Help!

Dear families, here are areas where I need help:

**NEWS-GATHERING** The kids should be listening, watching, reading, paying attention to the NEWS! Not so much the dreadful stuff, but rather in the categories of the challenge (see if they can name them to you.) Like Sports, Lifestyle, Financial, ..... can they name the rest?

Please get your kids some newspapers each week so they can start spotting major and minor news stories to use in practice skits.

**DIGITAL WATCH** Each team member needs a simple digital watch, to pay attention to the time during the main and instant challenge. They need this now, so they can get used to using it all the time. Please don't get one that beeps on the hour. Extra beeping can be considered interference. If you find a good one, tell the team where you found it. It's great to get one that doesn't beep at all.

Bring in snacks and we'll store them at school. No nuts/tree nuts.
 * SNACK**

THANKS to **Don Stupica**, who is our team's volunteer, and to **Kelsey Wambo**, who has agreed to be the team's appraiser-volunteer!!!
 * TOURNAMENT VOLUNTEERS**

I will be organizing instant challenges for the team to practice with. If I send you a list of materials for a challenge, can your family gather the needed materials and deliver them in a baggy to the French room? This is a huge time saver for me. Thanks Stupicas and Anne Spenny for sending some materials in.
 * INSTANT CHALLENGE MATERIALS**

**Right now I could still use:** **plunger (clean)** **hula hoop** **rope** **18"x24" white cloth** **clothesline** **ping pong balls**

**If you have them around your house, please bring in. I'll return the plunger and the hula hoop!**

Because the challenge is Improv, the opportunities for parents to "interfere" are more limited than usual. However, please refrain from giving the kids advice on how to solve their challenge, doing research for them, or anything of the sort. They are supposed to do it themselves and as 6th graders they are more resourceful than ever before. Imagine you give them a good idea that they might have thought of themselves. Now they cannot use that idea: it's tainted by interference. Thanks for understanding.
 * NO INTERFERENCE POLICY**

The team talked about have fundraisers in case there's a chance to go to Globals. The kids have started discussing ideas! There will probably not be funds from the school to help with Globals expenses this year, so we will need to be resourceful.
 * POTENTIAL FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES**

I may have to buy some Instant Challenge books or other resources to help the team practice. If we go to States, there will be hotel & travel expenses, plus we cover the expenses for a volunteer appraiser. These expenses will be shared equally by the team.
 * OTHER EXPENSES**

We should be prepared for the possibility of qualifying for Globals. The team can proactively approach the possibility by trying to raise funds to help offset the cost of Globals. This can be a very positive experience and helps the team appreciate the financial sacrifice. Anyway, my take is that if we qualify, we should try to find a way for everyone to go. If we don't make it to Globals, the team would like to put any funds toward a trip to Disney :-)
 * THE QUESTIONS OF GLOBALS**