Welcome to the unofficial site of the Destination ImagiNation (DI) program for Willow Creek Elementary School.  This wiki site is intended to be a "meeting" place for team managers at all levels to discuss challenges, offer tips and suggestions to new managers, and for Mr. Long to make announcements and communicate information.

UPDATE - 1/13/2010

I hope that all teams are off to a solid start in the new year.  By now, competitive teams should be well into working on solutions to their particular challenges.  Please remember to look at Section D of your challenge document.  This page outlines the amount of points available in each category of the challenge.  It is important to focus your attention during team meetings on the high-value areas.  Don't forget Instant Challenges!!

For Rising Stars teams, you should have had a couple meetings by now to brainstorm solutions to your challenge.  Try to address all areas of the challenge, encourage collaboration among team members, and keep it simple, light, and fun.  Also, Don't forget Instant Challenges!!

Thanks to all for getting in T-shirt orders and registration.  I appreciate the diligence and expediency in getting them in on time.

BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS

I hold a challenging, yet highly rewarding, position at Willow Creek where I get to sponsor an extracurricular activity that promotes important 21st century skills and positively impacts academic achievement.  The challenge arises from balancing fun and enthusiasm with setting goals and meeting objectives.  At the same time, I want to uphold high standards to maintain our school's highly successful reputation in DI.  To do so, I need the help all Team Managers.

It has come to my attention that behavior of some DI participants and, in a few cases, younger and/or older siblings, has been less than ideal inside our school building.  This information comes to me courtesy of parents, fellow staff members, DI team managers, and my own observations.

Team Managers need to supervise all behavior of DI team members AT ALL TIMES while in the building.  Please remind parents of your team that they need to help you in this endeavor, including supervising younger/older siblings.  Also, please add that supervision needs to occur regardless of school being in session or not.  It is extremely important for us to respect school property, in particular, but also to respect the fact that teachers AND students are still working in the building...often very late into the afternoon and evening.  They should never be disturbed by noise or disorderly behavior in the hallways.

ACTION ITEM:  To help you with managing this communication, please forward the following to all parents (email or print):

• School rules apply AT ALL TIMES and they apply to EVERYONE in the building:  no running, jumping, wrestling, shouting...period.  When DI meetings conclude, students and siblings should be taken outside to the playground to engage in these behaviors.  If parents with siblings are waiting during DI meetings, children need to be supervised or taken outside so as not to disturb the team or other people working in the building.

• Please stay out of classrooms other than the classroom hosting a DI meeting.  Children and parents should not enter a classroom unless the Team Manager is present.

• Children should not be allowed to tamper with or touch any equipment, materials, or artwork in the hallways.  In particular, the tricycles and stationary bike in the third grade hallway should NOT be touched by any children or adults.  These are specially designed occupational and physical therapy instruments that can only be used by students with those specified needs.

• While in the classroom, children should not be allowed to touch any classroom electronic equipment, crawl on furniture, move any furniture or other items around, or use any classroom materials unless the teacher has given permission.  RULE OF THUMB:  treat a classroom like you would another person's home.

• Clean up any snack trash, crumbs, and spills thoroughly.  RULE OF THUMB:  the teacher should not be able to tell you were ever there.  DI team members should be expected to clean up after themselves!!

• If materials were borrowed and used (with permission from the teacher), all items need to be returned to where they were found.

• Noise levels in hallways before and after meetings should be kept to a minimum.  During meetings, students need to be respectful and use "classroom" voices.  Please remind them (and parents) that people are working in the building and they should never be disturbed.

• The Behavior Contract, signed by DI members and their parents, clearly states that behavior expectations will be upheld.  If any student requires intervention by me on more than one occasion, he or she will be asked to cease participation in Destination Imagination.

I know it is difficult to supervise children other than your own, or to monitor someone else's supervision.  I find that if clear expectations are set forth and reinforced consistently, both children and adults react positively.  I am here to help you, so if you encounter difficulty with students or parents, please let me know immediately. 

I will be visiting ALL DI meetings being held in our building over the next week.  During my visits, I will remind all students of their responsibility to behave according to my expectations.

Thank you for your attention to this notice.  If you questions or comments, send me an email or use the comment space below.

Use the comment space below to ask questions, offer insights, suggestions, funny stories, etc.

Click here for a list of documents available for team managers.

Click here for team info.

Juggling Meatball Moms