Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School
Parent Staff Association Hawridge, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2UQ [email protected]
James Morris. Chair PSA
The PSA AGM was held last week and as soon as the minutes have been agreed they will be put on the new noticeboard and also on to the PSA page of the school website. As a PSA we lost four parents at the end of last year whose children moved on to other schools. It has been great to have a larger number ask to join the email list and show an interest in raising money that we can spend on our children's school. A request to join the email list is purely that. Emails will be sent out asking to help organise events and, if you have the time, you can offer to help. As with organising any event the more that offer the easier it is for everyone. You will also have the opportunity within the email group of expressing your views in to how the money is spent. I have agreed to Chair again for this year (with a couple of conditions) with the kind offer of help from Jo Bonner; Alex Nisbet and Tori Duncan-Anderson have agreed to share Vice Chair with Jo Considine kindly agreeing to continue as Treasurer assisted by Sarah Jo Barnes.
Jo gave a report on the state of the finances and reported that every fundraising event we held made us money with the biggest contributors being the Christmas Bazaar and Spring Fayre. Our money in was slightly down on the previous year and this was mainly due to not offering any hot lunches as these are now supplied by AIP. The only event that made a loss was the panto (more info below) and we knew that this was to be more a fun event for the children, partly funded by the PSA, rather than a fundraiser. We have spent money over the last year on matching money raised in the cake sales, providing additional resources that were identified as required for Windmills, the dancing sessions on the Fit4fun week, the noticeboard, subsidising some of the school trips, replacement football goal nets, repairing the PE shed, additional PE equipment and library books
We discussed at the meeting a number of items that the school had asked for help to purchase to benefit the children. Money will be spent on starting to purchase the new lunch time tables, tablet computers for each class (not each child), a number of new PE sheds to free up room in the hall, provision of 3 additional flowerbeds, shingle for the garden area and bark for the play area and repainting the school netball court on the playground. Depending on cost we may also try to replace some of the other paintings in the playground but, if we do, this will be with paint that is burnt on and so will remain for longer.
A number of events were discussed in more detail with people kindly offering to help to organise them – the first of these being the quiz night. Other events will hopefully include a shopping event in the Easter/Spring, hot dog and hot chocolate sales at varying times when we can, more lolly sales and additional social events in the evening.
Thursday 22nd October (the last day before half term) is non uniform day and we will send out a text reminder out closer to the time. For those who haven’t been involved in one of these before the children come to school in “civilian clothes” - not wearing school uniform. In return we ask you to donate a bottle (wine, beer, soft drinks) which will be collected from you that morning. The bottles collected will then be used at the Christmas Bazaar for the bottle tombola, find the wine or, if suitable, for a hamper or extra raffle prize. All donations are welcome, unless they are out of date, and this is a great way for us to raise money on the day.
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School PSA is a registered charity, number 282120 Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School
Parent Staff Association Hawridge, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2UQ [email protected]
The panto school trip has been booked for Monday 15th December and a letter will come out closer to the time. The cost of the tickets is £9 and it was discussed at the AGM asking for a small donation for the coaches to take your child to The Elgiva. More information will follow in the letter after half term. Whilst we have made a booking for the whole school we do not take over the whole theatre. Therefore, if parents wish to take younger (or older) siblings who are not at the school it is possible you will be able to able book tickets for the same session. Unfortunately you will not be able to sit with your school child as we will need for them to be sat in classes with responsibility for them still held by the teachers and any parents who offer to help.
As ever, we are always grateful for any raffle prizes that can be donated for the Bazaar. Contributions made before the middle of the last week before the school breaks up for half term will have the company name on the raffle tickets that will be sent out to all families and also sold on the day.
If you can't help with an event or a raffle prize then please try and remember www.easyfundraising.org.uk for any online shopping as we get closer to Christmas. Once you have gone on to the website you just need to register and record Hawridge and Cholesbry School as your cause. The next time you want to shop online go on to the easyfundraising website first and then find the retailer you were going to shop with. You get sent straight to their website, with all the current offers, but your sale is registered and a donation made to the school. There are loads of retailers on there including Amazon, Tesco, John Lewis, Waitrose, M&S, Sports Direct, Boots, CurrysPCWorld, Viking, Lakeland, HMV, WHSmith, Apple and itunes. Parents have raised over £1000 for the school since we signed up but we could have more.
You have a wealth of experience, knowledge and contacts that we, as a small school, need and any offers of prizes, sponsorship of an event or local contacts are always appreciated. You can contact us directly with the PSA email address, talk to one of us in the playground or contact the school office.
My thanks again to everyone for their support.
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School PSA is a registered charity, number 282120