Welcome to the Unsworth PTA

As a parent or carer of a child attending Unsworth Primary, you are automatically a member of the PTA and are welcome to attend all meetings where new ideas are always appreciated.  We would also like to encourage you to participate in the many events we organise throughout the year.

Our school relies upon the goodwill and efforts of pupils, parents, staff, family and friends to raise money for school funds.  It's the PTA's job to organise and manage these fund raising events, both big and small.  Here are some of the events held last year:

Club 100 - this is a lottery that has run a number of years.  It’s so easy to play!  Participants pay to choose a number at the start of the year, draws are monthly and the prize can be up to £50 if all 100 tickets are sold.  What could be easier…and even better, it’s a great way to raise funds for the school.

Halloween Disco for Infants and Juniors – this was held after the mid-term break in November 2007 and is always popular with the children.  Family tickets mean that payment covers entry to all children in each family who attend Unsworth Primary and included a hot dog, cake and drink as well as lots of party games and prizes!  There was also a chance for the children to indulge their sweet tooths if they wished at the Tuck Shop.  This year we plan to hold a fancy dress disco in October.  Details will follow later in September.

Calendars – Print off the Calendar order form - these are a great way of keeping up with school events and holidays and make great gifts for grandparents, too!  Each month displays a photograph of pupils and staff whose birthday is that month. This year the photographs will be taken by the same professional photographer who will take the children’s school pictures in October so look out for details on how to order your calendars in early October.

Christmas cards – these are designed by the children, professionally printed and distributed well in advance of Christmas posting deadlines.  Information on how to order will be sent out in early November.

Christmas DVDs and photos – every year the teaching staff work hard to help the Infant children put on a Christmas play and the Juniors to perform in a Christmas production.  The dress rehearsals are filmed and photographs are taken to save you the hassle of trying to get that perfect shot during the performances.  Orders are taken on performance evenings.

Easter Egg Bingo – always a popular event with all who participate because you can win an enormous prize and never have to buy another Easter egg again!  Family tickets allow up to 6 people to attend and there are plenty of refreshments to quench thirsts.

Party in the Playground – this event has run for two years and we want to build on its’ success so planning for it must start early in the new year.  The main event is an ensemble of musical performances by the children, with loads of games, stalls and refreshments to occupy everyone in between.

ALL the funding that is raised by these events goes towards benefiting the childrens’ experience at school.  In the past, PTA funds have been used to provide whiteboards in classrooms, which help in making computer access easier, to provide play equipment, to replace reading materials and to help renovate classrooms.  Funds have also been used to supplement the childrens’ extracurricular activities, mainly by providing transport funds for school trips but also in paying for externally provided entertainment and education, such as the Harlequin theatre group performances and the Life Education Centre bus which visited the school last year.  We have plans to design and grow vegetables in an allotment, provide more play equipment for the playground and gymnastics equipment for the assembly hall, as well as bring in more external education providers.

We really need your input to make our events interesting and to help them run smoothly so come along to the next PTA meeting and find out what we’re all about.  The PTA Annual General Meeting is being held in school on Wednesday 24th September 2008 at 7:30 p.m.  See you there!

Yours sincerely,
The PTA Committee
September 2008