• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 07-03-12 WORD DOC format
• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 07-03-12 PDF format

• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 07-02-12 WORD DOC format
• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 07-02-12 PDF format

• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 09-01-12 WORD DOC format
• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 09-01-12 PDF format

• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 29-11-11 WORD DOC format
• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 29-11-11 PDF format

Some people had some issues downloading the agenda last time, so I’ve attached the minutes in DOC and PDF formats.

• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 1-11-11 WORD DOC format
• Parrs Wood PTA minutes 1-11-11 PDF format

Agenda for Parrs Wood PTA Meeting

7.30pm on Tuesday, 1st November, 2011 in the staff training room.

Full Minutes

Parrs Wood PTA AGM minutes 2.10.11

New Elected Officers

• Jessica Williams – Chair
• Jon Ferns – Treasurer
• Elizabeth Draper & Sophie Rushton – Secretary (job share)

Other Elected Committee Members

• Raj Mahaptra – Deputy Chair
• David Hawdale – Communications
• Will Smith (TBC – may alternate amongst school Leadership team) – Teacher Rep.
• Jeff Blackford
• Hannah Mahaptra
• Wendy Clarke
• Cath Millington
• Jay Barry

Draft Strategy

• Transparency: The PTA will actively support a number of named and visible projects and targets that can be clearly promoted as ‘what the PTA is raising funds for’.
• Engagement – ‘two way street’: The PTA will engage with the Staff and Children through the School Council, the School Staff, Governors and Local Community to suggest projects, and will look for similar levels of engagement to support PTA fund raising.
• Recruitment: With school support, the PTA will raise its profile in the school and community, to recruit a more representative and active membership.
• Community: The PTA will liase proactively with the school and governors to improve communication and engagement with all elements of the community.

The Annual General Meeting of the PTA is the meeting where committee members and officers are elected or re-elected, and the strategy for the next year is set out and agreed.

We also invite a representative of the school leadership to attend to give us an overview of the progress of the school, and this year we have invited a representative of the new school council to tell us their plans, and to involve them more in how we go about our fund raising.

Please support us by coming along! If you are interested in joining the committee, or helping in any way then this is the time to tell us.

Agenda for Parrs Wood PTA AGM

5.30pm on Sunday, 2nd October, 2011, Costa Coffee, School Lane, Didsbury.

Please be prompt as we only have until 7.00pm!!

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of the last PTA Meeting (5th September 2011)
4. Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting (5th October 2010)
5. President’s Report
6. School Council Report
7. Treasurer’s Report
8. Chair’s Report and Strategy Proposal:
• Transparency: The PTA will actively support a number of named and visible projects and targets that can be clearly promoted as ‘what the PTA is raising funds for’.
• Engagement – ‘two way street’: The PTA will engage with the Staff and Children through the School Council, the School Staff, Governors and Local Community to suggest projects, and will look for similar levels of engagement to support PTA fund raising.
• Recruitment: With school support, the PTA will raise its profile in the school and community, to recruit a more representative and active membership.
• Community: The PTA will liase proactively with the school and governors to improve communication and engagement with all elements of the community.
9. Election of Officers
10. Election of Committee
11. Grant Requests
12. Future Events
13. AOB

Click here to download last years AGM Minutes

PTA Meeting, 10th September, 2011

7.30pm Staff Training Room, Parrs Wood School

Present: David Lamb, Jon Ferns, Heather Race, Jay Barry, David Hawdale, Jessica Williams, Wendy Clarke, Elizabeth Draper.

Apologies: Jeff Blackford, Nicola Massingham, Sophie Rushton, Hannah & Raj Mahapatra

1. School Update

There was no representative from PWHS present. Following last meetings action DH had discussed this with Andy Shakos in the holidays and he had agreed in principle that a member of the leadership team should attend PTA meetings.

Jay, unofficially, gave us an update that mentioned the highly satisfactory exam results in 2011. He also noted that the Music Department and the 6th Form had changed locations.

2. PTA & Parents Communications withe the School

The moving of music & a-level venues again provoked a vigorous discussion during which several issues of deep concern over both the move and the communication of the move were raised. The move had not been mentioned at the Open Evening for parents of children beginning Year 7 which PTA members stated was of concern for those expecting music to be in Parrs Wood House.

It was noted that concerns might have been reduced by better communication by the school, and the PTA decided to make approaches to make communication better. The PTA represents the wider community of parents, and particularly those who actively support the school in the community and fund-raising to enrich school life. We think that proactive communication with PTA by school and governing body might flag up issues that might concern parents, and provide the school with the ability to deal with them earlier rather than after the event. Therefore we will:

1. approach the school to try and assure that someone from the leadership team can regularly present school update to the PTA.
2. approach the governors to look for better communication there also. Parents constitute part of the governing body but PTA (or community as far as we know) see any record of the governing body minutes or know how to get access.

Therefore, to try to get better communication the PTA agreed on the following actions:

• ACTION David Hawdale to contact AS to discuss attendance of someone from the leadership team at PTA.
• ACTION Wendy Clarke to contact Suzannah Reeves discuss PTA and general access to the minutes of the meetings governing body on a regular basis (like PTA minutes).

3. Treasurers Report

Jon noted there is £10,000 in the bank with £200 cash in hand.

It was noted that Manchester CC has stopped supporting the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and there was a discussion on the use of PTA funds to continue the scheme at PWHS which the committee unanimously supported.

• ACTION Jess Williams to contact Jane Burgess who is in charge of the Duke of Edinburgh scheme to offer support and see what can be done and what budget might be required.

4. Events and Forward Planning

Jay is in charge of the Table Top on Saturday. Jay mentioned he may be retiring next year, so a new school liaison officer will need to be recruited. At this stage (Monday) there is a shortage of volunteers for the Table Top and there was a discussion on methods of recruiting additional support, and, with the difficulty of recruitment, giving up on the table tops, but no actions.

• ACTION Jess Williams to buy a new frying pan for the bacon as the old one is kaput.

5. Discussion of Future Direction of the PTA

Much discussion, resulting in:

• ACTION Elizabeth Draper to approach the Head Girl & School Council representatives with a view to how to engage with the kids about PTA support – and perhaps the kids could help the PTA – a ‘two way street’ idea.
• ACTION Jay Barry to find out contacts for Elizabeth (see above).
• ACTION David Hawdale to contact Andy Shakos with a view to finding opportunities to get to the wider parent group – newsletter, open evenings, etc. How can the school give the PTA exposure to help recruitment?
• ACTION David Hawdale to start an email discussion on objectives for the PTA to be delivered and discussed at the AGM in October.

6. AOB

Forthcoming table top dates were announced – 8th October and 3rd December.

David Hawdale announced his resignation from the PTA Chair at the AGM due to work commitments.

• ACTION David Hawdale to communicate this to the membership as part of the agenda ahead of the AGM and to announce vacancies for PTA officers (Chair and Secretary) and committee members.

The date of Sunday 2nd October was decided as the date of the PTA AGM. This AGM will be important as we will try to set some objectives for the coming year, and also will need to vote in new officers and committee members. As school will not be available, we agreed to look for a venue that would be comfortable and would suit all parental involvement.

• ACTION Jess Williams to find a suitable venue for the AGM.

Please come along, the more the merrier.

Agenda for Parrs Wood PTA Meeting

7.30pm on Monday, 5th September, 2011 in the School Library.

• School Update
• Minutes of the last meeting
• Matters arising
• Treasurers Report
• Events: Reviews and Forward Planning
• Table Top – Planning for Sat Sept 10th
• Discussion for the future direction of the PTA brought forward from July – ideas include:
1. Setting objectives around what the PTA is about, and then some strategy about how to achieve them (David H).
2. Increased engagement with the school about how best to spend the money raised rather than wait for requests (David H)
3. Engagement with the School Council (the kids) as well as the School itself to take ideas of how to distribute cash.(Sophie R)
4. Increased transparency in spending – the ability to say ‘The PTA is raising money for a particular thing or things’. (David H)
5. Consideration of events that involve parents, with a view that recruiting more people to the PTA – this is almost as important an objective as raising money. (Sophie R)
6. That we look to positively market & raise the profiles of the PTA through the school, with help from the school – talking to parents, getting involved in events not just to raise money, but to recruit. (Heather R, Jeff B)

and operationally

• Jay is currently liaison with the school – how will this operate in the future?
• Can we formalise attendance of school representation?
• A.O.B.
• Agree date of AGM
• What si best night for most (active PTA) people to attend?
• Agree date of AGM
• Broadcast dates for this years table tops