August 26th EditionAWSA UpdateMore Than a Ride: How the "Bus of the Month" is Transforming Our School Morning
The school day doesn’t actually start when the first bell rings at 9:00 AM. For many of our students, it begins much earlier, at the end of the driveway, waiting for a big yellow bus. Read more here. 2026 Elementary Principals’ ConventionRegister for the Elementary Principal's Convention at the beautiful Grand Geneva Resort & Spa from October 7-9, 2026. Learn and network with state and national thought leaders, including your colleagues from around the state. Room block ends 9/7/26, and click here to see all the resort amenities! Grow Your Impact: Connect with an AWSA Coach This YearAt this time your body and your brain are in two camps. One, rest and relaxation, the other, gearing up for a new school year. I hope you've been able to do some reflecting on your impact without students and staff present at some point this summer. Building a culture of feedback in a school starts with us. Do you model personal reflection as a leader? Have you thought about ways in which a thought partner can help you leverage your school improvement efforts? It doesn't matter if you're in your 2nd year or your 10th year, we all benefit from a coach who helps us study and reflect on our actions and possible inaction. Read more here. AWSA Serving District LeadersPlease mark your calendars for the remaining three virtual meetings designed for district leaders to share insights on timely topics: October 14, December 9, and April 14. To help shape these upcoming sessions, please share your input on topics of interest by completing THIS survey. Our goal is to offer differentiated support that fosters instructional coherence at the district level—ultimately strengthening the work of our site leaders, teachers, and students. Read more here. Principled AI Leadership: Less Noise, Greater ClarityOur One Big Thing - The Problem: AI is probabilistic and can drift without clear direction. The Solution: Establish trusted sources, guiding principles, clear priorities, firm boundaries, and human oversight. Together, these form Our Framework, which we call an AI constitution. Since generative AI entered the mainstream in November 2022, it has promised to streamline our work, deepen our learning, and return time to the human side of leadership. But beneath this promise lies The Problem: AI is probabilistic and can drift. Without clear purpose, parameters, and context, we risk using it in ways that create more noise, more clutter, and more information for our people to manage. Read more here. Nominate an Outstanding PrincipalNominations of Wisconsin PK-12 principals can now be submitted online at KohlEducation.org for the 2027 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Principal Leadership awards. The deadline for submission is Friday, October 2, 2026, at 5 p.m. Central Time. Awards are $6,000, with an additional $6,000 grant going to the school of each selected principal. Nominations are accepted from teachers, parents, principals, and community members. Learn more here. Recognizing our 2026 Class of RetireesWe are grateful for our members who retired this past school year. THANK YOU for your many years of dedicated service. May the coming weeks and months open an invigorating and more leisurely chapter of your lives and provide time to recall many fond memories of countless students and families well served: Class of 2026 Retirees- 2nd Edition. In Case You Missed It: 2026-27 Principal’s CalendarOver the course of the school year, we will highlight the upcoming month so you can “plan to plan”. Click here to view September 2026. Save the Date for Upcoming AWSA Conferences
August 12th EditionAWSA Update2026 Elementary Principals’ ConventionRegister for the Elementary Principal's Convention at the beautiful Grand Geneva Resort & Spa from October 7-9, 2026. Learn and network with state and national thought leaders, including your colleagues from around the state. Room block ends 9/7/26, and click here to see all the resort amenities! The Blueprint to a Wisconsin Elementary School’s Mathematical ExcellenceEvery time someone reaches out to Winskill Elementary School to ask about our math success, they usually begin with the same question: “What resource do you use?” It’s a fair question. I usually smile and tell them we’ll probably need to schedule a meeting because the answer isn’t that simple. Resources matter, but they aren't where our story begins. Read more here. Nominate an Outstanding PrincipalNominations of Wisconsin PK-12 principals can now be submitted online at KohlEducation.org for the 2027 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Principal Leadership awards. The deadline for submission is Friday, October 2, 2026, at 5 p.m. Central Time. Awards are $6,000, with an additional $6,000 grant going to the school of each selected principal. Nominations are accepted from teachers, parents, principals, and community members. Learn more here. In Case You Missed It: 2026-27 Principal’s CalendarEach year AWSA publishes a calendar to help principals stay focused, organized and growing. The resource provides monthly lists of essential responsibilities, dates to remember, professional development opportunities, timely advice on key leadership topics and community builder ideas for parents, students and staff. Over the course of the school year, we will highlight the next month so you can “plan to plan”. Click here to view the 2026-27 calendar. Choosing Joy on Purpose
There is something about August that has always felt a little different to me. Maybe it’s the feeling of a fresh start. Maybe it’s the excitement of seeing people you haven’t seen all summer, walking into a building that has been quiet for a few months, and watching it slowly come back to life. There is something about a new school year that makes you believe, even for a moment, that anything is possible. Of course, August can also feel like a lot. Read more here. AWSA Serving District LeadersIn early summer, our District Leaders’ Commission analyzed survey results from AWSA members serving as district-level leaders of teaching and learning. The feedback revealed a critical need for members to collaborate across district lines, break down silos, bridge connections between district staff and building instructional leaders, and address the professional development gap unique to these roles. In response, AWSA is actively developing new, dedicated programming designed specifically for district-level leaders of teaching and learning, including expanded conference sessions, targeted academies, and online network opportunities. Read more here. Save the Date for Upcoming AWSA Conferences
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