October 2022 - half term
AGM and Christmas events
Hello,
This is the final newsletter I will write as Chair. Included is some important information about the AGM when you can vote to appoint your new Chair and Secretary. Hopeful candidates have some exciting events planned for Christmas - a movie night, and story time with Father Christmas and his reindeer! Read on for details. I think you're going to love them!
Remember, school funds are under extraordinary pressure. Everything from books, to tools for design technology, to major playground investment won't happen without the PTA. Please support these candidates - they are willing to lead the charge to raise £20,000 and make a difference to every child's life at school.
***HALLOWEEN TRAIL*** THIS FRIDAY. Join Tilly in the year 1 playground (by the castle) for our Halloween trail. We expect this to be popular so please bear with us if the queues are long. It's £1 to take part and we hope to take card as well as cash payments. THANK YOU to the people who have volunteered to help - more hands welcome to get queues moving! Email beaverrdfundraisers@outlook.com
Dawn Cheshire will also run a second-hand book stall in the playground. Thanks Dawn!
SECOND HAND UNIFORM - It's great so many of you are using our second hand uniform supplies. We are so busy that ad hoc requests are becoming tricky to manage. So from after half term we will sell stock at the coffee mornings on Fridays. We will run sales at the parents evenings too (subject to volunteers). Please note, we're not taking any more donations at the moment.
Have a super half term break! Sam, Tilly, Lauren, Cath, Nia and Aimee
beaverrdfundraisers@outlook.com
ps Black Friday is coming up... Many Beaver Road families running independent shops who support our fundraising will be relying on you. PLEASE SUPPORT THEM! If you can't get what you need from them and turn to Amazon, then please sign up for a SMILE account so we get a proportion of the value of your purchase. Details at the end of the newsletter.
**Christmas Cards update**£816 raised!
HUGE thanks to Lauren who has co-orindated the mammoth challenge of Christmas card orders. Thanks to your support we will make over £800 in commission. Over 600 items will arrive in November and we are looking for volunteers to help collate them into orders. This is likely to be a Friday and a few people donating 1 hour of time will be invaluable. Let us know if you can help.
PUMPKIN winner!
Congratulations to Carys in 1J who grew this beauty of a pumpkin. It measures 56.5cm and weighed 2218g. A rosette and prize is on its way to you! Thanks to everyone who took part. We hope you've enjoyed growing things from seeds. The money you raised paid for equipment used at gardening club.
AGM - Candidates standing for elections
On 1st November at 6pm we will hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM) over zoom. The meeting usually lasts about 15 minutes - enough time to give an update on the charity's performance over the last year. Details for zoom will be issued on the day.
As a charity, we must legally hold an AGM. This is used to appoint committee members and confirm the money raised and available to spend.
This year we need to elect a new chairperson and a new secretary. Lauren Fulton will continue for another year as treasurer. This will be Lauren's third year in post.
Regular volunteer Tilly Barfield-Jones is standing as Chair. Her personal statement is here:
I'm Tilly, originally from South London but moved to Manchester 4 years ago with my husband, Sam, who works for Great Manchester Police. We have two boys, Ollie in 1M and Freddie who goes to a local playgroup. Both boys were diagnosed with autism in the summer so I've been busy navigating what that looks like for our family. Alongside this, I've been volunteering for the PTA and have loved fundraising for the benefit of all children of Beaver Road. I am amazed how much good the PTA does for the school and it would be my honour to head up the team and continue the amazing legacy Sam and others before her created.
I would love to get to know more of you, so if you see me around, please say hello.
Tiffanie O'Neill is standing as secretary. Her personal statement is here:
I am originally from New York, but have been in the UK for approximately two years. I love the vibrancy of Didsbury and the Beaver Road community.
Currently, I am on maternity leave with my 2-month-old daughter, Niamh, and my eldest daughter Sloane recently joined Mrs. Herberts' Wood Carvers class.
I understand the role will entail writing newsletters, managing social media, producing posters and helping to communicate the work of the PTA.
Professionally, I work in executive search as the assistant to a partner in the firm. The role is demanding and offers some parallels to the Secretary position at Beaver Road. I would transfer the skills of:
- Managing business development activities, meeting preparation, including presentations as well as company newsletters, and maintaining executive agendas and co-ordinating calendars.
I would love to use these skill as secretary for Beaver Road's PTA and help continue its important work.
CAN YOUR COMPANY MATCH FUND THE MONEY WE RAISE? Lots of companies help their employees double the money they raise for charity. Does you company do this? There's a list here. Please get in touch if you can help us boost what we raise via beaverrdfundraisers@outlook.com
SAVE THE DATE** Christmas events....
Story time with Father Christmas - 2 December
Come to a special audience with Father Christmas, meet his reindeer and enjoy a festive treat! This will be a ticketed event, and is likely to be a sell out. More details to follow after half term.
WE WILL NEED LOTS OF VOLUNTEERS TO PLAN, SET UP and RUN THE EVENT. Everything from helpers to welcome our guests and check tickets, to people to serve prosecco and mulled wine and mince pies, to decorating the Christmas trees and getting the hall ready for Father Christmas' arrival. Please get in touch if you want to make Christmas magical this year!
If you could loan a christms tree and/or lights, or if have outdoor lights that can be used to make Christmas displays, then please get in touch!
Christmas Movie Night - 23rd November, straight after school
Movie night are back! They will happen at both schools for Year 1 upwards. Last year Covid meant we had to cancel Christmas, so we'll show a popular Christmas movie! Every child who wants to come will be able to. (NB reception and nursery are just a bit too little and get overwhelmed so we'll arrange a movie for them during the school day.)
We will need volunteers to help children during the movie - especially at the first school. Please let us know if you can help.
WAYS TO DONATE WHEN YOU SHOP
Stamptastic donates 15% of all personalised name stamp and ink pad orders to us. Enter the school postcode M206SX at the checkout in the promo code box.
Amazon Smile will donate a % of what you spend to the PTA when you make purchases online at smile.amazon.co.uk or in the smile Amazon app. Just nominate Beaver Road PTA as your SMILE charity.
THANK YOU!
**NEW Stikins donates 15% on purchases of personalised name stickers when you put 1542 in the school fundrasing box at check out. Packs of label;s start at £6.80 for 30. Packs of 60, 90 and 120 available too.
The Giving Machine donates a % of what you buy online from top retailers
Simply set up an account and nominate us as your charity. When you're ready to shop select the retailer you want to buy from and it will redirect you to the retailer's website. This is then tracked and your purchase earns us commission. Find out more here.
The Committee
Chair: Sam Crowe. Sam is mum to Thomas in year 5 and Nicholas in year 1. Sam is a freelance PR consultant. After 4 years as Chair, Sam will step down this year.
Parent Partnership Champion: Nia Horan. Nia is an early years teacher at Beaver Road and runs the gardening club.
Treasurer: Lauren Fulton. Lauren is a qualified accountant and financial analyst. She has two daughters - Esmé, in year 1 and Harper in year 2.
Outgoing secretary: Siobhan O'Leary Donkin is a digital programmes manager and is mum to Denna in year 1 and Maggie in year 4. Siobhan has exciting house move plans so is stepping down as secretary this year.
Volunteer committee member: Tilly Barfield-Jones. Tilly helps organise and run lots of our fundraising events. Tilly works part-time in the film industry and has Ollie in year 1 and Freddie who is in pre-school.
Volunteer committee member: Catherine Furay is a consultant anaesthetist. Catherine is mum to Florence in year 1, Matilda in year 6, and Alexander at Parrs Wood. Cath looks after second hand uniform sales.
Aimee Fox, is PTA lead for the Juniors and teaches 6F.
Keep in touch: Beaver Road Primary School PTA on Facebook *** @BeaverRoad_PTA on Twitter *** beaverrdfundraisers@outlook.com
PTA committee: Sam Crowe, outgoing Chair, communications manager & parent - Lauren Fulton, treasurer and parent - Nia Horan and Aimee Fox parent partnership champions and teachers - Siobhan O'Leary Donkin, outgoing secretary - Catherine Furay and Tilly Barfield-Jones volunteer committee members and parents