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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to detest my kids' primary school's latest money making venture - selling us christmas cards made by our kids?

144 replies

jasper · 12/11/2008 22:35

Fundraising ( for school funds - don't start me on that one) thing going on at our school just now.

Each child draws a Christmas card design.
School gets them printed up professionally , in packs of 8 cards with envelope.

Your child brings two of these packs home (with their own design) to sell at £5.50 per pack.

AIBU to think this scheme stinks?

OP posts:
wheresthehamster · 12/11/2008 23:34

Dd3 brought her 'proof' card home today with a price list. £14.99 for 12!!!!!! Only 10% to the school.

WHAT A RIP-OFF!!

nappyaddict · 12/11/2008 23:40

jimjams, boffin and theirmum - how much are the cards at your schools?

Grimma's school seems to be doing them for a reasonable price.

RustyBear · 12/11/2008 23:44

Well, Promethean's promotion is obviously not that effective, as they apparently haven't even been able to establish the name of their product as the 'generic' name - Promethean make ActivBoard, SmartBoards are made by SmartTechnologies.

Interactive whiteboards are very effective when properly used and an expensive version of a blackboard if they're not.

Generally most of the noise comes from the projector, rather than the board itself, but you can get low noise versions of the projectors.

TinkerBellesMum · 12/11/2008 23:50

£1.25 is probably less than you'd pay for individual cards. I always find it amusing how we justify prices. I used to buy two small bottles of pop because I didn't like the cost of a 2lt, until I realised I was spending more on 1lt. Look at things individually and I find it changes my view point.

The cards are far more precious and far superior to the ones you spend £1 on for a box of 50.

TinkerBellesMum · 12/11/2008 23:51

Was a little quick on the post.

I buy individual cards for certain family members and friends who I know would love one of these. I'd see it as saving myself some money.

solidgoldbrass · 13/11/2008 00:21

A 'competition'? Then it's definitely a con. Same as that infernal 'My First Poem' con that was so big in the preschools last year. (You get given a printed form to fill in with a dreadful 'poem' that has appropriate gaps for your DC's name, age, favourite food, colour etc, then you send it off via the preschool, after which you are informed that your child's 'poem' has 'won' a place in the 'anthology' which you can now buy. So you pay out for a very cheaply printed piece of shit with a batch of copies of the same 'poem' filled out with different names/foods/colours.) This was such a fucking racket I wouldn;t be at all surprised if it has been banned now. In fact, the Xmas cards thing may well be the same bunch of chancers' latest scam.

BalloonSlayer · 13/11/2008 07:47

PMSL Lucyhoneybee: "your child's intellectual property".

I shall keep that phrase in mind when looking at the designs my DC have produced for their christmas cards.

Our school have just started to do the same this year. It's something like £5 for 8 cards but £6.50 for 16, which is much more like it. They are not printed in advance and you get to keep the sample one if you don't want to order.

I think it's a nice idea, and feel less conned than the 50p for non-uniform day when uniform "isn't compulsory" or some of the other grasping schemes they come up with.

jimjamshaslefttheyurt · 13/11/2008 07:56

I've never noticed the Smartboard making any noise when in ds1's school - certainly not like the projectors I use (school full of autistic, LD and PMLD- kids- an irritating background noise would be a disaster).

DS1's school does a few home made type cards that look as if they're locally printed - I think it's a £1 for 5 iirc, although that seems very cheap so maybe I've remembered incorrectly, I always buy a few packs. DS2's school does the type of card mentioned here, haven't got this years prices yet but has been reasonable the last 2 years.

LunarSea · 13/11/2008 08:22

Ours does a similar scheme - but sends a form home for the kids to design their cards on, and they're produced from that ONLY if you've actually chosen to participate. Not that many do, but it's a no-waste, no-pressure alternative, and does at least raise a bit of money (for the PTA to be accurate, not for the school itself, although what's bought with the proceeds does end up there of course).

abraid · 13/11/2008 08:53

I don't mind the PTA doing whatever they feel is best to raise funds for trips like Christmas pantomine, new stage blocks, etc.

Whiteboards are white elephants, IMHO. I'd prefer books. I also think that a lot of IT budget would be better spent on books and DECENT PENCILS which you can actually sharpen.

2shoes · 13/11/2008 08:57

yabu
dd's school have done this for years

DaphneMoon · 13/11/2008 09:54

My DS brought his Xmas card home the other day, I was quite impressed with his artwork. Ours however are not as expensive, £6 for 12 for first pack and then £4.00 per pack after that. We have also had tea towels in the past which were lovely, they originally sold them for £2.50 each, but my DP used mine one day even though I had left it in the plastic bag to keep. I was very cross. Went to school the other day and they were selling them off for 50p each - bargain. Keeping this one for him this time. They have also produced calendars every year, these are also £2.50, make nice presents for Grandma's etc at Christmas.

theirmum · 13/11/2008 09:55

2shoes odd comment just because your DD school has dont it for years dosent make the OP unreasonable!

Our school seem to be the king of cons fundraisers we have the following:

A shed with toys in that you have to pay for a token to use - if you dont your child cant use the toys in the shed!

They ask for a donation of £40 towards the school fund (yearly)

They make cards which are £6.50p for a pack of 6

Two mufty days before xmas where you have to bring in a new gift which can be sold at the xmas fair, second day a bottle of adult drink!

and the Harvest festival was fair trade foods only

sagacious · 13/11/2008 10:06

Our school isn't doing Christmas cards this year. A pity as I loved last years ones. IIRC they were £8 for 12 with further packs at £5

Am a bit shocked at theirmum's tokens and £40 token shed (am on my PTA committee and theres no way on earth [however tempting] we'd be able to sanction that!)

TinkerBellesMum · 13/11/2008 11:01

SGB, they did do it as a competition at my brothers school, they did it in assembly and everything. It was quite a small school and involved the families a lot in things.

Anna8888 · 13/11/2008 11:05

We're in the process of having a tea towel with pictures of the children drawn by themselves made up. However, parents were completely free to order as many or as few tea towels as they wanted - no obligation at all.

The problem with the OP's school is that they are practically forcing every parent to spend £11. That is wrong.

solidgoldbrass · 13/11/2008 13:15

TBM: if the competition is organised by the school that's one thing, if it is organised by the print firm it is a con.

onthewarpath · 13/11/2008 13:35

The only ever time I bought chrismas cards (not christian) was when DCs made them in school on a similar money making scheme. I thought they were rather nice and I kept a specimen of each as a keepsake.

onthewarpath · 13/11/2008 13:40

theirmum are there really PTAs who ask for a yearly £40.- donation or ask for parents to pay for the right for children to use certain toys???
Donation for Christmas fair/harverst ok but do they really ask for fair trade only??
I am

CoffeeCrazedMama · 13/11/2008 14:36

I am impressed you can get the card with your own child's artwork on it. Dd's school has a competition for the best drawing and all the cards have that one pic. Then we are all expected to buy cards decorated by this one parent child (and emblazoned with their name) while gnashing our teeth that our own dc's work was clearly superior.

lowenergylightbulb · 13/11/2008 14:39

It's great if you only have 1 child at a school - but when you have 2 or 3 there, and you have to buy photo's, pay for trips, send in money for charity type stuff etc etc etc it all really adds up.

handbagqueen · 13/11/2008 14:42

Our school does one child per year who is the winner of the christmas card competition.

I think its a great idea and wish they did it for all the children in the school.(Luckily my DD won the competition(all her own work) this year so will buy out all their stock to send to everyone!!!).

Just remember the money goes towards helping provide subsidised trips, performers, new books and equipment for your child. It would be great if schools didn't need to raise additional funds, but we aren't living in a perfect world.

Fennel · 13/11/2008 14:44

Our school offers a bargain £4 for 10 cards. but it's optional. Child can enter a design, you only let them if you send the £4 in with the design. It's fairly unproblematic. We like it cos the dds love doing that sort of thing.

Bramshott · 13/11/2008 14:45

Why must all school fundraising be a "con" though? Surely if there are things they need to raise money for, which will benefit the children and the school, then it is good that they are using innovative ways to do this and not just standing in the playground jingling a bucket? I am genuinely bemused.

Fennel · 13/11/2008 14:45

I didn't realise that people were encouraged to pay for some other child's artwork. What use is that? When surely everyone is only interested in their own child's wonderful artistic talent?