Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history.
Did You Know? Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week . . .
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.
This year, we would like to honor two important women that are past members of the Washington FFA Association that lead by example. Julie Smiley of the Mount Vernon FFA chapter was the first female officer for Washington state and the first to serve as a National FFA officer. Sharon Staley of the White River FFA chapter was the first recipient of a blue corduroy FFA jacket designed for female members. OSPI is proud to recognize these bright and talented women, who continue to serve as a great example in celebration of Women's History Month.
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Photo Credit - National FFA Organization
Source: National Women's History Museum website, Accessed on 03/09/23.
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The deadline to submit New CTE Courses for the 2023-2024 school year is April 15. Please make sure this year that you are able to meet that deadline. For your planning purposes your program should have the following items in place before submitting:
- CTE Advisory Board minutes reflects the Name and CIP Code for any new courses approved
- Advisory board has reviewed Skills Gap Data related to the course
- Have a copy of the 2022-2023 FFA membership roster and POA ready for upload
If you have any questions please reach out to Tamara Whitcomb at tamara.whitcomb@k12.wa.us for assistance or visit the CTE Resources and Essentials for guidance on creating a framework.
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 Washington FFA state officers, staff, and our Washington State Foundation are excited to play host to 2,000 FFA members, advisors, and guests from across the state as they gather to learn about careers in the agriculture industry, compete in state Career and Leadership Development Events, and shape the future of the Washington FFA Association. The 93rd Washington State FFA Convention and Expo is scheduled for May 11–13, 2023 at the Three Rivers Convention Center Campus in Kennewick, Washington.
The official State FFA Convention link on the Washington FFA Association website is easy to navigate and has quick links for all your FFA chapter's planning needs. We also encourage you to check out the preliminary convention schedule to plan your FFA State Convention experience.
Career & Leadership Development Events (CDE's/LDE's) build on what is learned in agricultural classes and encourage members to put their knowledge into practice. These events are designed to help a member prepare for a career in agriculture by testing and challenging the student's technical, leadership, interpersonal, and teamwork skills as well as their knowledge of the subject matter.
At a state level, we provide the opportunity to participate in upward of 30 CDE's/LDE's to captivate and engage members across a spectrum of interest and career areas. Whether you're excited by the scent of pine or you find yourself at home with your nose in the books, there's something here for you.
Remember that all pre-convention registration for state CDE's will close 2 weeks prior to the event. We encourage you to register early and remember you can always make changes to your list of contestants the day of the event on site with proof of membership.
The inaugural Washington Climate Education Summit, sponsored by ClimeTime, seeks to develop a network of interdisciplinary climate educators ready to integrate climate solutions and climate understanding across all content areas and levels of education. Attendees will learn climate science content as well as how to integrate climate learning into their classrooms. There will be dedicated time to collaborate across and within grade levels and content areas.
This event will be hosted at the Museum of Flight in Seattle on April 29–30, 2023. All K–12 educators from across the state are invited to fill out the short application process to attend this event. The priority deadline for this application is March 19, 2023. All applications are due by March 27, 2023. Accepted educators and educator leaders will be sent information on how their school or district can apply for reimbursement funds for substitutes and/or travel reimbursements for those traveling over 50 miles to the event.
If you have questions, please reach out to:
Lori Henrickson, Climate Science Curriculum Integration Consultant, OSPI lori.henrickson@k12.wa.us
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The Month of April has many application deadlines that are important to meet. Washington FFA state staff have put considerable effort into ensuring that all applications for various degrees, awards, honors, and leadership opportunities are open and available for your students to use.
All information for the various applications can be found on the Washington FFA Association website under the Student or Advisor tabs. All applications are submitted electronically through the National FFA Application System or JotForm; no applications need to be printed or placed in the mail.
If you have questions about any of the applications Due on April 1, please contact an FFA state staff member. Applications include:100% Membership, Citizenship Award, Delegate Issue Submission, Honorary American Degree Candidates, Honorary State Degree, State Officer Nominating Committee, National Convention Delegate.
The National Chapter Award Application and State Superior Chapter Award are both Due on April 15. These applications can be accessed through FFA.org or AET as a part of the National Chapter Award Application.
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With all the outstanding agriculture teachers, programs and supporters in Washington state, it would be great to see everyone recognized for all their hard work in the field. To access the NAAE applications, please visit the NAAE website and remember that All applications should be submitted electronically to Chris Carlson (WAAE Executive Director) at waaeccarlson@yahoo.com by May 5th for consideration.
- Teacher Turn the Key
- Upper Division Scholarship
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding Early Career Teacher
- Outstanding Middle/Secondary Program
- Outstanding Postsecondary Program
- Teacher Mentor
- Ideas Unlimited
- Outstanding Cooperation
- Outstanding Service Citation
- Lifetime Achievement
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Registration for CASE Institutes is open on teachcase.org through April 15, 2023. This is the last year for virtual Institutes. Starting in 2024, all events will be hybrid (5 days in-person / 2 days virtual). For all options and to register, visit:https://bit.ly/CASEInstitutes2023.
Since 2009, CASE has offered hands-on agriscience curriculum through transformative professional development. More than 3,500 teachers hold 7,000+ CASE certifications and deliver inquiry-based, student-focused activities, projects, and problems to students nationwide.
You may know a teacher who needs curriculum and PD support, so feel free to forward this information. We welcome all teachers to become CASE certified.
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Our WAAE Summer Conference will be held June 18–22 at the Northern Quest Resort. This location is just west of Spokane near the Spokane International Airport. It promises to be a very exciting conference! The pre-liminary conference schedule, registration form, and hotel booking flyer are all available for anyone that is interested in attending. Please take note that Chris Carlson is our NEW WAAE Executive Director and can be contacted by emailing: waaeccarlson@yahoo.com. There is also a NEW address to send in conference registration forms: WAAE, PO Box 96, Stanwood, WA 98292
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The Agricultural Education End of Year Report supplies data that can be used to plan for Ag Ed in the future. In a bid to have all agricultural education teachers submit their data this year, OSPI will be utilizing an Alchemers survey format for 2023. The Ag Ed End of Year Report will be sent out via email on May 1, 2023 to all Ag. Teachers and CTE Directors across the state and will remain open only until July 1, 2023. Please see the link for a preview of the questions that will be included on this year's report. |
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OSPI will be serving as an approved clock hour provider for agriculture education teachers this school year for several events within Washington state. These events include:
National Chapter Application Review – Apr. 29, 2023
WAAE Summer Conference – June 18–22, 2023
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Each year, Washington state has openings for agricultural education teaching positions at various locations across the state. As openings for agricultural education teachers are made available this school year, please contact J.D. Baser, Associate Professor at Washington State University at jbaser@wsu.edu, to provide details on the posting. All openings submitted will be made available for anyone to access using the provided link. |
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