FLL Jr. ADMINISTRATOR INFO
Want to guarantee your child a spot in the program but don't have time to coach? We are offering volunteer positions as alternates to coaching that will also guarantee your child's participation. Please contact Wendy Smith at greccoach@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming part of the G-REC FLL Jr. Administration Team! The positions are as follows:
"Registration Researcher"
"T-Shirt Technician" - Beverly (thank you SO much!)
"Expo Engineer"
"Equipment Storage Scientist"
"Fundraising Financier"
If you want to learn what these jobs entail, please look at the following website pages before asking for more information.
1) You can find information on the registration job here. You must be willing to kindly answer parent questions regarding registration, and respect G-REC board decisions regarding registration.
2) For T-shirts, you need to:
- Find the best deal, between $5 and $10 per shirt (we've used FrenchToast for two years, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019);
- Establish dark or bright color choices for the cotton (ink color is white);
- Establish deadlines and a way to exchange the information with the shop, including unique team design, color, and sizes;
- Collect all the designs from the teams and make sure they are in the correct format;
- Submit the designs to the shop;
- Design the back recognizing G-REC and our sponsors (over $250) this season, including GPS and GEHMS;
- Get the teams to fill in an online sheet with the sizes and team color choice (6 participants, 2 coaches, 1 student mentor);
- Collect $ for any extra shirts if you choose to offer that option;
- Order and pay for the shirts;
- Get reimbursed by Clare at the Board of Education from our student activities fund;
- Accept delivery of the shirts;
- Check the orders, team by team;
- Contact the shop for any corrections; and finally,
- Deliver shirts to the teams.
You must be willing to charge approx. $2,000 on your credit card, which will be reimbursed a few days after you submit the receipt to Clare.
3) The "Expo Engineer" needs to plan and execute the Expo. You will have to book the entertainment, arrange volunteers, buy food for reviewers, set up and clean up on the date, etc. The date and location (and snow date) are already reserved for you. You can learn about the Expo here, and then think through what you need to do to make that happen.
4) You can find information about the Equipment job here.
5) Fundraising job tips are located here.
"Registration Researcher"
"T-Shirt Technician" - Beverly (thank you SO much!)
"Expo Engineer"
"Equipment Storage Scientist"
"Fundraising Financier"
If you want to learn what these jobs entail, please look at the following website pages before asking for more information.
1) You can find information on the registration job here. You must be willing to kindly answer parent questions regarding registration, and respect G-REC board decisions regarding registration.
2) For T-shirts, you need to:
- Find the best deal, between $5 and $10 per shirt (we've used FrenchToast for two years, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019);
- Establish dark or bright color choices for the cotton (ink color is white);
- Establish deadlines and a way to exchange the information with the shop, including unique team design, color, and sizes;
- Collect all the designs from the teams and make sure they are in the correct format;
- Submit the designs to the shop;
- Design the back recognizing G-REC and our sponsors (over $250) this season, including GPS and GEHMS;
- Get the teams to fill in an online sheet with the sizes and team color choice (6 participants, 2 coaches, 1 student mentor);
- Collect $ for any extra shirts if you choose to offer that option;
- Order and pay for the shirts;
- Get reimbursed by Clare at the Board of Education from our student activities fund;
- Accept delivery of the shirts;
- Check the orders, team by team;
- Contact the shop for any corrections; and finally,
- Deliver shirts to the teams.
You must be willing to charge approx. $2,000 on your credit card, which will be reimbursed a few days after you submit the receipt to Clare.
3) The "Expo Engineer" needs to plan and execute the Expo. You will have to book the entertainment, arrange volunteers, buy food for reviewers, set up and clean up on the date, etc. The date and location (and snow date) are already reserved for you. You can learn about the Expo here, and then think through what you need to do to make that happen.
4) You can find information about the Equipment job here.
5) Fundraising job tips are located here.
Coach Training Information
Core Values
The FIRST core are essential for every team to learn, and are judged once the children start competing in FLL. Do the children a favor and introduce these at your first team meeting and reinforce them all season long.
The FIRST core are essential for every team to learn, and are judged once the children start competing in FLL. Do the children a favor and introduce these at your first team meeting and reinforce them all season long.
- DISCOVERY: We explore new skills and ideas.
- INNOVATION: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
- IMPACT: We apply what we learn to improve our world.
- INCLUSION: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
- TEAMWORK: We are stronger when we work together.
- FUN: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!
Equipment to Coaches
It's nice to have a meeting to introduce yourself to the coaches and to hand out the equipment all at once. Be sure to record the serial number of the iPad that is given to each coach, linking the coach to a specific iPad. Coaches need to sign a form holding them responsible for the return of the equipment. In the past, coaches have been billed for losing items like a Simple Machines Set or a plastic storage bin, but not for losing individual LEGO parts or office supplies. It is helpful to collect donations of used LEGO from FLL field kits, as there are many replacement parts available! The administrator could choose to sort and keep these parts in a central location, so when you sort the kits at the end of the season, you can replace missing pieces. The Inspire Set prices should just be added to the misc. LEGO pieces in the main 12-gallon bin at the end of the season.
Background Checks
Coaches need to pass one or two background checks, depending on whether or not they are on a season's pass with FIRST or regular single team registration. There is a no-charge online background check required by FIRST if you are not on the season's pass. Instructions are provided when registering at firstinspires.org. Glastonbury Public Schools (GPS) has been covering the cost, approx. $70, to run background checks on all the coaches. This is required when volunteering in the schools. Parents may ask if they can help out without going through the GPS background check. I've been using the rule that if they attend more than two meetings, a background check is required. Returning coaches are given preference when registering because their experience creates a better program and their background check is still valid, saving the school system money.
Communicating
I like to post the coaches' names and emails on the website, so that parents can get in touch with the coach. It is important to tell the parents that the children need to follow the rules they would follow if they were in school, and to tell the coaches that they must communicate with the parents if there is a problem. The coaches are volunteers, not trained teachers. They have the right to require a parent to attend if their child is disruptive to the team. If the parent cannot or refuses, the coach has the right to terminate the child's participation on the team. Because of the disappointment this may cause to the child, coaches should make every effort to communicate with the parents right away if there are any issues. In general, it is best if the coaches communicate regularly with the parents on their team. The administrator can send out a few emails over the season, maybe a welcome email, one regarding the Expo, and a closing email, but in general the Admin emails the coaches, who then pass on the information to the team. This sets the tone that parents should contact their coach with questions, not the administrator, who should just redirect to the coach in most cases.
Facilities
Since the beginning in 2015, GPS has provided facility use at no charge to G-REC. Only the Administrator should reserve rooms on behalf of G-REC for teams. The contact is Mary Wilbor, and the GPS website provides the current community use form for download. These can now be submitted over email. It is important to communicate to the coaches the imperative that they respect the GPS Building Use Guidelines. These can also be found on the GPS website. If you accidentally made a mess in the classroom (ink on a desk or something?) you must find a custodian before you leave for the evening to resolve the problem. No paints, glitter, etc. should be used in the room. Children should never touch teacher or student belongings. If it's too much for coaches to manage, the alternative is to meet at home. One warning is acceptable but after a second mistake, teams must find an alternative meeting location.
Safety
Ideas for coaches:
- Discuss with your team what to do in the event of a fire alarm.
- Make sure you find out if anyone on your team has a health concern that could affect them while you are supervising them, like seizures, asthma, or allergies. (You aren't allowed to eat any food in the classroom, but it still might be good to know.)
- Make sure you have eat least one contact phone number for each child's parent or guardian in the event of an emergency.
- You might want to consider having parents sign students in and/or out.
- Use the restrictions feature on the iPad to protect children from inappropriate internet content and apps.
Curriculum
FIRST provides curriculum for the coaches. The LEGO Simple Machine sets come with build instructions for experimenting with simple machines, and much is available online for teaching these concepts. Since the FIRST LEGO League Junior program is constantly evolving, it is best to direct the coaches and parents to the FIRST website, firstinspires.org, to get information about the program's curriculum. Coaches can also call FIRST in New Hampshire with questions. There are various Expos that teams can consider attending, in Connecticut and nationally. It is important to direct folks to the FIRST website so they understand that this is a global program, not a Glastonbury one.
