Hello!
A very warm welcome to you and your child as you join St James' Primary
School. All parents are automatically members of St James' PTA. This
leaflet is designed to give you a little more information about who we
are and what we do.
Why Have a PTA?
The PTA (or Parent Teacher Association) exists to provide
closer links between home and school. Teachers and parents work
together to enhance school life for the children. Our principal aim is
to raise funds for the school. This provides additional financial
resources for subsidising school trips, purchasing equipment that the
school would not otherwise be able to afford and contributing towards
larger projects like library refurbishment.
PTA Roles
The St James' PTA is a registered charity and to maintain this status
the committee must have a Chairperson, a Secretary and Treasurer.
These three roles are part of the planning group, which meets once a
month to plan events, agree spending and to discuss any current issues.
All parents and teachers at the school are welcome to join the meetings
and contribute ideas. There is no pressure to get any more involved
than you want to.
Annual General Meeting
Our AGM is held at the beginning of the academic year and this is an
open forum for all parents to listen to the planning process and voice
any opinions about the way funds are raised and spent. The AGM is when
the PTA elects the Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary. It is also an
opportunity to meet other parents over a glass of wine.
How We Raise the Money
We have two major fund raising opportunities in the year. These are the
Christmas and Summer Fairs. Both events require a lot of planning but
the children love them. Throughout the year we also run regular sales
of cakes and second hand uniforms, discos and sponsored events. We have
held fashion shows and jumble sales. You may have organised similar
events for your child's playgroup or another organisation. Maybe you've
never got involved with fundraising before, either way we'd love to
meet you (Mums and Dads, Grandparents too!).
Donations
We are fortunate to have other opportunities for raising
money. Financial donations are very gratefully received. We also
welcome any donations of goods or services that we can sell, auction or
use as raffle prizes. Any way you can help us, whether it be a big
cheque, a small cheque or an hour of your time would be fantastic.
St James' is a wonderful school and our children all deserve as much time and money devoted to them as possible!
How Much Do We Raise?
Once money is raised it is immediately paid into the bank. At
the PTA meetings, requests for funds are discussed and agreed (or not,
as the case may be).
Last year we raised just over £10,000. Much of that will be spent on the library refurbishment. In the last school year the PTA also paid for reading books, electronic microscopes, recording equipment, a digital camcorder and pantomime trips. PTA funds are being used to paint the netball courts. We bought a sandpit for Reception and contributed money to the Year 6 Leavers Party.
The
general principle of apportioning PTA funds is to benefit the largest
possible number of children in the year that the money is raised.
Mr Walley has an ongoing `shopping list' of items that the school would
like to purchase. Sometimes this will be because the children have
requested something. At other times teachers may require resources to
expand an area of the curriculum or there may be a need within the
school environment. Generally PTA funds are used for the `extras' not
covered by the school budget, things that make our children's learning
experience more fulfilling and exciting.
How To Reach the PTA
There is a PTA mailbox by the school office. Drop a note in with your contact details and we'll get back to you.
Offering to help at events or at other times during the year is so valuable - many hands make light work. It doesn't matter if you can't help on a regular basis, or even if you can't come into the school. There are often jobs that can be done from home if you have half an hour to spare. The school newsletter has PTA information and requests for help every Friday. We couldn't achieve what we do without the unseen `army of helpers' that exists in school.
You can volunteer to be a committee member. You can offer to help with catering at an event. You may work for or run a company that could donate products or services to the school. Perhaps you have a dazzling skill or idea that could raise money. You may know someone who knows someone. Every bit helps.
Come to the AGM, dip your toe in and get involved.
It really makes a difference to the children.
At the end of the day, that's what the PTA is all about.
If you can help or would like to make suggestions for future events and spending ideas, please fill pop a note into the PTA mailbox outside the School Office.