Saturday, 29 October 2011

Bonfire Bake 'n' Take

The Bonfire themed Bake 'n' Take will be on Tuesday 1st November, starting at 3 p.m. Please bring in all your lovely home baking in the morning and come and buy food from 3 p.m. onwards. Refreshments will be served, so you can have a drink and something tasty to eat while you wait for school to finish!

Hopefully we will have delicious food to serve...





Saturday, 15 October 2011

New year... new updates

Each new academic year brings new pupils and new families into school, many of whom have never heard of 'Friends of Barnsley Christian School' and have little idea about what goes on behind the scenes in school. This post is an attempt to fill everyone in on the nuts and bolts of this group of willing workers.

'Friends of Barnsley Christian School'
is the school's PTA - except we felt 'Parent Teacher Association' didn't really include all the grandparents, aunts, uncles, former pupils, former staff and friends of the above who are involved in the group, hence the name we chose. There's a small regular committee of volunteers who meet once or twice a term to plan events and fund-raising ideas. The Chair is currently Jayne Wagstaff (who works in school as a Teaching Assistant), Secretary and blogger is Julie Turner (French Teacher & Exams Officer) and the Treasurer is Julie Stead (looking after all the school's finances for us very capably!) Other members include staff members and parents of pupils in school.

We aim to raise funds to buy equipment that might be considered luxuries; we've also been involved in a number of building projects over the years, including the refurbishment of the Science Lab. and the Sports Hall (mammoth projects which took years and cost thousands of pounds, all raised by YOU!) Recently we've just bought some new PE mats as the conclusion to the Sports Hall project; this was kindly helped by a donation from Mr & Mrs Japp (parents of a Y6 pupil, to whom we are very grateful.)

Each year we hold a number of events, ranging from Bake 'n' Takes to talent shows, murder mystery plays, concerts and sponsored walks. We are involved in other things to raise money such as the Bag2School Recycling Day (bringing in unwanted clothes and bedding can raise money for school!) and the Beauty Evening (where having beauty treatments can raise money for school!) We are always open to new ideas and everyone is welcome to attend our planning meetings.

Speaking of which... the next Planning meeting is on Monday 7th November at 7.30 p.m. in school. Come along and find out more about this friendly group - part of our aims are to host social events which help people in school to get to know each other, so you'd be very welcome at one of these meetings.

Friday, 14 October 2011

Back by popular demand...


The FBCS Beauty Evening will be on Wednesday 23rd November from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the House of Beauty on Pitt Street, Barnsley. We are very grateful to the House of Beauty for their generosity in hosting these events and are sure you will be keen to book the available therapies as soon as possible!

As last time, it will be possible to have 1 treatment per person, with each treatment lasting 25 minutes and costing £18. This price includes the cost of the treatment (normally priced at £25), a Clarins Goody Bag, entry into a prize draw to win other Clarins beauty products and refreshments, plus a voucher off future treatments. It really is a bargain! All treatments must be paid for at the time of booking. Treatments can be booked via school and if paying by cheque, cheques should be made payable to 'Friends of Barnsley Christian School.'

Treatments available include:

CLARINS EXPRESS FACIAL
A great pick-me-up for any skin type, thorough cleansing and exfoliation is
followed by an aromatic mask to complement your skin type.
Good For: Boosting the skin

NATURAL ATLANTIC SEA SALT BODY SCRUB
Invigorating exfoliation and removal of skin cells encourage good circulation and the regeneration of new skin. This fantastic salt scrub balances the skin's PH levels leaving it feeling smooth, looking radiant, and in great condition. A layer of warm oils are used to nourish the skin.

GROOMING MANICURE
Treat your hands to a House Of Beauty Manicure, includes nail file, sugar and essential oil scrub and finished with nail strengtheners.

FLOATING FEET PEDICURE
Relax in our Spa Pedicure chairs while your back, shoulders and neck are gently
manipulated with the motorised massage movements while your feet are treated
to a skin smoothing exfoliation and massage with warm oils (paint not included)

SHELLAC TOE
The newest longer lasting nail paint; in fact it can last up to three weeks without
losing shine or shimmer, no scratching or smudging, great for summer sandals.

HOPI EAR CANDLES

A relaxing and gentle ancient therapy used by the Hopi Indians to treat ear and sinus conditions, tinnitus and vertigo and headaches.

DEEP TISSUE BACK MASSAGE

A relaxing back and shoulder treatment using deep pressure massage and healing
essential oils, soothes tired muscles.
Good For: Stress relief and muscle fatigue

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Christmas card winners

We have winners from the Christmas card competition! - though as you can see from the photo below, these were not easy decisions!

The overall winner was Cordelia Ball (Y7) from Aylward House. The PCSOs also chose 3 winning cards from each house and prizes and points were distributed!


Aylward
1. Luke Doughty (Y9)
2. Jacob Grummett (y5)
3. Paige Gibbons (Y9)

Wilberforce

1. Grace Barnes (Y4)
2. Edward Alsop (Y8)
3. Joe Hamer (Y2)

Hudson-Taylor
1. Tristan Harlow (Y3)
2. Jack Adnitt (Y7)
3. Alyssia McMahon (Y6)

Many thanks to all who took part in the competition, to the staff who encouraged pupils in their artwork, to parents who have ordered cards and to the PCSOs who had the unenviable task of choosing winners!

Saturday, 8 October 2011

Next on the agenda

After the flurry of activity last weekend, what's next on the agenda?

Well, the Christmas cards are being collected and will be sent off to the company this week to be produced into the works of art they were clearly meant to be. Before then, the Police Community Support Officer, who is often in school, is going to judge a House competition, choosing the best cards from each house (Hudson-Taylor, Wilberforce and Aylward.) The winning cards will earn house points and there will be prizes for the children.

This week on Wednesday (12th October), the House of Beauty is running a 'Beauty Extravaganza' evening from 6 p.m. until 9.30 p.m. This is not an FBCS event (the Beauty Evening we are organising there will be held in November, further details to follow when they have confirmed the date for us), but if you like this kind of event, it would be a great evening. Tickets cost only £10 and are redeemable against any treatment booked on the night; the ticket also entitles you to a complimentary Clarins Goody Bag worth £30 and discounts off further treatments. You need to book your place before the event, which can be done by phoning 01226 296646. For further details, see their website (http://www.houseofbeauty.org.uk/)

The next FBCS event will be the Bonfire Bake 'n' Take on Tuesday 1st November at 3 p.m. in school.
All home baking for this will be gratefully received, and anything with a Bonfire theme (parkin, toffee apples etc.) particularly so. Another Bake 'n' Take on a Christmas theme will be held on Wednesday 12th December at 3 p.m.

The next Bag2School recycling day will be held on Wednesday 16th November
. You will be getting bags for this soon, but could be starting your clearouts in anticipation! Clothes, curtains, bedding, soft toys, bags and belts are all welcome. Please only bring your items in on the day itself, as there is no room to store these in school.

And last, but definitely not least, the next FBCS Planning meeting will be on Monday 7th November at 7.30 p.m. and you are all most welcome to attend.

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

More birthday party photos

Preparing for the evening's entertainment...

Pondering the quiz questions:




Listening to music:



We are grateful for all who were involved in making the evening a success - to the Governors of school for their help, for all who helped to provide food or set up and tidy away, to all FBCS members and to all who supported the event. About 140 people attended in total, so thank you very much for your support!

25th birthday party

People arrived for the party from 5 p.m. onwards.

Paul Bedford (Hope House Church Senior Pastor & school governor) welcomed everyone there, as did Dave Wagstaff (Chair of Governors):

Old friends got to meet up with each other:

After the food, we went upstairs for music and quizzes. The music was provided by the Hope House Church band:

... and by Mike Stead's 1980s band:

Deborah won the 'Name the Staff' quiz and seemed pleased enough with her Rubik's cube prize:

Mrs Wake's team won the fiendishly difficult 1980s music quiz, organised by Mike Stead:

We also had a 1980s film quiz... hard to believe some of these clips were from films which won Oscars!
All in all, a trip down memory lane and a very enjoyable evening...

Monday, 3 October 2011

25th birthday party

Saturday 1st October 2011 was the day we celebrated the school's 25th birthday with a party. We'd already celebrated the day itself (22nd September) with an assembly in school. On that occasion, Dennis Bavister (leader of Barnsley Christian Fellowship at the time and one of the school's headmasters) and Sarah Dodd (former pupil) had come into school to talk about that first year:

... and to cut the birthday cake:


Now we were busy celebrating in style! There was plenty of food:




... and plenty of people!: