Are you overwhelmed at the thought of chaperoning your child’s school trip? Seriously, being cooped up with with fifty rowdy teenagers can take its toll on one’s sanity.
Well, chaperones, help is here. These five tips will help you maintain order – and your own sanity – on your school’s bus trip.
Last week, we examined the ten primary responsibilities of a booster club chaperone. Our focus was primarily on the chaperone’s role, and how to lead a school group with confidence.
Today, let’s broaden our scope and discuss the four essential rules of the road for every school group. These rules will help you to maintain safety and order while traveling.
Are you anxious because you’ve volunteered to chaperone your child’s school event? Are you wondering just what you’ve gotten yourself into?
Well, rest assured, you’ll get through this. Today we’re going to look at the role of the chaperone. Once you understand these ten responsibilities, you’ll be ready to lead with confidence.
Fall is right around the corner and football teams and bands will soon be taking the practice fields. They’ll hone the fundamentals, learn the play book, and put the halftime show on the field. Along with the fun and excitement of beginning the new season comes hot weather outdoor practices.
Booster clubs play a vital role keeping everyone safe during summer practices. Here are five ways booster clubs can help instructors – coaches, band directors, and staff – keep students and volunteers safe in the summer heat.
When you accept a leadership role in a booster club, you may feel an obligation to be involved in all of the club’s events and activities. You may feel the need to be there and make sure things are done right, or to simply set a good example for others.
And, while you should set a good example for others to follow, you must balance your time and allow others to serve.
When my son crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, we visited several troops to find the right fit for him. On one of our troop visits, the Scoutmaster was away. There was no one in his absence who could fully answer our questions.
There. I said it. Leading a booster club is hard! It’s the elephant in the room that all enthusiastic booster officers, coaches, and teachers want to ignore. But it’s true.
Today’s parents face more distractions and demands for their time than parents of any recent generation. These distractions pose significant challenges for those of us who volunteer to lead booster clubs.
My three year tenure as booster club president was both challenging and rewarding. However, the rewards always outweighed the challenges. Based on my experience, here are three of the greatest challenges a booster leader will face.
Thriving booster clubs know the key to success is to start each new school year strong. A well planned and executed annual kick-off meeting is just what you need to motivate students and win over their parents.
As the current school year draws to a close, schedule an annual kick-off meeting for all new and returning students and their families. Establish the meeting as mandatory, and require every participating student to be represented. There are not many occasions when all of your parents are together at once, so take advantage of this opportunity to set the tone and create enthusiasm for the new year.
Here are six essentials for an inspiring annual kick-off meeting.
Last week, dozens of Chippewa High School’s band trophies and other awards were found in a trash dumpster behind the school. The discovery evoked memories and sentiment of current students, booster club parents, and alumni. School administration apologized, describing it “a big mistake by a single employee who has since been dealt with.”
Courtesy Katelyn Caldwell
This incident revealed and reinforced just how important extracurricular activities are to students and their families. One mother, whose son was killed while in high school, tearfully shared that, “band was so important to me and my family that I buried my son in a band uniform.”
Last week, I shared six proven ways to win in recruiting volunteer leaders. While these methods have proven to be incredibly effective, I’ve got to be fully transparent: there is no guarantee of success when recruiting volunteers. Occasionally, even the most intentional recruiting will not predict a person’s success in a leadership role.
Courtesy of dreamstime/Dragonimages
Once, when filling a critical leadership role, I applied all the best practices of recruiting, but it just didn’t work out. Here’s what happened.
The end of the school year is near, and many booster clubs are recruiting leaders for next year. The goal is to fill all leadership roles – officers and committee chairs – before the new year begins. Thriving booster clubs know that the smooth transition of leadership is vital in sustaining the club’s success. Let’s take a look at a few best practices in recruiting volunteer leaders.
Courtesy of shutterstock/Rido
To recruit the right people into the right roles, you must first recognize their passion and their strengths. Then, assign them to roles where their passion intersects their strengths. I call this recruiting in the zone.