference also.
4. There is a Pre-con set up to tour Reactor B at Hanford if you sign up for it, this is an awesome opportunity.  The bus leaves at 8 am Wed. so you would probably have to come Tues. evening, you will still get the conference rate for staying an extra day.  You will have to sign up for this by Feb. 15th to reserve a spot on the bus.  Only one bus is allowed, so first come first served.
5. This year we will be having a conference Yearbook.  The book will be free of charge and have all our pictures plus pictures of the entire conference so smile big when you see the camera around.  A big thanks to Balfour Year Books that is doing this for us.
6. Make sure you pass your P.0's so you can purchase many different resources at our resource table that you will be able to use in your leadership classes.  You can pay by check, cash or credit cards.  Make sure you stop by early because the table usually sells out so I want Area 1 to get what they need first (sorry all other areas).
7. Attire is casual, most people wear a school shirt for the last day to show there pride in their school.
8. Please sign up to present either a 50 minute break out session or a 10 minute meet the Pro's.  Everyone in area 1 has something they do at their schools that they need to share with others!!!!!!!  The sign up form is on the website. (Presenter Application)
   
9. In our Area meetings we will be collecting your favorite chocolate bars again for a give away and bring your favorite shirt design from your school and the information about the business that does your shirts so we can share this.  I will put all the shirts on the wall so we can take pictures of them.  We will also have an idea exchange in our area meeting and I will get you the topics in my next E-Mail.

The thing is every time you come to this conference you will come away with great new ideas.  My friend Meg Adams from Kamiak High School just E-Mailed me about "Hawk Hands" A fundraiser by her class they will paint four fingers on each hand with dark blue polish and the middle finger will be in Hawk green.  They charge 3 dollars, and will be doing this Wed.-Friday.  Great idea when we make it to the super bowl and have time to plan for it.

The last thing I am going to leave you with is the idea share section on the Web site.  It has everything you need to help you with your leadership class.  One of the newest things is the Video section.  Click on Idea Share then click on Videos, everything is by alpha order.  Click on letter B and scroll down to brotherly love goes viral.  This is a clip I am going to use in our Care Week Assembly.

March is coming up quickly so sign up today for your spot at this years WACA Conference.  The theme this year is HELP! WACA Meets the Beatles.  If you have any questions just let me know.  Area one ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dick Caldwell
WACA Area 1 Rep