Creekside Kids Volunteer Update
May 18, 2026
Hello @first-name,
We are officially switching into Creekside Kids Summer Mode! Sunday programming is now for littles, schedules are already thinning out, and VBS is right around the corner!!
Spotlight: Whoops! My bad!
Did you know that I have worked with Planning Center programs for 8 years? I adopted the program when I was an administrator at our church in Bethel. When I took this job, I was excited because I knew the scheduling program.
Well, I thought.
I made a big error yesterday. I was trying to fix a "glitch" (really it was a box that should never have been checked). I fixed the glitch. I also removed all first services from the rest of the year in the Creekside Kids services.
Why tell you? Well, if you log into Planning Center now, you will see that you are still scheduled to your same Sunday, but everyone is now scheduled to just the 11am service.
This is fixable, but it will take me some time. With VBS right around the corner, I am focusing on the first few weeks instead of fixing the whole year.
I just want you to know that I know the schedule is wonky and that I am working to fix it. I am also working on some of the scheduling changes for Fireweed and the Aurora classroom.
Spotlight: Blockouts Please!
With summer here, I am already facing a large number of declines and needs to switch Sundays. Even if you don't serve in the Little Lupine or Rainbow Preschool room, please block out the dates you know won't work for you because I will be asking everyone to sub this summer! Actually, I'm hoping to get out the holes we currently have pretty soon!
Block out what?!? We use Planning Center Services for scheduling. You each have access to it. This program sends you a weekly email to remind you of your service commitment. It also allows you to decline, confirm, and block out dates. Blocking out dates lets me know that you can't make it. When you block out dates, I know to schedule a sub if you were on the schedule and not to ask you to sub if you weren't already serving. You do NOT need to block out dates if you are serving somewhere else in the church on a date. For example, if you are a greeter or Cafe barista, I can see that you are scheduled somewhere else and I know not to ask you. Also, if you block out because you are serving somewhere else, it blocks out for that team lead (so, in this example, Rhonda would get an email saying you can't serve on that team for her either).
Online: Select a blockout date below the calendar on your My Schedule page to edit it. You can also edit blockouts from your profile page.
- Select the My Schedule page in the top navigation.
- Select a blockout date below the calendar on the left side of the page.
- To edit a blockout, adjust your blockout details in the popup, then select Save.To delete a blockout, select Delete Blockout, then select Yes, delete! in the confirmation popup.
App: Select the Schedule page from the bottom navigation.
- Tap on an existing blockout date.
- To edit the blockout, adjust your blockout details, then select the check mark in the top right to save your changes.To delete the blockout, tap Delete Blockout in the bottom right, then tap Delete in the confirmation popup.
*Want the app? Download here:
- iOS: App Store
- Android: Google Play
Please reach out if you have questions, comments, or concerns!
Blessings! Elisabeth Jacobson
Director of Kids Discipleship
(907) 376-5576
elisabeth.jacobson@creeksideak.com
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