April 2009

On 28th April the PA was Highly Commended in the category of PTA Fundraising Achievement at the NCPTA Gold Star Rewards award ceremony at the House of Commons. Further information can be found by clicking here.

March 2009

The annual PA Quiz Night proved to be a very closely contested evening of family entertainment with the victorious Densa team making a late surge in the last round to claim the coveted title of Parmiter’s Quiz Champions.

A total of 28 teams competed for the title, comprising 220 children and adults.

Early indications are that approximately £2,500 was raised by the Quiz Night - the final figure will be reported on the website in due course.

The PA would like to thank everyone who helped to make the Quiz Night such a successful and enjoyable evening. 

February 2009

The annual PA Valentine Ball was held on 7th February. 

This black-tie event featured a 60s, 70s and 80s theme, with dancing to music from that era. This proved to be a very popular choice, as demonstrated by the packed dance floor throughout the evening. 

Once again the Valentine Ball was a tremendous success, this year raising in excess of £5,300. 

The PA would like to thank everyone who helped to make the Valentine Ball such a huge success, and a special mention is reserved for the 21 students who did an excellent job on the night serving the 240+ guests.

January 2009

The Parents' Association is delighted to report that a substantial profit in excess of £15,600 was raised by the November Craft Fair, Grand Draw and Reverse Auction combined. This total represents a significant increase over the previous year's figure, and is made up as follows:

Craft Fair                £8,604

Grand Draw             £3,777

Reverse Auction       £764

BUPA                      £2,000 (through their matched giving scheme)

Nat West Bank plc    £500 (through their community cash back scheme)

A big thank you is due (again) to everyone who helped to raise this tremendous amount.

November 2008

The annual Christmas Craft Fair was held on 15th November and was a great success with a large number of people attending and the stalls busy all day. This year the Craft Fair was opened by David Gauke, MP for South West Herts, and he presented the prizes for the programme design cover competition to William Hardcastle Foster and Lara James.

On behalf of the Parents’ Association I would like to thank everyone who helped in any way with the Craft Fair, whether it was helping to set up or clear away, helping with the stalls or in the kitchen, with the car parking, making teas and coffees for the thirsty stallholders, or with any other of the myriad of tasks that helped to make the day such a success. The PA would not be able to run the Craft Fair without such help, and it is very much appreciated.

Similarly, the PA would like to thank everyone who baked cakes or donated bottles, toys, gifts or other items for the PA stalls and tombolas, and of course everyone who supported the event on the day by attending and who bought tickets for the Grand Draw and entered bids for the Reverse Auction.

In excess of £8,000 was taken on the day, and the PA is very grateful to all at BUPA Care Homes, Allington Court, who, through their matched giving scheme, will contribute a further £2,000 to the total raised, and to Nat West Bank plc, who, through their community cash back scheme, will donate £500 to the total raised. The final figure raised which will be posted on the website in due course.

A final thank you is due to the companies and individuals who contributed prizes for the Grand Draw and the Reverse Auction.

On the subject of the Grand Draw, the winners were:

1. £500:                                           E Maginley

2. Dinner for 2 at Sopwell House:         Mr Seymour

3. Prestige Pressure Cooker:                Tracey Blake

4. Intel Computer Microscope:              Mr Lee

5. Tesco Christmas Food Box:               Mrs Higgins

6. Christmas Plant:                             Mr McAndrew

7. Tin of Chocolates:                           Mr/Mrs Brown

The winner of the Reverse Auction for a laptop computer was Mrs Lynn Ashby with a winning bid of £2.60!

October 2008

At the AGM held on Thursday 9th October the following committee members were elected as officers of the Parents' Association:

Chair: Ruth Desmond

Deputy Chair: Kate Ray

Treasurer: Irene Swain

Secretary: Gill Devine

During the past academic year the PA raised in excess of £50,000 for the School, and the current year promises to be equally busy for the PA.

Our next event is the annual Christmas Craft Fair, a highlight of the PA calendar, on Saturday 15th November. This event is held at the School and runs from 11am until 4pm. There will be approximately 70 professional stallholders, selling a wide range of crafts and festive goods, so do come along and support the School. In addition to the professional stallholders, the PA organises a large number of stalls itself, including tombolas, a cake stall, a traditional Santa’s Grotto, and many more.

During the past academic year the PA gave grants to the School totaling £60,000 for the purchase of the following items:

£27,500 for the outdoor covered seating area

£20,000 towards ICT equipment for the Sixth Form Block extension

a fireproof recycling storage unit and forty recycling bins

the cost of workshops for Enterprise Education Day

cricket nets, rugby jerseys, and hockey shirts for the PE Department

paintbrushes, easels, window blinds, and a digital camera for the Art Department

Year 7 progress files and a contribution for the Year 11 yearbooks

a computer and overhead projector for the Religious Studies Department

a virtual drum kit for the Music Department

two office computer chairs for the SEN Department

a circuit board etching system and three A4 graphics tablets for the Technology Department

headphones for forty computers for the Learning Resource Centre

equipment for the Physics Department  

July 2008

The PA committee would like to thank everyone who has given up their time to help us this year, whether it was serving refreshments at events, manning a stall at the Craft Fair, or any one of the host of other jobs which need doing during the course of the year. We appreciate your support, as events could not take place without the help of a large number of people.  

We would like to thank all those who took part in the recent Three Peaks Challenge. The magnificent sum of £39,000 was raised which will go towards funding the new outdoor seating area in the School, and to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

The Parents’ Association has had another very successful year in terms of its fund-raising, and has given numerous grants to the School.  

Many thanks to everyone who came along to Family Quiz Night on 1st March. We hope you had an enjoyable evening. The event was a sell-out and we are sorry that we weren’t able to accommodate all the teams who applied for tickets.

December 2007 

This year's Christmas Craft Fair had a great atmosphere and stalls were busy all day. On behalf of the Parents’ Association committee I would like to thank all parents, guardians, students, staff, governors, friends and families who came along, or who helped in any way. We are very grateful for all the help with the manning of stalls, the making of lunches in the kitchen, car parking, the making of tea and coffee, the delivering of fliers, the collection of items brought in to School, and the help with setting up and clearing away. We would also like to thank everyone who baked cakes or donated bottles, gifts and other items for the various P.A. stalls. The Fair could not take place without the help of a lot of people, and we are grateful for all the support we received.  

The Fair raised £7,000, and in addition to this we are very grateful to BUPA Care Homes, Allington Court who, through their matched-giving scheme, contributed a further £2,000 to the amount raised.

Many thanks also to everyone who bought tickets for the Grand Draw, and who entered bids in the Reverse Auction. The Grand Draw raised £4,245 and the Reverse Auction raised nearly £900. The winners were as follows:

Grand Draw Winners

£500 : Mrs. P. Povey                 

 Golf for four at The Grove : Mr/s. Kingsbury

Digital camera : Mrs. A. Lim             

Waitrose Christmas basket : A. P. Jobsey

Sports bag : N. Bridges    

Christmas plant : Mr/s. Rabbitts   

 Tin of chocolates : J. Good

Winner of Reverse Auction

Elaine Satterly with a bid of £15.40

October 2007

The Parents’ Association has had a busy start to the year, helping at the Emma Dinata Fund BBQ, Open Day, and the Year 7 Parents’ Cheese and Wine Evening. We would particularly like to welcome parents who are new to the School, and we hope that some of you will decide to join the P.A. committee. If you would like further details, please contact us via the above email address, or via the School Office. Further information is also available on the P.A. website.

During the past academic year, the P.A. gave grants to the School totaling nearly £30,000, for the following items:  

Grand Piano for Music Department Recital Hall

Black-out curtains for hall

Four table tennis tables for P.E. Department

Contribution towards cost of pond

Contribution to the Students’ Congress

Athletics vests for P.E. Department

Student voting software and hardware

Progress files for Year 7 students

Ceiling-mounted data projector for School Hall

Two saxophones for Music Dept.

Printers, cabinets and overhead projector for History Department

Additional resources for single science course for Science Department

Portable, digital, multi-media projectors for Economics Department & Maths Department  

Ceiling-mounted data projector for History Department

Lease of PCs and Data Projectors for the coming year

Lockable Perspex notice boards for Modern Foreign Languages Department

Cost of coach transport for training expedition for World Challenge students

Contribution towards cost of yearbook for Year 11 students

ICT equipment for Religious Studies Department

Cost of roof covering for area adjacent to dining room 

At the A.G.M. in October the following people were elected as officers of the Parents' Association;

Chair - Nigel Easthaugh

Deputy Chair - Gill Devine

Treasurer - Paul Desmond

Secretary - Jill Pilgrim

July 2007

Our most recent event was the Blues Evening. Despite the best efforts of the British weather to wreak havoc with our plans for a concert and picnic on a lovely summer’s evening, the event did go ahead, albeit indoors in the school hall. The hall was full, and although an indoor picnic is not quite the same as an outdoor one, everyone had an enjoyable evening.  

The last event of the year was Parmstock and the P.A. supported the event by providing a bar and barbecue. The proceeds from this event were shared with the charities being supported by the School 

On behalf of the P.A. committee, I would like to thank everyone who has given up their time to help us this year, whether it was serving refreshments at events, manning a stall at the Craft Fair, or helping with any of the host of other jobs which need doing during the course of the year. We appreciate your support, as events could not take place without the help of a large number of people.

The Parents’ Association has had another very successful year, and this term has given grants to the School in excess of £7,000 for the following:

Lockable perspex noticeboards for the Modern Foreign Languages Department

Athletics vests for the P.E. Department

DVD player for the Life Skills Programme

Progress files for next year’s Year 7 students

Contribution towards the cost of the coach for the World Challenge training expedition

Contribution towards the cost of the Year 11 yearbooks

Student voting hardware

ICT equipment for the Religious Studies Department

May 2007

Bollywood Night

There was a fantastic Bollywood Night held on the 19th May. Here are a few pictures from the evening.

March 2007

Recent P.A. events have proved very popular and have raised significant sums of money. The Valentine Ball was once again a very enjoyable evening, and raised in excess of £3,500. Many thanks to all those who helped to organise, set up, and clear away for this event, and thank you to those students who were waiters and waitresses for the evening. The Celebrity Evening with Mike Gatting was an excellent evening of entertainment, and more recently, the Quiz Night was once again a sell-out. Many thanks to everyone who bought tickets for these events. We do appreciate your support.

Recent grants given by the P.A. to the School include the following:

A projector for the History Department

A projector for the assembly hall

Payment for the lease of I.T. equipment

Portable digital multi-media projectors for the Economics Department and

the Maths Department

Curtain rail and black-out curtains for the hall

Grant towards a wildlife pond and new garden

The total amount given by the P.A. in grants to the School since September, now exceeds £21,000.

December 2006

The annual Christmas Craft Fair took place on 18th November, and was a very successful and enjoyable day. Over seventy professional stallholders took part, selling a wide range of items, and the Parents’ Association ran a variety of stalls. The Fair requires a tremendous amount of co-ordination and effort to run, and I would like to thank the Craft Fair committee, and all parents, staff, governors, students and friends who not only came to the Fair or helped on the day, but who donated items for the P.A. stalls. It is only with the support of so many people that the Fair is such a successful event. There was a significant increase in the number of people attending this year’s Fair, and takings were up on nearly every P.A. stall. The Fair will hopefully have raised between £5,500 and £6,000.  

This term, the P.A. also ran a Grand Draw, and a Reverse Auction, which raised £4,200 and £830 respectively. Many thanks to those who organised these two events, and to everyone who purchased tickets for the Draw or who entered the Auction.  

The Parents’ Association’s A.G.M. was held in October. We said goodbye to several people who had all been long-standing members, namely Margaret and Tom Kingston, Margaret Minton and Chris de Groot. We would like to thank them all for their help and support over the years. The following members were elected as officers: Nigel Eastaugh (Chairman), Gill Devine (Vice-Chairman), Jill Pilgrim (Secretary) and Jocelyn Miles (Treasurer). We were delighted to welcome a number of new members : Linda Breen, Kareen Davidoff, Paul Desmond, Ruth Desmond, Steve Foster, Rebecca Gentry, Sharon Harman, Janet Harter, Christine Kavanagh, Mark Laxton, Jan Wildman, and Dr. Jasbir Lota (staff representative).  

The P.A. has made a number of grants to the School this term, including the following:

Grand piano for the recital room in the new Music Block

Two printers, two filing cabinets and an overhead projector for the History Department

Four table tennis tables for the P.E. Department

Grant to the Students’ Congress

Additional resources for the single science course

October 2006

Once again it has been a very busy start to the new term for the Parents’ Association. The Year 7 Parents’ Cheese and Wine Evening was attended by a large number of parents.  

During the last academic year, the P.A. raised over £18,000 through fund-raising events, and gave grants to the School for numerous items including the lease of computers and data projectors; a DVD writer and VHS recorder for the Geography Department; a projector screen, DVD player, amplifier, speakers & storage unit for the Function Room; a T.V. to enable students to watch news programmes during the breakfast period; a grant towards the cost of newspapers, available for the benefit of the students; sweatshirts for the U16 netball team; the costs of the U16 netball team attending the national final; customised ring binders for the current Year 7 students; Enterprise Education resource for the computer network; a grant for the students’ congress; a donation to the Emma Dinata Fund; travel costs of the U14 football team attending the national final; three DVD/VCR players, amplifiers and speakers for the ICT Department.

July 2006

On behalf of the P.A. committee, I would like to thank everyone who has helped with P.A. events this year. A lot of hard work goes into organising events, and any help in setting up and clearing away is always very much appreciated. Many thanks also to those parents who have been on the coffee rota this year, and who have helped serve refreshments at numerous School events. If you would like to help with any of next year’s events, a list of some of the events already planned appears below. If you would like to get involved, please email us at the above address, or leave your details with the School Office. You don’t have to be a member of the committee to get involved with P.A. events (although if you would like to be on the committee, we would welcome anyone who would like to join us!).  

During this academic year, the P.A. has raised over £17,000, and grants have been given to the School for a wide variety of items including :  

DVD writer and VHS recorder for the Geography Department

Projector screen, DVD player, amplifier, speakers & storage unit for the Function Room

A T.V. to enable students to watch news programmes during the breakfast period

A grant towards the cost of newspapers, available for the benefit of the students

Sweatshirts for the U16 netball team

Costs of U16 netball team attending the national final

Customised ring binders for Year 7 students in September

Enterprise Education resource for the computer network

Grant for students’ congress

Travel costs of U14 football team attending the national final.

This half term’s P.A. fund-raising event was the Bollywood Evening which took place on 13th May. It was a fantastic evening where those who attended were entertained, in an appropriately-decorated hall, by professional Bollywood Dancers, Bhangra Dancers, a Dhol Drummer and an Indian singer. The meal was provided by a professional Indian caterer and there was also the opportunity to partake of an Indian head massage or to acquire some henna tattoos. This was an evening really enjoyed by all, with many dressing in traditional Indian costume, and we would like to thank all those who helped put this event together and created a night to remember.  

In addition to organising fund-raising events, the P.A. provides refreshments for many functions held at the school such as concerts and parents’ evenings. Many thanks to all those who have helped provide refreshments for these evenings, which is a service appreciated by the school staff and all those who attend the events.

March 2006

This year’s Valentine Dance was again a great success, with all tickets being sold out by the beginning of term. We had a new band this year, namely Zodiac, who proved to be very popular. The hall was superbly decorated and the food was excellent, making the evening one to remember. Many thanks to everyone who bought tickets, and we hope you had a very enjoyable evening. The event raised over £4,000, and I would like to thank the organisers and everyone who helped to get everything ready.  

In February, the P.A. booked the Abbey Theatre in St. Albans for a performance of the comedy “When We Are Married” by J. B. Priestley. This was one of the best productions we have seen at the Abbey Theatre, and the Company of Ten provided a superb evening’s entertainment which was enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience.

 The Beauty Evening took place in early March, and was a very successful evening, with a large number of people coming along to try the variety of therapies on offer. Many thanks to those who organised this event, which raised £600.  

This year’s annual Family Quiz Night broke all past records, with 320 people and 38 teams taking part. We are expecting the profit to be in excess of £2,300, which again will break all previous records. It was a close call between the top few teams, with the Edwards family eventually taking first place. Many thanks to everyone who took part and helped to make it a very enjoyable evening, and to all those involved in organising the quiz and the food.

The money raised from recent events has enabled the P.A. to give a number of grants to the School for a variety of things including:  

A T.V. for the dining hall to enable students to watch news programmes during the breakfast session, new kit for the U16 girls’ netball team (congratulations to them for reaching the national finals), furniture for the video conference room, a DVD and VHS combination recorder for the Geography Department, ringbinders for next year’s Year 7 students to record their progress and achievements, computer software for the Enterprise Education Initiative, and new equipment for the Function Room including a projector, DVD, amplifiers and speakers.

December 2005

The past year has been another very successful one for the Parents’ Association, with over £15,000 being raised through fund-raising events. Grants to the School in the last year have totaled over £15,000, and have helped fund an automated weather station, £3000 towards the Ornamental Garden Project, a visiting speaker for the 6th Form, texts for GCSE English students, kit for the hockey and rugby teams, an electronic notice board for the foyer, equipment for the Science Department, and data projectors and VCR/DVD players for a number of departments. However, none of this would have been possible without the support of members of the committee, parents, staff, governors and students who have given their time to help run and support P.A. events. Many thanks to all of you who have contributed in so many ways. 

The Parents’ Association has organised numerous fund-raising events over the past year. At the Fashion Show in October 2004, students, parents and teachers kindly agreed to model clothes. The event was great fun and raised over £500. The 2004 Craft Fair raised £6,000, in what was a very busy and successful day. Each year, the Valentine Ball goes from strength to strength, and is always a very enjoyable evening. This year’s Ball raised a record £4,400. The annual Quiz Night is always very well-supported, and this year, once again, the hall was full, with 32 teams taking part. The evening raised just under £2,000. In May, we were treated to a superb performance of ‘Oh Clarence!’ at the Abbey Theatre in St. Albans, and in July, members of the Parents’ Association provided the refreshments at Parmstock. It was a great event which took place on a lovely summer’s day, and raised several thousand pounds for various charities. 

The Parents’ Association also provided refreshments at various events, including the county netball tournaments, the Years 7 & 8 Disco, and numerous parents’ evenings and School functions. At the time of writing, the most recent event has been the 2005 Celebrity Football Match, with a Parmiter’s team playing an Arsenal ex-professional and celebrity XI. The match drew a supportive crowd, and in an exciting and eventful game, Parmiter’s emerged victorious with a superb score line of 4 -1. 

At the P.A. A.G.M. in October 2005, a number of new parents joined the committee. We also said goodbye to a number of members who stood down from the committee. We would like to thank them for all their hard work over the years, and the long hours spent organising and helping with events.  

This year, the Parents’ Association decided to build some brick barbecues close to the sports pavilion. However, we unfortunately chose one of the hottest Sundays of the year in which to do so! But the result of a long and tiring day was two barbecues which have already been put to good use at a number of events. 

This year’s Parents’ Association committee has a variety of events lined up for the coming year, and we do hope that you will support some of these. Not only will you be helping to raise much-needed funds, but we are sure you will also have an enjoyable time.

Grand Draw 2005

The draw for the above took place at the Craft Fair at Parmiter’s School on 19th November 2005.

 The winners were as follows:

 1st Prize : £500  :  D. Toovey

 2nd Prize : Thomas Parmiter Sports Centre Membership :  Jonathan Hawes

 3rd Prize : Sports Equipment  :  Mr. Desmond

 4th Prize : Mini Christmas Tree  :  Roy Malin

 5th Prize : Tin of Chocolates  :  Sophie May Jones  

July 2005

We would like to thank everyone on the P.A. committee who has helped with the organisation of P.A. events during the past academic year, and I would also like to thank all parents and guardians who have given up their time to help with the running of these events. A lot of hard work has gone into staging numerous functions, and this has resulted in the P.A. being able to raise over £16,000 so far this year. Whether you helped run a stall at the Craft Fair, assisted with car parking at School events, joined the coffee rota to help serve refreshments at numerous events throughout the year, or helped in any other way, the P.A. is very grateful to you for giving up your time.

Recent P.A. events have included a theatre evening at the Abbey Theatre in St. Albans in May, to see a production of ‘Oh Clarence!’, which was a very enjoyable evening.

 The money raised this year has enabled the P.A. to make various grants to the School including :

An Automated Weather Station, £3000 towards the Ornamental Garden Project, Visiting Speaker for the 6th Form, Texts for GCSE English Students, Kit for Hockey and Rugby Teams, Electronic Notice Board for the Foyer, Data Projectors, DVD Players.

May 2005 

The Parents’ Association’s main event this half-term was the annual Family Quiz Night. Once again, we had a full hall, with 260 people taking part. It was great to see so many students participating, as well as parents, members of staff, and governors, and there was keen rivalry amongst the teams. Having not won this event for some years, the Headmaster’s team emerged as the winners by the end of the evening. I would like to thank everyone who helped with the organisation of this event, and everyone who came along. The profit from the evening was approximately £2,000, which will go towards grants for items in School.

 The Parents’ Association recently set aside the sum of £1,000, for which students were to be asked what they would like to see the money spent on. The students have decided that they would like an ornamental garden to be built, which will be maintained and developed over the coming years. The project will start later this term, with the involvement of different year groups and some members of staff. The plans are quite ambitious, and following a recent presentation at a P.A. meeting regarding the project, the committee has agreed to a further grant to enable all the work to be carried out. We look forward to seeing the outcome of everyone’s endeavors later in the year.

March 2005 

The Parents’ Association’s annual Valentine Ball, held just before half-term, was a very enjoyable and successful evening, and raised over £4,000. Thanks to everyone who came along and supported this event. I’m sure those of you who were there would agree that the decoration of the hall was absolutely superb. Many thanks to everyone involved in the organisation of the Ball, and to all those who helped out beforehand and on the day.

The P.A. was involved in the organisation of the Celebrity Evening with Trevor Brooking which took place on 3rd March. This was a fantastic event, which raised approximately £6,500. Part of the proceeds from the evening will be given to Trevor Brooking’s nominated charity. Many thanks to all those at the School who were involved in the organisation of this event, and to members of the P.A. who helped during the evening.

Grand Draw Winners

The winners of this year's Grand Draw were:

December 2004 Update

Coming to the end of the autumn term, we can look back on some very successful events for the Parents’ Association. Just after the half-term holiday, the P.A. held a Fashion Show, which raised over £500. I would like to thank everyone involved, particularly the members of staff, governors and students who were models for the evening.

The annual Christmas Craft Fair took place on 20^th November, and again proved to be a huge success. The new dining hall provided some extra space and enabled us to increase the number of professional stalls taking part. The amount raised by the Fair combined with the non-uniform day and the Christmas Draw, will hopefully be in excess of £8,500. The Fair requires a tremendous amount of co-ordination and effort to run, not to mention the months of planning beforehand. I would like to thank the Craft Fair committee, and all parents, staff, governors, students and friends who helped on the day or donated items, for their contribution in making the event so successful. 

The P.A. has also provided refreshments at a number of events during the term, including netball rallies, the Celebrity Football Match, the Opportunities Evening, Open Day, the Carol Service, and parent consultation evenings. This is a task carried out throughout the year and it is a facility which is appreciated by parents and staff. I would like to thank all parents who have helped committee members with the provision of refreshments. If you would like to join our rota, your help would be much appreciated. Please contact us via the P.A. email address above, or via the School Office.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.

Autumn 2004 Update

The past year has been a very successful one for the Parents’ Association, with nearly £17,000 being raised through fund-raising events. Grants to the School totalled over £14,000, and have paid for stage lighting for the Hall, the installation of projectors for the Science Department, a hearing loop for the Hall and Learning Resource Centre, the lease of projectors and PCs for the coming year, a TV, video recorder, and DVD player for the Geography Department, a TV stand for the Modern Foreign Languages Department, a contribution towards the Garden Committee Project and an automated weather station for the Geography Department. However, none of this would have been possible without the support of members of the committee, parents, staff, governors and students who have given their time to help run and support P.A. events. Many thanks to all of you.

The P.A. has had its usual busy start to the autumn term. It was great to see so many parents at the Year 7 Parents’ Cheese and Wine Evening, and the P.A. would particularly like to welcome parents who are new to the School. The recent Celebrity Football Match drew a supportive crowd, and in an exciting match, Arsenal had a lucky escape, with the game ending in a 6-6 draw. The Fashion Show took place in early October, and an enthusiastic crowd watched members of staff, governors, Parmiter’s students and younger children model a wide range of clothes. Thanks to all of them, especially those for whom it was a rather daunting task, and thanks to all those who came along to support this event.

At the P.A. A.G.M., we said goodbye to a number of members who were standing down from the committee: Jo Lambert, Maurice Riley, Jane Sibbit and Sue Yeomans. We also said goodbye to two members who were former chairmen, namely Alan Butler and Larry Cummings. The committee would like to thank them all for their help and support over the years. The following members were elected as officers: Keith Ross (Chairman), Gill Devine (Vice-Chairman), Jill Pilgrim (Secretary) and Tom Kingston (Treasurer). The committee was also delighted to welcome the following new members: Sue Cook, Debra Couch, George Couch, Mark Jabbitt, Ray Jagatia, Jocelyn Miles, Sanjai Talsania and Sima Talsania.

 The P.A.’s largest fund-raising event of the year, the Christmas Craft Fair, takes place on Saturday, 20th November, from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. Over 60 professional stallholders have already booked tables. The P.A. itself runs a large number of stalls and we really are dependent on your help to make the Fair successful. If you would like to help us, but haven’t received a letter asking for your help on the day, or if you have mislaid your copy, there is a form elsewhere in this Diary which you can fill in and return to the School Office. You can also help us by baking cakes and by donating a variety of items which you will also find listed in this Diary. The Fair is a great place to buy Christmas presents, so why not come and look round and perhaps also give us an hour or two of your time to help run a stall. All help will be very much appreciated, and you will be helping to raise much-needed funds for the School. 

May 2004 Update

Planning is well-advanced for the Parents’ Association’s main event this summer. This will be a 70s’ Extravaganza, featuring the live band Zodiac. You should already have received a letter giving more details about this event so make sure you put the date of 3rd July in your diary for what promises to be a great evening.

The P.A.’s latest grant to the School is for the purchase of a T.V. stand for the modern foreign languages department. The P.A. has also undertaken to give the School a grant of £8,000 this year to fund projectors and screens for a number of classrooms. Every ticket purchased for the above event will help towards reaching this target

At the time of writing, the P.A.’s Theatre Evening has yet to take place. Many thanks to everyone who has purchased tickets.

Members of the P.A. committee are already busy organising some of the events which will take place next term. The annual Pro-Celebrity Football Match will take place on Sunday 19th September, and a Fashion Show will take place on Thursday 7th October. Further details will be sent to you nearer the time and will also be available on the P.A. website. On Saturday, 20th November, the annual Christmas Craft Fair takes place, and is a great opportunity to combine fund-raising with Christmas shopping.

We appreciate that many parents are not able to help regularly at P.A, events, but if you would like to help with a specific event, or would be willing to join our coffee rota, we would appreciate your support.  Please contact us via the School Office or email the P.A. at pa@parmiters.co.uk. 

March 2004 Update

The Valentine Ball, which was held just before the half-term holiday, was a great success, and raised over £4,600. The organisation, the decorations, and the meal on the evening were superb and we would like to thank everyone who helped us run this event. For those of you who attended the Ball, many thanks for your support and I hope you had an enjoyable evening. 

The main event this half-term was the annual Family Quiz Night, with more than 260 people taking part, which is a record for this event. There was keen competition amongst the teams, and we were very pleased to see so many students participating with their parents. I would like to thank everyone who helped with the organisation of this event, which raised more than £1,900. Thanks again to everyone who supported the Quiz Night, and I hope you all had an enjoyable evening.

December 2003 Update

The autumn term, as always, has been a very busy time for the Parents’ Association. Just before the half-term holiday, the P.A. held a Fashion Show. This event featured clothes from a number of suppliers, and was well-attended. The models on the evening were all members of staff, and we would like to thank them and everyone involved with the event for helping to raise over £500 towards P.A. funds.

Our largest event of the year, the annual Christmas Craft Fair, took place on 15^th November, and again proved to be a huge success. This year we had seventy professional craft stalls taking part and over twenty stalls run by the P.A. The amount raised by the Fair will hopefully be in excess of £6,500. The Fair requires a tremendous amount of co-ordination and effort to run, not to mention the months of planning beforehand. We would like to thank the Craft Fair committee, and all parents, staff and friends who helped on the day or donated items, for their contribution in making the event so successful. 

The P.A. has also provided refreshments at a number of events during the term, including netball rallies, the Opportunities Evening, the Dance Show, the School Pantomime, the Christmas Concert, the Carol Service, and parent consultation evenings. This is a task we perform throughout the year and it is a facility which is appreciated by parents and staff. We would like to thank all parents who have helped committee members with the provision of refreshments.

The last few weeks have seen the installation of some of the items recently funded by the P.A., including a hearing loop and new lighting for the main hall, and PCs and projectors in the Science Department. The money raised by the Craft Fair will hopefully enable the P.A. to fund a number of items next term.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.

2002-2003 in Review

In the year 2002-2003 the P.A. raised in excess of £24,000. Grants to the School in the last year of over £40,000 enabled the purchase of the following:

 TV, Video and Stand for the French and Spanish Departments, Trampoline Equipment, Contribution towards a Trophy Cabinet, Audio-Visual Equipment, Safety Rail for the Hall, Music Stand Lights for the Music Department, Computers and Projectors for the Science Department, Five TVs and Videos for the English and Geography Departments and the Sixth Form, Overhead Projector for the German Department, Instruments for the Music Department, Contribution towards the Garden Committee Project,

Money raised over the last two years has also enabled the P.A. to give the School £25,000 towards the new Arts studio and Maths classrooms.

A.G.M

The A.G.M. was held on the 2nd October 2003. As usual it is an event where we say goodbye and thanks to all of those members who have committed so much time over the years, and also welcome new members to the committee. The headmaster presented Larry Cummings with a plaque to represent his time as chairman and to thank him for the hard work he has put into the P.A. over many years.

The meeting resulted in some changes to the the executive committee. The officers elected were:

Keith Ross - Chairman

Jill Devine - Vice Chair

Tom Kingston - Treasurer

Jill Pilgrim - Secretary

Theatre Evening - May 2003

Over 200 people attended the evening in May and enjoyed an evening of five 'playlets' by Alan Ayckbourn. As usual the standard of performance by the Company of Ten at the Abbey Theatre was superb. The evening raised close to £1000. 

For pictures from the evening - follow this link.

Quiz Night - March 2003

The 2003 Quiz Night was attended by a record number of people, 32 teams took part and the winning team was Jaded Brains. The event raised £1687.

Valentine Ball - February 2003

This year saw a new format for our annual Valentine event. Attendees were welcomed with champagne and had enjoyed a three course meal with waitress service. The  band Total Eclipse again provided a superb evening's entertainment and the evening finished with everyone on the dance floor. The event raised a record £4000.

For details of the 2002 Craft Fair, please see the appropriate page.

 Grants to the School - 2001-2002 year

Some recent grants have helped fund the following items;