The UCS Parents’ Guild has two key commitments – planning and hosting fundraising and social events for parents of UCS pupils.
The organisation’s fundraising work spans a number of charities, often ones with meaning to the school community, and naturally also benefits the school itself. The events organised by the Parents’ Guild also enable parents to connect, socialise and, of course, have a bit of fun.
The Parents’ Guild has two representatives per class that come to a meeting once a term. At the beginning of the new school year, the Guild looks for new parents to join its friendly and purposeful community.
Macmillan Coffee Morning
The first big date on the Parents’ Guild calendar, starting in the Autumn Term, is the Macmillan Coffee Morning each September in the Great Hall at Frognal. This involves cake donations, tea and coffee stands, and the buy-and-sell of doughnuts to pupils.
Fireworks
The annual fireworks display at the Sports Fields illumines the November schedule, with ticket sales typically stretching over 1,000. The fireworks are complemented by outside catering – and all proceeds go to a charity chosen expressly for the event.
Quiz
Then there comes March’s Supper Quiz fundraiser, also in the Great Hall at Frognal, which caters for around 150 guests and features raffle prizes and a silent auction, among other highlights.
Raft of activities
These major activities run parallel to a raft of other worthwhile endeavours such as second-hand uniform sales, supporting sponsored activities by students, or giving to charities with a special significance for a member of the UCS community.
Making connections
The social network we provide is important. Through in-person encounters as well as the communication tool Classlist, we enable parents to meet and then remain in contact with other parents and thus get to know the school better – also as their children move up through the years.
We want to make sure that the school community is kept together, while also engaging positively with the wider local community.
Sense of community
The Pre-Prep’s Parents’ Guild counts on its class representatives to volunteer to put together a similar portfolio of social events and generate funds for the school and suitable charities. It is fully supported by both teaching staff and the wider Pre-Prep family, offering a great social forum which strengthens the sense of community, promotes social diversity and encourages personal responsibility.
The Junior Branch benefits from an equally active and engaged parent body, which presents a variety of events to boost both the school and the local community.