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Dedham School Parents' Group.
If you have a child at Dedham Primary School then congratulations you are member of the Parents' Group. We realise that there is always a lot of information to absorb when your child first starts at school, and although you were probably told a bit about the group, you may well have been left a little unsure of what it actually is, what it does and why?
The Group.
The Parents' Group was formed in March 2000 to take on the
organisation of the fundraising for the school as well as a variety of social
events. We work closely with the school, its staff and the local community.
Fundraising.
Over the years our fundraising has contributed to the building of two new classrooms,
IT equipment, much needed curtains and blinds, visiting theatre groups, school trips…plenty of valuable items and experiences that ALL our children benefit from.
There are four events each year that are regular projects for the group. They are:
Plant Sale. Last year the Parents Group held a very successful Plant Sale, and raised over £500 profit for the School. This year we are hoping to raise over £1000. Please click here for an order form and accompanying letter.
Strawberry Fayre. Held at school during the summer term (June/July). Stalls are set up on the field selling plants, cakes, second-hand toys, ice cream and cream-teas. We have tombola prizes, a raffle and games that the older children take part in organising. Other features include fancy dress, dancing demonstrations and an entertainer.
Fun Run. This is an event for the serious runner as well as a fun family event, with a choice of running the 3k or 10k race. Medals are given to all who finish and trophies are presented to the winners of each category. The start and finish point is by the sports pavilion and we organise refreshments, bouncy castle, games for the children and displays by local organisations. Visit the website for the Fun Run
The Dickensian street market. Our big Christmas event! Held in early December we take over Dedham High Street with stalls selling handmade crafts, cakes, roasted chestnuts, table decorations, jams and pickles. There are tombola tables and a raffle plus Father Christmas always makes a visit. Please click here for the latest on the Dickensian evening. (Opens in a new window).
Our famous raffle! Twice a year parents are asked to contribute a small item for a class hamper, which is then raffled off at either the Strawberry Fair or the Dickensian Market.
The hampers are themed i.e. Luxury food, Red and Gold, Spicy, Aromatherapy etc.
Once made up the hampers are displayed in the Dedham chemist’s window and always look magnificent. This always raises a substantial amount for the school and is an insurance policy against these events
being rained (or snowed) off.
Class reps. Each class should have two parents who act as representatives for that class. Ideally they should attend the meetings and help in the organising of the events when possible. Please ask the school for a list of the current class reps.
Social Events. This is where we tone down the fundraising a bit and aim to gather parents (and sometimes the children) together, to let hair down (those who still have it), enjoy good company and maybe even the odd shandy.
Your contribution. None of us
is a lady or gentleman of leisure - unfortunately. We all lead busy lives where
we would love a few more extra hours in the day, along with the energy.
Nobody expects hours of commitment, just a few hours every year to attend the odd meeting, help with a stall for half an hour, make a cake. The more people involved the better. It spreads the load and makes organisation a lot more rewarding.
Remember ALL the children benefit from the fundraising.
The group always welcomes new suggestions, so if you have any bright ideas or comments but find it hard to attend the meetings please see us, or your class reps and we can put forward your thoughts to the group.
The meetings. These are very
informal and are usually held once every 4-6 weeks. We meet in the afternoon,
often before the Friday assembly, so if you come along, you can usually have
the pick of the seats! They are held in the school hall, and the odd box
of entertainment is provided for visiting toddlers so please bring them--they
are welcome, just expect it to be quite a lively meeting!
We discuss forthcoming events and plan ahead to events further along in the diary. Parents always have a chance to ask questions or make suggestions.
Minutes are written up from every meeting and are distributed to each family.
Get the latest minutes as a pdf file here. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in to view this file.
Most systems have the Reader installed, but if yours does not, use the button to visit the Adobe website and follow the instructions to download and install the Reader.
ATTENDING A MEETING DOES NOT MEAN WE WILL COERCE YOU INTO VOLUNTEERING FOR SOMETHING.
Notice-board. Information concerning forthcoming events and meeting dates for the group can be found on the covered notice board to the left of the main doors.
We hope the above information has been useful. We would love to see more people involved. We have such a great school and it’s quite obvious that we all enjoy meeting each other outside the gates and have plenty to say!! The group is fun, and being involved is immensely rewarding as all our efforts are greatly appreciated. So please come to our next meeting, or maybe the one after that, you are ALL very welcome.
Kim Spencer
On behalf of the Parents Group.