Friends of John of Rolleston Primary School News 2012
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The first half of the Autumn term has flown by, and we are already thinking ahead to Christmas! As always the start of a new school year sees changes within the FOJORPS Committee as key players move on and new members join. At our AGM in September we said farewell to some long-serving stalwarts who have dedicated a great deal of time over many years. We were also pleased to welcome on board some new members, meaning that the FOJORPS committee is enjoying some fresh faces bringing new ideas and enthusiasm to our meetings.
Our first events of the school year have already taken place. The Children’s Discos are always a firm favourite, with 206 children this time enjoying a boogie to the sounds of 'Retro Disco'. The following week saw this year’s Autumn Quiz with 9 teams stepping up to the challenge and giving their brains a work-out. Our resident quiz master extraordinaire, John Furzeman, ensured the night was most enjoyable. Our first 'Bag 2 School' collection also took place in October, with unwanted clothing and shoes being donated, resulting in a payment of £650 to the school. We also hosted another of our popular Friday evening Movie Nights. Over 70 children stayed to watch the summer blockbuster 'The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists.' Our children are already getting excited for the next Movie Nights, 'Brave' showing in November, and 'Ice Age 4' in December. Popcorn at the ready!
Last summer, we commenced a project of updating the books in both of our libraries, for which our children raised an outstanding £1250 in a sponsored read. FOJORPS were delighted to add an additional £1750 to this, enabling the school to purchase £3000 worth of new books. We were grateful too to the 'Ernest Cook Trust' who since granted a further £1500. FOJORPS are dedicated to continue with this project though the coming school year, to replenish all of the shelves.
Our annual Christmas Bazaar will take place on Friday 7th December, starting at 3.30pm. We look forward to a wonderful seasonal afternoon with a variety of festive stalls, entertainment from the school choir, and a chance for the children to visit Santa in his grotto whilst parents enjoy a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine.
Thank you to all our pupils and their families who continue to support us in our mission in 'Creating Childhood Memories'. If you would like any further information about FOJORPS and our work, or may be interested in joining us, please email JOR for further details, office@johnofrolleston.sch.uk
Dates for your Diary 2012-13
Movie Night #2 – Friday 16th November
Christmas Bazaar – Friday 7th December
Movie Night #3 - Friday 14th December
Bag 2 School Collection #2 – Friday 18th January
Family Beetle Drive – Saturday 26th January
Movie Night #4 – Friday 1st February
Ladies’ Night – Friday 8th February
Children’s Spring Discos – Saturday 9th March
Spring Quiz – Saturday 15th March
Movie Night #5 - Saturday 21st March
Soeli Morgan for FOJORPS
The academic year 2011-2012 was FOJORPS 20th Anniversary, and how fitting that it was also the year in which we reached a new milestone in our fundraising activities by breaking through the £20,000 threshold for the first time. This tremendous result could not have been achieved without the amazing support that we receive from the all the families associated with the school, as well as the enthusiasm and dedication of the committee who have worked hard all year to organise a varied calendar of events.
Earlier this year we adopted the motto ‘Creating Childhood Memories’ and we certainly feel that we have lived up to this with the events of the past few months. We were pleased to have around 50 children and their families representing FOJORPS in the Scout Carnival Procession in May; winning 1st prize was an added bonus! The following weekend we held a ‘Ground Force Weekend’ and it was great to see children getting involved with their parents, taking pride in the appearance of their school.
Our aim with Community Day 2012 was to give the children even more opportunity to get involved than in previous years. Using the Olympics as our theme we held our own Opening Ceremony and it was a delight to see the excitement on their faces as they paraded in the procession, sang in the choir or took part in the dancing. This year we again held a Talent Show to allow our musicians and dancers an opportunity to showcase their skills, and for the first time a Netball competition took place during the afternoon as well as the traditional 5-a-Side Football contest. Not even the weather could dampen the spirits of everyone involved and we were overwhelmed by the way in which everyone turned out to support the day, resulting in a true sense of Community.
We were proud to introduce the John of Rolleston mascot ‘Johnny’ who formed part of the torch relay, carrying the Olympic flame into the arena. Johnny has made further appearances at school since Community Day, including greeting the Year 6’s at the school gates on their last day at the school. Look out for him at future events!
Dates for your Diary 2012
FOJORPS AGM – Wednesday 12th September
Children’s Autumn Disco’s – Saturday 29th September
Autumn Quiz - Friday 5th October
1st Movie Night – Friday 12th October
Christmas Bazaar – Friday 14th December (TBC)
Sue McLoughlin for FOJORPS
With Easter behind us we are now two-thirds through another school year! FOJORPS has continued its work to raise money to provide additional resources for all the children. We are pleased to have been able to buy a new piano for the Junior Site, and also to support the Easter Sponsored Read by matching the money raised by the children to double the funds to buy new books for both school libraries. The Spring term was, as always, a busy time for FOJORPS, with several fundraising events taking place. Our Spring Quiz on 17th March was a fun event, with quizmaster John Furzeman challenging the teams with questions on Ireland (in honour of St Patrick’s Day) and the Royal Family in this Diamond Jubilee year, as well as the more traditional rounds. The date for our Autumn quiz will be confirmed nearer the time. The half-termly Movie Nights continue to be popular, with children and adults alike enjoying the films ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ in February and ‘Johnny English Reborn’ in March.
FOJORPS is once again looking forward to participating in the Rolleston Scout Carnival. Last year over 40 children paraded in their costumes as part of the walking float representing the school in the Carnival Procession, and we hope to have a great response again this year. We wish the Scouts every success with the event.
The start of the summer term sees our focus turn towards Community Day. This year’s event will be held on Saturday 16th June and will have an Olympic theme in celebration of the 2012 Games taking place in London later this summer. The gates will be open at 11am for a fun-filled day, with a range of attractions for all the family, including Pinxton Puppets, Tutbury Band, 5-a-Side Football competition, Talent Show, ice-creams, refreshments, licensed bar and much more! We are also expecting a flypast from an RAF Spitfire during the afternoon, guaranteeing a day to remember.
The next Bag2School collection is scheduled for Thursday 21st June. Filled bags can be left at either site from Monday 18th June, or phone Shaun (563312) to arrange collection.
Dates for your Diary 2012
Movie Night #5 – Friday 25th May
COMMUNITY DAY – Saturday 16th June
Bag-2-School Collection #3 – Thursday 21st June
Movie Night #6 – Friday 29th June
Children’s Summer Discos – Saturday 9th July
Sue McLoughlin for FOJORPS
2012 is already over a month old and we are fast approaching the end of the first half of the Spring term. The important job of raising much needed extra funds for our village school has continued with several events having taken place since the start of the new year.
Our usual January Bag2School collection took place on Friday 13th January. This, as always, was well supported with people taking the opportunity to clear unwanted items of clothing from their wardrobes to make room for Christmas gifts and bargains bought in the January sales! Almost 1.25 tonnes of bags were donated resulting in a payment of £620 for the school. Our next collection is scheduled for Wednesday 21st June; anyone wishing to donate items can leave them at school (either site) from Monday 18th June, or phone Shaun (563312) to arrange collection.
Our annual Beetle Drive was held on Saturday 21st January. This family event is always a fun occasion with closely-contested games and much frantic dice-rolling, followed by a hearty supper of Fish and Chips; a special thank you to the Calais Fish Bar for once again supplying the food for the evening.
Last year we ran a Ladies Night for the first time, which proved to be very popular and was a great success. This year’s event was held on Friday 27th January and ran on a similar format with live music from singer Marcia Lynette Campbell and comedy entertainment, followed by late-night dancing to Ady’s Retro Roadshow. This event looks set to become another favourite in the FOJORPS calendar; full details of the next one will be published nearer the time.
Further events planned for this term include the ever-popular Children’s discos on Saturday 10th March, our Spring Quiz on Saturday 17th March, and the half-termly Movie Night on Friday 23rd March. We hope to see some of you at these events – look out for the posters around school for more information.
Dates for your Diary 2012
Children’s Spring Discos – Saturday 10th March
Spring Quiz – Saturday 17th March
Movie Night #4 – Friday 23rd March
Movie Night #5 – Friday 25th May
Community Day – Saturday 16th June
Bag-2-School Collection #3 – Wednesday 21st June
Movie Night #6 – Friday 29th June
Children’s Summer Discos – Saturday 7th July
Sue McLoughlin for FOJORPS
Last updated: 26 December 2012