REPORT OF JOINT CHAIR AND COMMITTEE ON ACTIVITIES OF FoND (FRIENDS OF NOTRE DAME) FOR YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2009 at the AGM, Monday, 28TH SEPTEMBER, 2009

On behalf of the Joint Chair and Committee, we are pleased to report that the Association of the Friends of Notre Dame (FoND) has continued to thrive in this its 8^th year in what has been another hugely successful fundraising period, following on from the success of our 400^th Anniversary year back in 2007.We then reported a turnover in excess of £100,000 with an overall profit in the region of £50,000 which was a spectacular achievement in a momentous celebratory year.We are equally delighted to announce that the financial year just ended for 2008/09 has seen a turnover in excess of £78,500 for FoND, with profit achieved in the region of £44,000 for Notre Dame and the wider school Community.Once again, due to a combination of great teamwork, dedication, commitment and talents of many parents throughout the School, we have successfully charted a course promoting fundraising, charitable giving and social networking for the community of Notre Dame as a whole.

Key to the successful running and generation of feedback on all events throughout the year has been the Class Representative Structure which ensures a smooth and efficient line of communication between the School, parents and FoND team.The dedication and teamwork skills of our outgoing Class Rep Chair, Margaret Krischer, has been formidable. Working in conjunction with Ian Bond, our Communications Officer, Margaret has ensured we now have a very healthy and interactive e-mail database of all families in the School. On behalf of FoND and the entire School community, we would like to extend a huge vote of thanks to Margaret who has given three years of valuable service to the position of Class Rep Chair and is now handing over to her able successor, Michele Harrison.

The annual Christmas Craft and Gift Fair in November proved to once again be a fitting start to the fundraising year, raising a superb £8,000 for the School.This has become a much anticipated seasonal shopping event by parents, staff and the Cobham community alike and hosts up to 60 stalls, including our very own Beauty Parlour in the Summer House – all in all, a mammoth task to co-ordinate and run every year.The achievements of a formidable team of parent volunteers, led by Penny Wakefield must be applauded.Particular acknowledgement must be given to outgoing Stall Coordinator, Anne Almeida, who has given more than seven years valuable service to this event, and is doing an excellent job of handing over this demanding role to the incoming coordinator, Angela Taylor.

Our Carols and Fireworks Extravaganza held in early December was another tremendous success and much enjoyed by all Notre Dame families and friends in attendance, in particular the Alumni of Notre Dame who came together to be with us on a fittingly festive and community occasion, helping us raise over £1,600 in funds. Grateful thanks to Debbie Buffini and Alumni Co-ordinator, Amanda Kesterton for the superb teamwork and coordination of this event

The ever-popular Quiz Night in January, coordinated by Ian and Sarah Bond proved to be another master challenge for parents and teachers alike, with what is probably a first win for a parents’ team in another testing head-to-head finale.For the younger members of the community, February saw the re-launch of the Tweenies Discos when a very creative team of Prep School mums led by Kyrste Ferguson and Pam Clews coordinated two back-to-back discos for the girls of Reception to Prep 2 and Prep 3 to Prep 6. Almost £1,200 was raised between the Quiz night and the Prep discos.

It was with mounting anticipation and trepidation that an able group of us coordinated a fitting successor to our acclaimed School Ball by organising a May ‘Pink Party’ in the school grounds.With unanimous approval, we decided to pay tribute to all those in our school community affected by cancer by benefitting Cancer Research as our chosen charity as well as supporting the Performing Arts fund at Notre Dame.The event was a huge success for both the school and community – the highlight of which proved to be the pink Chinese Lantern launch into the night sky which was a moving and fitting tribute to all those who have suffered and lost loved ones in their battle with cancer.A heartfelt thank you to Ian Bond and the members of the Notre Dame staff who worked together to poignantly personalise the event programme this year. We must also once again acknowledge the formidable input of Mandy and the Holroyd Howe team for their professionalism and panache in organising the catering for the Pink Party, and indeed for their ongoing help and sponsorship in follow-up events to this very successful evening.A huge thank you to all those parents who generously provided the wonderful auction prizes for the event as well as the members of the Cobham community who donated small prizes for the raffle tombola, all of which helped to raise over £20,000 for our chosen charity and the school. We were delighted to share our success with the wider community thanks to a well-received article in Totally Society magazine profiling the event.Another first for FoND!We are equally delighted to announce that Sarah Hogarth will be taking over the Chair of this high profile and successful fundraising event and Sarah is looking forward to coordinating another A-team of parents for the 2010 event in the school grounds.

The final community event of the year was the Victorian Summer Fair in June, which was a fabulous day out for families and friends alike.Victorian themed entertainment saw Maypole dancing, Saloon Girls performing in the Old Time Music Hall and Punch & Judy battling it out between the Coconut Shy and the Swing Boats.Ladies in Victorian finery served Cream Teas, Pimms and old fashioned lemonade in the Ritz Tent whilst the boys enjoyed pasties and real ale in the Ploughman’s Café!The girls took part in fun competitions such as Garden on a Plate and the Best Dressed Bonnet competition and of course spent their pocket money on the many stalls which gave them both old fashioned fun and treats galore.This Fair was one of the most successful ever and saw over £12,000 in takings on the day, ably managed and accounted for by Trevor Johnson and team, who has done a sterling job in the role of FoND Treasurer. A huge thank you also to the creative Fete team behind this event led by Amanda Hadley, Margaret Krischer, Anne Almeida and the entire FoND Committee. A fitting Victorian Fair programme was produced by Ian Bond, sponsored with advertising revenue from both FoND and Notre Dame contractors.

The summer term ended with a fun-filled Daddy and Daughter Camp-Out complete with BBQ and Chinese lanterns.A great night’s camping fun was had by all thanks to the camping maestro, Headmaster David Plummer, and his band of happy campers who were well-fed by Mandy and team on BBQ duty.Once again, the FoND Pavilion facilities were put to full use ensuring everyone camped in comfort and safety. In this vein, we must acknowledge the care and attention given to all our events by the school Maintenance and Caretaking team led by David, Peter and Rob.Thank you for your fantastic commitment, effort and interest.We couldn’t do it without you!

Our Uniform and Merchandise sales have been a significant source of revenue once again this year with over £5,000 raised.Second-hand uniform sales and FoND Merchandise have been twinned with new uniform/PE kit sales to provide a comprehensive School Shop service to parents. This is an ongoing work in progress division which will continue to evolve under the direction of Angela Taylor and Isabel Cox and team, who have all worked tirelessly to ensure these ancillary activities continue to flourish and provide a value-added service for parents and girls.Thank you to each of you!

Finally, as outgoing Joint Chair, we would like to thank the members of our formidable and multi-talented Committee as well as our co-opted School Heads, David Plummer and Bridget Williams, and Sister Catherine and Sister Patricia Kelly for their unerring support during another successful year for Notre Dame School.Under such guidance and wisdom, FoND has continued to grow and flourish, to go from strength to strength while enjoying a healthy working relationship with parents, Sisters, Governors, Heads and staff alike.This seamless role will continue under the new 2009/10 Committee.Both of us have served three years as Joint Chair and are very happy to now pass the baton to two equally able FoND members, Penny Wakefield and Kyrste Ferguson. We wish Penny and Kyrste, and the incoming Committee, every success for the year to come. It has been a privilege for us both to work with such a dedicated and committed team of parents and we know FoND will continue to scale new heights under the stewardship of the existing and new Committee members. We encourage all parents to get involved in running FoND events by being a Class Rep or joining an event sub-committee….

‘FoND is all about friendship and fun and making the best possible social opportunities for family and friends alike. We look forward to keeping up the continuity and contact with you through forthcoming events.’

Thank you to one and all for your friendship and support…...

Clare Fogarty and Amanda Hadley