All About Your PTFA
The Parents Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA) raises funds so that the school can buy extra items that they would not normally afford. The active members organise fund raising activities of their choice and in the past these have included fetes and cake sales, recycling ink cartridges and clothing, selling second hand and new uniform, selling cookery cooks and tea towels
, sponsored events, auctions and raffles, selling items on stalls at Stroud show, Stroud Goodwill evening and at the Farmers Market. The activities change depending on what the active members wish to do and this is determined by how much time they have to organise and run them. All fund raising relies on parent volunteers both on the organising side and during the events. The more parents that get involved, the more money can be raised. The money raised is then given to school to spend. Staff members send funding requests to the PTFA and those attending meetings have the opportunity to vote on whether they want the funds spent in this way. In past funds have been used for a variety of things including subsidising school trips, paying towards whiteboard installation and funding classroom resources. Every year the PTFA needs a chairman to run the meetings, a secretary to take notes at the meeting and a treasurer to deal with the finances as well as other helpers to back them up. Active PTFA members get a great deal from their involvement. Knowing that they are contributing to school can bring a great of pleasure. However, it is also a good opportunity to find out more about what is going on behind the scenes at school and a chance to meet parents you may not have normally spoken to. It can even be a new skill to add to your CV! The PTFA are therefore asking that parents who are even a bit curious about the PTA to get in touch with them. They can do this by attending meetings, leaving messages here or by contacting a PTA member (this can be done by leaving contact details at the school office or talking to a current member in the playground). There is no obligation to do anything, just to find out more information and decide whether you can help. Please consider it as it could make a significant difference to your child’s experiences in school.
