Thank you for helping to support this great event – with your help we can make it a really special day for our presenters and visitors.
YOU ARE A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF THE DAY – WE WANT ALL TO FEEL WELCOME AT ST MARY’S AND WE WANT OUR PRESENTERS TO COME BACK NEXT TIME!
A volunteer rota with details of your role will come from Rebecca as soon as the logistics of the day are sorted (copies will be available on the day). Please try and make yourself familiar with the workshops and shows. Late changes may happen because of illness or additional jobs, so if in doubt, please ask! If you find yourself surplus to requirements at your post, just report to the Information Desk (outside Pre-Prep building – the YELLOW zone) and we WILL find you a job!
Parking will be a real challenge this year because of the loss of spaces for the Reception portacabin. This means that again there will be no parking on site for anyone except presenters and visitors with disabilities. At the moment the weather forecast suggests that the Orchard will be open for parking – please look out for updates on Friday as we’ll update you by email if this changes.
On the day:
The school is zoned to help visitors.
BLUE zone Hamilton Building
GREEN zone Sanderson Building
RED Kindergarten and Pre-Prep Gym
YELLOW Information Desk and Forms 1 and 2 classrooms
ORANGE Morrison Hall, Verandah classrooms and entrance gate
PURPLE marquees and Zoo bus (these will be on/near the site of the prize-giving marquee)
As a volunteer, your most important attribute is your initiative! If you see something that you can help to smooth out or fix, please do whatever sensible thing needs doing – then let us know at the Information Desk as soon as is convenient so we can keep track of events.
If you are greeting on the gates, please direct visitors to the Information Desk to receive a goodie bag, before going into workshops, as it is first come, first served.
If your workshop is quiet, let the Information Desk know so we can direct people from over-subscribed events and busy areas.
Some of you will be supporting our presenters in their workshops – there should be someone in or near each room all day. You are there to help manage the flow of visitors, deal with any queries and make the presenters’ lives as easy as possible. We have lots of new visitors this year so we’d like to make sure they feel welcome and keen to return!
You will have a full programme with workshop descriptions to help you point people to the right places. This only gives the “zones” as destinations but your volunteer rota gives exact room details. Remember to refer to locations by colour not building name for non-St Mary’s visitors. If you can’t answer a visitor’s question, just send them to the information desk outside in the YELLOW Zone. If they can’t help, come and find Sara, Rebecca, Kirsty or Mwara.
Lunch is provided for presenters in the “green room” (aka the STAFF ROOM near the DINING HALL – don’t confuse the green room with the GREEN Zone…) from 12 noon. Please ensure your presenter takes a break, but not all at the same time!!
Those volunteering for a whole day can join the presenters in the green room for lunch and enjoy scintillating science chat. For others we’ll provide snacks in the Hamilton kitchen (by the Headmaster’s office) to keep you going during your shift! We have around 70 presenters with us for the day, so space will be limited in the staff room.
Tea and coffee is an essential for our presenters and needs to be available all day and taken to them (from the tea/coffee point in the Hamilton building). There will be a designated coffee/tea server/roving helper all day, but again use your initiative if your presenter has been missed. Make sure you get a cup for yourself when you get the chance!
Children MUST not be left unattended. If you think there is an unattended child in your show, take them to the INFORMATION DESK in the YELLOW ZONE.
Please wear your lanyard whilst you are on duty and PLEASE return these to the Information Desk when you are finished – we have limited stocks!
Volunteers are asked NOT to go into the School Office.
First Aid is being provided by Dr Rachel Mollart who will have a station near the heart of the event, near the Information Desk.
Fire Alarm muster point is on the front rugby pitch.
At the end of the day there will be a lot of clearing up. Any help will be very much appreciated. Feel free to enlist additional volunteers, particularly those with upper body strength, to help return chairs and tables to the Morrison Hall!
And a final thank you – your role today is critical and we are hugely grateful to you for giving up a Saturday and missing out on a lot of today’s fun by helping us.