We wrapped up 2024 with a fantastic celebration, setting records for both the number of volunteers and stalls. The atmosphere was truly magical—despite the rain—and Santa brought so much joy to our little ones. Looking ahead, we’re excited to share that we’ll be meeting with the headmaster and an interior designer to kickstart the library project (Phase 1). Be sure to read the newsletter for all details and enjoy the photos at the end.
PTA Elections Reminder
Before diving into the updates, a quick but important reminder: elections for the new PTA are open. We are looking for a Chair, Secretary, Fundraiser, Social Media Lead, Event Organiser, and Website support. If you’d like to join, please send us your name, a brief description of yourself and what role you would like to take on to our email: committee@yardleypta.co.uk.
If a new committee is not formed, the PTA will unfortunately need to dissolve. This would mean the closure of our charity, and all fundraising activities would cease. Any remaining funds would need to be transferred to the school, and we would no longer be able to organise events, run initiatives, or provide additional support for our children.
We urge you to consider joining the PTA to ensure its continued success. Roles like Chair, Secretary are crucial, and full support and guidance will be provided during the transition. Also, Roger, Dilan, Heidi, Rebecca and I will continue supporting the charity as trustees.
Pre Loved Uniform Shop
Our Pre-Loved Uniform Shop is now live! Cress is committed to only selling items that are in great condition with no visible signs of wear. After a second inspection, just few items passed the high standard set.
This initiative is a way to reduce the amount of clothing going to landfill while directly benefiting our school. To make things even more exciting, all orders will include a free book from Awesome Books. Children can choose their book when the order is collected at school. Here is the link below:
Before summer, we should have another date to collect uniforms.
Winter Fair
Despite the rain, the Winter Fair was fun and a wonderfully warm atmosphere. We had a record number of volunteers, and it’s clear that the 1-hour shift system is the way forward. It was truly heartwarming to see our community come together for the benefit of our children—and they had an amazing time because of it! We received a good donation from our stallholders and food providers! Their contributions made a huge impact, and we truly appreciate their generosity. But, in total we did not raise what we had hoped for, but we completely understand as this is a challenging time of year. In truth, our main goal was to bring the community together in celebration. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed £1—we raised an impressive £247!
To the school office staff—thank you for your patience as we completely disrupted your work in the lead-up to the event! A special thank you to the wonderful Stacey for stepping in as our first aider and being there throughout the event.
A huge thank you goes to Dilan, Ann, Devinia, and Amina, who embraced the event from start to finish. From engaging local businesses for raffle donations to organising the shift tables and assisting with countless tasks, their dedication was incredible. We’re also deeply grateful to our class representatives for their support - without them we would not have the event.
To all volunteers that made it easy and fun event. A huge thank you to our Santa - Steve, Adam, Arezo, Carley, Cickek, Danielle, Dee, Ebru, Heidi, Jacqueline, Jey & Sheniz, Jianlu, Kirsty, Kumuna, Lily, Maryna, Mike, Roxy, Roger, and Showmi for their incredible support! A special thanks to Jessica & family, Dani & Mother (Cake Crumble) and Roger to be there with until the last minute, cleaning and putting away everything with me.
There are still have nine unclaimed raffle prizes in the office, so please collect yours as soon as possible. Any unclaimed prizes will be added to our next raffle.
Assemblies Breakfast
A big shoutout to Carley and Suzanne for their brilliant idea and initiative to offer coffee, tea, and treats during the assemblies. This is a fantastic example of how parents can help support fundraising for our school. Over the course of three days, they raised an incredible £149! Thank you to everyone who donated to the coffee stand—it’s truly appreciated!
Thanks for Morrisons Supermarket for donating £20 voucher for our breakfast stand.
Quiz Night
A huge thank you to The Royal Oak Pub for supporting our fundraising efforts and helping us get closer to our goal! A special shoutout to Angelic Hannah, a fantastic quiz master, who made the night so much fun! Super thank you to everyone who attended. Your generosity and community spirit mean so much to us.
PTA Projects and Grant Updates
We’re planing to meet with Mr Evans and Beth Ivy, an interior designer, to discuss the deliverables for our much-needed library project. The total project cost is £21,000. Unfortunately, we were recently informed that our £10,000 Foyle Grant application was unsuccessful due to intense competition. To ensure progress, we’ve decided to phase the project into two stages. Phase one will be funded using the £10,000 raised during 2023/2024, and the scope will be defined and approved by the school.
We’ll continue to focus our efforts on fundraising to cover the balance needed to deliver our dream library. Stay tuned for updates on the project, and thank you to everyone who has contributed so far—we couldn’t do this without your support!
Sensory Playground
We still need your help to bring this essential project to life. Every contribution makes a difference. If you’re able to support us, please consider donating via our website or crowdfunding page. We’ve also made donating easy with our card machine near the office window, where you can give pre-set amounts of £5 or £10.
Donate any amount via QR code or choose a pre-set amount on our website:
Website: https://www.yardleypta.co.uk/donate
Or donate monthly any amount:
A Personal Note
As I embark on an exciting new professional adventure + studies, this is my last newsletter as PTA Chair. It has been an incredible experience, and I am deeply grateful for the trust and support. I made friends for life and I am glad to meet so many of you. Together, we achieved so much, including doubling the funds raised in previous years - which makes me really proud. Please continue to support the new team as they carry this important work forward.
Warm wishes,
Cristina Tosta
PTA Chair.
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