Our Fundraising aims
We are always looking for new ways to improve our school and have exciting new projects for our children to be involved with and engaged in. This year we are looking at lots of ways we can raise funds to use in school.
Whilst we will often have smaller projects we are trying to raise funds for, this year, our main objective will be to improve the stage and lighting in our lower school hall. The last few years have seen us perform Matilda and Mary Poppins, and rehearsals are in full swing for this year’s performance of Annie.
Our current stage and lighting system have been in place for a very long time, and we would love to be able to update our setup – not only for our amazing end-of-year shows, but for lots of things in school. From celebrating our class achievers in the weekly praise assemblies, to demonstrating yoga poses in the PE sessions, our stage gets a lot of use. An updated lighting system would brighten assemblies in the winter months, as well as shine on our stars throughout the year.
All the proceeds from our Christmas fair will be going towards this, as well as profits from the Halloween discos and other events in school throughout the year – including the monies raised by our staff from the purchasing of eggs from our school chickens.
Keep following our progress as we try to reach our target, and prepare to be amazed as we dazzle you with our new lights and theatre area in the Lower School Hall.
Our Community Orchard
We have been working with Redcar & Cleveland Council to investigate grant funding to allow for the planting of a community orchard at the front of our school. The grant will allow us to plant 12 fruit trees, which will offer us lots of opportunities in school
Hands-on Learning: our children get to learn about nature, biology, and the environment in a fun, interactive way. It’s a great supplement to classroom lessons.
Healthy Eating: Growing their own fruits can encourage children to eat more healthily. They get to see where their food comes from and might be more excited to try new fruits.
Community Building: An orchard can bring together students, teachers, parents, and local community members. It’s a wonderful way to foster a sense of community and teamwork.
Environmental Stewardship: Teaching children to care for plants helps instill a sense of responsibility and respect for the environment. They learn the importance of sustainability and conservation.
Outdoor Activity: It provides a great opportunity for children to spend time outdoors, away from screens, getting fresh air and exercise.
Aesthetic Value: An orchard can beautify the school grounds, making it a more pleasant place for everyone.
Life Skills: Children can learn valuable life skills such as patience, responsibility, and the rewards of hard work as they watch the trees grow and bear fruit.
Keep watching for signs of planting, and we will be sure to update you with our progress.
Science Garden and Mud Kitchen
We have been very fortunate to receive an initial grant from the Royal Horticultural Society which has enabled us to revamp our Science Garden.
With help from Jonny and his team at Wildlife Gardening Services, we now have a beautiful and safe area for our children to explore – with a cleaned and revamped pond, a wildflower meadow and a camomile walk, the garden is always full of lovely flowers and herbs. Creating a perfect haven for the local wildlife, we have bug hotels, bat caves and birds nesting in the trees, as well as frogs and tadpoles enjoying the newly filtered pond. With a workspace for the children to go pond dipping and study their finds, the garden really is a lovely space and addition to our school grounds.
With a top-up grant from RHS, we have asked Jonny and his team at Wildlife Gardening Services to create us a mud kitchen and a wildflower meadow, They have used tree bark to give us a lovely path down and once the wildflowers grow, that will be a beautiful meadow. With a compost trough, a big bowl and a workspace for the muddy utensils, we are sure our children will have a lovely time in there.
We want to pass our thanks on to Jonny, James and Dan who have worked incredibly hard in all weathers, in both our garden areas to give us lovely spaces to enjoy.
Our next aim will be to get lots of wellington boots and aprons for our children to wear whilst they are in the mud kitchen. Donations are always welcome, if you know of anyone who could provide us with a class set of wellington’s or aprons, please let us know.
