WHAT UP AREA 3?
March is here! You know what that means: it’s almost time to go fishin’ for great ideas at WACA 2017! A few details/items as we move closer to the conference:

Conference Details:  The conference schedule is live on wacaonline.org! Any day now, the full program will be complete and uploaded to the website as well.  I always like to pick my sessions early in order to maximize my time at the conference.

Registration/Presenters: It is not too late to register for the conference,lodging, or to present. We are still especially in need of people to present for Meet the Pros! These short sit-down sessions are a great way to dip your toes into the waters of presenting at WACA. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be this year’s biggest catch! If you are presenting, realize that you cannot hang anything on the walls of the room.

Hotel/parking: If you are staying at the Hilton, all rooms have complimentary basic internet. If you want to stay an extra night (Friday night, after the conference ends), you can reserve the extra night at the same conference rate (subject to availability). 
The hotel offers parking at $6 per night. It is first-come first-served, and there are only 100 spots in the parking garage; you may want to consider carpooling with some other WACA-goers. There is additional secure parking across the street for $8 per day; that lot is locked up at 10 pm nightly. 
Another possibility is skip driving all together and take the train. It’s a beautiful trip!

Goodie Baskets: We always have great giveaways in our area meetings, and this year will be no exception! We will create two types of baskets: a chocolatebasket and a sweet/savory basket! If you would like to participate, please bring your favorite snack or treat. You are not obligated to contribute, but if you do, you get a chance to be the big winner! It is always a fun way for us to celebrate one another.

Hungry/Thirsty? Remember to let me know about your specific food needs with a quick email if necessary. We will do our best to accommodate for those needs! There will be coffee, tea and water available at the conference, as well as a soda machine. There cannot be any alcohol opened or consumed in the public areas of the hotel. 

What to wear: During the conference, we like to have a mini advisers-only spirit week! Here are some options if you’d like to participate:
Wednesday: Welcome to WACA - come in whatever you would like!
Thursday evening: For the Hall of Fame Banquet, some like to dress up a little nicer. Not a requirement, but feel free!
Friday: Represent your school with spirit gear - it’s a WACA tradition!

Finally: Holy moly - can you believe that the conference is just 9 days away? If you can’t wait (like me), then take a deep breath and enjoy two hours of coral reef fish on repeat. You may not be able to fish for these beautiful specimens, but it’ll at least help us calm down as we wait for the 15th to arrive.

As always, if you do not want to receive these emails, please let me know with a quick reply and I will take you off the list. If you know of anyone that should be receiving these emails and is not - please let me know so I can contact them.

If you have any questions or comments please let me know! Have a great day - see you so soon!

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​WHAT’S UP, PIERCE COUNTY?

It is good to be talking to you again… or, to be talking at all again! This last week, I was struck with an awful flu - and yes, before you ask, I got my flu shot this year! Even though I was laid up, I was fortunate to be able to meet with our WACA board last weekend. The wheels are moving quickly now! Expect a few more messages in the coming weeks as we share more details leading up to the conference.

HOTEL RESERVATIONS:
Some of you have planned ahead and have already reserved a room in our block at the Vancouver Hilton! That is fantastic, but we also need you to make sure to register for the conference itself. Our block is filling up quickly; if you have reserved a room but have NOT registered for the conference by February 1st, your hotel reservation will be cancelled. If you have registered for the conference AND reserved a hotel room, you are all set! Thank you!

If you are staying with us at the Vancouver Hilton, we have 100 reserved parking spots. They will cost $6 a night, which is the reduced conference rate. There is also parking near the Hilton (across the street) for $8.00 per day. We encourage you to carpool with others from the area or take Amtrak down to the conference (there is a stop right in Vancouver, as well as one in Portland; it’s a beautiful ride!).

In addition to the Hilton, we also have rooms available at the Comfort Inn, which is just a 5 minute drive from the conference. The rooms at this newly remodeled hotel are priced at $107 per night and they provide a free continental breakfast. So you can have a free first breakfast before you show up for second breakfast at the conference after your long 5-minute drive :)

REGISTRATION AND THE WACA WEBSITE:
Remember that registration is all online at our WACA website! If you are going to pay with a credit card, please have it ready when you register. You will be asked to enter the card number when you register.
Also, if you notice any technical issues on the WACA website, please let our technology expert Ryan Healy know! You can email him at ryan_healy@ycs.wednet.edu.

PRESENTING:
I know great things are happening in your schools, and this is an excellent opportunity to share those with your colleagues! We have several from Area 3 signed up, but we always looking for more great presenters! We have two lovely presentation formats for you to choose from: a short “Meet the Pros” session (10 minute presentation repeated several times with a small group), or a longer 50-minute presentation (will present once). Think about the great things you and your students do and what you might share with others, then sign up to present. The presenter application is also live on the website!

PRE-CONFERENCE:
Our speakers plan for the registration numbers we provide them, so we would like to encourage you to show up for the session you signed up for at registration. We have four amazing pre-conference sessions lined up, and we want to make sure each of our speakers have accurate numbers.

DIETARY NEEDS:
If you are need us to provide for your vegetarian, gluten-free, or other special diet, please let me know so we can do our best to accommodate those of you with specific needs.

WACA BOOKSTORE:
Do you have books, tools, manipulatives, etc. that you find especially useful in your classroom? We’re always open to suggestions of what to stock in our WACA store and would love to stock up on items that have worked for you! Let me know if you have any suggestions. We will also have some pretty great Leadership swag available for purchase in the store as well.

Phew! That is it for now - thank you for all you do, and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have! Can't wait to see you all at WACA 2017!

What up, Area 3? Happy December! Can you believe that we're on the calendar's last page already? This is my unofficial "Christmas card" to you - I hope the length of the missive doesn't detract from my enthusiasm to wish you a wonderful holiday season :)

The holidays are always a time for celebration, and there is great reason to celebrate on the WACA front as well: as of yesterday, we have people registered for the conference (March 15-17 in Vancouver, WA)! We usually don't hit that number until January! Not only that, 26 of those 100 are from Pierce County. Across the state, we have the largest number of delegates registered so far! Rock on! I love the enthusiasm. If you are planning to register but haven't yet, you can do so right here! One of the biggest reasons I love WACA is the opportunity to learn from those right in this region, and that opportunity gets more meaningful as we add more delegates with great ideas.

Also: we are on the lookout for presenters for the conference! We would love for you to consider sharing your expertise in a 50-minute session or a 10-minute "Meet the Pros" session. Area 3 has traditionally been very well-represented in our presenters, and for good reason! We are a powerhouse of an area, and I want to encourage you to share some of your powerful programs and ideas with others from across the state. These sessions are among the many highlights of WACA, and it's all because of your enthusiasm for our work of building a culture in our schools.

If you are interested, please go to http://www.wacaonline.org/presenter-application.html and submit a description of your workshop. We already have several from Pierce County, and we would love to have more! As I've already mentioned, I know there's a ton of talent in our Area, and I would love to see it on display this spring!

Finally, I just want to send a word of encouragement to you as you rock these last two weeks before the break. I know that as wonderful as it is, holiday programming can seem onerous on top of all our normal responsibilities. We feel like we're going 100 miles an hour, like a Christmas turkey with its head cut off, and it's easy to be overwhelmed and lose sight of what makes the season magical. Sometimes we need to take a step back and enjoy the moment; drink a cup of cocoa, laugh with our students, whistle a Christmas song, drive through an especially festive neighborhood. If you need help pausing, then I'd encourage you to take this opportunity to at least take 3:10 and enjoy a timeless Christmas tune. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into making this winter a wonderland for your students! I can almost feel the snow falling now...


Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and see you next year in Vancouver!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen - the day is here!

Click here to register for WACA 2017!

The prices are all listed on the site - there is a discount if you register 4 or more in a group. You also will have the opportunity to choose to register for a preconference session. Contrary to my last email, there are actually four preconference sessions this year! Full descriptions of 1-3 are available on our website, as well as in my previous email. All of these sessions are going to be fantastic - I am just emphasizing Session 4 since it wasn't in my last message to you :) 

SESSION 1: Topics in ASB Funding and Finance, Presented by Martin E. Fortin, Jr., AWSP
SESSION 2: Study Session: Looking at Leadership, Presented by Susan Fortin, AWSL Director & Joe Fenbert, AWSL Curriculum & Communications
SESSION 3: Keeping Character Development in Focus With Your Advanced Hands-On Leadership Class, Presented By John Norlin - Director of Student Leadership and Community Involvement K-12 Sumner School District (shout out to Area 3!)

New! SESSION 4: ENGAGE: Creating Culture that Works, Presented by Scott Backovich, Motivational Speaker

"What if I told you that school spirit doesn’t have to be loud or crazy? What if the purpose of dances, rallies, and assemblies wasn’t to gain massive attendance, but to establish something even greater? Most importantly, what if I told you that the entire process of building a positive and inclusive community in your school could be boiled down to ONE system?

​"Get in fast! In this session, we will cover student engagement as a hands-on model, backed by data and proven in schools all across the country. Want to know how the best schools in America are formed? Come in and learn the model for yourself!"

Once you register, I will be excited to see your faces at WACA this spring! Enjoy your week!

Good afternoon, Area 3!

I have to start with a proud dad moment - our little dude, Robin, is turning 1 next Tuesday. Holy moly! It is amazing to look back over the past year and think about everything that has happened. Not just for my family and me, but for all of us. A lot happens in a school year - thank you for all you have done this year to make amazing things happen for our students here in Pierce County.

This is an exciting time - there are only 9 weeks left in our school year (and probably less for most of you)! I am already starting to mourn the year that has passed, but of course, it's not over yet, and this is also a time to start getting excited about the future.

On that note, it's that time of the year when some buildings begin making plans for next fall. If you know that you are moving out of your role in student leadership and you do not want to receive these messages, please let me know. 
Related: If you know who will be taking over your role in the leadership program at your building, I would love to add them to the list!

Secondly, I have had a number of people ask for information about John Norlin's adviser trainings. His preconference session at WACA was packed, but we are fortunate that we don't have to leave Pierce County for the full training! There are two dates coming up: One this Saturday, April 30, and one on Saturday, August 13. I wholeheartedly recommend coming to one of these dates; it is a fantastic training whether you're entering your first or your thirtieth year in student leadership. The registration form is attached to this message, and there are still spots available for this Saturday! Please contact me or John (john_norlin@sumnersd.org) if you have any questions.
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 Advisor Training Reg. Form 2016 - Spring and Su...
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Finally, if you have any questions, concerns or want to give feedback for the board to discuss as we start initial planning for WACA 2017 (March 15-17 in Vancouver), I'd love to connect!

Enjoy this time - we'll talk soon!