FOW AGM – Weds 6th October 2020
Chairperson’s report
Co-chairs Carole Jowett & Charlotte Cline
Welcome to the first virtual FOW AGM. It’s great to see you all here.
Thank you for coming to support our amazing school. It’s been a strange year so far and will no doubt continue to be for some time. So we will need some fresh ideas to keep up fundraising in these unusual times when not only are we limited with face-to-face activities, but also want to recognise this is a tough time financially for many.
We started last year by electing 16 committee members – many of whom are the amazing folk here tonight! They are creative and amazing and committed. And they really make the magic happen. Over the year things moved on and we’ve had resignations for various reasons from Daniela who was the life and soul of the Summer Party bar, the brains behind Spooky Disco team and generally an amazing energy, Rebecca Stone who was a wonderful voice for eco-matters and ready to turn a hand to any event, and Virginie who was at the school for only a few months but helped at Comedy Nights, discos, and did more in a few short months than we thought possible. We thank them all for their amazing work.
The amount that goes on behind the scenes is mindblowing and we are so grateful for all the help received, whether you join the PTA for one term or 6 years. We will miss you!
This year we welcomed Quizmistress Tam, our lovely Emily and Charlie, Daniel and Maja who have all been injecting new energy into ideas as well as helping at events and planning. We kicked off the year with the arrival in September of the 32 new PCs for the ICT suite, the result of our previous year’s fundraising. And with great excitement we attended the ICT suite launch in January when the children demonstrated their programming and powerpoint skills to us, highlighting the positive impact that the new PCs had on their learning.
Events we’ve produced together include last year’s incredible Autumn Comedy Night hosted by our lovely Stephen Grant, Christmas cards, brilliant Spooky Discos, socially distanced Tea and Tissues for Reception parents and the year’s highlight the Santa Dash!!! Which was a refreshing alternative to the Xmas Fair which saw the school crashing through the Icy Canyon, dodging the Polar bear and getting drenched by the snow machine all to the tunes of Disco Dan. The epic set up in the stormy weather is one to remember, not only did we raise a lot of money, it was a really fun event so thank you to Carole for pushing us to change it up.Then another awesome quiz night in February hosted by the amazing Tam which unexpectedly was the last event of this year before lockdown. And then into June the amazing Guy Garret hosted a virtual family quiz to raise spirits with Mr Franklin’s Disney picture round leaving us all stumped! Then we ended the Summer TErm with a Virtual Balloon Race.
So, what have we been spending the money we’ve raised on?
For obvious reasons, it has been a slow fundraising year and we have also delayed the big purchase which was earmarked for a new trim trail extension. Which we’ll hear a school update form later. We have, however, funded Creativity in the Curriculum, girls’ and boys’ football kit, books for every classroom and of course the Christmas Tree.
Carole and I would like to say a huge huge thank you to everyone involved in volunteering, donating, attending, raffling, selling, cajoling, and organising. We find ourselves being pub owners, warm-up instructors, sweet sellers, baristas, bouncers, gardeners, photographers and all sorts. Thank you also to the wonderful Junior Friends of Westdene, and the amazing school leadership team who are so supportive and brave to try new things including letting 650 kids dive through obstacles in the wet ground whilst wearing Santa Hats.
We start this meeting by electing this year’s committee and gathering interested helpers for the year – so if you and would like to join our PTA today, no matter what your experience or how great or small the time you have available - please come forward when we have the election process, you will be very welcome
Carole, Charlotte and the amazing FOW team.
