Bag Pack Chaperoning
Our fundraising is an important part of our season but in order for it to work we need parents' support. Here are the guidelines for how to chaperone and support our team bag packing.
We will provide a copy of the booked slots and the tracking sheet which needs to be printed and brought by whoever is the first to attend on the weekend. The buckets and flyers will also be sent with someone who attends as part of the first slot.
GENERAL CHAPERONE RESPONSIBILITIES
* Track attendance and breaks
* Manage behaviour
* Ensure safety
* Manage/Protect belongings
* Liaise with store staff
* Bank earnings
* Return buckets, flyers and any final earnings to training the following week
DETAILED CHAPERONE DUTIES AND TIPS
* Arrive at the store and if you are the first chaperone on site for the day please go to customer services to notify them of who you are and to sign in. Ask if the duty manager would like anything done differently to the last time we were on site (or if there's anything you should be aware of) and of course accommodate anything they require. If there are any issues that might affect others later in the day/weekend (e.g. the store is very hot or very cold) please post this on the members facebook group so others can be made aware.
* Before a parent leaves an athlete check if they've already been to the toilet and suggest they go before they start. As athletes arrive sign them in with the time they actually arrive, take breaks and leave. Each individual's share of the funds raised is based on the actual time they spend bag packing so it's vital to correctly track all times to the nearest 5min. Therefore - if an athlete needs to take lots of breaks or a long break, it's fine, they just need to be aware that the break time won't count towards their earning. This sheet must be looked after and returned to Rachel at training the following week or a clear photo taken at the end of each day and emailed to info@ReadingSuperstars.org.uk
*If athletes are given notes as donations please ask them to give them to you to hold. (While some people can be incredibly generous and give notes - we've also had other people try to reach in and take them out of the buckets!)
*Make use of little athletes by the exit or self-checkouts if they're too short to assist with bag packing at tills. Smiles and cuteness can sometimes earn even more than helpfulness.
*At the end of the day on Saturday the money needs to be banked at MetroBank (as this is the only bank open at that time and they have a great coin counter machine). Bank the coins and notes into Rachel's account (11651127 / 23-05-80) and she will transfer the funds to the competition account during the week. At the end of Sunday all the buckets and money needs to be taken by the last chaperone to leave and then all returned to training the following week (no need to counts or separate anything - just keep it safe). If you are also able to do a bank drop on Sunday before the end of the day this will make what you have to take home lighter. (MetroBank is open til 6pm on Sat and 5pm on Sun.)
*The store have always found a safe spot to keep the buckets overnight between Saturday and Sunday so just kindly ask the duty or checkout manager to do this again for us if a 2 day event.
*Please take photos of the team in action throughout the day (packing bags, helping customers, a customer putting a donation in etc) and either post them to the members group or email them to info@ReadingSuperstars.org.uk
GENERAL CHAPERONING GUIDELINES
*Ensure all athletes are smiling, being polite and working sensibly while attending.
*Athletes are not allow mobile phones out at any time when packing.
*If an athlete needs multiple behaviour warnings during their attendance please detail the situation on the tracker sheet and inform them their earnings will be affected as a result.
*Try to ensure 1 athlete per active checkout and only after this allow 2 (otherwise they just talk to each other the whole time).
*Ensure that all athletes remain within the store and within sight.
*Follow your instincts if you're unhappy with any interactions/attention an athlete might receive and move them away or call them back to stand by you. (This is incredibly rare but something to keep at the back of your mind.) The same applies if you notice an athletes over-sharing about themselves with strangers (again, rare but does happen). Call them back to you and have a quick chat about boundaries and suitable conversation.
*Know where athletes are planning to go if on break and what time they plan to return. Young athletes should obviously not be by themselves if they need a break or the toilet (Costa/Starbucks are the nearest with easy access). Teens should be able to break together as needed but with your discretion.
*Try to stagger breaks where possible.
*Encourage everyone to have a good time. We want our community to see the benefits of the Superstars program and how lovely our athletes are. Smiling, happy people give off the best impression and also earn the most money. You can even encourage little games amongst them like 'first person to bag 100 items', 'first to pack 10 of a single item', etc.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Superstars program. Events like this are not possible without parental support.
