August 26th Edition
AWSA Update
More 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.
Grow Your Impact: Connect with an AWSA Coach This Year
At 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.
Principled AI Leadership: Less Noise, Greater Clarity
Our 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 Principal
Nominations 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 Retirees
We 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 Calendar
Over 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
- Associate Principals Convention: January 27-29, 2027, La Crosse Center, La Crosse
- Middle & High School Convention: February 10-12, 2027, KI Center, Green Bay
- Registration will open for both conferences this fall.
