destination imagination what is di? - our school...

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What is Destination Imagination (DI)? FUN Engaging Teamwork Problem Solving Creativity Friendship Young people can access their creativity and confidence through handson discovery and teamwork. By participating in DI teams, students can gain experience in successful teamwork strategies. In performing competitive “Challenges,” students can build lifelong problemsolving skills. Destination Imagination is very difficult to describe. The best way to understand the program is to try it out. Each team will select a Challenge to work on for the season. DI Challenges are released in mid September, approximately 6 months before the regional tournament. Challenge details (including scoring) are detailed in each Team Manager manual. These are not available online. What is the role of the Team Manager and me – the parent? The Team Manager is more of a facilitator than a coach and is there to support the process. The students lead and make independent decisions, as trial and error are part of the DI learning experience. Parents need to respect the Destination Imagination experience students will learn through this experimentation. The Team Manager is not a teacher – so the teachers will take on a different style and manner when leading a DI Team. We are so excited to have your child be a part of the DI family in Bellevue. We have the largest program in Washington State and are thrilled about building a community of creativity, problem solving, teamwork and FUN! For parents interested in becoming a Parent School Coordinator or needing clarification on DI roll out at your school, contact BSD Parent Liaison: Leslie Feller [email protected] Prospective or Current DI Team Managers (teachers/coaches) contact: Kristi Stroyan – DI Team Manager Leader [email protected] Destination Imagination What is DI? Bellevue Schools Destination Imagination

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Page 1: Destination Imagination What is DI? - Our School Pagesmedina.ourschoolpages.com/Doc/StudentPrograms/DI_12-13_What_is_… · What!isDestination!Imagination(DI)?! FUN! Engaging! Teamwork!

                               What  is  Destination  Imagination  (DI)?  

✩ FUN  ✩ Engaging  ✩ Teamwork  ✩ Problem  Solving  ✩ Creativity  ✩ Friendship  

Young  people  can  access  their  creativity  and  confidence  through  hands-­‐on  discovery  and  teamwork.  By  participating  in  DI  teams,  students  can  gain  experience  in  successful  teamwork  strategies.  In  performing  competitive  “Challenges,”  students  can  build  life-­‐long  problem-­‐solving  skills.    Destination  Imagination  is  very  difficult  to  describe.  The  best  way  to  understand  the  program  is  to  try  it  out.  Each  team  will  select  a  Challenge  to  work  on  for  the  season.  DI  Challenges  are  released  in  mid  September,  approximately  6  months  before  the  regional  tournament.  Challenge  details  (including  scoring)  are  detailed  in  each  Team  Manager  manual.  These  are  not  available  online.      What  is  the  role  of  the  Team  Manager  and  me  –  the  parent?    The  Team  Manager  is  more  of  a  facilitator  than  a  coach  and  is  there  to  support  the  process.    The  students  lead  and  make  independent  decisions,  as  trial  and  error  are  part  of  the  DI  learning  experience.    Parents  need  to  respect  the  Destination  Imagination  experience  -­‐-­‐  students  will  learn  through  this  experimentation.    The  Team  Manager  is  not  a  teacher  –  so  the  teachers  will  take  on  a  different  style  and  manner  when  leading  a  DI  Team.    We  are  so  excited  to  have  your  child  be  a  part  of  the  DI  family  in  Bellevue.  We  have  the  largest  program  in  Washington  State  and  are  thrilled  about  building  a  community  of  creativity,  problem  solving,  teamwork  and  FUN!    For  parents  interested  in  becoming  a  Parent  School  Coordinator  or  needing  clarification  on  DI  roll  out  at  your  school,  contact  BSD  Parent  Liaison:  

Leslie  Feller  [email protected]      Prospective  or  Current  DI  Team  Managers  (teachers/coaches)  contact:  

Kristi  Stroyan  –  DI  Team  Manager  Leader  [email protected]    

Destination Imagination What is DI?

Bellevue Schools Destination Imagination

Page 2: Destination Imagination What is DI? - Our School Pagesmedina.ourschoolpages.com/Doc/StudentPrograms/DI_12-13_What_is_… · What!isDestination!Imagination(DI)?! FUN! Engaging! Teamwork!

**REVISED**  PARENT  GUIDELINES      Destination  ImagiNation  will  begin  in  October  and  will  culminate  at  the  Regional  Tournament  on  a  Saturday  in  March.  A  large  component  of  DI  is  teamwork;  therefore  the  team  will  agree  on  their  Team  Challenge  with  their  Team  Manager.  We  will  make  every  effort  to  not  have  same  grade  teams  work  on  same  challenge.    

1. Parents  are  not  permitted  to  be  in  the  room  while  the  teams  are  meeting  –  no  exceptions.    The  national  and  regional  DI  organization  is  very  strict  that  all  work  must  be  done  by  the  teams  and  the  teams  only.    Parent  ‘interference’  is  dealt  with  by  region  DI  officials.  Please,  even  if  you  want  to,  don’t  make  suggestions  to  your  child  about  their  challenge  research,  production,  or  solutions.  

 2. Checks  have  been  deposited.    If  DI  seems  like  a  bad  fit  for  your  child,  you  can  drop  after  the  2nd  

session  and  we  will  open  up  spaces  for  any  wait-­‐listed  participants.    No  refunds  will  be  available  after  the  end  of  October.  

 3. The  teams  and  parents  will  be  expected  to  attend  the  day-­‐long  (8am-­‐5pm)  regional  tournament.  

 4. There  may  be  an  occasional  “field  trip”  for  a  given  team.  Drivers  are  needed  as  the  Team  Manager  is  

not  allowed  to  transport  students.  The  Team  Coordinator  will  schedule  the  field  trip.    

5. Team  formation.  Teams  were  formed  by  days  available  and  balanced  based  on  skill  sets.  If  a  team  is  high  functioning  this  year,  they  may  stay  together  for  subsequent  years.  The  District  Coordinator  is  Kristi  Stroyan.  If  any  changes  need  to  happen  (for  balance),  she  will  contact  the  School  Coordinator  who  will  notify  parents.    

 6. Communication  and  boundaries.  Anything  child  specific  and  personal  can  be  handled  one  on  one  

with  the  Team  Manager.  Please  do  not  share  with  other  parents.  If  you  have  a  problem  with  your  Team  Manager,  please  contact  the  Team  Manager  directly  –  if  further  support  is  needed  contact  the  District  Coordinator,  Kristi  Stroyan.  

 7. Each  family  is  expected  to  take  one  volunteer  position  for  each  child  in  the  program.  See  details  on  

volunteer  page.    

8. The  journey.  The  real  gift  of  DI  is  the  process.  This  is  a  very  unique  and  powerful  program  that  relies  on  three  things:  1)  Team  Manager  training/engagement  (we  want  to  keep  them  happy  and  eager  to  continue  as  DI  TM’s);  2)  Student  involvement  –  students  should  be  EXCITED  to  go  to  DI  meetings  every  week  and  engaged  in  the  team  work;  3)  Parent  support  –  we  need  parents  to  understand  DI,  step  up  and  volunteer,  and  support  our  wonderful  Team  Managers  –  one  BIG  happy  family.  

 9. THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  RULE:  DI  is  a  student  driven  activity  –  no  parent  or  adult  interference  can  

occur.  (And  this  is  what  students  love  about  it.)  Our  recommendation  is  try  not  to  ask  any  details  about  the  Team  Challenge  –  that  way  you  will  not  be  tempted  to  suggest,  coach,  solve,  etc.  If  any  ‘interference’  is  suspected,  a  team  is  disqualified  at  the  regional  tournament.  This  would  be  such  a  disappointment  for  your  child  and  all  students  on  the  team.