End of an era

Monday will see the last fund-raising event of the year, the Olympic Bake 'n' Take. This will be on 16th July in the cafe area from 3-4 p.m. Parents and pupils will be able to buy buns and cakes (hopefully with an Olympic theme!)

This will be the last event of the academic year 2011-2012, but will also be one of the last events organised by Friends of Barnsley Christian School. That's because from September the school will no longer be Barnsley Christian School but will become Hope House School and so at the AGM on 10th September, FBCS will be changing its name too! Quite what that will be we cannot say as yet, but one thing is certain: the school will continue to need our support and we hope to maintain our presence in providing out-of-school events that provide both social contact and an opportunity to raise funds for the pupils of the school.

This year, we (and therefore YOU, if you have supported any of our events!) have provided radio-controlled clocks and IT equipment for classrooms as well as some further play equipment. We are committed to providing interactive whiteboards or other projection/ Internet facilities in every classroom and will be looking at other ways to improve equipment and facilities for all pupils.

2011-2012 was the end of an era in many ways. We started the year with the 25th anniversary celebrations (recognising the school's achievement in growing from its small start in 1986 to its current provision of Christ-centred education from the ages of 4 to 16) and had mugs made to celebrate this. At the end of Sports Day, we gave every pupil a mug to remind them of these twenty-five years of history as the school looks to grow into its new history and new name. The pupils have been involved in making anniversary scrapbooks which we hope will be finished by the end of next week to further commemorate this period in the school's life.

Throughout the year, we have been involved in a range of projects. Pupils made Christmas cards which raised funds. We have had a number of Bake 'n' Takes, hosted a Beauty Evening (courtesy of the House of Beauty) and hosted a Jubilee Party for pupils in school in May. Recycling days have raised £150 for school funds and we have been involved with the Peel2Save money-off coupons, as well as organising Sports Day last week.

Many thanks to all the people who have helped to make these events happen and who support them in numerous ways. We are very grateful for all the support we receive. Please do come along to the Bake 'n' Take on Monday and make a note in your diaries of the AGM which will be on Monday 10th September at 7:30 p.m. We desperately need more people to be involved and need new ideas for fund-raising so that we can fulfil our aims 'to improve the facilities in school and enhance the school's family atmosphere.'