Minutes, 18th April 2024

Attendees: Helen Albon, Katie McMahon, Sarah, Shreeves, Sandra Whitehouse

Apologies: Jason Rayner, Jackie Young, Siobhan Riordan.

1) Actions from last meeting

1. Actions:

• ‘Show you care, park elsewhere’ signs - Sandra has researched and shared with school - this is being followed up with the governors. 

• Amazon Wish list: reminder given and more items added with comments; Marcus to explore setting up a ‘shop’ page on the PTFA website where teachers can advertise required items, and people can pledge to buy specific items for classes?

• Grow With It: Publicity for campaign started. Blog post, social media etc. Kitchen garden - planting day confirmed for Sat 20 April.

• Year 6 leavers: Helen confirmed amounts with year 6 rep - done

• Summer fair: search for sponsors has started, publicity done. - started 

2) Finance 

1. Review of balance, income & expenditure. Balance = £19,129.33

Cheques for £627.24 still to come out.

Recently paid: semi circular tables for reception(£204.99); Caryl author visit (£672); Olympic and Paralympic workshops (£356); Waterproof container storage for books (£185.94) 

Further commitments include: Fire pit & cover (£150 estimate, still to order); tuff trays (already paid for); Amazon items (£212.16), Alex Wharton poet visit- amount TBC.

£200 for year 6 SATs breakfast. £600 for year 6 leavers’ gift. £200 approx on planting raised beds in April.

1. Online Banking/moving accounts - in progress.

3) Past events 

March

Reported at the last meeting:

Daffodil sale, 1 March £47

Year 4 bake sale, 8 March raised £261.90

Pre loved uniform sale raised - £116.50

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Events since the last meeting:

Year 3 bake sale, 15 March raised £291.00

Year 6 bake sale, 22 March raised £161.10

Coffees and pastries, Easter parade, 28 March raised £61.93. 

Total in March: £939.33

Thank you to everyone who supported these events in March.

4) Proposed future spending:

Remaining commitments up to March 2025

• £1,000 on books for the library

• £600 for the Bristol Old Vic performance in December 2024

• £1500 (estimated) split between each year group (from bake sales and Frozen Fridays)

To note we have now used up our budget allocated to workshops and author visits. The Olympic and Paralympic Workshop will be held in the summer term and the author visits were held in March. Do we want to review and allocate more for school wide workshops?  

We are aiming to fund £7,000 (TBC) over the next 12 months for our PTFA/school ‘Grow With It’ project. £200 so far on plants and compost and signs for raised beds. Approx £1000 for mural, planting and sculptures. Ready made Giant Bug House could be up to £600. Wildflower turf maybe £600 too depending on scope. Mural on living wall could be a further £700. Just over £3k on phases 1 and most of 2 (excluding greenhouse). 

Something not discussed is possibility of fairly cheap, moveable, light weight benches at the entrance to school? For elderly, disabled (or those who are waiting for ages for children!) particularly as we are revamping the space? John Lewis 2 seater metal bench £129

Grow With It project

Phase 1 

Raised beds will be planted on 20 April. Several parent volunteers. Labels for plants with ‘fun facts’ about the plants and what they can be used for, need to be added at a later date. Potential sponsors approached (ie Henleaze Garden Shop, Almondsbury Garden Centre). Veg to follow once weather is warmer.

RHS Big Seed Sow as part of the national Grow With It campaign: children will be sowing seeds in pots for growing in school for this, and will eventually take home to then bring back to sell at the plant stall at the summer fair. Action: HA to do publicity on this as well as for more volunteers to grow from seed and to join the existing Whatsapp group.

Flower bed near entrance to school: mural agreed and to be painted in May (approx cost £700 depending on how long it takes to agree the design). Children are being encouraged to come up with ideas in an assembly next week. Planting plan to be completed by a parent who is a landscape architect, and planting to take place as soon as the mural is completed. Small (low cost) metal sculptures of birds, bees, insects and animals, chosen by the children for each year group, will be added in amongst the planting for children to spot. Also colourful bird boxes on the wall and butterfly and bee drinking stations. We are no longer installing a water feature due to H&S issues identified and high cost (agreed with school). 

Publicity will be sought in local newspapers once the mural is complete.

Wildflower meadow: currently in the process of identifying areas for wildflower meadow turf to be laid. Have sourced turf. 

Phase 2

Living Wall: plan agreed with school. Quotes are being sought for a mural on the top section of wall for completion ASAP. Will paint lower half of wall to save money. Wildflower turf will be laid in sections below. Climbers and other plants identified for the wall. Professional gardener Dad to be confirmed for planting once timescale is known. 

Giant Bug House: to be purchased (agreed this approach with Mrs B). HA to send links to Mrs B for consideration and installation as soon as possible to tie in with school teaching.

Tree planting plans for area adjacent to proposed natural playground to be agreed with school for first phase. Woodland Trust has free trees which need to be ordered and planted in November.Action - next planting day to be confirmed and communicated

5) Planned events

Bake Sales for classroom resources - Each year group has been invited to run a Friday bake sale.

Rota for remaining year groups:

Friday 19 April - Reception

Friday 26 April - year 1

Friday 3 May - year 2

Friday 10 May - year 5

Frozen Fridays: We are going to provide as standard each week some strawberries or similar (Pawsons). Need more volunteers to prepare the strawberries and find suitable containers (cupboard?). It was discussed that strawberry prep may take time and be expensive, but we will trial for a couple of weeks. 

1. Friday 24 May (last day before May half term)

2. Friday 7 June

3. Friday 14 June

4.  Friday 21 June

5. Friday 28 June

6. Thursday 4 July (River Dart wkend is on 5 July)

7. Friday 12 July

NB: End of term is Friday 19 July.

Quiz night Friday 26 April:  Tickets are now available. Need to encourage people to attend (action for class reps). Teachers have been invited. Risk assessment complete. Noise and neighbours - mitigations identified. Alcohol licence purchased.

Disco, Friday 17 May: [Sandra to lead]

Date confirmed. Mr Morgan is confirmed as DJ. What needs to be done?

Action Risk assessment (HA).

Action - Sandra to contact sub committee and liaise with Marcus about tickets.

Action - Katie to sort tens 

Plant sale: [Jackie] Do we want to do a separate plant sale or fair? Action -  Jackie to update at next meeting

Summer fair, Sunday 23 June from 2-5pm: 

Businesses currently being approached for donations etc (Aisling).  Spreadsheet set up. 

CJ Hole want to run a fun stall and donate a prize - ideas? name the teddy sponsored by CJ Hole? 

Bouncy castle, gladiator duel and candy floss booked (although waiting to pay deposit)

Stalls identified. Same as last year. In addition Bubble tea stall, bracelet making, year 6 confirmed for their Enterprise initiative, plant stall, bee bombs and bee related crafts, also pre-loved uniform and pre-loved toys.Action - see if year 6 would be able to hold a separate event due to issues identified from last year.

Bag 2 School, Friday 7 June: all booked. After half term. Do comms before half term to encourage people to do a sort out over the holiday. Volunteers to help on the day?

Sports Day refreshments: KS1: Tuesday 9 July from 9-11am. KS2: Wednesday 10 July 9-11.30am. Volunteers needed.Action - Katie to sort croissants from Lidl

6) PTFA development

• Grants (Aviva and supermarket tokens) – pursue! [who is speaking to this?]

• Comms (whatsapp broadcast group from Sept t-shirts)

Action - Helen to look into t-shirts for the swim team and ptfa committee members for events