In an effort to provide more clear and frequent updates to the team, a weekly staff newsletter will go out to all technicians and assistants. Please help us in communicating any relevant or necessary information to our Makerspace teachers and volunteers when you see them.

For this initial newsletter, you may see sections that have No Updates or TBD listed. Please know these are areas where we will intentionally be seeking to collect and include information in future newsletters.

We attempt to collect all information for this newsletter by Friday morning and schedule it to go out on Monday. If you have information you feel we should consider including, please email it to Lawrence, Jessica and Rachel by 10 AM Friday mornings.

Monday, August 14 - Sunday, August 20

YOU'RE AWESOME!

• Thank you to the whole team for overcoming some tense moments and pulling together to work on the TRex project. AJ - thank you for committing to this for the long haul and staying on to see its completion.
• Sue – thank you for taking initiative for redoing the board and helping us with reorganizing.  
• Daune – welcome back from wrist surgery!  
• Julia – Thank you for being an amazing voice of reason and ready to jump in and help us make necessary process improvements.
• Eric – thank you for helping us even more in attaining consistent quality and pushing us towards excellence.
• Thank you to Phil and Gary Marvicisin for helping with the Blackbox Storage project.

DO YOU WANT TO RECOGNIZE SOMEONE

IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER?

Let us know WHO did something awesome and a little bit about it. We want everyone to be aware of the great things people are doing as part of our makerspace community.

If they are not a tech or assistant, please let us know if they are a makerspace teacher or volunteer; student or user; fellow City of Farmington Hills employee; etc.

COMPLETED PROJECTS/TASKS

• No updates at this time.

MACHINE STATUS UPDATES & IMPORTANT DAILY LOG HIGHLIGHTS

• The table saw fence was "off kilter" for a bit, but Eric fixed it. Please report if you notice any issues moving forward.
• Eric has been working with Lawrence, Rachel, and the Facilities team to strategize a ventilation enhancement for the laser room. WJONeil has submitted a proposal, but team is looking at all options before committing.

GENERAL

• Assistants noticed some inconsistencies and questions with pricing when selling monthly passes. Sue is working with Stephen Dowan (front desk) and Jessica to resolve.
• There were issues paying for prints. Assistant team is working to resolve.
• Eli and AJ have submitted a class idea for the Craft Lab that is comparable to the Bandsaw Box class in terms of getting acquainted with multiple machines in the space. Jessica will be working with them to further solidify a plan.
• MS Main Entrance/Front Door chime has been installed. For safety, this helps us to be aware when someone enters the space and we do not have an immediate visual.

DUE THIS WEEK - Date/Responsible Person

• TREX INSTALLATION - DUE 8/16 - LAWRENCE, FACILITIES, and Additional Staff as needed. TRex will be installed this week. Goal is Wed 8/16. Rachel has requested the lift to be delivered to the lobby, and Lawrence will work to finalize install timeframe and who can help.
• If installation completed before Thursday afternoon, Jessica will invite campers to submit name ideas and the team can then pick one from there. Will work on creating some social media/press release promo to draw attention to the dinosaur and makerspace once it is installed.

GENERAL UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• AJ will be leaving us to take some time to adjust to his new full-time job. We wish you the very best, and know we'll still see you around from time to time.
• Julia is working on developing an appropriate process and SOP for removing and cleaning the Laser table.
• X Drive error appearing. Julia is working with Epilog. Restarting the machine has sometimes helped with the issue, but not a long-term solution. Hoping to resolve ASAP. User was engraving glasses, and noticed the issue was occurring every 9-12th glass. Still working, but not working as well as it could be.
• In communication with the former Westland Makerspace about the potential of purchasing/accepting some of their equipment. Lawrence is working with Eric on this, and will discuss with others as needed. Large Lockers are available and may be of assistance with our plan to create hallway storage this year.
• Lawrence, Jessica, and Rachel started using Microsoft Planner this past week to test project management. We have a separate admin planner, but there is already a planner group associated with our Sharepoint. If you would like to login to look around Planner, it will be the same login as you use for your computer, email, etc.
• Here are some good video tutorials if you're interested in learning more about Planner.
• As soon as you feel ready to complete Train the Trainer for a piece of equipment, please make sure to coordinate with Lawrence and Assistants to schedule it. The sooner we can get more staff to complete these, the more times/opportunities we can provide.
• We are working on getting a backdoor chime/doorbell installed for the exterior woodshop doors. This will be helpful for when individuals need to let us know they are here to deliver materials directly into the shop.
• Ceiling tile in the woodshop that broke was due to condensation from HVAC system. Jimmy is working on correcting this for us.
• 
  

JESSICA & RACHEL UPDATES

• The MS admin is interviewing candidates to add to our Assistant team.
• We are reposting the Makerspace Tech position openings online. Rachel submitted the paperwork to HR, and we will let you know when position has been posted. Will be looking to add to our team to fill more of the gaps and have more coverage flexibility.
• Jessica is working with a teacher to provide a Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving class this fall. Looms have been purchased, and while this wont' necessarily be a makerspace specific class, it will be hosted in the space. Looms are very small and easily stored when not in use. More details to come, but please know that at this time there will not be a plan for loom use outside of a registered class (so not part of the public usage equipment of the makerspace).

GENERAL

• Camps end August 18 so you will see Emma return to assistant shifts after that.
• Tech 1:1 - We've discussed this option for users paying for 1:1 time/guidance with a tech for an hour or two max. Jessica is going to put together a loose draft plan of how it will work and have it sent out for your review by August 25 with a deadline for feedback. Stay tuned.
• Lawrence will have a display table at Michigan Inventors Coalition on behalf of the Makerspace on August 17 to share our information and resources.

NECESSARY INFO FOR UPCOMING CLASSES/WORKSHOPS/EVENTS

• Classes and Workshops will begin the week of September 18. Jessica sent an email on July 18 with the current list. More classes will be added over the season.
• Fall 2023 - LIVE 7.18.23.docx

GRACE, RESPECT, PATIENCE, FLEXIBILITY, ENCOURAGEMENT, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, SUPPORT.

We want all staff and users to exercise patience, flexibility, positivity, grace when being part of our diverse and inclusive Hawk Makerspace community. In an effort to help us regularly reflect on our current culture, we will use this space to bring up topics to provoke self-reflection and dialogue.

Each newsletter will have a different "topic" which may be rooted in a current issue within the space or simply to think about for continued growth. Please take a moment to think and sit with the prompts. There may be times when each of us have negatively contributed to the culture without intentionally doing so - yet the impact of that remains.

MANSPLAINING

Recently a staff member felt they have been repeatedly "mansplained" by two or three passholders and they are becoming frustrated with the way they continue to be spoken to. To put it differently, the term mansplaining generally references a situation where a man explains something to a woman that she already understands or knows (even after she's made it clear), and may be condescending or patronizing in nature, thereby intentionally - or unintentionally - presuming her lack of knowledge and expertise. While we cannot provide our passholders with training to keep them from doing this, we can model good interactions within our space.

• Have I mansplained? This is a cool flow chart to help us remember these questions when talking within anyone (not just male/female/Non-binary).
• How may I address mansplaining if it is happening to me?
• If I witness mansplaining happening, what have I done (or what can I do) to intervene?

Remember, the goal of reflecting on this is to raise awareness, learn from past behaviors, and cultivate respectful and meaningful interactions that promote open dialogue and understanding among all individuals.