Meeting Minutes

We had a meeting at May's apartment Wednesday, December 30, to work on plans for The Party for next year. We discussed what's working, what's not, discipline, suggestions and planning for January. Here's the minutes:

Present: Kevin, Lisa, Caleb, Carissa, Ruth, Walter, May, Kristin, Daryl. Regrets: Kirk, college students.

What's working:
Regular routines, the larger space, more kids coming, the snack/meal, having more helpers, coloured marks on hands for each group, mixed aged groupings, group leaders, using the foyer as well as the gym.

What's not working:
Kids running into the bathrooms, going up on the stage, playing with the mats, not always enough helpers for group leaders for each group, Dwight needs one on one.

Suggestions:

• Have a designated supervisor for the stage area with a designated activity to be played there (ie. use the nets already stored there - for mini floor hockey).
• Use the point system to "catch them being good".
• Have preassigned areas for each of the adults/helpers.
• Use mats for assigned seating areas.
• Have a journalling option during snack time.
• Have more new songs/ song sheets with words
• Put the organization onto the blog - what's happening each week, who's assigned where
• Need more props for story time (ie. wicker basket) - looking for more suggestions - maybe a bathrobe?

Discipline:

• We need to be all on the same page and proactive
• Have reasonable consequences, a time out space and someone to work/talk 1:1 with anyone sent to timeout. (Time out could be the far couches outside the admin office? - who could be the designated adult to work with those sent there - Kirk?)
• Mats only to be used when taken down by adult/helper for specific activity and returned immediately afterwards.
• Respect taught directly - children being disrespectful need to go home.

Organization:
6:00 - 6:40 Children arrive, are greeted, names on sign-in chart, play in gym
6:20 - 6:40 Older girls (9-11 years old) have special session just for them, taught by Lisa?
6:40 - 7:00 Singing in couch area, children either on couch or on mats, assigned seating
7:00 - 7:05 Split into groups - coloured marks on hands
7:05 - 7:17 1st rotation
7:17 - 7:29 2nd rotation
7:29 - 7:41 3rd rotation
7:41 - 7:53 Final rotation
7:53 - 8:00 Coats on, ready to go home, sign-out on clipboard

Rotations: Story, snack/journalling, games, craft or science - 12 min per rotation

Tasks:

May

• Will make up song sheets with old & new songs,
• Will purchase journals,
• Will update blog
• Will supervise doors & foyer during first gym time
• Will teach new songs during singing?

Lisa

• Will organize the weekly plans - who does what
• Will e-mail May the info for updating blog
• Will purchase book for small group for pre-teen girls
• Will teach pre-teen girls (with Kristin)

Daryl

• Will develop a star chart, reward system
• Will plan gym/activity time
• With Kevin will check on Dwight going to boxing program with Jonathon & Sarah

Kristin

• Will teach pre-teen girls (with Lisa)

Kevin

• When available will help with gym time

Kirk

• Will help with gym time

Caleb

• Will supervise stage?