PTA Christmas Cards 2022 - What is it and how does my child take part?

What is the PTA Christmas Cards project? Each year the PTA gives the pupils of Claremont the chance to design their own Christmas Card and for their designs to appear on cards and other novelty items (mugs, wrapping paper, gift tags and A5 spiral bound notebook). You can place an order for as many of these items as you wish to and the PTA submits the designs to Cauliflower Cards who produce the cards/mugs etc to order. Cauliflower Cards give us commission for every item ordered so you can spread your child’s creative joy to everyone you know this Christmas and raise funds for the PTA at the same time!

But it’s only October! Why now?!

Christmas is only 2 months away! And that means we have to get the designs back to the company after half term so they can print them to get them back to us in good time for international posting deadlines in December. Plus, what better thing is there to do on a rainy day over half- term!

Why else should I sign up?

Prizes! Your little one’s artwork will be automatically entered into a school competition with the chance to win a £10 Waterstones voucher for the best entry from the Infants and the best entry from the Juniors, selected by Mrs Roberts.

I’m in! What do I do now? 1 - Don’t lose the Order Form that your child will bring home before half term (each one has a unique code so can’t be easily replaced)

2 - Before you start, check out the “artwork guidelines” on the Order Form and inspiration no their website here.

3 - Encourage your child to release their artistic expression! (within the guidelines, of course, for optimal printing)

4 - Carefully stick the completed artwork onto the Order Form.

5 - Circle the tree on the Order Form which shows the correct orientation for the card

6 - Complete your child’s details and your order request on the Order Form (boxes 1-3)

7 - Then, by Monday 31st October you need to do two things:

1. Pay online using your unique two part code found at the top of the order form,

2. Return your completed Order Form with artwork attached, in a plastic envelope or sleeve, back to your child’s class teacher.

8 - Sit back and await your delivery; the items you order will be sent home with your children in good time for Christmas posting deadlines.

——————————————— FAQs

Any questions not covered below please contact Michelle at michelleyeatman@live.com. How much do the cards cost? The first pack of 12 cards costs £5.50. Packs of gift labels cost £2.50 and the mugs are £6.75 each. This is set out as well as bumper and value packs on the Order Forms. Does my child have to participate? Absolutely not! The project is not compulsory, it is run as a fun way of giving pupils a chance to get their own design printed so that they can be proud of their work and for parents to see their children be inspired by freedom of expression. And of course raise some vital funds for the PTA at the same time! For that reason, to avoid embarrassment for people who choose not to participate, individual parents/pupils who have not submitted forms/artwork will not be chased after the deadline.

Can I use any medium/product?

Please refer to the Artwork Guidelines which are clearly set out on the Order Form. If you use materials which are not recommended, do not stick down properly, or if you fold the artwork, this will affect the end result and you may be disappointed. Please follow the guidelines. Will the cards be printed the right way up? Yes, provided you circle the tree showing the correct orientation for your card. The tree is clearly shown on the Order Form where you complete your child’s details

How big should the card be?

The artwork must be A4 or A5 size and must fit within the square box marked on the Order Form. Anything bigger than this and the edges will not come out. I have lost my Order Form... Please contact michelleyeatman@live.com My child’s usual name is different to their formal Christian name – which do I use? Whichever you prefer, as long as it is written clearly on the Order Form. The name you write on the Order Form will be the one which appears on the finished cards. I do not get to see my child’s book/homework bag often so may not see the Order Form. Can I still order? Absolutely! Any requests of this nature can be made directly to us michelleyeatman@live.com. To ensure discretion we are happy to personally arrange for products ordered in these circumstances to be posted to your home/work address rather than be returned “home” via your child’s book/homework bag. Please just email with order requests and postal address/collection requests and we can deal with this separately. Will I be reminded of deadlines and chased if I forget? The deadline for your payment to be made online and to submit the Order Forms with artwork attached to school is Monday 31st October.

Reminders will be sent out via class reps and social media but we will not be chasing individual parents where orders have not been placed, to avoid embarrassing those parents who do not wish to order. If you are forgetful, keep an eye out for the reminder!

Please don't be late! We unfortunately can’t accept orders submitted after this date.

Can I submit late orders? If you have not submitted payment or your order form by the deadline, you can still order directly through Cauliflower Cards – details on their website. How much money does the PTA make through the card scheme? The PTA makes £1.00 profit for every pack of cards sold, 50p for every pack of gift labels and £1.50 for every mug. The cards are much cheaper than shop/charity bought cards. The PTA is a registered charity and funds raised work directly benefit your child’s education and well-being. Please order as many as you can. You will also show your child how much you love their creativity! In 2021 we raised nearly £500 through this project, let’s see if we can beat that in 2022!

Plans for the year and how you can help!

The PTA had it’s Annual General Meeting last week which is an informal & friendly chat through what happened last year and the plans for this year. For those who couldn’t make it here is a quick summary of what was discussed and where there are still gaps where we need your help.

We reminisced over how wonderful it was to have the whole community back together in 2021/22 especially at the return of our headline events Clarefest and the Summer Fete. We thanked everyone for all their efforts helping the PTA raise overall a small profit of around £2,000 last year, which has helped to start rebuilding the coffers that were depleted during the Covid years. We funded nearly £30,000 of extras for the school - for a reminder of what, please check our end of year blog from July.

Claire, the PTA chair, updated us on her meeting with Mrs Roberts who had shared some exciting new areas that the school are wanting to improve over the next couple of years, and which could be something for the PTA to consider for future fundraising. These include the support for I.T. that the PTA have been involved in annually, and other projects such as upgrading the trim trail, outdoor areas and some remodelling and modernising within the school. The PTA agreed we would very much like to support where possible and so now we really need all of your help. It would great to see if together we can raise even more than last year.

The specific areas that we identified we need help with are:

• Marketing - help developing a sponsorship/media pack

• Corporate partnerships - friendly people to make friends with local businesses

• Corporate Matching - we’d love to increase the amount of match funding we get from large businesses - if you are employed please check if your company offers match funding and let us know by email.

• Summer Fete - whilst we have agreed a date in principle with the school it is now time for the parent community to step forward! Running the fete is an immensely rewarding opportunity - whether you’re an individual, a couple or a close-knit group of friends who just want to make a difference. You can make the Fete your own or you can follow the PTA’s ready-made tried and tested formula. A group of around 6 people can really make the difference - with the roles already divided up into coordinators for 1) logistics (someone who is good at organising others and checking jobs off against a spreadsheet!), 2) the Arena displays and timetable, 3) the donation stalls, 4) the BBQ 5) the bar or 6) the activity stalls. You won’t be alone working alongside the PTA Committee who will support you every step of the way and the classes who run stalls on the day.

• Playground sales - we have a few in the pipeline but heaps more ideas where we need a couple of volunteers to dedicate just a few hours over a short period, such as a nearly new toy sale before Christmas and Coronation crafts before May half term.

We then went onto confirming plans for this year which include some new parent socials, more frequent after school discos and cinema clubs, more playground sales as well as the popular regular events - the Christmas Cracker, Easter Egg Hunt, Scavenger Hunt and of course Clarefest and the Summer Fete. Put those in your diaries now...

• Clarefest - Saturday 20th May 2022 2-8pm

• Summer Fete - Saturday 1st July 2022 12-3pm

And finally the Committee for the year was elected. All 2021/22 members were re-elected, minus Claudine to whom we bid a fond farewell and a huge thank you, and one new member was elected. We always have room for more, in particular a School Rep, so if you work at the school please let us know if you’d like to join.

So that you know who to nab in the playground, your 2022/23 PTA Committee Members are:

Claire - Chair - mum to Freddie in Year 2 (& Harry to join next year)

Natalie - Vice-Chair - mum to Chloe in Year 5 and Eddie in Year 2

Sara - Secretary - mum to Edward in Year 4 and James in Year 2

Sami - Treasurer - dad to Laith in Year 1 and 2 younger boys

Ben - dad to Jamie in Year 1

Lucy - mum to Holly in Year 3 and James in Year 1

Emma B - mum to Freya in Year 5 and Ellie in Year 3

Emma D - mum to Jack in Year 4 and Otis in Year 2

Nicki - mum to Finley in Year 2, Lily in Reception and George to follow in two years

Sam - mum to Jack in Year 4

Mrs Roberts - Headteacher/ex-officio

We set the date for our next meeting - which will be 7.30pm on Tuesday 8th November. All are welcome to that so please do come along if you’d like to know more or get in touch in all the usual ways in the meantime.

Connect with us!

Email : claremonttwpta@gmail.com

Website www.claremontprimarypta.com

On social media @claremontprimarypta

Facebook Instagram

Here are the slides from our AGM:

THE AUTUMN TEXT RAFFLE - HOW TO ENTER AND T&Cs

How to Enter:

• Text CLAREMONT to 70215

• You will receive a free bounce-back message from 70215 providing you with instructions to enter the competition and the option to make a donation to the Claremont Primary PTA.

• We suggest a £2 donation per entry should you feel able to make one e.g. £10 for 5 entries, £20 for 10. You can enter the raffle without making a donation too.

What can I win?

There are around 30 wonderful prizes to be won including a weekend pass for two at the beautiful Natural Fit gym in town (a prize that money can't buy!), a family photo shoot at Dee Airey Photography on the Pantiles (worth £360), a 12 month English Heritage Membership (worth £115 with thanks to AXA PPP) and a 50 minute Massage from The Massage Company worth £99! Follow us on Social Media to be the first to hear more about the prizes as they are announced.

FAQs:

When I text in, I get an error message - how can I enter?

Some mobile phone providers don't allow you to participate in text raffles.You can manually enter by emailing claremonttwpta@gmail.com to confirm how many entries you’d like to make and your mobile number. And if you can make a donation please do so here.

When I text in, I get a reply but when I confirm my entry and donation amount, it says there was a problem processing my donation - what do I do?

Some mobile phone providers let you enter but won't allow payment to be taken. If you get a message saying "There has been a problem processing your donation" then do not fear - your entries will still have been registered. To make your donation, please do so here instead.

I want to enter and donate but not pay through my phone bill - how can I do this?

If you do not have bill payers permission, e.g. you only have a work phone, you can enter the raffle by text and confirm your entries with no donation e.g. by replying "FIVE NODONATION" when prompted. Then to make your donation, please do so here.

Detailed T&Cs:

1. The prize draw will be open from noon on 1st October and close at 23:00pm on 31st October.

2. Entry to the prize draw is by texting CLAREMONT to 70215. Please have bill-payers permission before you enter. Text messages cost your standard network message charge (based on your service provider rates – please check with your provider). You will then receive a free bounce-back message from 70215 providing you with instructions to enter the competition and the option to make a donation to Claremont Primary PTA e.g. no donation, £2 (one entry), £10 (5 entries) or £20 (10 entries).

3. For the avoidance of doubt, opting out of the optional donation will not affect your entry into the prize draw.

4. The prize draw is open to all residents of the UK (please note the text service to enter the prize draw does not include Channel Islands or Isle of Man mobile networks). The prize draw is open to those aged 18 or over - parents, guardians, teaching staff, grandparents… all are welcome to enter. Proof of age, identity and eligibility may be requested.

5. Please ensure you spell the Keyword correctly and send your text message to the correct Short Code within the time period that the prize draw is specified as being open. If your short code is invalid, or your text message is received outside the specified time period you will not receive a bounce-back message but may still be charged your standard network message charge. You will not be donating to the PTA nor will you have entered the prize draw. If you enter the Keyword incorrectly but we, acting reasonably, believe that you are trying to find out more information about the prize draw, you will be sent the free bounce-back message, as described above.

6. If you’re a UK taxpayer, Claremont PTA can claim an equal share of an additional £2.50 in Gift Aid from the Government for every £10 donation you make. If you elect to make an optional donation, we’ll send a follow up text to ask if you want us to claim Gift Aid on your donation. If you follow the link in our follow up text you’ll be taken to a Gift Aid declaration - please read it carefully. Find out more about Gift Aid here.

7. There is only ONE prize available to be won per mobile number.

8. The winners will be selected at random on 1st November and contacted as soon as possible on/after that date by Claremont Primary PTA by telephone. Your prize will either be available to be collected from the school office or details sent to you by text.

9. The prize is as stated. There is no cash alternative and the elements of the prize cannot be sold or transferred in any circumstances. For the avoidance of doubt, unless specified above, no other costs or expenses will be covered by Claremont Primary PTA, or any of the prize providers.

10. Claremont Primary PTA and its sub-contractors, subsidiaries and/or agencies cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem with any telephone network or line, system, server, provider or otherwise which may result in any text not being properly received.

11. The prize draw and text donation service is provided by Donr on behalf of Claremont Primary PTA. If you have any queries regarding the service, please contact Donr at the following email address: hello@donr.com or call on the following Helpline Number: 0333 4444 111 (Monday to Friday 9:00 - 17:30).