Friends of Harris Primary East Dulwich

Committee recruitment | Your school NEEDS you!!!!!!!!!

 

Without the volunteers from the family community, there would be no PTA. We say ‘family community’ as we are all family to the children at our school, whether we are parents, guardians, carers or wider family members.

 

Every parent/guardian/carer of a child at Harris Primary East Dulwich is automatically a member of our PTA, Friends of Harris Primary East Dulwich; or ‘FoHPED’ for short. 

 

Each year at the AGM, the core committee roles must be put up for election on a vote of the members.  Members can vote in person or by proxy (i.e. you can nominate someone else to vote on your behalf on the evening by sending a signed note to the current Chair saying whom you wish to vote for you on the day at least 7 days before the AGM). Committee members are not paid for their time - these are volunteer roles.

 

Our AGM is held in March every year.

 

A Brief History of FoHPED

FoHPED was set up by four amazing people from the original group of reception parents/guardians/carers. As the AGM in 2018 approached, only two of those people continued on and with a great deal of energy, enthusiasm, and persuasion, managed to move the wider committee from 3 to our current group of 13 with many more members in vital supporting roles.

 

This year’s recruitment

This year we are looking to add even more people to our collection of excellent volunteers.  The more people supporting any one role, the less work there is for any one person to do.  We all have lives outside the PTA, (not to mention children!) who demand our time and energy.

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Life is unpredictable, things happen. If any one person was not able to continue with their commitment, this is absolutely fine. We are aiming to have all of our processes (‘how to’ crib sheets, etc.) and other information put into a centralized file (online). This means that if you need to step back, your role can be picked up by someone else.

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What we really really want - is enthusiasm! We need people with ideas, and energy to research and implement them. People with the drive to make it happen.  People who are happy to commit to being on a stall for a fair, hand out flyers in the park, set up on the day, and clear down after its all done.

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If you have taken the time to come to our website and read this - WE NEED YOU!

 

We have set out below the key elements and time commitments for the roles we have advertised.  Please don’t let them put you off. If you think you could do some but not all - just come to talk about it with us.

 

If you think there is something else, maybe a role you think we should formally create, please let us know!

 

Remember - even if you are unable to attend the AGM, you can still join the committee and participate. Attendance at AGM is not mandatory. Just email us on our email below in advance.

 

ROLES

 

Core Committee

(Core Committee Roles must be elected yearly at AGM)

 

Co Chair/ Secretary - Alex Cunnington is putting herself forward for this new role

having been vice chair last year. Alex would welcome anyone who wishes to come forward
for the Co Chair role.

 

Chair / Co-Chairs:

• The Chair/ Co-Chair directs our meetings, making sure everyone’s views are heard and everyone is involved in the meeting.

• He or she should make sure all committee members are familiar with the association’s constitution, and their role and responsibilities as a committee member and trustee (NB: all Core Committee members are automatically trustees of the association).

• the role is also to oversee the committee and FoHPED’s yearly activities. As the school, committee and number of events has become larger we are now ideally looking to share this role between two people (two Co-Chairs).

• The Chair/ Co Chair has a finger in every pie, overseas the management, accounting and licencing, is ultimately responsible for the actions of the committee and for ensuring that the PTA meets all its legal requirements and so needs to be open and approachable as well as organised and diligent.

• Liaises closely with the school

• Ideally is able to attend every meeting of the Core Committee (about 5 per year) and all events.

 

Secretary:

• The secretary role traditionally supports the Chair to build effective communication links between the school and the association and maintains accurate records

• Prepares for meetings (with the Chair)

• Takes minutes at meetings, recording attendance, action points, decisions and proposals

• Circulates approved minutes, along with a reminder of any actions agreed

• Maintains association records

• Handles written and email correspondence received for the association

• The ideal person for this role  is organised and efficient

• Able to attend every meeting of the Core Committee and subcommittee meetings to take notes to ensure accurate records are maintained.

 

As the Chair and Secretary are ideally able to attend every meeting we have amalgamated these into one role.  In order to spread the load of the overseeing and management we would ideally like to have two Co-Chairs in order to spread the workload.

 

We have already spread a lot of the burden traditionally on this role by creating the other Committee Roles set out below.

 

Co Chair - New role vacant

• This role is critical to the success of all things FoHPED.

• The Co-Chairs work closely together and with the school administration to ensure FoHPED remains compliant and smoothly run.

 

Comms Officer - Sarah Swolfs putting herself forward for Comms Officer having been Vice Comms previously.

• The Communications officer is responsible for writing the FoHPED newsletter, which goes out with the school’s weekly missives.

• Website updates

• Social media 

• Organising photography of our events

• Ensures that information is sent out through appropriate routes

• Advertising our actions and results across social media

• Generally being a communication guru to ensure we reach all members of the Harris Primary East Dulwich community family and the wider community

• Weekly commitment to writing the newsletter along with ad hoc other duties which ramp up in time commitments when leading up to events

 

School Fairs Lead - Katherine Symonds-Moore wishes to put herself forward for this new role having

been Winter Lead last year.

• Together with the subcommittee Summer and Winter Fair leads, he or she will organize two of the largest fundraisers; the Summer Fair and Winter Fair.

• Requires immense organisation and a cool calm personality who can hold onto the bigger picture while delegating the details

• Large time commitment in the run up to the two fairs.

• Needs to be good at delegating and working with others to get all the details and cogs of a school fair to align in time to run the show on the day.

• Must be able to attend the planning meetings, the events themselves and ideally be available on  the night before to aid set up

 

Treasurer - Helga Ogier wishes to continue in this role

• The Treasurer ensures accurate financial records are kept and best practice procedures are followed for counting money, banking and making payments. He or she should keep the committee updated with regular reports, and ensure end of year reports are completed for the association’s AGM

• Manages the PTA bank account and holds the banking and payment details.

• Makes approved payments.

• Ensures procedures for making approved payments and claiming approved expenses are followed by all committee members.

• Prepares annual accounts for presentation at AGM.

• Time commitment is moderate on an ongoing basis but can be fitted around your life commitments

 

Subcommittee Roles

The subcommittee members are also elected at each AGM but are not required to be present to make up a quorum of the Core Committee at the AGM or an EGM and the Subcommittee members are not listed on the charity commission registration as trustees of the PTA.

These roles are vital to the running of FoHPED and it is only for ease of practical management that the committee is divided into Core Committee and Sub Committee Roles.

 

Risk and Licensing Officer - Sonia Brown wishes to continue in this role.

• Prepares the risk assessments for each FoHPED event

• Arranges for the risk assessments to be signed off by the school, Chair and event lead

• Applies for any applicable licences for the FoHPED events

• Requires someone organised, ideally with a working knowledge of risk assessments

• Limited time commitment required in run up to an event

 

Comms Assistant – New role - Suze Hemming wishes to broaden her involvement by assisting the Comms officer, so putting herself forward for this new role as well as reprising her old role (see Kids Events Lead)

• Assisting the Comms Officer with the communications activities

• Taking on tasks as requested by the Comms officer

• Possibly taking on project roles such as preparing a new welcome pack for each year’s reception parents

• We are always happy to have more help - so any more budding Comms Assistants out there please just shout!

 

Summer Fair Assistant - New role vacant

• Assist Fairs Lead with fair planning and execution.

• Ability to delegate essential tasks

• Have great attention to detail and organization

• Time commitment can be high in the run-up to the event but is limited to time during part of the spring and summer terms

• Must be able to attend the planning meeting, the event itself and ideally be available the night before to aid set up

 

Winter Fair Assistant - New role vacant

• Assist Fairs Lead with fair planning and execution.

• Ability to delegate essential tasks

• Have great attention to detail and organization

• Time commitment can be high in the run-up to the event but this is limited to time during the autumn term

• Must be able to attend the planning meeting, the event itself and ideally be available the night before to aid set up

 

Kids Events Lead - Suze Hemming wishes to continue in this role

• We have two kids’ only events per year at the moment: the Spring term DISCO and the Winter term Movie Night.

• The Lead is responsible for ensuring the smooth delivery of these events

• Coordinating with the school to ensure facilities are available and staff are prepared

• Responsible for the advertising, sourcing and supplying of all things necessary for these events

• Must be organised, approachable and a good delegator

• Ideally have excellent child herding skills or be able to delegate those bits to someone who does!

• Time commitment in the run up to the events is moderate as we have a good process for the running of these events in place.

• Must be able to be on the ground on the day.

 

Kids Events Assistants - Gemma Jackson wishes to take up this new role, however both Suze and Gemma would welcome any other applicants to be co-Assistants!

• Assisting the Kids Events Lead in delivering the events

• Time commitment in the run-up to the events is moderate as we have a good process for the running of these events in place.

• Must be able to be on the ground on the day.

 

Parent Events Lead - New role vacant

• This role will be responsible for organising our insanely popular Pub Quiz and act as a Fun Run liaison, assisting Fun Run Lead. Additionally, the role could work to expand and develop new parents events.

• Quiz night planning involves organising the ticket sales, advertising, allocating the quiz master role and the deciding the quiz mechanics, arranging for food and the bar to be set up, liaising with the school

• Organising volunteers to help on the day to set up, work the event and clear up

• Time commitment must be available on the day and at the planning meeting, otherwise can be moderate in the run-up to the event in the autumn term

 

Parents Events Assistant - New role vacant

• This person will be responsible for assisting the Parents Events Lead in the planning, execution and expansion of parent events.

 

Fun Run Lead - Philippa Gillespie-Eyles wishes to continue in this role

• Organising the yearly sponsored Fun Run in Peckham Rye Park

• Compiling the information necessary to put in the application to have the event to Southwark Council

• Dealing with all compliance issues

• Organising the event mechanics on the day

• Merchandising

• Must be able to be there one the day for set up, participation and close down

• Time commitment moderate in the run-up to the event

 

Fun Run Assistant

• This role helps Fun Run Lead with execution and planning of Fun Run

 

Grants & Funding – Vacant

• Research and application role; research into government and third-party grants, funding and schemes, etc which could benefit the school.

• Reporting back to the Co-Chairs and liaising with the school on the possible leads

• Implementing any ideas once approval gained

• Time commitment is as much as you have to give!

 

Grants & Funding Assistant - New role vacant

• This role would work closely to help research government and third-party grants, funding and schemes.

 

Raffle & Event Sponsorship Coordinator – Mayoni Byrne is putting herself forward to continue in this role

• This role comprises organising the raffles we hold alongside the Winter Fair and Summer Fair.

• The Lead coordinates the sourcing of donations/sponsorship for the raffle and the event it is held alongside.

• Arranging for printing and sale of the raffle tickets

• Liaises with the school office to collect donations

• Ensures the prizes are matched up to their winners

• Also sources and secures sponsorship for the Welcome Pic Nic

• Must be available on the day the raffle is being held.

• Requires an organised people person with a lot of charm!

• Time commitment is heavy in the run up to the two raffles and associated fairs.

 

Raffle Assistants - New role vacant

• This person will work closely with the Raffle & Sponsorship Coordinator and will be responsible for assisting in sourcing raffle prizes for both Summer and Winter fairs.

• Any scroungers or blaggers very welcome!

 

Event Sponsorship Assistant - New role vacant

• This person will work closely with the Sponsorship Coordinator and will be responsible for assisting in sourcing sponsorship opportunities for both Summer and Winter fairs and new parent welcome picnic. For e.g by securing sponsors for boards outside volunteers’ houses

 

Cake sale lead - Marianne Richards wishes to continue in this role but Clarissa Hines wishes to step down as joint lead

• Responsibilities include baking, rallying other volunteers to bake and to man the stall on the day

• Organising advertising before the event

• Arranging for any tables or gazebos etc to be available on the day

Cake Sale Assistants:

• Marianne would appreciate any help from anyone with enthusiasm for baking or selling - please let us know if you would like to assist.

• Time commitment can be in organising or just committing to bake or sell on the day

 

Bar and ice cream lead - Sarah Falconer will be reprising her role running Sarah’s Bar

• Sarah has fantastically exploited her contacts in the world of beverages and ice cream to very ably run ‘Sarah’s Bar’ at every event where adults are involved.

 

Bar Assistant - Louise Buchanan wishes to continue as Sarah’s assistant

• Louise has been Sarah’s dashing and expert assistant for a while now.

• Any other expert beer pourers or sommeliers please don’t hesitate to volunteer.

• Please do let us know if you have a yearning to help sell or stock the stall!

• Time commitments are limited to helping out at any one event as you can.

 

Second-hand uniform sales lead - New role vacant

• This person would be responsible for twice-yearly organisation and execution of after school second-hand uniform sales.

• Time commitment would be two sales per year with time to organise and arrange donations beforehand

 

Merchandising Lead - New role vacant

• This person would source and organise smaller merchandising projects including, tea towels, Christmas cards, and clothing labels.

• These projects are small, but mighty when it comes generating funds.

• Anyone wishing to take on a specific sub role for this (such as only doing tea towels) would also be very welcome!

• Time commitments are moderate per item and can usually be easily fitted around your other commitments

 

Graphic design lead – Daniel Byrne is happy to continue in this role

• Our extremely talented dad Daniel has been using his design skills to help us create our unique posters, tickets and other advertising (and templates for everything we publish basically) since the beginning.

• However as with all the roles, many hands make light work, so if there are any other graphic designers with the software and time to spare then please let us know.

• We would ideally love to be able to separate out the events in the year so that no one designer is called upon year round to do all our design work.

• Time commitments can be tailored to suit you

 

PLEASE DON’T FORGET…….

Should you see a role you would like to fill, please put yourself forward for consideration by EOD Tuesday, April 2 by sending us an email including your contact details, the name(s) and class of your child(ren) and which role you are interested in to FOHPED@gmail.com. Your participation is greatly appreciated, we need your help!

 

If you are unable to attend the AGM, you can still participate by sending your email comments in advance or sending your proxy nomination in advance or put your name forward for a role by email.

 

AGM|Thursday 4th April 2019| 8pm at the school

 

In the meantime…….

 

If you have any questions please do catch us at either:

 

Ask ALEX | Thursday the 21st of March | Drop off from 8.30 and pick 3.15 in the playground (look for the purple FoHPED flag)

 

PTA Informal Meet Up | Thursday 28 March 7:30 pm | The Great Exhibition

 

FoHPED@gmail.com www.friendsofHPED.com www.facebook.com/HPAeastdulwich