Running your PTA
Some of the stock we had left over from the summer fair has gone out of date over summer , what should we do with it ? Can we sell it for a reduced price ?
You can legally sell items that have passed their ‘ best-before date ’, but you cannot sell food that has passed its ‘ use-by date ’, since use-by is related to safety rather than quality . You need to make it clear to those buying that they are purchasing stock that is out of date and you ’ ll need to check that the food is fit for consumption .
We ’ ve had feedback from parents that our Halloween disco was too scary last year , how do we make it less scary but still keep it Halloween themed ?
We ’ ve got some children that don ’ t celebrate Christmas in school , how can we make our Christmas fundraising inclusive ?
You may benefit from speaking to the school . How do they manage Christmas activities during December ? Are parents happy with a Santa visit but not a carol concert ? The best way to approach this is with openness : ask the parents affected what they would like to see or , even better , invite them along to a planning meeting to get involved ! You could hold a winter fair with no references to Christmas , decorated with blue and silver instead of red , green and gold . Snow and ice , reindeer and hot chocolate aren ’ t exclusive to Christmas celebrations .
For more multicultural fundraising ideas , head to page 47
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Feedback from parents is valuable – showing that you have listened is a great way to engage with your community . To make things less scary , you could ask parents to moderate the costumes that children arrive in , or make it superhero themed . You could call it a ‘ Monster Mash ’ and remove any references to Halloween . You could also change the date of the disco so it ’ s not over Halloween , or decorate the venue for Halloween without the fancy dress element .
Our AGM didn ’ t have enough attendees to meet the quorum , what do we do now ?
You will need to re-advertise your AGM giving the required notice of the meeting , which can be found in your constitution . If you ’ re really struggling for numbers , some of the committee could resign prior to the meeting , lowering your quorum .
Got an issue you need advice on ? Contact Clare and her team :
Helpline 0300 123 5460 ( Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00 )
info @ parentkind . org
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