Fall Update

WHAT UP AREA 3?

Holy moly, what a beautiful day in Pierce County! I hope you’re off to an equally beautiful beginning to your school year. The WACA board recently convened to work on planning the 2017 conference, and there are a few pieces of conference news that we’d love to share with you.

The big news is that registration for WACA 2017 opens next week! That’s right you early birds, you will be able to register at wacaonline.org one week from today - Monday, October 3!

• This year’s conference is March 15-17 at the Hilton in Vancouver, WA. That’s right - back on the west side!
  
• When you fill out the registration form, you will notice vegetarian, gluten-free, and lactose-free meal options. Please mark your selection accurately as you will be provided with the meals you selected at the conference.
  
  
  

A couple more conference details:
PRE-CON:
When you register for the conference, don’t forget to sign up for a pre-conference session! For just a small additional registration cost ($45), you will have the opportunity to attend one of three amazing pre-con sessions, and lunch will also be provided. Options are:

• SESSION 1: ASB Finance Up Close, presented by Marty Fortin, AWSP
  Marty Fortin is considered one of the foremost experts on ASB law at best practices for schools in the state of Washington. He will bring his extensive knowledge and experience to this pre-conference offering. Click on the link on the WACA website for a brief synopsis of the topics to be covered.
  
• SESSION 2: Leadership Class Lessons & Resources, presented by Susan Fortin and Joe Fenbert, AWSP
  Participate in hands-on activities and lessons that focus on leadership skills for life. Add these lessons to your leadership toolkit to use in class, retreats, after-school programs, advisory programs and more.
  
• SESSION 3: Character Strong, presented by John Norlin - Director of Student Leadership and Community Involvement K-12 Sumner School District (Area 3, represent!)
  This session will take you through an example year long plan to intentionally build character and a positive climate throughout your student body, staff, and community! Learn about instructional content, resources, activities, and strategies to make this happen. Bring your calendars, computers, and ideas of what you are doing at your school!
  

Presenters: We need you!
We are always looking for people to share their ideas! You are the people who work with students to make magic happen in your schools; I'd like to encourage you to share a bit of that magic through a 50-minute presentation or a 10-minute “Meet the Pros” session. WACA is successful because of the ideas you bring to the table!

• This year we are especially hoping to add presentations that might be of interest to administrators and secretaries.
  
• If you are interested in presenting, but aren’t sure about a topic, please contact me! I'd love to hear about the cool things you do in your building that you could share with the delegation.
  

Hall of Fame and Adviser of the Year Nominations:
Hall of Fame and Adviser of the Year nominations are available online now at wacaonline.org! Remember that we count on you for these nominations, so be sure to get yours in by December 1.

A couple last things:

• As I mentioned last time, the Adviser Certification application is up and ready to go! A number of people have already submitted their applications, and we will award certificates at the conference in March. Contact me or our Certification Coordinator, Tim Turner, with any questions you may have.
  
• As always, if there is someone who I should add to the list or if you need to be removed, please let me know.
  

Thank you very much for your time - make it a great day!