Agenda
CHAIR Diary of a
PTA
Kristi Hanna, PTA chair at Boxgrove School in Guildford, Surrey, on trying to raise money – and smiles – during a particularly challenging term
January We begin the term with the news
that schools are to close – a double challenge of not being able to go ahead with some of our planned events/initiatives, and having to homeschool in our ‘free’ time. Our fi rst decision is to bring
forward our next virtual balloon race. We use
balloonrace.com because we want to hold a race just for our school. Each class gets a free balloon so every child can join in, even if they haven’t entered. We run the race through half-term and award Amazon vouchers to the fi rst three balloons. The race makes £140. We also launch a new initiative
with a local catering company that has started delivering afternoon teas on a Sunday. For every referral they get from us, they make a donation to the PTA. It helps us support a local business, raise a bit of money ourselves and also gives people something to look forward to. The
headteachers fully embrace the idea and start using their Crisis Fund to buy afternoon teas for people they think need a ‘pick-me-up’ rather than fi nancial help. Parents can also nominate families in need and donate the value of a tea to be used at the school’s discretion.
February One initiative that can still go ahead
is our ‘Lift Your Spirits’ gin hampers. We hope it might actually be more successful because of the lockdown! Following the example of schools featured in PTA+ magazine, we ask local distilleries, off-licences, supermarkets and a packaging company for help, and are pleased to receive very generous donations. We also begin planning our Easter
trail. Our 21 school classes are named after famous people, so we plan to put a picture in the window of 21 nearby houses. Parents will be able to buy a map and checklist through PTA Events and complete the trail in their own time, matching each picture to a class (Peter Rabbit for Potter Class, for example).
‘Our focus has been to provide family activities that are varied and fun’
March We start running an offer with Mini
Bakers magazine. If parents buy a copy through us, the PTA receives £1.37 for each one. We’ll run this
right through to the end of term. Following the success of our fi rst
family quiz night last November, we decide to hold a second quiz in March. Again, we ask for voluntary donations rather than charging an entry fee. The quiz is a success and raises over £170. The boxes for our gin hampers are
ready to go and look great. There are two different sizes, each containing four different gins, tonic water, a garnish and some nibbles. They go on sale on 20 March, and we stand to make over £800 on 42 boxes. The re-opening of schools on
8 March means we can better advertise our upcoming events, and we start planning ahead for a cycling event in May, as well as a summer fair in July. We’re also putting the fi nal touches to our class names treasure hunt, which will run over the Easter break. Successful treasure hunters will be able to claim their treasure at school after the holidays. Most of our activities this term
only raise a small amount, but we are keenly aware of additional money concerns that many families are currently experiencing. Our focus has been to provide family activities (plus gin!) that are varied and hopefully fun, while reminding people that the school community is there for them.
pta.co.uk SUMMER 2021 9
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