Section 3:
There is no question that this is a big job, and one of the biggest parts is keeping up with your club's supplies.
You need the right supplies, in the right amounts, at the right time, and you need to be able to find them when you need them.
Because of that, we're going to spend this third section looking at how to manage the stuff - so that it doesn't manage you.
Again, remember, "I can't do this by myself." Take that to heart, and don't even try.
You need the right supplies, in the right amounts, at the right time, and you need to be able to find them when you need them.
Because of that, we're going to spend this third section looking at how to manage the stuff - so that it doesn't manage you.
Again, remember, "I can't do this by myself." Take that to heart, and don't even try.
Ordering Supplies
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- Other things to keep in mind:
- You don't have to order all the stuff for each book (bags, etc.)
- More entrance exams:
- More entrance exams are always needed, so that they're on hand to give to visitors.
- Entrance exams also tend to get lost. But as every entrance exam presents the Gospel, we don't complain when they're lost. We just stock extras.
- With the new T&T format, every clubber has to do the entrance exam each year.
- More 1st books than later books, as new visitors will usually transition into book 1 after passing their entrance exam. You usually have more notice before someone requires a book 2.
- All together methods
- Keep in mind clubs that use all the same book each year, like Cubbies. You don't need to keep both books on hand each year, because they're all in the same book at the same time.
- Talk to the T&T director about how they will be handling T&T books as the new curriculum is phasing in - whether or not they will be implementing the "All together" method.
- Some churches have started using the "All together" method with their Sparks programs as well.
- T&T patches
- T&T patches are designed to be winner's choice.
- Find out if your club will be treating T&T patches as first come, first serve OR if you're assigning patches to each section (and therefore need to keep certain quantities in stock).
Organize your space
After you place your first order, while you're waiting for all those goodies to arrive, it's time to organize your space and yourself.
- Room with a door and a lock
- Ask your church leadership for a centralized place to store Awana supplies - a room with a door and a lock.
- Extra credit if you can get a Dutch (split) door with a shelf. It will allow you to be easily accessible to adults, while keeping kids out of the supplies.
- A place to work
- You'll need a place to work with a chair, a computer, and a printer.
- Sometimes those computers could be donated. Check with large companies that would have older models after an upgrade - schools, colleges, hospitals, etc.
- Shelving
- You'll need shelving sufficient for your supplies to stay organized.
- Enough space that anybody can find stuff easily.
- You don't want to be at home sick and trying to direct someone over the phone on which piles they need to move out of the way to find the awards.
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- Award tips: Sparks
- Pre-load wings with Red Jewel 1
- Wings are not usually awarded until Red Jewel 1 is earned, so pre-load most of the wings with it. Wings can be earned with an attendance jewel as well, so leave 1 or 2 without a red jewel.
- Buy extra pin backs
- Some years, the pin backs that come with the wings are impossible to use - either too hard to get on or won't stay on at all. If you get a batch like that, do yourself a favor. Go to the store and just buy a bag of backs. They're not that expensive. And instead of waiting on kids to come up and tell you they've fallen off, just replace them in your box before you hand them out in the first place.
- Pre-load wings with Red Jewel 1
- Award tips: T&T
- T&T awards are designed to be "winner's choice." Decide ahead of time (with your T&T leaders) if you're going to let them choose their own or if you're going to assign certain patches to certain sections.
Make friends with your copier
Now that you have a space to put things and you've ordered supplies, you need to start creating all the paperwork that a functioning club needs.
But remember - I can't do this by myself.
So what you're going to do is write your needs down, organize them, buy what you will need to make it happen, and then plan a time to take over the church copy room. You're also going to make note of every single person who (perhaps flippantly) says, "whatever you need..."
Then, you're going to go draft all those nice people who offered to help and then disappeared.
People tend to turn down requests for help when the request is open ended, because they don't want to risk over-committing. So, when you ask for help, be SPECIFIC. Give them a specific start AND stop time, what the job is, and where it will be.
For example: A few weeks ago, you mentioned that you would be willing to help me at some point. Next Saturday from 2-4pm in the church copy room, I need people to use the copy machine and paper cutter or to put papers in order to help get ready for Awana. Would you be willing to help during that time?
You can even mention that you're bringing food (pizza, dessert, etc.). People will do a lot for a brownie.
Once the work party is scheduled, you (and your draft-ees) are going to spend a lot of time with the copying machine. And one very important aspect of all of those copies will be that they will be COLOR CODED.
But remember - I can't do this by myself.
So what you're going to do is write your needs down, organize them, buy what you will need to make it happen, and then plan a time to take over the church copy room. You're also going to make note of every single person who (perhaps flippantly) says, "whatever you need..."
Then, you're going to go draft all those nice people who offered to help and then disappeared.
People tend to turn down requests for help when the request is open ended, because they don't want to risk over-committing. So, when you ask for help, be SPECIFIC. Give them a specific start AND stop time, what the job is, and where it will be.
For example: A few weeks ago, you mentioned that you would be willing to help me at some point. Next Saturday from 2-4pm in the church copy room, I need people to use the copy machine and paper cutter or to put papers in order to help get ready for Awana. Would you be willing to help during that time?
You can even mention that you're bringing food (pizza, dessert, etc.). People will do a lot for a brownie.
Once the work party is scheduled, you (and your draft-ees) are going to spend a lot of time with the copying machine. And one very important aspect of all of those copies will be that they will be COLOR CODED.
Color-code everything
Your goal from here on out will be not to read anything that you don't have to. You don't have time to read.
Have you ever had a close-call with a running child while walking down the hallways at church? You're minding your own business, carrying a stack of folders and papers, and BAM! No more nice stacks. It's raining papers. The kid is fine. You're fine. But you're in a hurry. You don't have time to read every single paper to figure out where they belong. If they're color-coded, you won't have to read them.
Have you ever had a close-call with a running child while walking down the hallways at church? You're minding your own business, carrying a stack of folders and papers, and BAM! No more nice stacks. It's raining papers. The kid is fine. You're fine. But you're in a hurry. You don't have time to read every single paper to figure out where they belong. If they're color-coded, you won't have to read them.
Color-coding is optional, but it's something that will save you time in the long run (and sanity). If you choose to color-code, use colors that are easy to remember:
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Update & Copy
Once you've chosen (or chosen against) a color-coding scheme, it's time to make the copies. Samples of all of these are online for your use. If you're using our documents, make sure to change any relevant information first - like the name of the church people should make checks out to!
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- "I Forgot My Book" box
- "I Forgot My Book" boxes ensure that kids who forgot their book (accidentally or on purpose - possibly habitually) can work on sections, and not just kill time until they can play games (oops).
- What is it?
- One box per handbook
- Contains multiple copies of every section in a handbook for kids who forgot their book to use for the night.
- This is legal, per Awana, as long as a book has previously been purchased for that specific child (not necessarily by that child).
- If you've never done this before:
- This is a HUGE task, so have a work party.
- Station one person in front of a copying machine with a book.
- Copy complete sections. This may require copying some pages twice, if they share a page with another section.
- Highlight the tops of each master copy with yellow highlighter. It won't show up on the copying machine, and you'll know not to give it away later.
- After the book is copied (or as far as you're going to do is done), run off as many copies as wanted from your masters.
- Place them in a box with labeled hanging folders for each section.
- Only make copies of the beginning sections of each book FIRST
- It takes them longer to get farther into a book, and kids who are farther into a book tend to be more responsible about bringing it with them. So if you have limited time right now, don't worry about the entire book.
- Only of the first handbook for each club
- Same as above. Kids who have progressed into a 2nd or 3rd book are usually a little more dedicated to bringing their books. But accidents always happen. That's why eventually it's a good idea to have some copies for all of the books.
- Then go back and do the rest as you have time.
- This is a HUGE task, so have a work party.
After the pre-registration event
We talked about pre-registration events in section 1. Basically, they are events at the church before the club year starts that are fun (so people will come). Their actual goal (in addition to getting people excited about the upcoming club year) is to get people to fill out registration forms and turn them in BEFORE club starts, so that the secretary has time to get them all entered.
After your pre-registration event, you have a few more tasks to do before the year begins.
After your pre-registration event, you have a few more tasks to do before the year begins.
- Plan a safe place for Medical Release Forms
- Place them somewhere that you can pull the correct form in seconds (and so can the other leaders).
- Alphabetize
- Sort by club - They're already color-coded, so it should be easy. If you used the family forms, you can always make copies on the needed colors so that each child can be filed with his/her club.
- Your church NEEDS a policy for medical release forms, like clubbers can't play games until they have one on file
- Exception for new visitors: May let them play 2 or 3 times before refusing to allow them to play games until a medical release form is on file. Up to your church.
- If you're using our documents, the bottom of the registration form doubles as the medical release form.
- Enter all clubber information gathered from the pre-registration event
- Make listener sheets and listener folders.
Listener sheets & folders
What are they?
Clubbers say their verses during handbook time to a listener. The listener signs off on it in the clubber's book. At that point, the information has to get back to you somehow. One way to do that is to use listener folders with listener sheets. Listener sheets are copies of the paper Achievement Cards (from Awana) or 1 year records (from ARK or similar record from other programs) that can be scribbled on and messed up. These are not the official copies that live in your records. They're scratch copies. Copy or print them on color-coded paper. Place them in folders, grouped by listener. As they pass sections, the listener can mark it (with a date and preferably their initials) on the listener sheet. At the end of handbook time, the folders make their way to the Secretary to enter into the record keeping system and calculate awards. You shouldn't make new listener sheets each week. The same sheet should work for the entire year, unless the clubber moves on to a second book. Though, with wear and tear, it may be nice to print new ones off after Christmas break. In section 4 (Club Night Run Through), we'll go into more detail on using Listener Sheets. Next up: Everything that a secretary does on club night. |