Our PTA warmly welcomes your family to Lamberhurst St. Mary’s

Issue date: July 2015

Parent Teacher Association Registered Charity 1029717

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Contents Page

1. Introduction 3

2. Why do we have a PTA? 3

3. Charitable status 4

4. Links with our local community 5

5. Role of the PTA committee 5

6. Annual General Meeting 5

7. Class Representatives 6

8. How we raise money 6

9. Company matched giving 7

10. How we spend the money we raise 7

11. How we get information to you 8

12. How you can get involved 9

13. Support from PTA-UK 9

14. What the PTA means to our school 10

How to contact your PTA

Via your Class Rep

Join our Facebook page ‘Lamberhurst St Mary PTA’

Email: lamberhurstpta@gmail.com

At the school gates!

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1. Welcome to our school St. Mary’s Parents Teacher’s Association (PTA) would like to warmly welcome all the new families and say hello to those of you who are already part of the St Mary’s community! Our PTA consists of 3 or 4 parent volunteers who form the Committee, the class reps and a whole troop of willing helpers who volunteer their time, as and when they can. This booklet has been compiled by our PTA especially for you, as a new family joining our school community. We realise it can be strange and a little nerve-wracking starting at a new school and there always seems to be so many questions to ask. This booklet aims to provide you with information about our Parent Teacher Association which forms a major part of school life. If you have any questions that remain unanswered, please contact one of the committee members or your class representative. A list of current PTA committee members is at the back of this booklet. 2. Why do we have a PTA? We are fortunate at our school to have a PTA that is and has been an integral part of the school community for many years. In its time the PTA has raised thousands of pounds, which has been spent on equipment and resources to enhance our children’s education experience and the school’s facilities, this includes an outdoor canopy and sand pit for Reception Class, large staging, performance lighting, Trim Trail, whole school Christmas panto treat and an annual contribution to the year 6 Leavers activities. A large recent project has been the installation of an artificial surface to replace a very water-logged pitch, which was opened in Sept 2015. Our PTA is about much more than simply fundraising. The PTA exists to provide closer links between home and school and it is an excellent, fun way to bring staff, parents and friends together socially in support of the school, working towards a common goal - just ask any of the Committee members or PTA helpers. Please note that the PTA is not a medium through which parents can discuss school policy; such queries should be discussed directly with the teachers. Our PTA is a charity that works hard to raise funds for our school children. Our objective is to fundraise to further our children’s

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education and enrich their learning opportunities. We run events for the children, parents and the community throughout the school year. All parents and members of the school community are encouraged to get involved, even if they only have a small amount of time available, as key events are divided into tasks. All families are automatically members of Lamberhurst St. Mary’s PTA when their child joins our school. The PTA is extremely conscious of the ethos and diversity of our school, and we try very hard when organising and planning events to respect this. Not all of our events operate as fundraisers. For example our children’s discos and children’s Christmas market are run with the aim of giving the children a good time and as a way of thanking families for their continued support for the PTA. The second hand school uniform sales are run as a service to our school’s families. 3. Charitable status Charity law requires voluntary organisations such as ours with an annual income in excess of £5,000 to register with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. As a charity we must abide by Charity Commission rules and regulations and we are bound by a governing document referred to as our constitution. Our constitution sets out the rules about how we operate as a PTA and how we conduct ourselves. If you would like to see a copy of the constitution, please contact one of the Committee members. Being a registered charity enables the PTA to:-

receive charitable donations from local and national companies

apply to grant-making charitable trusts; most charitable trusts will give grants only to groups formally recognised as charities

receive donations made through payroll giving and company matched giving schemes

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4. Links with local community We have, over time, developed strong links with the local community and are always well supported by both residents and businesses, for which we are very grateful. Many of our local businesses and pubs very generously provide sponsorship for events and donations for raffle prizes, auction items etc. We also have many busy, talented parents who run small businesses that are great supporters of our PTA; several of these take part in our summer fairs and also donate items for raffle or auction. We are very grateful for this support as it has made a huge difference to our fundraising efforts. 5. Role of the Committee

Our PTA committee consists of three or four Officers: Chair, Treasurer and one or two Trustees. We also have several ordinary committee members who are Class Representatives, to make up the full committee. Each committee member’s post lasts for two years although the commencement dates are staggered to ensure continuity and support for members within the PTA. The Committee meet usually once per term, with smaller working groups meeting as necessary when we are planning larger events.

6. Annual General Meeting (AGM) Our Annual General Meeting is held at the beginning of the academic year and is an opportunity for all parents to hear in more detail about the work of the PTA, the events we have run, the funds we have raised and how the money has been spent. It is also the occasion when we elect our new committee members and class representatives. 7. Class Representatives

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Our class representatives undertake a very important role. There is one representative per class who provides a link between each class and parents and the committee. The support from class reps is vital when it comes to keeping everyone up-to-date with upcoming events, helping to organise our events, organising rotas of help and obtaining feedback. We really could not manage without them. A list of current PTA committee members and class representatives is at the back of this booklet. If you are interested in joining the committee or acting as a class representative or PTA volunteer, please do not hesitate to talk to a member of the Committee or put your name on the form at the end of this booklet. 8. How we raise money Like most PTAs, the majority of our funds are raised through the events that we run. Some of our most popular events are the Summer Fete, Welly Walks, Wine Tasting Eve, Casino & Disco Night and Race Night. We also produce a very popular annual Calendar and last year we started our eye-catching Tiled Wall. We also run other events which are more about the children’s enjoyment than raising funds. These are the termly discos and the children’s Christmas gift market; where they get the opportunity to choose and wrap presents for their family. So you can see there is always something going on. We always try and respond to the children’s requests; it is great to see them having fun at the events or enjoying using a piece of new equipment that the PTA has donated. We raise money in other ways too. Donations from parents are extremely important. You can donate time, money, items for sale, raffle prizes and auction lots or offers of services and skills. As our PTA is a registered charity, we are able to raise money via company matched giving schemes. 9. Company matched giving

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Company matched giving is very simple. Companies or businesses pledge to donate to a charity such as ourselves an amount of money relating to the amount that an employee(s) donates or fundraises for us. This can help enormously and there are several benefits to both ourselves and the company involved:

employees’ morale is boosted by having their efforts supported by their employer

the company benefits from having charitable donations written off against taxable profits

the company can endeavour to get publicity for their giving

our PTA benefits from receiving perhaps double what we have raised at an event

If you think that your employer has a matched giving scheme already in operation, or if you would like some more information about charity matched giving or setting up a scheme in your workplace, please talk to one of the PTA officers, or ask in the school office. 10. How we spend the money we raise Following a fundraising event the money is banked straight away. It is at our PTA Committee meetings, that the decisions on how to spend the money are agreed. Usually, Mrs Bromley will have a ‘wish list’ of items that the school would like the PTA to consider funding. Sometimes this will be as a result of the children asking for something, such as playtime game equipment, a sand pit or the trim trail. At other times it will be for resources to improve a particular area of the curriculum or school environment such as the outdoor canopy for Reception class, large staging and performance lighting. Every Christmas the PTA funds a special theatre performance as a seasonal treat for the whole school to enjoy. The PTA funds are spent on the ‘extras’ that are not provided by the school’s budget, thus making our children’s learning experiences so much more fulfilling and exciting. We always endeavour to spend our funds in ways that will benefit all our children across all areas of the school and curriculum. The money we raise is usually spent fairly quickly. That way, you can be sure that in supporting our school, your child/ren will feel the benefit, along with everybody else.

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Of course there have been times when we have been fundraising for a large project. Over the last two years we set ourselves a particularly challenging task; to provide the school with an all-weather sports surface. This was needed to replace the small hillside field, which was either too wet or too dry to use for most to the year. So the children really missed out on sports. The new surface aims to provide the pupils with all-year-round access to curricular sports. This extra-large project has now been completed, but we continue with our aim of raising funds to improve and enrich our children’s learning. So the level of commitment of you as a member is up to you; every little helps. 11. How we get information to you Often PTA newsletters are emailed to parents and available on the school website but when these newsletters are sent home they are printed on yellow paper – so they are easily recognised. The newsletters include information on forthcoming events and dates plus requests for assistance, when we are planning large events. Following a PTA event, we always write to let you know how much was raised, and if we can, we tell you what the money will be spent on. PTA newsletters are held in the school foyer as well as on the school website. Please ensure your Class Rep has your current email address and also join our Facebook group: ‘Lamberhurst St Mary’s PTA’ to ensure you are up-to-date with the latest school events and the FB group gives us all a place to communicate, ask questions and even locate lost items! Please take a minute to look at the social media policy under the files tab on that page, as any matters regarding school policy should not be discussed via the PTA, but directly with the school. A summary newsletter is published periodically, giving a round-up of events, details of the total amount raised, any equipment we have bought for the school, stories, input from the children etc. 12. How you can get involved

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There are lots of ways you can help and support your child through the PTA. Offering to help at events or at other times during the year is so valuable. It doesn’t matter if you can’t help on a regular basis, or even if you cannot come into school. There are always jobs that can be done from home if you have half an hour to spare e.g. organising rosters, preparing raffle tickets, sourcing raffle prizes etc. We really couldn’t achieve what we do without the behind the scenes help that we receive. If you would like to be more involved you can volunteer to be a Class Representative or Committee Member. Or you can simply support the AGM and give us your ideas for fundraising events. This is also the time to ask questions or voice your opinion. You can help by letting us know if you have any contacts or skills we could use, everything is potentially valuable to us. And finally, we are always extremely grateful to receive donations as mentioned before. There is brief questionnaire at the back of the booklet to fill in and return if you are able to help in any way, no matter how small. Don’t forget to include an email address if possible.

13. Support from PTA-UK Our PTA is a member of PTA-UK, which is a national charity and membership organisation providing support and guidance for all home school associations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our association is one of over 13,600 members in current membership of the PTA-UK. We pay an annual membership fee which gives us lots of member benefits including comprehensive insurance cover for all PTA run events, support and advice on running the PTA plus fundraising ideas and good practice hints and tips. 14. What the PTA means to our school

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Because St. Mary’s PTA involves the whole school community we thought you would like to know what others think about our PTA. “The PTA plays a vital role in supporting and enhancing Lamberhurst St Mary's school offer. They are an invaluable resource that makes the school and their education even better. The parents of any school are a massive resource that can really help fuel their children's school resources and opportunities.” Mrs H.

“Being part of the PTA allows me to give something back to the school in a way that is both fun and sociable. It embodies the community spirit that both St Mary's and Lamberhurst village does so well." Mrs Y.

From the Governing Body “The PTA is an essential part of St. Mary’s. All parents, carers and staff are members and everyone’s contribution is highly valued. The work of the PTA underpins the whole school. Financial support enables us to create a richer learning environment for our children such as the development of the outside spaces. These could never have been installed so quickly without the incredible support of our PTA. Numerous curriculum resources have been provided which children throughout the school are able to enjoy. The wide variety of social functions, allow us all to get to know one another in a more relaxed setting. The children see their parents and the school staff working together for their benefit. They appreciate this united effort and it adds to their feeling of security. Our school would not be the lively and welcoming learning environment it is without the enthusiasm, commitment and hard work of our PTA. All of us in school are very grateful to them.” From the children

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“I like the PTA discos the best as I get to dance with all my friends." Grace

“The PTA are amazing because they raise money to make us happy. They are very important to our school as they also make the fetes possible!”. Zak “The PTA always find a way to improve our school. We all love the tiled wall and we always will.” Holly

“Without the PTA we wouldn’t have the extras we have.”

Keira

And last, but by no means least, Our Headteacher: “The dedication and hard work of our PTA is second to none. I love working with our team including our amazing committee who are so organised and other parent helpers who give their time so willingly to plan and provide such wonderful enrichment events for our whole school community. PTA activities not only provide us with exciting social events, but also raise valuable funds particularly for resources which we could not possibly fund from our main school budget. The PTA's contribution to the whole school community provides a collective of professional skills, innovation and new ideas, creativity and collaborative working practices. Our PTA has achieved so much, and I am so grateful to the incredible commitment that our current committee has given. I really look forward to continuing this valuable partnership with our new Committee from September 2015.”

Mrs Caroline Bromley

Thank you for taking the time to read our booklet. We hope you now know a little more about your Parent Teacher Association. On behalf of all the pupils we would like to thank you for your very valuable support which enriches their learning experience and makes their time in school so enjoyable.

From all the PTA Committee

Kim Capone Chairperson

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FORTHCOMING PTA EVENTS FOR 2015 AND 2016 Reception Parents Cuppa & Chat Tues 15th Sept drop-off til 11, Harris Suite Race Night Friday 9th Oct 7.30pm, school hall Autumn Family Welly Walk date tbc Children’s Halloween Disco Thurs 22nd Oct 5-6.30pm, school hall Children’s Christmas Market 14th December (Children buy and wrap their own gifts for family members) Children’s Easter Disco Thurs 17th March 5-6.30pm, school hall Spring Family Welly Walk Sunday 17th April, The Vineyard Casino & Disco Night Sat 7th May, Woods in Tunbridge Wells Summer Fete Saturday 18th June Children’s Summer Disco Thurs 14th July 5-6.30pm, school hall Confirmed dates will be published in the PTA newsletter in the Autumn term OUR PTA COMMITTEE 2015-16 Main Committee Chair Kim Capone Year 1 and 5 parent Treasurer Miranda Hungerford Year R, 2, 3 and 5 parent Trustee Amelia York Year 1 and 3 parent Trustee Dawn Beeby Year R parent

Class Representatives 2015 Reception Ruby David Dinwoodie Year 1 Emerald Sarah Blake Year 2 Topaz Ruth Murphy Year 3 Amber Vika Gallacher Year 4 Sapphire Isla Hill Year 5 Garnet Miranda Hungerford Year 6 Diamond Vicki Berry