Our plans for a great Christmas fair at The Vineyard School in 2017.

1. The Vineyard
Christmas (Fair) Story 2017*
*The one where the
children get a new
library for Christmas
(a Fair-y tale?)
Bah, Humbug
Saturday 2 December
12noon to 4pm

2. It may be tough on your reindeer, but this year we would like a
new library.
Last renovated before most of us were born, the library for
children aged 8 to 12 has worn books, insufficient light and
nowhere for us to relax and read.
Staff and our head teacher say the library is in “urgent need of
upgrade”. (Not sure what that means. We just want
somewhere to read good books.)
We love reading so much that we have been practicing our
maths:
The total government budget for the junior and senior library is
£400 per year, or 70 pence per student per year.
A full upgrade would cost us about £44 per student.
We think we are worth it and we hope you do too!
Thank you!
The (very) well behaved Vineyard School Students
Dear Father Christmas,

3. The Vineyard Christmas Story 2017
The Vineyard Christmas Fair has long been a highlight of the year: The magic of meeting Santa,
eager year 6 elves and hot mulled wine for parents.
Starting late - two months late! - we will only succeed through a new approach to organising
and the participation of the entire community.
We want to leverage the experience of those who have done fairs while engaging enthusiastic
parents who have not yet had the opportunity to get involved.
Key Dates:
Christmas Fair Planning with Mulled wine: Thursday November 9, 7pm to 8pm at the school.
Christmas Fair 2017: Saturday December 2, from 12noon to 4pm.
From these pages, you will find fun ways to help.
Will you join us?
- Thomas Crampton, PTA co-Chair 2017/18

4. A New Approach: An Open Fair
Long established as a major event of the first
term, The Vineyard School will - for the first time
- open this event to the broader Richmond
community.
On December 2, at the start of the Christmas
season, we will host a festive celebration from
noon to 4pm nurturing our ties with the local
community through participation - with your
help - of local designers, retailers, associations
and charities.

5. Christmas Fair Priority:
Participation, Not Perfection
• The role of the PTA, in order of priority, is to connect staff with parents and
carers, convene The Vineyard community and finally to raise funds to help
educate our children.
• We want to leverage the experience of those who have done fairs while
engaging enthusiastic parents who have not had the opportunity to get
involved - all in aid of a great new library!
• Our goal is to inspire and enable each and every parent to give as much as
they are able - and have fun doing it!
• We have started organising, but almost all roles are still open! Next week on
Thursday November 9 from 7pm to 8pm we will discuss. Bring a thirst for
mulled wine! (We will have live video for those who cannot make it)
Our goal is participation, not perfection.

6. Pricing
The Christmas fair is primary about convening the community, so we ask those
runnings stalls to price accordingly. Children should have great fun at a very
reasonable cost.
We also want to raise funds, so parents are, of course, welcome to donate
additional money at the fair or directly to the Friends of the Vineyard Charity.
Any questions, do not hesitate to email pta@vineyardpta.org

7. Combining Events
As per long-held tradition, our experienced
Santa’s Grotto team will return to create a
memorable event for all the school’s children.
Elves from Year 6 will escort children and run a
variety of games around the fair.
Younger children will also visit with Santa
during school.

8. Date and Time
Saturday 2nd December
From 12 noon to 4pm

9. Isn’t this crazy, given the deadline?
Yes.
Pulling together a major event in less than 5 weeks (one third the normal time), will only work if
we take radical measures to empower parents to self-organize.
For speed, efficiency and fun, we hereby delegate you, the parents, to self-organize with friends,
classmates, fellow countrymen and women according to your interests, skills and ideas. No ideas?
We have quite a few below.
The PTA will support by connecting like-minded parents, offering advice, ideas, coordination,
publicity, allocation of tables, money collection, etc.
Several sets of international parents have already said they will cook national foods, one group of
friends will make decorations, classes are welcome to organize individually, by year, etc.
Do you know a business that might want a stall or offer some other form of sponsorship?
We have a draft sponsor presentation. Email pta@vineyardpta.org
Fun and fund raising!

10. Ok, but how will it really work?
All elements of the fair will be shared live as they evolve on vineyardpta.org, such as:
- Parents offering any form of assistance
- Allocation of our tables
- Initiatives and their leads
- Resource needs
- New ideas
It may sound risky, but the enthusiasm expressed in the parent survey, makes us
confident The Vineyard community will pull through!

11. How do you get involved?
We want each of our 19 classes and as many national group or group of friends to
take on one Challenge or Table.
Go to Vineyardpta.org Christmas Fair where we will:
• Gather and share volunteers from every class or group
• Structure the jobs to done: Ideas to be claimed and problems to solve
• We will ask classes, individuals or group of friends to nominate themselves against each of
these elements in the doc (And come up with new great ideas!)
Julia Creedy will update the document and connect people:
jcreedy@vineyard.richmond.sch.uk

12. Composing A Christmas Fair Committee
> We will need a core team that helps coordinate things such as
volunteers, money distribution and collection.
Details of roles to be discussed at the Christmas Fair meeting this
Thursday 9 November, 7-8pm

13. To list (as of November 2)
• Send forms for Christmas Tree Pre-order through Class Reps
• Communicate on the 2 MUFTI Days that help us get
donations
• Friday 24th November
• Wednesday 29th November

14. 2 Mufti Days
For a Mufti day, children come to school in
their own clothes, not uniform.
Friday 24th November: Donate a bottle of
wine or other items for adult tombola.
Wednesday 29th November: Decorate a Jam
Jar for child tombola: Each child will decorate
and fill a jam jar with small toys, hair slides,
etc. Best decoration per class/year group
wins a small prize. The jars are then sold or
used as prizes for the children’s tombola

15. Ideas seeking ownership and action!
Some ideas with guidance on when to start. The PTA can help advise and source
materials, if you need the help:
1. Handmade Gifts
2. School Decorations / Signage
3. Food to eat during the Christmas Fair (No nuts please!)
4. Children Games and Activities during the Christmas Fair
5. Raffle and Tombola: Need donations from parents and companies (We have a
sponsorship presentation)
6. Silent Auction of unique items
7. Christmas Caroling
8. Other ideas?

16. 1. Ideas for Homemade Gifts
and Services to sell

17. Handmade Wreath
Timing: Start November 11 ( 2 weeks before Christmas Fair)
For the Crafty parents:
How about an evening together with
wine and material to make handmade
wreath to resell at the Christmas Fair?
> Anyone interested in organizing
an evening with friends and wine
to make handmade wreath?

18. Homemade Apple Jelly
Timing: Start as soon as possible
Let us know if you would be interested
in making Apple Jelly Jars?
> 40 jars already made by Anke!
Any other takers?

19. Homemade Christmas Food Gifts
Timing: Start November 11 (2 weeks before Christmas Fair)
Homemade jams
Homemade cookies
Homemade ginger snaps
> Anyone inspre
> Anyone inspired?

20. Pre-Ordered:
Christmas Tree and Christmas Pudding
We will have a stall for picking
Pre-ordered Christmas Trees and
pudding
> We will need volunteers to man the stall

21. 2. Ideas for School Decorations
> We need to check what we already have in PTA Storage
and see what is missing

22. School decorations
Can start anytime from now
We want the school to look as
festive as possible!
Some easy ideas to help us
decorate the school rooms.

23. Some other ideas to decorate school rooms

24. And more ideas

25. 2. Ideas for Food
During the Christmas Fair

26. International Festive Food Stalls
Let’s celebrate the rich diversity of our school!
We have volunteers who have already stepped up to
help gather and organize friends of the same
nationality to present a festive table of their country
specialty.
Turkish, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian, Egyptian,
Argentine, Brazilian, French, Mexican, Japanese,
Kazakh, Argentine, Russian tables already have leads.
> Let us know if you want your country to be
represented or want to help the confirmed tables in
cooking or manning
> Will need volunteers to help man the stalls where
needed

27. Classic Hot Food
We will ask to use the school kitchens to
prepare the following
Hot chocolate
Mince pies
Hot waffles
Bacon rolls
Sausage rolls
> Will need volunteers to man the stalls> We need volunteers to prepare the food and
man the stalls

28. Sweet and Savory Tables
We would greatly appreciate parents
to bake a cake or prepare a savory
finger foods to sell at the Fair.
> Should we organize according to classes?
Years?

29. Christmas treats for Grown ups
Mulled wine
Ice Bar
> Anyone interested in helping make
mulled wine / man the stall
> Need volunteers to man the Mulled
wine and the ice bar

30. 3. Ideas for Children Activities
during the Christmas Fair

31. Gingerbread Biscuits to Decorate

32. Face Painting

33. Family Christmas Photo Booth
Run a photo booth where a few
volunteer photographers can take
photos of families with Christmas
props and Vineyard school logo.
Then email directly photos to families
Can also make it a challenge of the
silliest photo of the day wins a prize.
> Do you know any professional or keen
amateur parent photographer who could
help?
> Also need volunteers to man the stall

34. Craft table: Christmas Decorations
Set out pre cut and strung
Christmas shapes with
glitter, pens, stickers and
self-adhesive gems.
> Any volunteers?

35. Making
Christmas
Decorations

38. Festive Balloon Hats
Megan Baldwin has offered to
take up the stall and would need
help!
> Any volunteers?

39. Personalized Tree Baubles
> Any volunteers to handwrite on tree
baubles? / Man the stall?

40. 6. Ideas for Games stalls to organize
Prizes given to winners

41. Santa’s Secret Service
A top secret room (green room) where only the
children are allowed and the shopkeeper of course.
Buy small gifts and sell at pocket money prices so that
children can buy affordable presents for their
families.
Display the choices on offer and have gift wrapped
versions ready to go. Hand over a label for children to
fill in and attach.
> Sourcing has already started
> Volunteers needed for wrapping gifts
and Manning
> Year 6?

42. Giant Snowman
Draw a giant snowman with holes cut out and get childhood to
throw three balls, a prize for getting a ball through a hole.
> Volunteers needed for creating the snowman /
setting up / manning

43. Guess the Teacher
Guess the teacher from a baby
picture.
The PTA will ask teachers to send
childhood photos.
> Looking into engaging Year 6
volunteers needed for making the
game and manning the stall

44. Knock Santa off the Chimney
Sit a stuffed Santa on a platform
decorated like a chimney.
Three chances to win by knocking him
off with a ball
> We need someone to create the
Chimney (a box), get a Santa and
volunteer to man the stall.

45. Fill your Stocking
Create a mantelpiece (from wood, cardboard or
chalk) and hang Christmas stockings securely on
a line across the top.
Place an item into each one.
Players guess the contents and write them down
for a chance to win a top prize.
Explain that in the event of a draw, names will
be placed in a hat.
> Need volunteers to set up the stall and man it?

46. Drop the Coin on Rudolph’s Nose
Fill a big tub of water and drop a
laminated picture of Rudolph in the
bottom.
Land a 50p on his nose to win.
> Need help to set it up / Looking for
volunteers to man it

47. Find the Magic Carrots
> Looking into engaging Year 6
volunteers needed for making
the game and manning the stall

48. Pin the Nose on the Reindeer
> Looking into engaging Year 6
volunteers needed for making the
game and manning the stall

49. Knock the Snowmen and Reindeer Tins
> Looking into engaging Year 6
volunteers needed for making the
game and manning the stall

50. 6. Santa’s Grotto

51. Santa’s Grotto
• Find a jolly volunteer to don the big red sit and an elf
to help out.
• Going to town on the decorations (the sparklier the
better) can transform a simple school shed or
classroom into a warm and inviting Santa’s grotto.
> Chrissie and Amber have offered to take up the Grotto.
> Do you need volunteers or Year 6 as elves?

52. 7. Raffle and Tombola:
Call for Donations
Thank you for letting us know if you have a company or know
companies / small shops and services who wish to donate
We will also provide you raffle tickets to sell in advance

53. Raffle and Tombola
Put together a hamper of
donated goods from local
companies or use a donation to
buy a top prize, electronics are
always good.
Sell raffle tickets or run tombola
at the fair.
An idea from PTA org.
“We did colour theme hampers.
Gave each year group a different
colour, asked the children to
bring one item each and had an
amazing response. Ended up
with 15 hampers instead of 6,
and some great colours. Bubble
bath, cuddly toys etc.”

54. 8. Silent Auction
Big donations will be presented as Silent Auctions

55. Silent Auction Stall
Silent auctions operate throughout the event and do not interfere with the event.
You will need to set aside one section of your venue to display a range of
numbered auction lots.
Make the display look as interesting and eye-catching as possible as you want
people to visit this area.
Place bid cards on the table, to be completed and returned in confidence, to a
designated member of your committee.

56. Silent Auction Stall
Have a large board on display in your chosen
auction area indicating what the current highest bid
is for each lot; this should encourage people to
come back with a higher bid.
Ensure everyone knows when the auction will close
and make an announcement 30 minutes from the
end of the event, to encourage bidders to check
their bids and make their final offers. At the end of
the event, the highest bidders win and, as with
traditional auctions, the prizes/promises should be
paid for on the night.

57. 9. Christmas Carols
During the Christmas Fair and lead by Mr. Marsden

58. Christmas Carols

59. 10. Other ideas - Connecting The
Vineyard School, Christmas
and the Bigger World

60. A Wish Tree for the World?
Make a wish tree
for children to
put their wish
for Christmas for
the world?
> Anyone inspired?

61. Reminders

62. The Vineyard School Food Safety
No nuts

63. Payment
We will have the contactless payment
option which will make payment easy and
fast
We will also manage a float of change
We are also considering a token system

64. Vineyard School Commercial Policy
We believe that appropriate commercial activity in the school can be positive and
help provide funding for materials and equipment, build links with businesses and
the local community while also increasing parental involvement.
That said, we adhere to the highest level of standards with regards to every
product and company we engage with.
Any and every commercial scheme or activity must offer educational benefit to our
pupils (either directly or indirectly) and not conflict with the school’s aims, ethos or
other agreed policies.
See PTA website for full version of Vineyard School Commercial Policy.