How much mroe do the PA want?!

[KellyKrueger1978]

The pa at dd's school has always been very active, wanting money for this and the other. I am really gettign fed up with it now though. Its genes for jeans fri, and then next week is a mufti day and the week after they want cakes. The mufti day is really what annoyed me though, they aren't happy with the usual £1, they want a gift to do secret santa with. So I have to trawl round to find a gift, so that my child then has the priveledge of buying (more moeny!) a secret santa gift at the christmas bazaar! Plus of course they will then want raffle prizes etc.
I know I live in Ascot, but we are not all made of money! I have enough to pay out with ds's school fees, school trip this term, and dd's school skipping extra curricular. And I don't have the time to piss about baking cakes for the school or looking for presents. Am I jsut being mean?

Genes for Jeans isn't the PA though is it, just don't do it if you don't want to.
And just buy a cake rather than baking one - bash it around a bit to make it look homemade if it bothers you.
As for the Christmas Bazaar - just but some chocolates when you do your shopping - no extra time needed.

If it's a private school why are they raising money. Am I right in thinking it's private (you mentioned fees)?

And it's not for the PA, it's for your kids to get extra stuff the school/LEA can't/won't provide - (touched a nerve there Kelly!). Surely these things are optional anyway?

Not sure how your school works, but ours is private but owned by the parents (no one profits at all), so the PA (or equivalent) is always raising money for various things - fans in classrooms is our latest goal. Would you feel happier KK if they told you what they are raising the money for? We have come to this conclusion about fundraising, and so have told the parents how much we are aiming to raise and what its for. Maybe you could suggest it to your PA?

Er, a bit mean imo - everything teh PA/PTA does is to raise money for the children, they aren't doing it for the good of their own health adn they probably work bloody hard.

Genes for Jeans is a National thing, not a PTA thing. That's just £1 to wear jeans for the day. No effort there.

Buy a cake and buy a small gift in Tesco when you do your normal shop - that's all I do.

OR, don't bother - it's no biggie.

I've four at private school KK and have happily sent them all in with their £ for genes for jeans day - the school don't see a penny of that. And it really does not take long to knock a tray of little buns - 5 mins max prepartion time, and they can cook while cooking children's tea - you're quite lucky to get a fortnight's notice for buns . Our pta raises funds for extras for the children, many private schools, ours included are non profit making so the pta funds aren't going in someones back pocket

mufti
farking hate that word

also this very phrase

"I have enough to pay out with ds's school fees"

makes me lose nmay sympathy

kelly oyu are a stinge bag

if it annoys you, just bung £20 (or whatever) their way at the start of the year and be done with it

imho I think you are being a bit mean (sorry!) I know it always seems that PA are asking for things but the parents on the pa also give up their time to arrange thinngs that will bring in extra cash to benefit the whole school.

I am happy to donate to my childrens schools.(I have 4 school age children)
Of course in an ideal world schools wouldnt never any extra funds as they would have an endless pot for money for resourses. until that happens I will be adding extra items to my shopping to give to the schools. I will be recycling some of the pressies people have given me for the tombola/raffle, I will be serving drinks at the school disco, I will be baking cakes and then standing in the playground selling cakes and buying cakes myself. I will also be attending PA meeting and helping to arrange these events.

Why will I do this?

because my children benefit from the extra's the school are able to purchase with the funds (computers, books, play equipment, etc.) I also happily go into school to assist my children's classes whenever I have a free couple of hour.

We ae all different and Thank goodness for that I am sorry if I have offended anyone, I didnt intend to , just putting my "take" on the subject.

extras not extra's

If you don't want to bake a cake, then don't. Not all parents have the time or interest in cooking. It isn't compulsory. And don't feel you have to buy one either.

Supporting the school is important but if you're already helping in other areas, ie. donating for Mufti days/raffles etc then that is enough.

brilliantly put corpsebride. I spent all of last night with four other mums from PTA wrapping grotto presnets, and secret room presents, We are working hard to ensure that the christmas fayre is a sucess in two ways, one the children who attend have a fun morning and two we raise as much money as we can so that our children have access to the best facilities and education they can.

I personally never bake a cake as they always look and taste rubbish! but i do help at all the events I can plus sell as many tickets for raffles etc that come home.

I'm on your side Kelly, asking for money/gifts three times in as many weeks is a bit off.

its not a private school!
ds school fees are because I couldnt get him a fully funded pre-school place. So I have to pay top up between what is paid and the overall cost. We are not wealthy at all, well under the average quoted on the mn survey. I am stretching to afford this.
It's partly cos I'm feeling snowed under with everything and don't need the hassle and PMT! I would like to know what the money is being spent on. Last summer they said they wanted it for a huge outdoor windchime. All very ncie, but the thing was installed even before the day of the sponsored spell. That annoyed me too - it didnt seem tht they really needed the money if they could afford to buy it before.

DD was at a similar school to this last year.
I found it hard to keep up with the £2 here and the £1 there and the cakes, evening events etc etc.
In the end I gave up. I still paid for her to dress down, but the cakes and the evening fundraisers had to be cut out.
No one missed my shop bought cake, or worried about me not attending some quiz night.
I helped out on school trips and at the summer fete and felt I had "paid" my dues.

I think its important to do what you feel you can. Some parents cant bake cakes but then others bake loads, others donate shop cakes.Do what you feel you can even if its a box of biscuits for raffle at christmas, any contributions you can make will be appreciated.

I do understand about always asking for money though just when I have a few spare £'s a letter comes in or a Book fair comes to school.

I think you all gave Kelly a really hard time. That was an awful lot of requests in a short space of time and there were possibly requests from her ds's school too.

And even if her dd had been at private school why the assumption that parents who send their children to private schools can easily afford fundraising things easily. We certainly can't because our every last penny goes on school fees.