Please return raffle tickets by Thurs 19th Nov.

Copy of latest PTA minutes attached below.

Please note: PTA AGM 19th Jan 2010

Minutes of Lees Hill   School PTA Meeting

Wednesday 23^rd September 2009

Present– Helen Armstrong, Bea Mitchinson, Cookie Wood, Hazel Winter, Jill Simpson, Caireen Bouch, Linda Wilson, Fiona Evans, Fiona Titterington, Tracey Mitchinson, Janice & Steven Duddy, Malcolm MacRae, Tracey Townend, Fiona Ritson, Heather Blair, Mel Warwick, Sarah Kyle, Lyndsey Ferguson

Apologies– Julia Evans, Susan Fullelove

1. Welcome: Helen welcomed all the parents and went on to give some information about what the PTA do and where the money we raised goes i.e. fund raising in the form of the Clay Pigeon Shoot and the Christmas Fair, contributions towards buses for school trips, outdoor play area, Easter eggs, Christmas Party to name just a few.

    

2. Minutes of the last Meeting: passed and signed off, no matters arising.

    

3. Table Top Sale : It was decided that hiring Walton Village Hall was probably too expensive and we’d not raise enough money to make it worthwhile and so this has been postponed.  Smartie Tubes were mentioned as a good way to make a few £’s; this was used to raise money for building the school hall.  The PTA buys a tube of smarties for each child to take home and, once they are eaten, the tubes are filled with 20p pieces, the lid selotaped back on and they are sent back into school.  It was decided that the smartie fund raiser will go ahead and Cookie will buy the smarties and organise that.  Another alternative to the table top sale was having a concert to raise money – it could take the form of a Talent Contest and this would also then replace the Ceildh which we had pencilled in for early next year.  Venues discussed were Walton Village Church , Dacre Hall and tickets would be pre-purchased. A vote card could be given out with the tickets so the audience cast votes on the Talent!  If it was held at school and a bar was needed we have to apply for a licence 10 days before the event, so that is also a possibility.  The following people agreed to be part of a working group to get together and discuss ideas, a name for the event, costings and to get the whole thing underway:- Fiona Titterington, Jill Simpson, Helen Armstrong, Janice Duddy and Fiona Evans. A DATE OF FRIDAY 29^TH JANUARY was decided for this event.  Part of the money raised would go towards the school residential next year which is happening in April.

    

4. Harvest Festival: This is on Wednesday 7^th October in the afternoon.  As per last year the children will all take some produce into school that morning which will be laid out on tables in the hall and sold when parents come to the Festival.  All money raised will be going to the RSPCA.  Bea, Heather and Hazel agreed to organise the tea and biscuits and if anyone else is available, your help would be appreciated. Caireen Bouch asked if anyone knew of any farmers who still had corn, she is hoping to make Corn Dollies with the children.

    

5. Christmas Fair: is on Friday, 20^th November this year.  It usually starts about 6.30 – 8.30 and the raffle is drawn about 8ish.  Janice and Lyndsey agreed to organise the Fair this year.  Fiona Evans agreed to look into Tote Bags/Teatowels designed by the children to be sold on the night.  Christmas cards this year are not being made.  Helen also thought that an Auction of Promises was a really good fund raiser and had not been done for a number of years.  Helen will look into ‘booking’ an auctioneer and will organise the event.  A discussion was held as to when this should take place and it was decided to organise it as part of the Talent Night on Friday 29^th January.  If anyone has any promises to auction (you can auction your time to do something, i.e. babysitting, ironing etc!) please contact Helen.  Money raised from this and the Talent Night combined would probably be split 50/50 between the residential and general PTA fund.

    

6. Christmas Party: This is on Wednesday 16^th December in the afternoon.  The staff organise games/entertainment and the PTA buy the prizes – JS to let us know what is needed.  Pre-Schoolers and last year’s School Leavers get invited.  Hazel Winter organised the food last year and has agreed to do it again this year.  Christmas Trees - JS is going to ask Sue Betts to speak to Andrew Nicholson about two trees for this year.  Tracey Townend has said that she will look into the possibility of getting an artificial tree for next year and any decorations that are surplus to Asda’s requirements!

    

7. A.O.B.: Chris Morris is retiring at the end of January.  JS will organise a special jigsaw picture, the PTA will pay.  Alison Greenup left at the end of last year and Helen will sort out a decent present and flowers as Alison had been at school for a good number of years; an agreed sum put aside for this

    

·        JS has taken delivery of some picnic tables for the outdoor play area.  They have come flat-packed so if anyone can help assemble them that would be a huge help – Malcolm and Steven agreed to – Thank you!  JS also showed us some payground graphics that she is hoping to have done, which look great, all of this with the help of the £2,000 the PTA allocated towards the outdoor play area at the last meeting.

·        Bea Mitchinson advised that the PTA bank balance stands at £3907.00 with £2,000 to come out of this for the play area as agreed (see above point).

·        Cookie Wood is resigning as PTA Secretary at the AGM which is held in January, so please, if there is anyone who would like to take this up, make sure you attend the AGM in January when you can be elected!

·        The meal out at Irthington, which Helen Armnstrong organised, was a great success and it was agreed that Helen would organise another – date, time and venue to be advised.

8. Date of the next Meeting – Wednesday 4^TH November at 7pm in school.  The AGM  19^th January 2010 at 7pm in school.

    

9. Meeting closed 8.40pm