6937?

No, don't worry it's not the entry code to the off street parking here at POWSA towers and nor is it the first three numbers to be drawn in this Fridays EuroMillions draw (that would be freaky if it did happen though. 6, 9, 37, you heard it here first!), it's actually the reason why I am saying THANKYOU once again.

Last year through POWSA fundraising we contributed £6,937 to the Prince of Wales School, every penny of it was donated by you in regards to your time, your generosity and your support. The money has been used to purchase so many things from books to interactive screens, some xylophones and even a giant tooth, each of which has been used in the school and will help the staff and pupils for many years to come. So THANKYOU or should I say Dankie, Qaĝaasakung, shukrān, Obrigadu, 唔該, Dĕkuji vám mnohokrát, Dank u, Dankon, Merci, Danke, धन्यवाद ,  Grazie, ありがとう, 고맙습니다, Gratias vobis ago, Dzięki, Спасибо!, Muchas gracias, Diolch or just plain and simple TA VERY MUCH.

Only 67 sleeps until Christmas

Which means that here at POWSA Towers we are preparing the grand hall for Halloween (12 sleeps), the grounds are being turned into a huge pyrotechnic delight for Bonfire night (17 sleeps) the candles and chandeliers are lit to celebrate Diwali (23 sleeps) and, most importantly, we check the post every morning to see if the tickets to this years Autumn Fest have arrived.

(The number of sleeps has not been independently verified, it was merely a whimsy to make this blog seem somehow more interesting and is in no way meant to be accurate)

Yes, that's right, Autumn Fest 2015 has now been confirmed, it's 26 sleeps until the big day and most of the afternoons activities and entertainment is in place, so here's the low down on the plan so far;

In the afternoon we have a magic show and balloon modelling, courtesy of Andy the Magic man, we have storytelling and singing, games and entertainment for all of the family. We will then have a break for an hour to allow everyone to have something to eat, before the evenings live musical entertainment kicks off and we are pleased to announce that the headliners this year will once again be Quinns Quinny. In short, for those who have missed any of our recent festivities, bring your dancing shoes, the kids dancing shoes and be prepared to enjoy an afternoon and evening where schools definitely the place where all the cool kids are.

As a special treat this year we will also have a dressing up opportunity for all you secret divas, don't worry we will let you know a little more nearer the time. It's safe to say there will be photographic evidence and, if necessary, it can be used in a court of law.

What's that I hear you cry, "When is this reasonably priced family festival of fun and entertainment?" Well that's a good question and no mistake.

The date for your diary is Saturday 14th November, and the fun starts from 2pm. There is no cost if you are under the age of 2, however for the rest of us it's £2.50 per child (under 16's) and £5 per adult. Tickets will be on sale on a first come first serve basis so look out for the letters coming home soon

We do not have a licenced bar, however, you're welcome to bring your own refreshments but please remember there will be lots of families present and you will be expected to maintain a modicum of self control.

We are also going to operate an open buffet this year, so bring along a plate of food or 2 (disposable plates please) and we will put them all out for everyone to share. There will be no prizes for the most original entries to the buffet but if everyone brings sausage rolls and crisps it may not be the most appetizing feast so go crazy and show us your buffet favourites (cheese & pineapple hedgehog, anyone?)

We will publish a complete schedule before the big day but hopefully this has been enough to wet your appetites.

What is charity?

As I sit here in POWSA Towers I ask myself this question. I know it's a big question and I suspect it's even bigger answer, so I turn to Google. According to Google, who's very clever and knows lots of things, the second most common answer is;

"the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money"

which is pretty close to the nub of it in my opinion, but it doesn't quite tell the whole story.

The reason I am thinking of this at this time is that the POWSA AGM is rapidly approaching, the annual meeting to satisfy the constitution of POWSA as a charity and elect the leaders, movers and shakers for the schools PTA for the next 12 months. Excitingly this will be the first year the whole school and pre-school have been represented by a single body so we have more opportunity to make a difference.

As a group we regularly ask you for your money, we try to make these appeals as entertaining and enlivening as possible (as anyone who's seen us cook a BBQ will be able to understand) but what do we give?

The honest answer is time, which can feel far more precious than money, but is equally available from everyone to give to the benefit of everyone. At POWSA no one is made to give their time, we all volunteer it. Helping us with 30 minutes once in a while would make a massive contribution and just as welcome would be helping at any events that we hold

What do we gain for this gift of time? I'd like to say we get access to Mr Farrington's secret cave under the school where he has super computers that can understand 8 year olds, but I would be lying. There's no computer capable of such a feat. I don't want to speak for any of the other people who regularly help out at POWSA but personally it helped me to meet people when the children started at the school. It's allowed me to make friends (not just on Facebook although you can like POWSA there), show my children that there's more to school than their own classroom / roundhouse / farm / Fairthorne experiences and be part of a group who give their time for no tangible personal benefit, which is charitable, isn't it?

So what about you? Can you spare half an hour a week (that's less time than an episode of Dr Who, the same as an episode of Corrie and it's the last series of Downton so you'll need something to fill the void). If so come along to the AGM, or just say hello and see what we do. I can't promise you the keys to POWSA towers but we do tend to have mighty fine scones which you will be welcome to try.

The AGM will be held this Thursday in the staffroom at the school, it starts at 7:45pm and all are welcome. Come along and see who we are and what we do, there's no pressure and we won't bite.

Maggie's Den + Two Little Ducks+ Doctors Orders+ Here Comes Herbie+ Kelly's Eye + Man Alive = Top Of The Shop?

So you thought that the summer was over and you could safely put the Big Bingo Blotter away until next years visit to the happy holiday camp. Well think again.....

This Friday POWSA presents Family Prize Bingo at the school, 5:30 for a 6pm start. As it's the first event of the school year we would love to welcome new & old families and give everyone a chance to meet . The kids are more than welcome as long as they promise not to win all of the games as this will only upset Grandma and she'll choke on her dentures, which is never a pretty sight.

It's £2 a book, may the odds be ever in your favour and if anyone is interested there's a full list of Bingo Lingo here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_bingo_nicknames

Let's see how many we can drop into conversation this week

No School Uniform - Bring a Prize Instead

Don't forget that it's non uniform day tomorrow, bring in some choccies or a prize for the raffle instead.....

Summer Fair Sizzler?

Only a few days to go until the annual Summer Fair and the schools netball & football tournaments and, according to the seaweed hung up and the bones that we have cast here at POWSA towers the weather is going to be great, not too hot but perfect for an early summers BBQ.

As a reminder to anyone who has missed our previous posts, the Fair starts at 11am this Saturday and we are delighted to let you know that this year all of the meat for the BBQ will be provided by local producers with close links to the school. Maiden Castle Farm & Brace of Butchers (Poundbury) have kindly offered to support the event this year and our thanks go out to them. For the children this will help their understanding of the whole Farm to Fork ethos as they regularly visit the farm as part of their studies.

Whilst we can promise, therefore, that the burgers and sausages supplied will be of exceptionally high quality the same cannot be said of the skills of our resident BBQ master so if you can spare any time to help him learn how to cook without setting fire to everything (no that's not Flambe, it's burning) or man any of the other great stalls and games your support will be greatly appreciated. The sign up sheet will be outside of school for the next 2 days, make your mark and join in the fun.

We'd also like to thank all of you and the local businesses whose kind donations provide the prizes for the many raffles and auctions that we hold throughout the year, your support really does have a major impact on what we can achieve.

We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday, the fun starts at 11am and continues until 2pm.

Here Today, Scone Tomorrow

Now we can't favour any one scone recipe ahead of any other but this is a savoury scone that has been well received and should give you a good start if you're struggling for ideas........

 

Savoury Cheese & Mustard Scones

 

(Makes 12)

• 225g Plain white flour
• 1tsp  Baking powder
• 50g Butter (unsalted)
• 1tbsp Thyme
• ½tsp Mustard powder
• pinch Salt
• pinch  Pepper
• 50g Cheddar cheese extra mature, grated
• 25g Parmesan grated
• 3tbsp  Buttermilk plus a little extra to glaze
• 2  Egg(s) (free range) medium

The Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°c (fan 160°c, gas mark 4).

Step 2

Place the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and using your fingertips rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. You could also do this in a food processor.

Step 3

Add the thyme, mustard powder, salt, pepper, the grated cheddar and three quarters of the parmesan and mix lightly.

Step 4

Add the eggs and buttermilk and using a round blade knife mix gently until all the mixture is combined into a dough, but do not overwork the mix.

Step 5

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly roll or pat the dough to a thickness of 2-3cm. Cut the scones using a 5cm round cutter and place onto a baking sheet.

Step 6

Lightly brush the scones with a little additional buttermilk and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let the scones cool

 

EAT THEM ALL.....