SCHEDULE OF BIG BACKYARD ACTIVITY
Summer before
? Attend Big Backyard Program Coordinator meeting - June
? Order walks for next year from central printing – late June/early July (done)
? Submit volunteer solicitation page to PTA for inclusion in parent packet (Trina will do)
September
? Schedule trainings with trainers for 1st wk of Oct.; confirm dates of Bev’s intro training. If 5th grade walk is moved to fall, that training should probably be held the 26th or 27th of Sept., with the walks going out the following week
? Check school’s Master Calendar to make sure there are no conflicts with training dates
? Send out another solicitation for volunteers
? School News: brief intro to BBY, volunteer solicitation, all training dates. Resubmit copy each week as needed. This takes foresight!
? Post notices of training dates in windows
? Distribute permission slip form to all students. We may want to revise it to include disclaimer about ticks, etc. if we get the versions from other BBY programs in time
? Write slip to teachers about permission forms going out. Putting slips in teacher’s mail boxes works better than making entries in the Day Book I think.
? Hold meeting with Grade Coordinators. Go over scheduling, kits, changes, goals
? Compile volunteer sheets into data base (Barbara)
? Create packet for teachers: brief letter reviewing what we ask of teachers, changes (5th grade walk moved to fall, option to combine grade 1 early and late spring walks), and who will be grade coordinator for each grade. Include:
o Volunteer list to date
o Extra copy of permission slip (note they should hold onto this as master to copy from – also gives rough dates for their walks)
? Teachers switching grades: provide with set of walks
? Create packet for Class Coordinators. See last years.
? Give overview/pitch at PTA committee intro meeting. Circulate sign-up.
? Before Back-to-School night:
o Discuss possibility of teachers encouraging volunteering for BBY – teachers didn’t follow through last year
o Put up introductory BBY display on bulletin board – inspiring quotes from famous naturalists are always good. Also kids quotes this year?
o Leave information sheets, extra volunteer forms, maps to Bridge school trailers, and permission slips on BBY desk
o Trina will be creating science curriculum table or materials which will incorporate BBY and will also describe new Nature Journaling project
? Make sure there are 3 video tapes for each walk going out and the introductory session with Bev. Make copies as necessary.
? Set up fall video-lending libary
? Grade Coordinators to do
o build kits for fall walks. Keep clip boards in central pool?
o New teachers: introduce yourself, describe walks and when they go out, identify grade coordinator (and class coordinator if have), give teacher packet of walks and environmental basics handbook.
o Find Class Coordinators for each class, and help find volunteers
o Talk to parents who volunteered last year but haven’t signed up again?
October
? Trainings held week of September 30th – Oct 4th. K and 1 trainings could be held a week later.
? At trainings have parents sign in, use name tags with teacher’s name, hand out tips sheets to new volunteers, make any announcements. Show them where things are, most important in Kindergarten (and Grade 1?) trainings.
?
? Walks go out in following two weeks or so 2nd, 3rd and 5th grades should be scheduled first because they need leaves.
? Trina has figured out by now how nature journaling will fit in and will incorporate into trainings and walks if/as appropriate.
? Notices about walk, appropriate dress and footwear, insect repellent, etc should be going home from teachers to parents before each walk. Teachers should be doing this, but often don’t. Created one form they didn’t use –try again?
? Class coordinators should be restocking kits; Glass coordinators should be monitoring
? Class coordinators should be monitoring board and make sure walks are getting scheduled.
? Keep a calendar with you to enter walks as they are scheduled on white board so you can talk about scheduling issues from home.
? Photograph some of walks? (recruit)
? Take comparative photos of study areas (Trina)
? School News entries as needed
? Grade Coordinators: talk with Teachers and Class Coordinators after walks to get feedback and pass on to Program Coordinator (prepare a form for this feedback?)
November
? Grade Coordinators: Break down kits
? Establish Winter walk training dates, and who is doing
? Put training dates in School News
? Catch up!
December
? Put up notices about training dates
January
? Winter trainings should be held the week of January 20th, a week earlier than last year, to ensure that all walks can go out before Feb. Vacation. (assuming it is close to the same dates as last year
? Write reminder/update letter to class coordinators and teachers as necessary
? Grade Coordinators: build kits before walks
? Class Coordinators: schedule walks
? Teachers: notices home are particularly important in winter
? Winter display for bulletin board
? Look into bus for 4th grade walks and work out with Anne and teachers how we will do this. Barbara and I figured two walks per day if we use the town school busses since they have other obligations. Schedule these walks (with rain dates) now?
February
? Grade Coordinators: break down kits after walks are completed
? Schedule and staff Early Spring trainings for K and 1. Again, I might push up the Early Spring trainings for K and 1 by a week and schedule them the week of March 17th (if April vacation is the week of the 14th), to give 3 weeks for the walks.
? Send out and post notification for Early Spring training dates
March
? New Bulletin board?
? Schedule and staff Late Spring trainings for Grades 2 (we did May 10th last year - fine) and Grade 3 (we did May 6th last year – a little early?). Find out when Fran is doing the 4th grade training.
? Send out and post notification for Late Spring training dates, inc. Fran’s
April
? Grade Coordinators: break down kits after walks are completed
May
? Coordinate dates of Grade 4 Whipple Hill walks through Fran, so schools don’t overlap. Have someone tag study sites along the walk with surveyor tape (and take it down!)
June
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