PTA AGM Chairmans Report 2009

When I sat down to put together an account of what Wickham Court School PTA have achieved over the last year, I realised that an amazing amount has gone on, not only fundraising and social events, but also the many items we have been able to buy for the pupils, and the different ways in which the PTA are working alongside the school. Some of our expenditure has included;

• 4 large pop up gazebos, which were put to immediate use at the Summer Fair, and on sports day.
• A £100 donation to the ever popular gardening club, for fencing and other sundries.
• House banners which were proudly carried aloft at the swimming gala, and used again at sports day.
• Prize giving day for the seniors had a palpable feel of excitement, as the table was almost groaning under the weight of all the new trophies the PTA had purchased for them, not only academic rewards, but also trophies for personal effort and such.
• Our biggest expenditure by far this year has been the long awaited trim trail; it blends in well with the grounds, and is something which could be added to in the future.
  
• This year, The PTA have also invested in -
  
  • A dressing up trolley & trikes for nursery.
    
  • Book cases for the senior library.
    
  • An Easter egg for every student.
    
  • Contributed towards the Year 6 leavers trip to Buckmore Park.
    
  • Paid for Mr Wotty an entertainer for the younger children.
    
  • Contributed towards the setting up of the senior common rooms.
    
  • Medals were again purchased for the swimming gala and sports day.
    
  • We also purchased sets of metal house badges for the students.
    
  • and bought some more equipment for the after school club.
    
• Our purchase which is in progress at the moment is a large flat screen television which will be installed in the science lab, benefiting all the students. It can be used in conjunction with a laptop computer for teaching as well as showing academic programmes. It may not be installed by the time we hold the AGM, but it is imminent! 

There have been many events organised by the PTA this year, all of which have helped to raise funds for our pupils here;

• Last years Christmas Fair, bitterly cold, but magical, filling most of the ground floor of the school!
• For the first time last Christmas we had Christmas cards professionally produced which had been designed by the pupils. Each child designed their own unique card; orders were taken from family and friends, the PTA making a small amount on each pack sold. This year the card designing is already underway, and we hope to build on the success of last year, now that people have seen the high quality of the finished product. There is a display outside the staff room of some of last year's cards.
• We have had two very successful Scholastic Book Fairs; another is booked for this November. We have raised several hundreds of pounds through commission at these fairs, which have been spent on vast amounts of new books for the junior and senior libraries.
• The ‘We Are Writers' book which was filled with stories written by pupils here, published by Scholastic, also raised commission which was used for buying books. (there is a copy of the ‘We Are Writers' book available to look at on the table)
• The annual Valentine's Day cake sale was hugely popular. Thank you to everyone who donated cakes and biscuits, our table was brimming with a dazzling selection - but not for long!
  
• The Pampered Chef evening was fun, it was entertaining to watch a miniature trim trail being assembled from flaky pastry, cheese, and a selection of veg, which did, naturally require the use of a huge number of pampered chef utensils in the process
• The ‘Day At The Races' Summer Fair, where staff and PTA members dressed up in hats and their finery created a true flavour of Ascot, of course helped by having the horses and jockeys here, plus the most fantastic commentator. Not forgetting the visit from Her Majesty herself!
• We have just had another collection for Bags2School, the first raised over £300, and judging by the pile of bags we had waiting for collection this time, we should make a similar amount.
• The uniform shop continues to be a success thanks to the work of Becky Cupit, handing the reins over to Cynthia Pintarelli, it's always worth looking in there first before purchasing new uniform. We now have started to obtain Victorian costumes, which can be hired for a small fee, when the children need to dress up, but would welcome more to add to the collection!
• Karen and Sara had the unenviable task of boxing up and sorting out the recycled printer and toner cartridges, of which there were many-resulting in the payout of about £900! This is something we will continue to collect for recycling.

New ways in which the PTA are working alongside the school;

• All PTA members have been or are in the process of having CRB checks completed, in compliance with new regulations.
• We now have fortnightly class reps meetings, an opportunity to discuss items raised by pupils, parents and staff.
• The seniors are now well represented by the PTA and we meet with them during assembly once a month, this is an opportunity for the senior students to discuss matters of importance to them. The PTA is keen to support the continued development of our ever growing senior school.
• The seniors now have a tuck shop - fondly known as ‘The Snack Shack', set up and run by Janine and Richard Smith, selling a selection of healthy snacks and drinks, to tide the senior students over until lunchtime.
• The senior department now also has its own library, which we will continue to develop, with input from teachers and pupils.
• The Common rooms have been a work in progress for a little while, but thanks again to the commitment of Janine and Richard, these rooms will be something a bit special for the students, rooms which they can take a pride in, and enjoy their space.
  
• We warmly welcome the new dinner ladies, who have received rave reviews from the children. Their offers of help and willingness to work alongside the PTA is refreshing! We have lots of plans in the pipeline;
• Phone recycling is underway at present, this is a new venture, although the box in the entrance hall is far from brimming over!
• We are considering the possibility of making the substantial purchase next year of a wooden pavilion, with bench seating and a wooden floor. The pavillion will be able to be used as an outdoor classroom. This is still in the early planning stages, but we will keep you posted with the progress.
• Plans for this years Christmas Fair, billed as ‘Santa's First Stop' are well underway, we are trialling a promotional brochure, containing information about the fair, alongside adverts for local businesses.
• We already have our first event booked for 2010, a fun, informal wine tasting evening, run by ‘All about Wine.' This will be held on Saturday 13th February, and will be a unique way of celebrating Valentine's Day, something a bit different from the usual restaurant trip! And so, most importantly to the thanks;
  
  
  

To Barbara Hunter and Lisa Harries, thank you for your help and guidance, enabling us as a committee to work alongside the school. Also, for being open to new ideas and suggestions, supporting us in new ventures.

To all the parents who support us, whether its donating bottles for tombolas, items for hampers, gifts for the secrets room, or scrubbing barbeques, selling raffle tickets, buying books from the Scholastic Book Fairs, inviting family and friends to events or simply mucking in where and when needed.

Special thanks to the parents who have worked to keep the libraries in order. To Anne Wharton, Karen Lord and Jackie Ngan. Jackie has kindly offered to continue to do this, but it would be great if we had a few more volunteers.

Thank you to the teaching staff, office staff, after school staff and new lunch ladies. We really appreciate your continued support in our activities and for your help and guidance enabling us as a committee to work alongside the school. · Special thanks to Karen Lord, our treasurer who is sadly stepping down, she has been a valued member of our committee and will be much missed.

Without this truly supportive committee, none of this would happen. They have been the most amazing team, who, despite their own hectic lives and busy schedules have given up their time for the PTA and for all the pupils here at Wickham Court School. Thank you all so much, I look forwards to the year ahead. 

Mrs Camilla Johnson
PTA Chairperson

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