Launch of PTA NI

Last Monday night we were delighted to be invited to the launch of PTA NI in the long gallery at Stormont Parliament Building. Formally the NCPTA, this fantastic organisation has  supported, grown & committed its existence to building a brighter future for schools across the country.

It is fantastic that PTA UK has recognized the uniqueness of Northern Ireland and with the charity’s rebrand, have given PTA NI its own name and identity. Jayne Thompson  looks after NI and does tremendous work from advising PTA’s, keeping up to date with legislation, running workshops and sharing ideas on the best ways to raise money for your PTA. If you are interested in membership, contact Jayne:  jayne.thompson@pta.org.uk  The yearly subscription fees are minimal in comparison the the wealth of knowledge and support you will receive for your school.

The evening was opened by Sandra Overend MLA who as a PTA mum herself, really understood the importance of the contribution made by this organisation.

Next up was the CEO of PTA UK, David Butler. It was refreshing to hear that in the last year, PTAs across the country have raised over 100 million to better the education of our kids. That is a phenomenal amount of money raised. It just goes to show that when mums, dads, teachers and friends put their minds to something, great results are produced.

PTA Uk also announced that in the 55 years that they have been operating, in excess of 3 billion contributed to education in our schools……Fantastic!

The evening was closed by  Pricilla from Action for Children, who summed up that it “takes a village to raise a child”…Gone are the days where a PTA is just about bake sales! Today the importance is on the partnership working between parents & school and getting the family actively involved in school life!

It was a great night and we wish PTA NI every success.

Swish Kids

 

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The Big Lunch!

Big Jubilee Lunch - Sunday 3rd June 2012

Our Friends at The Big Lunch quite simply want to get as many people as possible to sit down and have lunch with their neighbours on the first Sunday in June.  After all The Big Lunch is all about community, friendship & fun!

The fourth annual Big Lunch will fall on the same weekend as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. So anyone who would like to celebrate and commemorate the Queen’s 60 year reign can do so by holding a Big Jubilee Lunch!

As announced by Buckingham Palace The Big Jubilee Lunch will be a part of the main programme of events over the central weekend of Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012.

The beauty of The Big Lunch is that people themselves decide everything about their own event. The venue can be wherever you want or have space, the theme whatever you fancy – food and people are the key ingredients. For example, if you want to raise money for charity do it, if you want to play music feel free (just so long as other neighbours are happy!). You can close your road if you fancy a big street party or use a local park for a small community BBQ – it really is up to you.

 

The Big Lunch team will be here with help you along the way in planning your Big Jubilee Lunch event. If you have any questions or queries please get in touch via info@thebiglunch.com or call 0845 850 8181 to speak to one of the team.

This is a fantastic event and a good excuse the celebrate, so start planning your own BIG LUNCH ! Don’t forget to let us know what great ideas you come up with.

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PTA Workshop!

Last week I attended my first workshop for PTA’s and was blown away by the amount of knowledge that was shared. It was a fantastic turn out and I was inspired to meet so many mums, dads, teachers and principals who are committed to making a difference in their schools.

We all know that budgets have been cut and money isn’t stretching as far as it used to. PTA’s are known for the wonderful job they do in raising money to cover the shortfalls and to provide so many different activities, equipment and services to the school.

The highlight for me was the extra work involved in running a PTA, on top of all that administration and fundraising. These committee’s are the heart & soul of the school and are constantly thinking up ways of building the school community and involving as many family’s as they can. Their constant pleas for volunteers and help only ring out their true commitment to the the kids of the school and their strive to make each and every meeting, event and fundraiser, bigger & better than the one before!

I urge all parents to get behind your PTA or school committee, even if it is to help out at an event once in a while………Without these groups of dynamic and productive parents & teachers, you kids would miss out on all the benefits they provide.

If you are interested in one of the PTA workshops, go to www.ncpta.org.uk to find one in your area. They are full of great information on setting up & running a PTA, Charity Status, Health & Safety, Communicating with parents, Designing your newsletters & event fliers and loads more!

More importantly than all of that, you are in a room of people who understand exactly what you face in running a PTA. You can share hints and tips, share information and key learns and gain valuable feedback on other PTA’s experiences.

A fantastic evening Jayne!

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Set up a Facebook page for your PTA!

Facebook is a great way for PTA’s to keep in touch with parents & let them know about Events, Meetings &  Extra Help needed. It is also a great tool to involve parents in the fundraising for the school, as well as reaching out to local businesses who may be able to help by donating products & services!

It is so easy to set up a Facebook page for your PTA & the info below will guide you every step of the way. 

Getting Started
Firstly, to get started you will need a personal Facebook account. If you already have one, you’re well on your way. If not you may wish to create a separate school account so PTA members can login & edit the page accordingly. Go to www.facebook.com  & follow the steps to “Sign Up”

Creating a Page
1. The first challenge you have is finding where to create your business page. To get started the page you need is www.facebook.com/pages/learn.php In the top right-hand corner you’ll see ‘Create a Page’.

2. Choosing Your Page Type – When you select ‘Create a Page’ you then have to choose an option.
We suggest: Local Business or Place, Company, Organisation or Institution, Cause or Community

3. Once you have chosen your page type you can choose a category. It is important this accurately matches your organisation as parents can search for you using this field.
We suggest: Education, School/University, Community or Non-Profit Organisation

3 Easy Steps!
1. Profile Photo: Upload your school or PTA logo in a square format. – This same image will also appear next to all your updates. You can use Picture Manager to crop or resize your logo if needed.

2. Get “Likes”: Start promoting your page straight away! You are probably already friends with a lot of the parents & even teachers in the school, so invite them to “LIKE” your new PTA page (facebook will prompt you on how to do this, so just follow the steps). If you already have a list of contacts, you can upload an Outlook or .CSV file and Facebook will alert the users about your new page. Your school Office or Head Teacher probably has a list of emails for the parents & teachers in the school. It is also a good idea to put a note in your newsletter – ask Mums and Dads to like your page

3. Basic Info: Here you have the opportunity to add your school website. You also have 255 characters to summarise your PTA, so make sure you draw attention to the great work you do and your key aims and achievements. The more contact information you include, the easier it is for people to get in touch, volunteer & donate to your fundraising.

The Finer Details
Once you have created your page the real work can begin. Click ‘Edit Page’ in the top right-hand corner and enter as much information about your PTA as possible. When it comes to creating a Facebook page the more you give out the more you will get back. Here you can also add some photos of your PTA Committee, your school, past events or tickets and posters for up and coming events. This can be done by going to the photos tab in the left hand column.

Permissions & Settings
Lastly, you have the option of managing the permissions of your page. Here you can control what users can post on your wall. You can limit their posting ability by posts, pictures or videos. This will depend on how Facebook savvy your parents will be, but remember you want to encourage your parents to interact with the content.

Your Own URL
When you first create your Facebook page it will give you a long URL with lots of numbers. To get your own custom URL you will need to attract at least 25 “LIKES”. Once you have done this you have the opportunity to change the URL to whatever you like e.g. Swish Kids has www.facebook.com/SwishKids
Simply go to www.facebook.com/username & edit the page username.

The Benefits
Creating a Facebook page is an excellent way to stay in contact with your school parents, teachers and even the kids in the school. After you have successfully created a PTA page you can link to it from your school website, e-mails or school newsletters. Once live, it is important to keep a regular stream of content populating the wall. Information, pictures and unique content will keep users coming back for more. You can even reach out to local businesses in your community for support with your fundraising.!

Don’t forget to go and “LIKE” our facebook page at www.facebook.com/SwishKids  to stay up to date with Hints & Tips on School Fundraising, News and Competitions! We will also return the “LIKE”  

Good Luck & Bye for Now

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PTA Planner!

Our Friends at PTA Magazine have come up with a fantastic idea to help PTA’s Plan and organise their school fundraising and events for the coming year. Get your free copy in the magazine  or order on line.

Keep your eyes open for Swish Kids in there for the Easiest Fundraiser you have ever done!

PTA Magazine and new for 2011/12 – PTA Planner & Organiser!

The back to School edition of PTA Magazine will be hitting door mats week commencing Monday 5th September. It’s full of exciting features, fundraising ideas, celebrity interviews and much much more.

Along with two copies of the magazine, NCPTA members will receive a great new resource for the new academic year, the essential PTA Planner & Organiser. This is a handy 100 page A5 handbook, that will give you ideas and inspiration for your PTA activities on a month by month basis

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Good-Bye Summer!

We have had a great week talking with our schools in Scotland who went back last week and are already starting to plan their Christmas Fundraisers…….I know what you are thinking, Christmas already (crazy)! While they are already back in the swing of things, Ireland is getting ready to start back tomorrow, so I thought I would post some Hints and Tips to help you get back into routine.

1. Get lunches ready the night before

2. Get bags and sports stuff ready the night before

3. Set up a Homework area with everything the kids needs…..pens, glue, rulers etc

4. Get a family calendar to keep track of all those extra activities.

5. Label, Label, Label EVERYTHING

6. Talk about school – Make it Fun!

Here are some Back to school Jokes to get you in the mood!

 

 

 

Teacher: James, where is your homework?
James: I ate it.
Teacher: Why?
James: You said it was a piece of cake

What’s the difference between a teacher and a steam train?
The first goes “Spit out that chewing gum immediately!” and the second goes “chew chew”!

Today my teacher yelled at me for something I didn’t do.
What was that?
My homework!

Have you heard about the teacher who was cross-eyed?
She couldn’t control her pupils!

Have a great time back at school and dont forget to visit swish kids for your FREE fundraising pack!

http://www.swishkids.co.uk

Bye for now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Welcome Back!

It has been a busy few months over the summer at Swish Kids HQ and we are glad to be back ! While we have been getting ready for the new school year, we haven’t forgotten about those of you that have asked for single products. You can purchase your Drawing Kits on-line or through our Facebook Shop

They are Simple & Easy to use and the price includes everything you need to create your Masterpiece!
(even free postage)

 

As for our School Fundraising, we have been busy revamping our drawing templates to make them easier to use for the kids and hopefully minimize unwanted creases and marks.

We are already filling our Fundraising Slots for Christmas, so if you havent ordered your FREE Fundraising Pack, then don’t forget to do so.

Bye for now,

Swish Kids

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The 2011 Budget.

This week, Chancellor George Osborne will deliver his much-anticipated Budget to Parliament. His speech is likely to have major implications for parents, schools and business owners.

Let us know what you would personally like to see in this weeks announcement.

More funds for Schools and Education? Child benefit support? A cut in Corporation Tax for small businesses? Investment into community projects support kids such as Sure Start?

The announcement will be made at 12:30pm on 23rd March

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Local company “dish-up” funding for schools, after government budget cuts!

Northern Ireland primary schools get a major boost in funds with the launch of Swish Kids, which gives schools the opportunity to raise substantial funds to substitute the short falls faced by the new budget cuts. Swish Kids is inviting all primary school children to create a design using drawings, handprints or photos and we mould this onto a plate, clock or tray. For every product sold, we will give your school back a minimum of 20% profit!

“School Budgets in Northern Ireland will be robbed of more than £87 million because of Westminster cuts,” said a teaching union. Principals spending plans will be demolished, and kids will be missing out on those extra benefits in the classroom that those funds support.

This new company is born and bred in Northern Ireland and has a strong ethos in “keeping it local”. Sarah Cassidy, Managing Director said “ We will employ locally, manufacture in country and contribute to a brighter economic future for the kids of Northern Ireland” Fundraising Profits in the past have supported, new sporting equipment, before and after school care, excursions, computers and books as well as helping to cover running costs of the school.

This new company offers a positive outlook for schools in Northern Ireland with a “no brainer” business model that provides the school with everything they need to run a fundraiser, right down to the drawing pens, which they then donate to the school for future art projects.

The aim of Swish Kids is to kick start primary schools with self sufficient funding to cover the costs that the government have taken away from our schools.  It also provides a platform for the kids to use their creativity and develop a duty of responsibility to their environment, with the funds they have raised being used in their school.  Kids love eating off a plate they have designed themselves which can promote healthier eating at meal times as well.

In the Committee for Education Official Report, Mr Jim Clarke from the council for catholic maintained schools says “We find it very strange that education, which is such a key driver for the economy, is so badly hit in the budget “

Mr Stephen McConnell from NI Voluntary Schools Bursars’ Association quotes “School closures, amalgamations and staff redundancies are very likely to be the only way in which the cut’s can be achieved”

Swish Kids will assist local schools in meeting these challenges and help to raise money to reduce school closures and loss of staff.

• New Local Company dedicated to raising funds for Primary Schools and Nursery’s in NI
• Unique & High Quality products individual to each kid with their drawing, photo or handprint.
• No Cost to the school – Everything is provided, so schools keep ALL of their profit mark up.

We are confident that we can boost the economy and support funding in Northern Ireland not limited to schools, but any children’s organisation struggling to raise enough funds to keep operating with the budget cuts.

To order your free fundraising pack, call 02890731222 or visit us at www.swishkids.co.uk

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NEW School Fundraising!

SWISH KIDS are specialists in school fundraising and offer unique products that will capture your child’s artwork forever. Our products are decorative and durable making them perfect for children of all ages and are made of Melamine which is 100% food safe.

SWISH KIDS keep the memories of kids alive long after they have grown up. They are a great keepsake and the kids love eating their dinner off a plate that they have drawn themselves.

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