Starting Runner’s Club
Step 1: August (School Start)
Confirm the start date with the principal as soon as you can.
We generally start the Tuesday after Labor Day though it has been held on Wednesdays and Thursdays as well.
Make sure that you have close to 26 weeks of participation if you can. You'll need to double check calendar and check for holidays or days off to determine your end date. The last day is generally the week before Spring Break.
Step 2: Mid August
Email Office Manager Jessica Hansen to get the list of students. The information you will need from her is:
-First and last name
-Teacher
-Grade
-Gender
Her email address is: jhansen@newhallsd.com
Step 3: Mid August
Log in to https://www.studentlaptracker.com
The previous Chair should give you Admin privileges.
Email Matthew: matthew@studentlaptracker.com and after paying send him the excel spreadsheet received from Jessica. He will upload it into the system.
Step 4: Mid August
Create a flyer to notify parents and students of start date and requirements. You can email the flyer to the principal and they will include it in ParentSquare. Also ask the PTO President to put the flyer the website. See flyer example by clicking button below. You will of course want to update all the info to the current year.
Budget!
Check with the PTO President and the Treasurer as to what the budget for Runner’s Club looks like.
This is what it looked like in the past:
Step 5: Mid to Late August
Print out new student ID cards and place in plastic protective sleeves. Ask parent volunteers to help as it can be a tedious process.
Each grade will have a different color paper (paper found in Teachers Workshop/Lounge).
For each class, place a different color sticker to further differentiate between classes.
Step 6: Mid to Late August
Make sure you have a Runner’s Club board in the hallway next to MPR. See photo.
Step 7: Mid to Late August
Set up a SignupGenius for Volunteers. I generally include this link with messaging about start of Runner’s Club. Click button below to see the email that went out in 2022.
Step 8: Late August (Before Labor Day)
Confirm with Office that table and chairs will be put out at track for Runner’s Club each week
Set Goals for Year
Step 1: Determine how many days will be available to run
Step 2: See image below of how the goals were calculated for 21, 23 and 25 weeks. Then calculate for how many weeks you are running this year based on those numbers.
Step 3: There are generally 6-7 weeks of grace period for students to not attend whether that be due to illness, vacation, weather, etc.
Get Recess schedule from Yard Duties and organize volunteers
1st Day of Runner’s Club
Contact the principal and decide if Runner’s Club should be canceled. Contact all volunteers if it is canceled.
It’s Raining!
Look at the raw data on Google Drive (click button below) and let parent know all laps are captured to the second and are accurate.
My kid did more laps than you captured!
What to do while Runner’s Club is in Session:
August - March
My phone crashed while scanning the kids laps!
We will take precautions against this happening.
Make sure the parents phones are fully charged (or close to it)
Try to use iPhones if at all possible (have had problems with Android in the past).
Stop scanning after every wave of students and then start again. This will ensure that if data is lost, it isn’t the entire day.
A student can’t find their card!
Carry a few dummy cards and write the students name and teacher on the back. They can run with that card and when you get home look up the info on the dummy card and manually add those laps to the missing card. Then print out a new card for the student.
End of Runner’s Club
Purchase Medals
As you get closer to the last date, you will have to start "estimating" who your winners are and how many medals you will need to order.
Every student who meets both, participation and lap goal will get a medal.
Top Girl & Top Boy per grade level will get a 2nd, different, medal (14 medals unless you have a tie, which we had one year).
Top Overall Girl & Top Overall Boy will each get a trophy
Medals and Trophies for the last 2 years were ordered from R&R Awards.
Coordinate Photos with Yearbook for Ceremony
Runner’s Club ends before Spring Break so as to be included in the Yearbook. Ask the PTO President who the Yearbook Chairperson is and coordinate with them to attend the Award Ceremony to get the photos to include in the yearbook.
Set up time during Assembly after Spring Break to hold Awards Cermony
Create "script" with winner's names and email to the principal prior to ceremony so they can review it.
Buy popsicles for ceremony. Every student who qualified got a popsicle.