Friends Of Sunnyhill

A New Starter Guide

Welcome

We are delighted to welcome you to the Friends of Sunnyhill community! Whether your child is starting their very first day of school or transfering from a previous school, we are so happy to have you join us.

We hope that this guide will explain clearly who we are, what we do to support the school and perhaps answer some questions that you may have preparing your child for their school journey at Sunnyhill.

Who are the Friends of Sunnyhill PTA?

In a nutshell: Friends of Sunnyhill (FOS) PTA is a charity run by a group of enthusiastic parent, carer and staff volunteers.

Why do we need FOS? Fundamentally our key purpose is to support and enrich the learning opportunities and experiences of all Sunnyhill children and the schoolwide community. Without volunteer support the school would not have the resources to host events, bring the wider community together or fund essential learning and play equipment for the children.

FOS Trustees: The trustees are elected annually at the FOS Annual General Meeting (AGM) and are responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries. Generally trustees are treasurer, chair, secretary, board member etc.

What we do

Friends of Sunnyhill work together to plan, organise & host coffee mornings, fundraising events and community activities throughout the academic year.

We rely on the support and generosity of staff and parents/carers who are able to volunteer their time to ensure our events are a success.

All money raised goes directly back to the school to fund extra-curricular experiences and much needed equipment for classrooms and playgrounds at Sunnyhill.

Get involved!

Without volunteers we can't operate!

We rely completely on volunteers to join the committee or help out with our events and activities.

If you have 10 minutes to spare or 10 hours we welcome any and all help! It doesn't have to be a regular commitment.

Volunteer tasks range from donating cakes or making posters to sourcing supplies or manning a stall at the fair for 30mins. If you have any specific skills or relevant contacts do let us know!

A great way to get involved is to become a class rep, whereby you share messages, questions and info between your year group and FOS via the WhatsApp group. (Whilst we always love extra support, there is no commitment for reps to be a member of the FOS committee.)

If you're interested in helping but not sure how, we can add you to our pool of volunteers for ad hoc tasks and events!

Many employers provide time off for volunteering so why not speak to your line manager to see if you can help out!

Other Ways to Help

1. Easy Fundraising: Raise money when you shop online and turn your daily shopping into every day magic!

Easyfundraising partners with over 7,000 brands who will donate part of what you spend to FOS. It won't cost you any extra! The cost is covered by the brand.

Brands pay a commission because when you start your shop from the easyfundraising website or app, they can see EF sent you to them. If you make a purchase, a commission is generated, and EF turn that into a donation - magic!

Go to www.easyfundraising.org.uk and search for Friends of Sunnyhill, or click here.

Check out the 60 second video below to see how simple it is...

2. Employee sponsorship: Does your employer offer a donation matching scheme or allow you to spend time working with a charity? Friends of Sunnyhill is a registered charity. Please contact us via email info@sunnyhill.lambeth.co.uk for the attention of FOS to find out more.

3. Estate Agent Boards: A couple of times a year we will distibute sign up forms for logo boards (similar to a for sale sign that goes up outside your home). The estate agents give us money for every board they put up. The boards remain up for 1 month. This is also a great thing to get grandparents/aunties/uncles/ neighbours to support with!

4. Donations: We will soon be offering the option to make one off donations via The School's Gateway app, as well as setting up a donation page which we will link here.

Friends of Sunnyhill is registered with the Charity Commission reference 1162354

Helpful Tips & Info

We encourage parents/carers to join the dedicated WhatsApp group for their child's year group. It is very helpful to know what is going on, share information on homework or remembering which days they need their PE kit etc! Teaching staff (unless they are also a parent) are not in the groups. To join the WhatsApp group you need; scan the relevant QR code on the poster below or email sunnyhillfriends@yahoo.com
Attend the Summer Fair! It is a great way to start getting to know people and familiarise yourself with the school in a relaxed, informal setting. You may also be able to pick up some uniform, eat some cake and win a raffle prize too!
If your child is starting in reception they will receive home reading books after a few weeks. The school will arrange some parent guidance sessions on understanding phonics and reading with your child in due course. These sessions are great to attend, even if you have been through the process before, as it is a great opportunity to meet the other parents in your child's year group.
Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to free school meals, this includes a break time snack.
The school website publishes details of the school lunch menu each term and there are hard copies available at the school office (if you'd like to pin one up on your fridge at home!)

Friends of Sunnyhill Media: For up-to-date information at a glance you can also follow our FOS Instagram @friendsofsunnyhill (or you can scan the QR code below) or look out for our bulletins and notices in the school newsletter.

Sunnyhill School Media: For the latest news from the school you will automatically be sent a regular newsletter via email, but you can also follow Sunnyhill's Twitter @sunnyhillsw16 and Instagram @sunnyhillprimary accounts for additional info and exclusive pictures from Yr 1 to Yr 6! If your child is in Reception check out weekly (sometimes daily!) updates and pics @sunnyhill_eyfs to see what your little one is getting up to!

Contact us

If you would like to know more or get in touch with us please email sunnyhillfriends@yahoo.com

Please note that this email address is operated by FOS (not the school) and as we are a team of volunteers your message may not be picked up immediately.

Thank you,

Friends of Sunnyhill PTA

Sunnyhill Primary School