ello Everybody!
Welcome back to another school year, and another exciting year of activities.
 
First things first… I’m John Bittinger, your WACA Area #8 Representative and Richland High School Science teacher.  Am I talking to the right person?  ;-)  If so, great.  If you’re not the activities person at your school, or if someone else should be added to my list, would you please reply to this email right away?  Then I can update my contact list.  Thanks!
 
We just held our fall WACA Board meeting in Wenatchee last weekend.  We went to Wenatchee to check out their convention center and hotels.  We’re always keeping our eyes open for possible venues for our conference.
 
There were several items from the board meeting that I thought I should pass on to you:
#1.  Don’t forget that you can apply for Washington State Advisor Certification.  We started the program earlier this year, and have thirty or so certified advisors at this time.  If you’re interested, please refer to the application on line at wacaonline.org (it’s the third menu tab on the left side of the home page).  Application deadline is February 1, 2018.  If you have questions, feel free to shoot me an email.
 
#2.  The state student leadership conference (AWSL) is coming fast, October 13-15, in Yakima.  Registration deadline is this week.  Check out the latest “In the Loop” if you receive that, or google “AWSL” for info and forms.
 
#3.  Speaking of conferences, the NCSA (National Conference on Student Activities) is being held in Spokane this year!  It’s a great conference; when I last attended, I was repeatedly amazed at the amazing opportunities we offer in Washington State.  And it was so much fun to discover how other states address activities.  The conference convenes on December 1-3, 2017, and there is a link to the conference site at the bottom of our homepage (wacaonline.org).  Check it out!
 
#4.  WACA Hall of Fame:  If you would like to nominate someone for the WACA Hall of Fame, the deadline is December 1, 2017.  Again, check the menu bar on the left hand side of our homepage to access the Hall of Fame info and application.
 
#5.  And finally, it’s not too early to think about the WACA Conference, March 14-16, 2018, at the Tri-Cities Convention Center in Kennewick.  And yep, you guessed it!  There’s information about the conference on our website.  Things that I’d like to highlight:

• The Pre-Conference session topics and the Speakers Showcase speakers are listed on the website, if you’d like a little advance peak at some highlights of the first day of the conference.  The rough outline for the entire conference is online as well.
• Registration will open during the first week of October, online via the website.
• There will be conference hotel information available in early October as well.
• When you register, look carefully at the section for menu options/concerns.  We’re trying to serve our delegates as best we can, and trying to be sensitive to dietary needs.
• It’s not too early to think about sharing your expertise and creativity, by presenting a session at the conference.  And note that we are always looking for good secretary/bookkeeper sessions.  And last year, on our post-conference survey, our delegates mentioned a need for more sessions/discussion about ASB Law.  Think about presenting (on any item of interest)… and check out the session presenter application on the website… and email me with ideas or questions.  This conference is being held in “our backyard”; we need to show our stuff!  ;-)

 
Okay, this email is long enough.  So that’ enough info for now.  Please do contact me with concerns or questions.  And please do contact me to help me update this mailing list for our area.
 
Thanks so much!  Have a good evening,
Jb

​Hello everyone!
 
It’s Friday, but I hope that you’ve already gone home to enjoy your weekend.  If not… go home and enjoy your weekend!  ;-)
 
Just some last minute notes, before I see a whole bunch of you next week at the WACA Conference in Vancouver.  Yes, a whole bunch!  We have 28 people from Area 8 attending the conference.  (YEAH!!)  Here are a few last-minute reminders:
 

•  Remember that parking will be pretty squeezy.  Just about 100 spots in the hotel garage (1st come, 1st served, $6 per night), and a parking garage across the street ($8 per night, secure, but closes at 10pm).  Try to carpool if at all possible?
• Attire is casual; come and be comfortable.  Friday is usually “school colors” day, so be ready to show your school spirit.
• We’ll have three area meetings.  The first is mostly for introduction/orientation.  During the second, we’d like to chat about the advisor certification program, so collect your thoughts and be ready to share your perspective.  The third is for elections and conference wrap-up.  At all meetings, we’ll do some nice give-aways.
• Speaking of give-aways, remember that if you wish to, you can bring some chocolate and be entered into our chocolate basket give-away.  Bring a favorite movie/movie treat to be entered in the movie basket give-away.  And we’ll do a bring a bottle/take a bottle exchange so that we can share our favorite wine/grape beverage from the area.  (I think that Tim Turner still has his box of 7-11 Zinfandel that he’s willing to trade!)
• If you’ve looked at wacaonline.org, you probably saw this year’s conference schedule, and noticed that Wednesday evening, we finish up with an ice-cream social/networking at 8:30pm.  Tim and I thought it might be nice to continue that social for our area 8 delegates.  So we’re arranging to extend our social and walk next door to a great restaurant (we ate there at the January board meeting).  It’s called the Warehouse, and they offer the usual beverages and SOME AWESOME APPETIZERS!!  So we’ll plan to head over there at about 9pm to continue our Area 8 social.  We hope you’ll be able to join us.
• If you look at the conference schedule, you’ll notice lots of great 50 minute sessions and Meet the Pros sessions, as well as a plethora of speakers.  Take a peek online, and come ready to pick up lots of ideas and resources.

 
See you soon!  And remember, enjoy your weekend!
Jb

Hello Area #8!
 
Had enough snow yet?  (As I’m writing this, it’s beginning to snow…)  But never fear, WACA is almost here!  And with it, we’ll go fishing… fishing for new ideas!  (This is my third note in as many weeks.)
 
It looks like we have about 20 of us attending the conference from Area 8.  That’s awesome!  If you haven’t registered, you still can.  I was asked to mention that there might be a slight delay in hotel reservations while the Hilton straightens out their reservations roster this weekend.  But you should be able to register both for the conference and the hotel on Monday, using the wacaonline.org site.  And don’t forget about the pre-con sessions!
 
Please consider presenting!  You can find the presenter application on the wacaonline.org website.  Remember, you can do a full 50 minute session, or a short (repeated) 10-minute Meet the Pros session.  And as I was saying last week, we could really benefit from some of our bookkeepers presenting (delegates are asking for your expertise).  Give it some thought.  Contact me if you have questions or want to discuss the possibility of presenting.
 
Some “nuts and bolts” about the hotel:
·         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.  This is subject to availability.  ;-)
·         The hotel offers parking, at $6 per night.  But… there are only 100 spots in the parking garage, so it’s “first come, first served”.  And please consider carpooling to make the resources stretch further.
·         There is also a parking garage across the street ($8/day).  It is a secure lot; that’s good.  But because it is secured, it is locked at 10pm each night.
 
Last item for now:  As we have done for the last half-dozen years, we’ll do some give-away baskets in our area.  Here’s how it works – you bring an item with you and add it to the basket.  For your contribution, you get a ticket for that basket.  On the final day of the conference, we’ll draw from those tickets to give away the basket.  I’m thinking of:
·         Chocolate basket:  Bring a bar/package of your favorite chocolate, and add it to the basket.  Pick up a “chocolate basket” ticket.
·         Movie basket:  Bring a favorite DVD or favorite movie treat, and add it to the basket.  Collect a “movie basket” ticket.
·         I’m also thinking of a bottle exchange, since we live here in grape country.  Bring a bottle of your favorite (wine/cider/juice).  On the last day, take a different bottle home with you.
·         Other ideas?
 
Okay my friends, that’s enough for now.  I’ll have more info to share as the conference gets closer.  In the meantime, travel carefully.  And have a great week!
Jb
 
John M. Bittinger, NBCT
WACA Area 8 Representative
Richland High School

​Hi all,
Here’s the second of several emails.  We chatted about a plethora of topics at the Winter Board meeting a couple of weeks ago.  So, I’m spreading things out over several notes to you.  Here we go again!  ;-)
 
Highlights of first email (all time sensitive!):
1)If you reserved a hotel room but have not yet registered for the conference, you’ll need to do that by February 1st.

• You can also stay at the Comfort Inn (secondary conference hotel, nearby).  It offers a room rate of $107, that includes a continental breakfast.  The Comfort Inn information is also on the wacaonline.org website.

2)At this year’s conference, we’ll present the first awards for state Advisor Certification.  The deadline for submission to be included in this year’s conference is February 1st.   And of course, the Advisor Certification application is on wacaonline.org.
3)If you are attending the conference, and have food allergies, would you please contact me about them? Vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free, peanut allergy,… We’ll accommodate as much as we can.

• Note that coffee, tea, and water are the beverages provided at each meal.  If you wish something more (soda, milk, that neat chai tea of yours,…) please make arrangements to bring that with you.  (non-alcohol of course)

 
New Items:
1)Pre-Conference Sessions.  We have four Pre-Con sessions this year:  Marty Fortin – ASB Law, John Norlin – Character Strong, Scott Backovich – Engage! Creating Culture that Works, and Susan Fortin and Joe Fenbert – Leadership Class Lessons and Resources.  Please sign up!  And recall that space is tight this year, so you must attend the session that you sign up for (no switching when you get there).
2)How about presenting a session this year?  Area 8 has been very well represented in the past, and I hope that continues.  You’ve got a cool activity/project/event that you do at your school.  Please share the experience!

• You can present a full 50 minute session, or a shorter (and repeated several times)  10 minute Meet the Pros session.  For example, I have a stress reduction workshop that I like to present.  It has lots of components, so I use the 50 minute session for that.  But I also just picked up a new book (got it from my daughter at Christmas, actually!) called “Just Do Something!”.  It has some great twists on activities that I already do, so I thought that might be nice for a Meet the Pros session.
• Session presenter registration is found online of course!  Wacaonline.org.
• At the board meeting, it was noted that we need some more ASB law sessions, and last year’s survey results suggested a need for more sessions for secretaries and bookkeepers.  Please consider helping out with these content areas.
• When you present, you will be provided with a screen, a power source, and a table/podium.  Other AV items need to be supplied by you.  (I’m bringing my overhead projector!)
• Tammy Caldwell will have the program completed – with your session descriptions! – in early March.  She’ll put it online as soon as it is ready.

3) Each conference includes elections.  This year, we will run elections for President-Elect, High School Representative, and Odd-Number Area Representatives (I have one more year on my term).  We will also fill appointed positions of Program Chair, Treasurer, and Partner Coordinator.  If any of these positions are of interest to you, please find descriptions online.  And of course, you can chat with me if you have questions.

• Applications for these positions will be due at 4pm on Thursday of the conference.

 
Okay, that’s enough for this installment of WACA Words.  Next week we’ll chat about some final items, including conference attire and fun activities for our area meetings!  Until then, have a great weekend!
Jb

​Hello everyone,
I hope you’re having a great start to the school year.  If your school is like Richland HS, you’re right in the middle of the Fall Frenzy (Homecoming, Spirit Days, new officers, new goals for the year, dances, services projects,…  And that’s just the first page!)  Thanks for all that you do for the climate of your school, and for the leadership that makes Washington State so great.
 
Speaking of Washington State leadership, the AWSL conference is just around the corner, October 14-16 at Mark Morris HS in Longview.  I hope that your school has some students presenting sessions.  The excitement and the energy make it such a great conference.  The WACA Board is presenting two advisors sessions (one on Adviser Certification and one on Leadership Lessons).  It should be a lot of fun.  Hope to see you there!
 
Speaking of great conferences, next year’s WACA Conference will be held in Vancouver, WA.  You’ll leave a sign on your office door that says “GONE FISHIN’ FOR GREAT IDEAS”  (the conference theme!), and head to the Vancouver Hilton, from March 15-17.  There are a number of things about the conference that I’d like to pass on to you.  There are quite a few, so I’m bold-facing the main idea for each bullet.  Here goes:

• The WACA Board met in mid-September to start conference planning.  This first thing we did is to look at last year’s conferenceevaluations.  We had a really good reply (lots of respondents), and we use that info to improve the next conference.  So thanks for your input!
• As always, details for the conference can be viewed at wacaonline.org.
• Online registration opened up on October 3rd.  The site is ready to process POs and credit cards, and is also ready to accept pre-conference course offerings.  (See wacaonline.org)
• There pre-conference offerings are only $45.  That gets you clock hours, lunch, and a wonderful speaker.  (What a catch!)
• There are four options for the pre-con offerings:
  • 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, AWSP & 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  - 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!  (Note:  We’re starting this program at Richland HS this year, and I am see really positive movement in our culture already.)
  • SESSION 4:  ENGAGE: Creating Culture that Works, Presented by Scott Backovich  - 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!
  • NOTE:  The pre-conference offerings are becoming very popular!  So much so, that we have to be thoughtful about which rooms we reserve for them.  So PLEASE know that you may not change your session when you arrive.  Treasurer Norm Sanford will send out an email verification prior to the conference; you’ll need to respond with corrections/changes within a five day period.  After that, the rooms are set, and changes cannot be considered.  Thanks for helping out with this.
• When you register for the conference, you may make some limited dietary requests.  Again, we’re going to ask that you don’t make switches at the conference.  (Last year, a number of people switched their preferences, and others who had reserved special menus were left without a meal.)
• The WACA Hall of Fame and Advisors of the Year are presented each year at the conference.  Nomination forms are available at… you guessed it! … wacaonline.org.  Deadline for nominations is December 1, 2016.
• Please consider presenting a session at the WACA Conference!  A number of you gave great ideas for session topics at last year’s area meetings.  Now let’s get Area #8 involved in those sessions.  Remember that you can present a full 50-minute session, or a quick 10-minute Meet the Pros session.  As you know, applications are available at wacaonline.org.
• If you have a favorite vendor and think that they might like to participate in the conference, please forward their contact info to Partner Coordinator Jen Durham  (pull down the “Contact Us” icon on the website).
• This year, the Board is managing a Washington Student Leader Adviser’s Certification, led by our own Tim Turner, Certification Coordinator.  The certificates will be presented at the conference.  The application is online (pull down the Adviser Certification icon on the website), and it is very straight-forward.  It is very similar to the online teacher certification renewal.  Deadline is February 1, 2017.  Check it out!  (And note that there will be an advisers session at the AWSL conference on the certification process.  We’ll walk you through it, step by step.)
• Please invite your administrator(s) to attend the conference, so that they can see first-hand the kind of work that you do, and how it can positively impact their evaluations.

 
Okay, that’s a lot of bullets!  That’s enough for now.  Let me know if you have questions, concerns, ideas,…  And if you are receiving this email in error, just let me know and I’ll update my contact list.  If you’re not the right person but you know who is, please pass along their contact info, and again, I’ll update my list.  Thanks!
 
Enjoy the rest of your week, and have a great weekend, everyone!
jb
 
John M. Bittinger
Richland High School
WACA Area #8 Representative

Hello Area 8!
 
We are now down to just single digit days until the 2016 WACA Conference!  I can’t wait!
 
I wanted to include our Throwback Thursday template for you in case you would like to come to the conference with your photo already done.  If not, we will have cardstock copies for you to put up your photo when you arrive.
 
Here are a few last minute reminders for you:
 
What to Wear: Something I need to pack?  Yes, but only for fun! During the conference, we often try and dress to the theme (Our own version of WACA spirit) Wednesday, come in whatever you would like. Thursday, because it is Sports themed, feel free to wear a team jersey or any sort of sports attire. Thursday evening, we have a banquet, so feel free to wear your spiffed up sports attire then as well! Friday is usually a day where we all get to represent our own school spirit. Pick a cool shirt that your school has designed to wear around and show off. ALSO! To complement the theme we are doing a fun “ThrowbackThursday” activity. Feel free to bring any old sports pics (yes, of yourself!) from your younger years as an athlete or fan that we can put on display. We will have cardstock templates to attach your photos to and a place to write a little something for other delegates to enjoy. If you would rather, you can also bring a digital copy that we can post on our digital tag board during the conference.
 
Baskets/Give-a-ways: One fun part of the conference is the chance to take a prize home.  In addition to the conference give-a-ways, we will have some Area 8 items too.  If you would like to participate, we will do a coffee basket, chocolate basket, movie basket, and wine exchange.  If you are interested, please bring an item or two for the particular giveaway you would like to be a part of and you will be entered to win it!
 
See you all next week!
 
Your WACA Area 8 Rep,
Sarah
​

Greetings Area 8!
 
The WACA conference is less than a month away.  It is not too late to register or present.  Here is a link to register.http://www.wacaonline.org/registration.html 
 
Presenting at WACA: If you need one final nudge to be a presenter, this is it.  We need YOU to present at Meet the Pros.  This is a low-key 10 minute presentation to a small group sitting around a table together.  Here are some of the topics from last year: Twitter, Mom and Me Tea, Thank You Notes, Speeches, Spirit Assemblies, Food Drives, Backdrop Frames, Lock-ins, Mentoring, and more.  See how easy that is.  Click here to view the presenter application.  We are also in need of presenter for Book the Pros.  This is a chance to share a book or a resource that you use with your leadership program.  Sign up using the same link for being a Meet the Pros presenter.
 
WACA Book Store: Speaking of books, come prepared to the conference to make a purchase at the WACA book store.  I’ve attached a flyer to this email that show just a few of the wonderful items that will be available for purchase.
 
Conference Details:  The conference schedule is on the WACA website (wacaonline.org).  Soon, the program will be complete and also uploaded to the website.  I like to pick my sessions early so I make sure to maximize my time at the conference. 
 
What to Wear: Something I need to pack?  Yes, but only for fun! During the conference, we often try and dress to the theme (Our own version of WACA spirit) Wednesday, come in whatever you would like. Thursday, because it is Sports themed, feel free to wear a team jersey or any sort of sports attire. Thursday evening, we have a banquet, so feel free to wear your spiffed up sports attire then as well! Friday is usually a day where we all get to represent our own school spirit. Pick a cool shirt that your school has designed to wear around and show off. ALSO! To complement the theme we are doing a fun “Throwback Thursday” activity. Feel free to bring any old sports pics (yes, of yourself!) from your younger years as an athlete or fan that we can put on display. We will have cardstock templates to attach your photos to and a place to write a little something for other delegates to enjoy. If you would rather, you can also bring a digital copy that we can post on our digital tagboard during the conference.
 
Baskets/Give-a-ways: One fun part of the conference is the chance to take a prize home.  In addition to the conference give-a-ways, we will have some Area 8 items too.  If you would like to participate, we will do a coffee basket, chocolate basket, movie basket (I forgot to mention this last time), and wine exchange.  If you are interested, please bring an item or two for the particular giveaway you would like to be a part of and you will be entered to win it!
 
Lodging for the conference: Here is a link to the conference lodging.  Book your hotel RIGHT away.http://www.wacaonline.org/lodging.html
 
Last but, not least
Remember, if you know someone that should be receiving this email, but is not, please let me know, I would love to add them. Or, if you no longer want to receive these emails, let me know that too!
 
Take care and enjoy the sunshine!
 
Your WACA Area 8 Rep,
Sara

 Hello Area 8,
 
Welcome back from your three day weekend!
 
Can you believe it is mid-January already?! I sure can’t. The good news is that the countdown to WACA 2016 is on!  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
 
Conference: Registration is live for anyone planning on using a PO and for those using a credit card.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve already submitted my substitute request and travel documents, so don’t delay! I know many districts have sub shortages, so I would hate for you not to be able to get this awesome PD because you don’t have a sub.  Get your paperwork in soon – less than two months until the conference.
 
Two huge highlights of the conference will be our keynote speakers.  This year they are Stu Cabe (http://www.ovationcompany.com/) and Anthony Robles (http://anthonyrobles.com/).
 
Lodging: The official conference hotels are the Springhill Suites (newly opened and connected to the Convention Center, wahoo!) and Hilton Garden Inn (within walking distance).  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!  Additionally, rooms have been added at the Red Lion on Young St. (on the other side of roundabout from Springhill Suites).  Information about all hotels are on the WACA website.  Make sure to let agents know you are with the conference to get the conference rate.  Book your rooms soon to get the conference rate.  The hotels are only holding our block of rooms through the beginning of February.
 
Presenters: The secret sauce of our conference is our presenters, in other words…YOU. Several of our awesome area 6 people presented last year, let’s do it again!!  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 and Books the Pros (sharing about a book/resource you use for activities).  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.

WACA Board: 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 (our area).  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!
 
One last thing - if you know someone who should be receiving this information, please email me their address and I'll get them on the list. And, if you would like me to remove you from this list, please let me know.

You will be getting another email from me soon with even more specific details about the conference.  You are always welcome to email me if you have specific questions.
 
Have a great four day week!
 
-Sarah LeDuc
WACA Area 8 Representative

Good morning WACA fans!
​
I just wanted to send out a friendly reminder that registration is open for WACA 2016!  Check out the trailer online at wacaonline.org!  It’s going to be fun!
Also, we are still looking for presenters and would love for you to consider doing so.  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.
 
Have a wonderful holiday season!