Welcome from the PTFA 2022-23

As we start a new academic year it’s fantastic to see all the new faces joining the William Patten community. As a Parents Teacher & Friends Association (PTFA) we’d like to welcome everyone to the school.
Our role as a PTFA is twofold, firstly to support our amazing school with funds to facilitate a number of hugely important activities including fit for sport staff at breaks and large projects which have recently included the school Jubilee celebrations. Secondly our role is to help bring the parent community together and provide ways for us all to meet, socialise and help foster the school community. As a PTFA team (currently made up of Jason, Rob and I) were excited to share the upcoming events we have planned. Please mark the dates in your diary and look out for further details to follow.

Wednesday 5th October – PTFA meeting
Thursday 13th October – The first of the 2022/23 William Patten quizzes
Sunday 4th December – Christmas Fair
Friday 9th December – PTFA Movie Night 

In addition to the above we have a number of exciting events planned for 2023 which we’ll share more details for over the coming months.
If anyone would like to get involved please drop either Jason, Rob or I a note on the email below, we’d love to have your support.
Jason, Rob and I will be out and about at drop-off and pick up next week to share some more information so please look out for us and let us know if you have any questions or you’d like to get involved.

Kind regards,
Evan (Ava – Y2 and Sienna – Reception), Jason (Hunter – Y1) and Rob (Robbie – Y1)

Dear Parents and Carers,
The William Patten PTFA would like to introduce themselves to all parents and carers
(PTFA stands for Parents Teachers and Friends Association. We are a charity run by parents with one mission, to support the school in delivering the widest range of opportunities and activities for our children)

What do the PTFA do and why?
During a typical year (pre Covid) we organise a Summer and Winter fair and several smaller events to fund a variety of activities and initiatives for the pupils of our school. Examples of the smaller events include cake sales, Halloween parties and Quiz nights (parents only!). The PTFA also run the school lottery which provides a fantastic way for parents to support the school whilst also being in with a chance of winning cash prizes! Please contact the PTFA via williampattenptfa@gmail.com for further information.
We also provide a way for parents to meet, socialise and get to know each other, all key aspects that help nurture the overall school community.
The money we raise has supported a wide range of initiatives over the years that include:
➢ Dance workshops with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, culminating in an all-school performance at Sadler’s Wells theatre
➢ iPads for all classrooms
➢ A mural decorating the playground wall
➢ Part-funding of the roof garden
➢ The quiet play space
➢ Purchase of extra playground equipment
➢ Artist in residence – Claymation
➢ Continuing to support a member of staff to engage children in the playground over lunchtimes
➢ Initiatives to combat air pollution on the school grounds and raise environmental awareness
➢ Animation workshops

How do we stay in touch with parents and how can you find our more?
Please follow our social media (details below). We also send emails via the school, post updates in the Patten Pages, send messages via the Class Reps and hold 1 or 2 meetings a term. There’s a noticeboard in the playground which will be used when parents return to the playground.

The PTFA needs your help!
We’re always looking for parents to join the PTFA to develop new ideas to engage the parent community, raise vital funds for our school and help organise a rich and engaging set of events during the 2022/23 school year. If you’re interested in joining, please get in touch via the PTFA email (williampattenptfa@gmail.com)
William Patten is a great school, supported by a fantastic community. Please help us continue that tradition by supporting and getting involved with the school community via one of the many events we plan to hold over the coming weeks and months.
We look forward to working closely with those who want to get involved with running the PTFA and meeting all parents and carers during the year.

PTFA communication channels:

Facebook: Please search for the William Patten PTFA page and request to join. You will be asked the name of your child’s class as security.
Instagram: William_Patten_School_ptfa
PTFA email: williampattenptfa@gmail.com

Class Reps:

For the last 2 years we’ve had a class Rep for each class, (including Nursery). They helped communicate with parents, usually via the year group WhatsApp. We would like the Reps to attend PTFA meetings, and if they can’t, arrange for a replacement to cover the meeting so that key information can be shared. The PTFA committee post messages to the Class Reps to forward to their year. The Rep can also ask questions for parents in their year via the WhatsApp group. We give current Reps the opportunity to change at the beginning of the year. If you can be a Class Rep, please email the PTFA: williampattenptfa@gmail.com.

PTFA initiatives that run all year that you can start supporting today!

School Lottery:
The lottery works by parents signing up to a monthly direct debit. The minimum requirement is £1 per month, although people typically contribute between £5 – £10 a month – and some people do more than that. There is a monthly draw for which the cash prizes are £40, £30 and £20, which equates to about 30% of the total takings. We currently receive approximately £267 a month after prize money, so that’s an annual income of £3,200 for the PTFA.
Please sign up by emailing the PTFA at: williampattenptfa@gmail.com

Easyfundraising.org.uk:
Please note William Patten School – London is registered with easyfundraising. Easyfundraising is a simple and hugely effective way to raise funds for the school. Once registered, any purchases you make through a partner retailer (there are thousands of partner retailers) will generate a donation to the school at no extra cost to you.
In the coming weeks, if you’re shopping online, please remember to shop via the easyfundraising website or app. There are thousands of retailers on easyfundraising, including M&S, booking.com, Argos, Sky, Sainsburys Groceries, John Lewis, Clarks, WHSmith etc. who all give free donations to William Patten School, based on a percentage of what you spend at no cost to you (the percentage varies per shop, but some are up to 6%).
If you’re not already signed up, it only takes a few minutes, then you can begin using the easyfundraising website or app straightaway – simply visit easyfundraising first and then shop online as normal. This will be an enormous help to us, at no extra cost to yourself.

Please visit the easyfundraising page to get started:
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/williampattensch/