New Sixth Form Centre
23rd November 2011
Dear Parent
It is now two months since I wrote to you about the new Sixth Form block. The Fund-Raising Committee have asked me to provide an update to parents on progress towards our target of £100,000 by July 2012.
Thanks to many generous donations from parents and a variety of fund-raising activities
by students and the PTA the sum raised now stands at £31,450. This is a fantastic effort in just two months and bodes well for what is a highly ambitious target. The run up to Christmas provides several great opportunities
to push this figure even higher and I would like to bring several to your attention.
Firstly, the Fund-Raising Committee will be selling Christmas gift cards that allow you to
‘donate’ a fixture and fitting to a friend as a Christmas present. The gift cards will be produced by students and will range in price from an energy saving light bulb (£2) up to a new chair (£25). The gift cards can be ordered
from the school website and will be delivered to your child to bring home.
Secondly, students will be producing
packs of Christmas cards (10) that can be purchased from the school website for
£2.50. The students are working hard on their designs and, as usual, have already produced a very high standard of art
work (see below). Both initiatives allow parents to make a small contribution whilst also engaging in the ‘spirit of
Christmas’. If every family purchased two packs of cards and a mid-priced gift card then we could push the money raised beyond £50,000 by the turn of the year.
Finally the Fund-Raising Committee have asked whether parents have any links to local, national or international businesses that might be interested in ‘sponsoring’ the classrooms or indeed the building itself. There was considerable discussion about the ‘ethics’ of this type of approach, but in the end it was decided that the needs of our students outweighed the embarrassment of asking!
If you are prepared to share any contacts then please contact Sue Foot at sue.foot@churston.torbay.sch.uk.
We will update parents early next term with the fund-raising events for the Spring Term, including Date for a Dance, the final dance show in the trilogy taking place between 8th and 10th March.
September 2011
Dear Parent / Guardian,
I hope that your summer break was a good one and that your child is fully refreshed and ready for the challenges of the new academic year. You will be pleased to learn that both Year 11 and Year 13 achieved record results in August. You will also be delighted to be informed that we have secured £500,000 towards the construction of a new Sixth Form Centre. The new centre will be constructed next to the internal tennis courts at the back of the school site. Construction will start in September and the Sixth Form Centre will be open from September 2012. We also intend to convert the current Sixth Form area into a new drama and music facility.
Despite a significant grant of £500,000 we still need to finance part of the project ourselves. To that end we are running a fund-raising campaign throughout 2011 and 2012. There are several ways in which parents can help –
- Mrs Gunn Johnson and Mrs Foot will be chairing a Fund Raising Committee and we would welcome any volunteers with fund-raising experience to join the committee. Please contact Sue Foot at sue.foot@churston.torbay.sch.uk
- The PTA will be organising a range of activities throughout the year and they always need additional helpers and new ideas. If you wish to join the PTA then please contact Jo Somerfield at jo-is@bluebottle.com
- Proceeds from school events such as the Dance Show, music concerts and PTA events will go towards the Sixth Form Centre Fund. Attendance at such events, as well as being a hugely enjoyable experience, will help raise money for the fund.
- Contributions to the school fund will be a vital element of the fund-raising campaign. Many parents already make regular contributions through a standing order. Parents who wish to initiate this method of contribution can do so through Parent Pay. Alternatively parents may wish to make a one off payment. This letter also provides an opportunity to thank those parents who have already contributed to the School Fund.
Help us to turn the whole arrow blue – £20,000 already raised!
We are hoping to raise £100,000 by July 2012. Almost all of our students stay on to the Sixth Form and they all enjoy the benefits of music and drama lessons. We have worked extremely hard to secure the funding for a Sixth Form Centre in a very challenging financial climate. One ‘big push’ to raise a final £100,000 will ensure that Churston students benefit from the very best facilities.
Yours sincerely,
Robert Owers
