Term 3 events
Sep 04 BNZ ‘Closed for Good Day’ staff working
at our School
08 Family Portrait photos - PTA
16 PTA Meeting 7.30pm
17 Fairfield Schools Cluster Y5 & Y6 Winter Sports day competition
19 Life Education Trust programme begins
19 BOT Meeting 7.30pm
20 PTA Quiz Night
24 Sport team photos
27 Last
day of term 3: school closes
2.00pm.
‘School Fundraising;
Basically, we do not
receive enough funding from the Government to support all the demands of
curriculum teaching & learning. It is a fact that most schools need
to fundraise in order to enhance resources and equipment needed for a modern
teaching & learning environment.
A concern has been
expressed about why the school fund-raises and more specifically, the number of
activities and events that occur over the year. The concern reminds us that we
need to regularly inform everyone as to what we are actually fundraising for.
The PTA does send out newsletters at the start of
the year, and each term, letting parents know what we are fund raising for and
a proposed calendar for this. Everyone is invited to input into this via
meetings, newsletter feedback or joining the PTA.
It’s a fact of life for
us that unlike some schools, we cannot make $20 000 from just one fundraising
event. We need to engage in a lot of activities to achieve anywhere near that
amount.
Each year I make a
request to the PTA to raise funds and this year I have asked for support with
the following;
Requests for 2013
Environmental education
equipment and
resources
$6000
Mathematics curriculum
equipment &
resources
$3500
Books for the
Library
$5000
Reading curriculum
books
$6000
Camera’s and CD
Players
$1000
Total
request $21500
As well as making the
request above, I also ask for PTA assistance with completing Trust Funding
Applications eg for Interactive whiteboards and Classroom sound field systems.
I am aware that there is
some perception that fundraising largely goes towards the cost of school sport
uniforms. This is not the case as the cost of replacing or
purchasing new sports team equipment is funded through the hiring of the
uniforms themselves or through successful Trust Fund Applications (as was the
case for netball sports uniforms this year). The PTA manages this and
accounts go through their books, so it is understandable that there is a
misperception that PTA fundraising goes towards this.
Unfortunately, some of the school fund raising activities and events follow closely behind each other and I am fully appreciative of the concerns that parents have regarding the plethora of fundraising events. The sheer number of the fundraising events themselves and the pressure parents are put under because of this has been a concern. It is most certainly not our intention of making family life any harder. There are also the requests we respond to as regard to other community charity fundraising events ie Cancer Appeals or Jump Rope for Heart. These all add to the number of events occurring at any point in time. Unfortunately this has occurred this year.
I acknowledge it is
something we could do better at. The timing and number of events can be of great
concern to many parents. I will point out that parents can choose which
events/activities they will support. The PTA does offer a variety of
fundraising activities which hopefully appeals to different people.
In other cases,
fundraising activities (outside of the PTA activities) is organised and managed
by the staff themselves. This is the case as regards to the school
Year5/6 camps that we organise. Camps costs seem to increase
exponentially every year. We are very sensitive that the cost of these can
be so high and out of reach for some people that they are huge burden on these
households. To alleviate some of these costs, the school itself has
engaged in fundraising activities to keep the camp costs at a bare minimum.
Depending on the success of the fundraising, it can mean that the cost of the
camp can be reduced per student (for example from $150 to $120). Over the last
few years the school has engaged in more of these camp related fundraising
events. This has again added to the number of events on at any one point
in time. We are reviewing this situation.
The Woodstock School PTA work very hard to try to meet the requests and every year are largely successful. Without their effort, the school could simply not afford to purchase resources to support teaching & learning in the school. We are very lucky to have parents who so willingly put time and effort into this. We appreciate some juggle full time jobs to do this. The time they put in, and the efforts they make, is ultimately of benefit to every student at Woodstock School.
There are times when it
feels like being between a rock and a hard place. Begging the question (about
fundraising): Do we or don’t we?? I would like everyone to know that our
motivation is to achieve the best we can, for all our children at Woodstock
School, without intentionally causing any harm or difficulty for families.
Upcoming
PTA Fundraising Activities:
TERM
3: Quiz Night House
T-shirts Family
Portraits—8th Sept Monster Raffle
TERM
4: Oxford Pies Calendars
Cards & Diaries Olive
Oil/Fudge/Wine
PTA Quiz Night is coming up soon.
Keep the night of Friday 20th September free. Form a team of 8 players and book in the
date! It’s a great night out. A separate PTA notice will be issued soon.
Reminder From
Whanau Awhina – Potluck Dinner
Last week a notice went out to parents/caregivers of all Woodstock
students, who identify as Måori on the roll. Whanau Awhina would like to remind
these parents/caregivers that you and your whanau are invited to a potluck
dinner this Friday night at 6pm in the school’s staffroom.
As well as sharing kai and getting to know each other, we would like to
use this time to vote for someone to represent our whanau on the Board of
Trustees. So please bring your whanau and a pot of your favourite kai to the
Staff Room on Friday 30th August at 6pm. Looking forward to seeing
some new faces. Kaaro Moeke.
Woodstock Schools Greenie
Gardeners
At Woodstock
School we have a group of Year 1 and 2 students who are keen gardeners. They
meet during their lunchtimes to maintain and improve the gardens that are in
the entrance way of our school so that it is an attractive focal point for our
community.
First Credit
Union has set up a Sustainability Fund for schools like Woodstock who
participate in their School Banking Programme. The Greenie Gardeners created a
proposal and applied for assistance for improving our gardens. We were very
lucky to have been given $500 from First Credit Union to help us with our
project.
Well done Greenie
Gardeners and a big thank you to First Credit Union for their support!
Students from Woodstock School achieved
outstanding results when they participated in Computer Skills and Science ICAS
(International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) this year. Those students
whose achievements were outstanding were rewarded with Certificates of Credit,
Distinction and High Distinction.
Computer Skills
Year 4 High Distinction Pass: Joe Hughes
Year 5 Distinction Pass: Ciaran Watson
Year 6 Credit Pass: Sebastian Morgans &
Rachel Major
Science
Year 4 High Distinction Pass: Joe Hughes
Year 5 Distinction Pass: Kathryn Evans Credit Pass: Ciaran Watson
Year 6 Credit Pass: Micaela Steed & Hannah
Birch
Well done to all
our students who took part and particularly to Joe Hughes who achieved an amazing
High Distinction Pass in both Computer Skills and Science, putting
him in the top 1% of NZ students.
These are the eyes of someone on our staff who
is newly engaged!
Guess who it is to congratulate?
DRESS UP DAY
The official
Roald Dahl Day takes place every year on 13 September (Week 7, Term 3), on the
Birthday of the World's No. 1 Storyteller. In 2013, Roald Dahl Day coincides
with Friday 13th - the perfect excuse for even more mischief and mayhem than
usual. So this year we're celebrating all the tricksy characters that fill
Roald
Dahl's
books - from George and his mayhemic medicine to Matilda and her parent-scaring
tricks. After all, no Birthday celebration is complete without a little bit of
mischief! Come along to school
dressed as one of the any characters of Roald Dahl on Friday 13th
September.
Found
One black leather
glove.Two rings.
If you have lost one of these items please see
the office.
Make it scrumdiddlyumptious!!!
- Deliver to Mrs Tangney by Thursday
12th September 2013 at 9am.
- Winners will be announced on Friday
13th September 2013.
- Work will be displayed in the school
library for all to enjoy.
|
Principal
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