Firstly we’d like to wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!!

Friends timetable for Spring Term 2007

• Every Tuesday:
• Coffee morning, Community Room 9-10am
• 1^st Tuesday of every month:
• 2nd hand uniform sales, Community Room 9-10am
• Friends meetings 7:30pm (February’s meeting at 25 Oxford Gardens)
• 12-17 February:
• Panto Week (see below for help/donations required)
• Friday 23^rd March:
• Race Night (Key organisation by Year 4 & Reception)

Coffee mornings/second hand uniform sales

We are delighted to see more and more people attending the regular coffee mornings (details above).  Everyone is welcome, and a second hand uniform sale will be held on the first Tuesday of every month.  In addition we plan to hold a special 2^nd hand uniform sale for Nursery parents/carers, since we have a large number of small sizes!!!  Details to follow.  If you have any good quality second hand uniform to donate please put it in a carrier bag, mark it for the attention of Friends of Strand / second hand uniform, and hand it into the office.  Thank you.

Panto

This year’s pantomime is Robin Hood, and rehearsals are well under way (show dates listed above).  Any offers of help backstage would be very much appreciated. 

• To paint scenery, make/source props, help change scenery during the shows etc, please contact Ruth Hampton on 8747 1532;

• to help with costumes please contact Sarah Morelli on 8994 0596;
• to help with other aspects of the production please contact Jo Barrett on 8994 0151.
• Help will also be needed “front of house” to sell tickets, run a bar and a raffle every night, donate raffle prizes (duplicate Christmas gifts are perfect prizes!).  Please contact Lara Lindsay on 07767 666 440. 
• If you can help run the bar please contact Karen Brown (Cameron’s mum) in the infant playground, and Tracy (Dexter’s mum) in the Junior playground, and they will put you on their rota.
• Donations of any unwanted and unused make-up would be much appreciated.

Musicians wanted

The production team are urgently looking for a bass player, a drummer, and a keyboard player.  If you play any of these, and fancy joining in the panto band please call Matthew Stainer, as soon as possible, on 07787 531 604

Poster Competition

Calling all budding artists (children only please!!!).  We need a poster for our panto, ROBIN HOOD.  It needs to be on A4 paper, portrait layout, no dark backgrounds and no writing please (we will add that later).  Don’t forget to write your name and class details on the back of your picture.  The winning entry will be used as the poster, and the front cover of the programme.  The two runners up (as well as the winner) will be displayed on the Friends website (www.strandfriends.org).  All entries should be put into a large envelope (to protect them) and given to the office, marked “Panto Poster Competition” by Friday 26^th January.

Tickets

Panto tickets will go on sale on Monday 5^th February, or through the booking form which will go in bags week commencing 29^th January.  Don’t forget to buy your tickets early to avoid disappointment.

“Stranded In The Kitchen”

If you didn’t get a copy of the new recipe book, (£5 each) copies can be obtained by simply putting a note in an envelope saying how many copies you would like, together with a cheque made payable to “Friends of Strand School”, your name, and child’s class details, and leave it at the office, marked for the attention of Friends of Strand.

www.buy.at/strandonthegreenschool

The Christmas shopping madness may be over for another year, but www.buy.at/strandonthegreenschool is still going strong!!!  If you need to buy something from John Lewis, be it clothes, furniture, an ironing board, or toys, you can buy it online, through the above website.  Simply by going through this website a percentage of our purchase will be sent to the school!! . . And it’s not just John Lewis there are more than 90 retail outlets registered with the website.  If you do some of your shopping online please take a minute or two to look at the website, and you may well find retailers that are useful to you. . . but don’t forget you must go through www.buy.at/strandonthegreenschool.

Treasurer

For several years Peter Milligan has been Treasurer of Friends, and has done a great job.  However at the end of this school year Anna, his daughter, will be leaving Strand, and therefore so will Peter.  We are therefore looking for someone/two people to take over from him, and ideally to shadow him until he leaves, to find out what the job involves.  If you, or anyone you know might be interested please contact Peter on 07774 495 941 or Carol on 8742 0912.

www.strandfriends.org

Don’t forget you can find all sorts of information on the Friends website, as well as photographs of past events, poster competition winners and runners up.  You can give your feedback, ask questions, find out when meetings and events are and much more – why not have a look!