Importance of Recognition

If your child plays sports, you know that each team needs adult volunteers in addition to the coach to help manage the team.  Organizing practices and games, communicating to parents, scheduling snacks, and organizing a team party many times falls on the shoulders of "The Team Mom".  Keeping a team organized is an important job that not only helps the coaches, but also the rest of the parents and children on the team.  If you have been given the job of "Team Parent", below are some basic tasks you can expect to do with ideas of how to make life easier for you!

Team Mom Guide: Tasks And Checklist

Keep your student athlete ready for action by following the tips below!

1.  Make sure all league paperwork is done. One job is to collect from parents all completed paperwork required by your league. Not only does this help the coach, but also ensures each child is enrolled on the team.

2.  Create a Team Roster. Make a roster spreadsheet, including the following information for each player:  Player name, Parent name, Parent home, work and cell phones, Address, Email addresses, Emergency contact information, Any other information required by your league.  This is important information to have for team carpooling, if there is an injury, or game delay or cancellation.

3.  Make Communication Easy.  Hand out a roster with child's name, parent's names, phone numbers and emails to everyone on the team.  Also create an email distribution list for the players & their parents, so you don't have to look email addresses up each time you want to send out an email to the team.  Or better yet, use a team management tool, such as TeamSnap, to store all of this information in one place.

4.   Share the Calendar.  Each parent will need practice & game dates, times and locations, including maps if the games are out of the area.  You may want to include this with your roster or again keep an online shared calendar for the team.

5.  Create a Snack Schedule.  Many Team Parents put together the snack schedule for the season.  Each family is asked to sign up for a game or practice and bring snacks for the entire team that day.  You can have a list of all of the practice & game dates on a clipboard, bring it to the first practice, and have families sign up for a date.  Be sure to email the list out after it's completed so everyone knows what date they signed up for!

If your team does half time snacks, make sure they're nutritious.  Read my blog Healthy Game Snacks for Kids for ideas.  Be sure to bring a trash bag for any snack wrappers, peels, or other garbage.

Pictures with the coach mark a great season!

6.  Schedule a Picture Day.  Be sure to communicate the league Picture Day the parents on your team. If your team decides to skip professional pictures, have a parent take individual and/or team shots instead. Email what the kids should wear if there's anything out of the ordinary.  For example, for my daughter's softball team, one of the moms bought ribbons for the girls pony tails for picture day.

7.  Bring a Game Day Backpack.  In case of emergencies, this pack should include a current phone list, list of game dates, times and locations, snack schedule, an envelope to collect money, extra water bottles, ice packs, first aid kit, game cards if required by your league and anything else you can think of that may come in handy on game days.

8.  Get a sideline bench and canopy. The players will need a place to sit and rest when they aren’t on the field.  A canopy is helpful for protecting your players from sun or rain.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, our kids play soccer in less rain or more rain (no sun), and the shelter provides a break from the wet.  Assign a parent to be responsible for storing these items and bringing them to each game.

9.  Collect Money.  You will need to collect money from each family to cover the cost of the trophies, coach gift, party and any other expenses for the season.  Many parents would rather pay one amount at the beginning of the season to cover all expenses, so plan accordingly.

10.  Order Trophies.  Choose and order trophies for the players and a gift for the coach(es).  When ordering trophies for younger children, start small so they can grow into the larger trophies.  If your kids are sick of trophies (never!) there are other options for your team including pillows, water bottles, medals, picture frames, dog tags, key chains, and photo albums.

11.  Buy a Coach Gift.  Usually the Team Parent is the one to organize the coach's gift. No matter what the gift, be sure to recognize all of the effort your coach has put forth to guide the team and encourage your child! Ideas include an engraved plaque with the team photo  or a sports-related personalized clipboard for the next season.   If the coach has been coaching for many years, they may prefer a gift card to a local sporting goods store or their favorite restaurant.  A friend of mine made a photo collage poster of the kids throughout the season for the coach's office.  Get even more ideas at my past blog post on Top Gifts for Coaches.

12.  Plan the Party.  It's important to celebrate the team at a party at the end of the season!  Get ideas on how to plan your party here!  Choose your date early to get it on everyone’s calendar.  The party could be held at a local pizza place, at someone’s home, or even a picnic at the fields after the last game.  Share the responsibilities for this job; ask parents to help with food and drinks.  Ask the coach to say a few encouraging words about each player and the team during the event.  Most of all, have fun!

Check out our video that shows the entire life of a trophy, from a Team Mom ordering awards to the party where the girls get their trophies.  It's really cute!  With all these responsibilities, remember to have fun, enjoy the camaraderie with the parents and enjoy the season with the kids!  They grow up so fast!

Editor's Note:  This post was originally published in September 2012, and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Cheers,
Jessica

This week, I noticed a post on our industry forum about awards vs. rewards.  Really, what is the difference?  When do you use one vs. the other?  I thought this was an interesting topic to explore.

What is your favorite reward? How about your staff or team members?

Definitions - (According to Oxford Dictionaries)

Award (Noun):

- A prize or other mark of recognition given in honor of an achievement. "The company's annual award for high-quality service"

- An amount of money paid to someone as an official payment, compensation, or grant. "A generous award given to promising young dancers"

- The action of giving a payment, compensation, or prize. "The award of an honorary doctorate"

Award (Verb):

- Give or order the giving of (something) as an official payment, compensation, or prize to (someone). "He was awarded the Purple Heart"

- Grant or assign (a contract or commission) to (a person or organization).

Reward (Noun):

- A thing given in recognition of one's service, effort, or achievement. "The holiday was a reward for 40 years' service with the company"

Reward (Verb):

- Make a gift of something to (someone) in recognition of their services, efforts, or achievements. "The engineer who supervised the work was rewarded with a bonus"

After reading the definitions they really sound like the same thing.  Synonyms.  Yet our entire industry is based on the word "Award" and what it represents.

What is the difference between Award and Reward?

One of our most popular trophies, perfect for an Oscar Party!

I think the distinction in our industry is that awards are a TYPE of reward.

For me, anything can be a reward.  A car, a t-shirt, money.  In the business world, many companies offer incentive programs with rewards where employees can choose items for accomplishing a particular milestone or task.  These rewards are often name-brand merchandise or experiences that can be ordered from a catalog.

However, awards are a different story.  They are a piece of hardware with a personalized name and/or message that signifies excellence in a particular field. They are a kind of certificate of achievement that can be displayed for reaching or exceeding a goal; a symbol of success.  Awards are a more specific subset of rewards that can be categorized by type and application.

Types of Awards

At Trophies2Go, our business is 50/50 corporate awards to sports and activity awards.  Below are our most popular options for each.

For Business:  Engraved plaques are probably the most common type of corporate award we sell, followed by acrylic awards and crystal awards.  Engraved gifts, such as clocks and art glass, can also be functional personalized awards.  Some trophies are also awarded as corporate awards.

For Sports & Activities:  Sports trophies are the pinnacle of athletic success.  They are an iconic representation of winning.  Trophies can be tall, short, big, small, but all feature main components - a figure, an optional riser or column, and a base.  They can made of any kind of material - metal, wood, marble, plastic, resin - although the most common is plastic and resin.

If your organization decides to recognize achievement either through awards or rewards, it's important to define the process and get buy in from all levels of the organization.  For more about starting an awards program, read my past blog, Recognition Awards - Informal Vs. Formal, 4 Steps for Creating a Service Awards Program, or Motivate Your Staff with Sales Achievement Awards.  We are here to help you with your process, to make the award creating portion as easy and hassle free as possible!

Cheers,
Jessica

Right now, our shelves are full of trophies and awards that will be handed out to deserving kids for a great fall sports season. Most of the kids will be excited to get their trophies, but will they like them in a year? What makes a trophy have meaning over time? The things that count are (1) what the award represents and (2) how it is presented to the player.

Make Your Award Meaningful

Even though we are a trophy and awards company, don’t give out awards if they aren’t meaningful. It gives our industry a bad rap.

My daughter being congratulated by her teacher for her first place win.

For example, my daughter’s dance team didn’t do as well as they hoped at a competition last year, yet everyone received a trophy. My daughter was extremely mad at the trophy; she said it didn’t represent anything, and she didn’t want anything to do with it. In the long run, I think the trophy made her feel worse than if she hadn’t received anything at all.

However, my other daughter competed in a dance competition and received 1st place in her division. Places 1st thru 3rd received medals, but she was the only dancer in her division who received a trophy. Those awards, including her medals, are given a place of honor in my daughter’s room, as she feels extremely proud to have won them. My bet is that she will save that 1st place trophy forever.

A trophy or award isn’t inherently meaningful. It is plastic, wood or metal in a colorful shape with some engraved words on it. What makes it meaningful is what the trophy represents.

For a younger child receiving a participation trophy, it’s a symbol for the season – the games played, the skills learned, the friendships forged. For the parents, it’s the hours endured driving to practices and games, watching your beloved child win or lose, happiness and tears shed. Participation trophies represent a season passed, and that memory is what can motivate a child to continue playing the game in the future.

As the child gets older, they may stop receiving participation trophies, because they aren’t as meaningful as when they were younger. Instead, older players get tournament trophies for winning – their division, their league or being the MVP of their team. At this phase in their sports career, accomplishments, such as overcoming an injury, beating worthy opponents, and being the best are what make a sports trophy meaningful. These trophies can become cherished items that last a lifetime, as they become mementos of glory.

How to Present a Trophy in a Meaningful Way

Whether it’s a participation trophy or the State Championship, the same elements go into making a sports award meaningful. Praise, recognition, and words of affirmation are what should be expressed. Here are some tips of what to say and how to say it:

Coach Jeff and Coach Mike present a trophy to one of their softball players.

1. Come from the coach. Meaningful praise from a mentoring coach lasts a lifetime.

2. Prepare. Spend some time thinking about the highs and lows of the season, and what each player contributed to make it memorable. Have the trophy presenter write down his or her thoughts ahead of time.

3. Have a ceremony. Whether it’s on the field, at a player’s home, at a pizza parlor, or at an awards banquet, have the coach stand in front of the group and individually call each player to receive their award.

4. Recap the season. Before handing out the trophies, talk about where the team started and where they are now. Briefly hit the highs and lows of the season.

5. Tell a personal story about each player. Talk about their strengths, specifically how they added to the team or their most memorable moment of the season. Then have the player receive their award and shake the coach’s hand.

6. Write it down. If you really want to make it meaningful, have the coach or presenter write down their praise about the player. Then the player or their parents can put it in a scrapbook to remember for years to come.

Don’t let the trophy you buy be a dust collector. Let it represent something great. Buy it for the right reason in the first place, and then put some thought into how you can capture the meaning around it through words of praise. That is what transforms a sports trophy into a cherished keepsake.

Cheers,
Jessica

Another school year is coming to a close, with the anticipation of lazy summer days ahead.  Now is the time to recognize learning and leadership excellence at your school for the past year.  What awards will you be giving to your students?  How much can you spend on the awards?  Here are some tips and ideas for school academic awards;  we have seen many come through our doors for the past 20+ years.

I split academic awards into two categories:  Contests and Achievement.

School Contests

Tiger resin trophies for this school's "Paws Reading Club"- one for each grade level winner. The engraving says "Top Tiger Readers" - so cute!

Common contests we see include Spelling Bees, Science Fairs, Reflections, Eager Reader, and Field Day.  Below are ideas for awards.

Certificates:  These work for any contest and any budget.  Just design and print on your computer.  Easy and inexpensive!

Ribbons:  Relatively inexpensive and fun.  You can customize these to your school colors and print them with your event info.  Ribbons make great participation awards for your Reflections Art Contest, Science Fair and Field Day. However, ribbons do require additional time to produce; order at least 3 weeks before your event for customization; stock ribbon orders need less time.

Trophies: Theme trophies exist for many events, such as spelling bees and science fairs.  Also, mascot resin trophies are a popular choice for Eager Reader winners and Field Day.

Medals:  A variation on trophies, scholastic medals are inexpensive and easy to store at home.  They are great for events where you have a first, second or third place winner.  We have many medals with inserts for science fair, spelling bee, and school mascots, or design your own!

Achievement Awards

Many schools have awards for Graduation, Students of the Month, Students of the Quarter, outstanding attendance, scholarship winners, etc.  What do you give these students to honor them for their achievement?  Depending on the age of the student, I would recommend different awards.  Below are our most popular.

Awards

For Preschool, Kindergarten and Elementary Schools:  The most popular type of academic award for younger students is a Lamp of Learning.  These come in many different shapes and styles, depending on your need and budget.  Resin mascot trophies, especially bobble heads, are also popular with younger kids.

An example of a school themed plaque, popular for middle and high school scholastic achievement (and sports).

For Middle and High Schools: The most popular academic awards for older students are school plaques.  Using metal in school colors, these plaques usually have the school mascot engraved on top with the winner's name, achievement and date below.  These are popular for Students of the Month, Citizen of the Year, Class Officers, and other larger scholastic and leadership achievements.

School Assemblies

In addition to awards, many schools host an assembly to honor students.  This peer recognition is just as, if not more, important than the tangible award.

School Newsletter

Many schools publish the names of their award winners in the school or district publication.  This can be online, in an Eblast, or in a hard copy newsletter. For larger community awards, such as scholarships or national recognition, students may be published in the local community newspaper as well.

I hope this gives you some ideas of how to award academic achievement.  Here's to another great school year! Wishing you a relaxing summer, full of fun!

Cheers,
Jessica

In honor of Teacher Appreciation this week, today's blog discusses ways to honor educators. Next to parents, teachers and other school staff spend the most time with our children each day and have a major impact on our child’s development and intellectual growth.

Making an Impact

In 6th grade, I spent a week at Camp Waskowitz, pictured here. My teacher, Mr. Greer, sparked my love of the outdoors. Photo by Jana Kleitsch.

Most of us can think of a teacher who made a tangible difference in our lives. My story is about my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Greer, who introduced me to the outdoors. My parents were not outdoorsy; their idea of roughing it was a hotel without room service! Mr. Greer exposed me to the amazing flora and fauna of Washington State and through him I discovered my love of the enviroment, specifically Marine Biology. This interest blossomed and eventually led me to major in Fisheries at the University of Washington, resulting in my career in environmental work before the birth of my oldest daugther. This dear teacher had a profound impact on the course of my life!

As adults, we trust teachers to provide guidance, teaching, and care to our most precious resource - our children. Yet how do we show how much we appreciate the time and energy they put forth?

5 Ideas for Appreciating Teachers and School Staff

One of our family's favorite teachers and customers Mrs. Montgomery with the best principal in the world, Mr. Hamasaki!

There are many, many ways to show teachers, principals, librarians, aids, and other school staff how much you appreciate what they do. Below are a few ideas I have discovered, but I know this is just the tip of the iceburg. Get creative!

Idea #1: Make something personal. Have your child create a card, a picture, something to put on the teacher's desk or hang on the classroom wall. Bake goodies for the teacher to share in the staff lounge. Giving the teacher something thoughtfully handmade will make their day!

Idea #2: Small gifts at holiday time and at the end of school.Many parents and students like to give small gifts to their teachers as appreciation, especially at Christmastime and again at the end of the school year. I know that teachers really look forward to and appreciate these gifts.

When I am the Room Mom, at the end of the year, I ask the parents in my child's class to pool our money together for a gift certificate to our local mall. That way the teacher can buy a larger ticket item for their home or classroom, or maybe have a date night with their spouse! This gift is always appreciated, as the teacher can use in whatever way they want.

Idea #3: Volunteer at school.Many teachers stay after hours planning lessons, grading papers, and attending meetings in order to keep up with changing student assessments and standards. By volunteering in the classroom, your time spent and tasks accomplished means less work for the teacher. For middle and high schools, consider helping with concessions at games, locker clean-outs, donating school supplies, or chaperoning events.

Macaroni Kid 'Teacher of the Month' for March, Mrs. VonCappeln.

Idea #4: Nominate your teacher for an award. Consider nominating your favorite or your child's favorite teacher for an award. Many schools have an Outstanding Educator award that they give out each spring. Many local community groups also recognize exceptional teachers. We sponsor two local teacher awards - the Teacher of the Week by Star 101.5 radio station; and Macaroni Kids' Teacher of the Month. If the teacher wins, I guarantee this public recognition will make them feel appreciated!

Idea #5: Participate in National Teacher Appreciation Week. Every year during the first week in May, we honor our teachers. Most schools take this time to shower their teachers and staff with flowers, goodies, notes, meals, and other gifts. As a parent, I always try to participate in helping with this week. If you are organizing your school's Teacher Appreciation Week activities, the National Education Association has some great ideas. Yes, it’s all crammed into one short week, but the teachers really love it!

I hope these ideas inspire you to reach out to that special teacher or educator in your life and thank them for the positive impact they make! It really does make a difference!

Cheers!
Jessica