Save the Date for the 2025 Administrative Assistants Conference

July 23-24, 2025
Madison Marriott-West

Registration will open in Spring 2025

 

2024 Administrative Assistants Conference

The 2024 Administrative Assistants Conference was held July 24-25, 2024 at the Madison Marriott West. Who should attend? School principals secretary, associate principals secretary and any other school secretary. 

Click here to view session handouts from the 2024 Conference.

Cost:

Pre-Conference Session: $45
(additional fee required)               

Conference: $179

Hotel Information:

Madison Marriott West
1313 John Q. Hammons Dr.
Middleton, WI 53562
(608) 831-2000
$139 single (includes parking)
Block expires 7/3/24
Book Online

 


Wednesday, July 24, 2024

12:00-5:30 PM Pre-Conference Registration
(choose one only; additional fee required)

1:00-4:00 PM Pre-Conference Session 

1. In the Room Where it Happens: What Administrative Assistants Need Know to Comply with Law and Policy
Tess O’Brien- Heinzen, Attorney, Renning, Lewis & Lacy

Administrative assistants play an essential role in district management and legal compliance. In this three-hour presentation, Attorney Tess O’Brien-Heinzen will provide assistants information critical to their unique positions and facilitate robust and interactive group discussion. Tess will cover the basics of family law including custody, placement, foster care, confidentiality, and pupil records. In addition, Tess will present common fact patterns which fold in issues of parental rights, employee involvement in family court including subpoenas to appear and produce documents, special education, Section 504, and more. Come prepared with questions and be ready to participate in lively discussion!

2:00-4:00 PM Pre-Conference Sessions 

2. Maximizing Google Tools: An Essential Workshop for Administrative Assistants
Rita Mortenson, Educational Technology Coach, Verona Area School District

Join me for a comprehensive 2-hour session tailored specifically to empower administrative assistants in their pivotal role of supporting leadership within their district. This engaging session will delve deep into the ever-changing world of Google tools and strategies, providing essential skills and insights for enhanced administrative excellence. Discover techniques for efficient document management, streamlined communication, collaborative workflow optimization, and data analytics. You’ll learn a wide variety of Google tools to help ensure you can anticipate, meet, and exceed the diverse needs of your district’s leadership. Elevate your role, enhance your support, and become an indispensable asset to your educational institution.

3. Visual Excellence: A Beginning and Intermediate User Guide to Canva
Brian Nicol, Holly Henderson & Amanda Getgen, The Donovan Group

Discover how Canva can help you craft compelling visuals, elevate your communication strategy with user-friendly tools, and ensure your graphics captivate and resonate with your community. From essential design principles to intermediate design techniques, this presentation equips you with the skills to enhance your school’s image and unlock your school’s visual excellence using the design platform Canva.

4:30-5:30 PM Welcome Reception 

Enjoy complimentary cocktails and appetizers while socializing with colleagues from around the state!


Thursday, July 25, 2024

7:00-8:30 AM Registration & Continental Breakfast 

8:45 AM Opening Keynote:
Serving Well and Staying Sane: Efficiency Hacks and Self-Care Practices for the Thriving Administrative Assistant

Joe Schroeder, Associate Executive Director, AWSA 

As the first point of contact for students and adults alike, administrative assistants are critical to the customer experiences that stakeholders receive and, ultimately, to the level of support conferred to the school and district. However, such frequent, frontline interaction can also at times push limits, where you can feel bombarded by multiple people with multiple demands for your singular time. This session is designed to help administrative assistants better meet the significant demands of the role without neglecting those parts of ourselves that make us whole human beings. You will leave the session with strategies to better manage the work and take care of yourself, approaches you can put in place tomorrow to help you better succeed and thrive in the year ahead.

10:00 AM Beverage Break

10:15-11:30 AM Concurrent Sessions Round One

1. AI for Administrative Assistants: Elevating Excellence in Support of School Success
Rita Mortenson, Educational Technology Coach, Verona Area School District

Join me for a session designed for administrative assistants looking to leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence to support school leaders effectively. Explore how AI can revolutionize your daily responsibilities, from managing schedules and emails to automating data entry, freeing you up to provide invaluable support. Delve into AI-driven data analytics for more informed decision-making and discover AI tools that streamline communication and document management. By the end of this session, you’ll be equipped to harness AI’s potential, bolster your administrative skills, and offer invaluable support to your principal or superintendent. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your role in education administration through AI!

2. Front Office Conflict, Handling Challenging Interactions (repeated)
Tammy Gibbons, Director of Professional Learning, AWSA

As a front office staff member, you are often the first line of defense for the school, the principal and the staff. Often there are uncomfortable interactions, challenging situations, or someone/something that is demanding your attention and urgency. Not everyone who comes through the office handles their emotions or issues in the most effective ways. In this session, participants will learn some conversational stems that can de-escalate and/or move a person out of their emotional state into a productive state.

3. Communicate with Impact: School Newsletter Tips and Tools (repeated)
Brian Nicol & Amanda Getgen, The Donovan Group

In a world with endless platforms, apps, and methods of communication, an integrated and well-designed newsletter can be a home base for your community to stay up-to-date with school news. In this session, you will learn the key elements of crafting an effective and easy-to-make newsletter that will not only inform but also foster community and engagement in your district or school. Learn proven strategies that you can employ in your own routine to collect content, draft layout, and finalize the newsletter while maintaining organization and timeliness within your administrative team.

4. School Safety Resources and Information
Trish Kilpin, Director, Office of School Safety, WI Department of Justice

This session will highlight resources available to schools as they work to create and maintain safe schools.

 

11:30-12:30 PM Lunch

12:30-1:45 PM Concurrent Sessions Round Two

1. Canva - A Free Video Editing Tool for Administrative Assistants
Rita Mortenson, Educational Technology Coach, Verona Area School District

Explore the limitless potential of Canva video editing tools, available for free to all administrative assistants. In this fun and engaging session, we’ll delve into the art of creating high-quality social media videos, back-to-school content, and captivating promotional materials for your school’s special events. Learn the craft of video production, seamlessly integrating dynamic visuals, persuasive text, and graphics to captivate your school’s audience. Utilizing Canva’s video editing tools, customized templates and thousands of multimedia elements it is easy to make your school’s message unique and engaging.

2. Front Office Conflict, Handling Challenging Interactions
Tammy Gibbons, Director of Professional Learning, AWSA

As a front office staff member, you are often the first line of defense for the school, the principal and the staff. Often there are uncomfortable interactions, challenging situations, or someone/something that is demanding your attention and urgency. Not everyone who comes through the office handles their emotions or issues in the most effective ways. In this session, participants will learn some conversational stems that can de-escalate and/or move a person out of their emotional state into a productive state.

3. Communicate with Impact: School Newsletter Tips and Tools
Brian Nicol & Amanda Getgen, The Donovan Group

In a world with endless platforms, apps, and methods of communication, an integrated and well-designed newsletter can be a home base for your community to stay up-to-date with school news. In this session, you will learn the key elements of crafting an effective and easy-to-make newsletter that will not only inform but also foster community and engagement in your district or school. Learn proven strategies that you can employ in your own routine to collect content, draft layout, and finalize the newsletter while maintaining organization and timeliness within your administrative team.

4. Organizing Tips for Work and Home
Kasey Fragoso, Bracket and Bin Organizer

Join us for an engaging session on the invaluable role of organizing skills for administrative assistants, presented by a local professional. In this session, you will discover how mastering organizational techniques can significantly enhance efficiency, productivity, and overall job performance for administrative professionals. Learn practical tips and strategies to create effective systems, streamline workflows, and maintain order in the workplace and at home. Whether you’re a seasoned assistant or new to the role, this session promises to equip you with the tools you need to excel in a fast-paced environment. Elevate your organizational prowess and unlock your full potential! 

1:45 - 2:00 PM Dessert Break 

2:00-3:30 PM Closing Keynote:
Clear is Kind: How to Manage the Office with Kind, Direct Feedback that Promotes Success

Tammy Gibbons, Director of Professional Learning, AWSA

The office is the center of school culture. It’s also the place where people vent, seek support, and sometimes expect to “unload” something that may be their responsibility. Giving honest, productive feedback to colleagues can often feel challenging and overwhelming. This session will focus on contributing to a courageous culture, one that thrives on honesty and accountability.

 

3:30 PM Adjourn
 

Other Information:

Event cancellation or Postponement
AWSA reserves exclusive right to modify, postpone/reschedule or cancel programs for any reason, including but not limited to emergency, inclement weather or other acts of God. If there is an event cancellation, every attempt will be made to reschedule and registration fees will be applied to the reschedule event dates. In the unlikely event of cancellation of an event, including inclement weather, the liability of AWSA is limited to the return of paid registration fees minus actual expenses. Cancellations of travel reservations and hotel reservations made directly with the hotel are the responsibility of the attendee.

Conventions, Conferences, and Workshop Cancellation Policy
A full refund of fees will be made on cancellations received 10 calendar days prior to the start of the event. 9-3 calendar days prior to the start of the event will receive a 50% refund of the fees. After that date there will be no refunds. There is no refund for no-shows. *

Dietary Disclaimer
AWSA makes every effort to accommodate basic dietary needs such as vegetarian, gluten-free and basic food allergies. AWSA does not assume liability for adverse reactions to food consumed or items one may come into contact with while eating at an AWSA event. 

Accessibility
For questions about accessibility or to request special assistance during the event, please contact Kathy Gilbertson at [email protected]. Three weeks advance notice is required to allow us to provide seamless access. If you need to cancel the special request this must be done at least 3 working days prior to the start of the event. See registration cancellation policy on the event’s web page for how to cancel your conference registration.

*Refund fees retained by AWSA pay for your food guarantees, a/v equipment, meeting room rental and any hotel attritions caused by the cancellation.