February 2012
Dear Old Scholar,
I am writing to invite you to attend our annual reunion at School, which this year is on Saturday 19th May.
As in previous years this coincides with the School’s Friends and Families Day, and is an excellent opportunity to see the School in action. This year you will be able to view the School’s new Junior School as it nears its final completion. You are most welcome to come along at any time during the day and the programme of activities can be seen here. Our main meeting point will be the Library, so please remember to sign in and wear your badge.
School events, to which you are invited, finish at around 4pm. There will then be tea on the front lawn until the drinks reception at 6pm. We have a delicious menu planned for the reunion dinner and the cost at £25 per head includes wine. Tickets for the dinner must be ordered before 8th May – click here for menu and order form. Please apply early as places are strictly limited and the dining hall can only accommodate 100 people.
We very much look forward to having as many Old Scholars as possible back from the 1970, 1975 and 1980 year groups, ie those turning 60, 55 and 50! If you are in these year groups please get in touch with your old school friends and help us make it a night to remember. See the website for more information.
Please do read the information on our website www.oldscholars.com about changes to the subscription arrangements and how we can continue to support the Association and the School through donations. Both need our continuing support.
I very much hope to see you at School on the 19th May.
Regards,
Richard Haw
President 2011 to 2012
February 2012
Click here to download a copy of Richard's letter. Full details of our May Reunion can be found here.
October 2011
Dear Old Scholar,
You may be aware of the changes to the organisation of the Old Scholars’ Association that were approved at last year’s Annual General Meeting and of the even closer ties that the OSA now has with Friends’ School. We are now writing to keep you up to date with what these changes mean for the present subscription arrangements.
Now that everyone who attended the school is automatically a member of the OSA, the costs of running the Association are being taken over by the school. Hitherto, your subscription has been used in two ways: to cover the costs of running the Association and to provide a regular donation to the School. We hope, however, that you will consider taking this opportunity to help the School even more by increasing the amount and/or the frequency of your donation and Gift Aiding it by converting it to a Standing Order.
Click here to download the Donation/Standing Order Form which can be returned to the School using the Freepost details shown on the form.
In this way the School will continue to reap the benefit of the vital support that Old Scholars like you provide to help future generations of young people to enjoy all the advantages of the Friends’ School education that you yourself received for instance through the provision of bursaries.
From now on, with the School meeting the running costs, in the event that you do not make any changes, your current subscription will in practice become a regular donation which the School very much appreciates.
How will my regular donation be used?
The School constantly has plans to update and improve its facilities and you can feel assured that money donated through the OSA will be very well spent in a variety of ways. You can, however, specify a particular use for the donation that you make if you have a particular area of interest.
• The School is committed to widening its provision of bursaries so that the ability to pay is not a barrier for those parents who would like their children to attend Friends’ School but whose income is more modest. Why not specify ‘bursary fund’ as a named use for your ‘Gift Aided’ regular donation?
• Were you a gifted musician? A talented sportsman or sportswoman? Theatrically inclined, taking part in school drama productions? A bookworm? The School has many ‘mini-projects’ that would benefit from your generosity.
We assure you that every penny received will benefit Friends’ School pupils directly.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact either one of us via School.
Yours sincerely
Julie Foster, President OSA
Graham Wigley, Head, Friends’ School
Click here to download the Donation/Standing Order Form
Click here to download the above letter which is being mailed to Old Scholars towards the end of October 2011.
March 2011
Dear Old Scholars,
I am writing to invite you to attend the annual reunion at School, which this year is on Saturday 14th May.
As in previous years this coincides with the School’s Friends and Families Day, and is an excellent opportunity to see the School in action. It will also be the last time you will be able to see the School before the redevelopment. Already trees are being cleared to make way for the new Junior School.
You are most welcome to come along at any time during the day and the programme of activities is attached. Our main meeting point will be the Library, so please remember to sign in.
The school day finishes at around 4pm. There will be tea on the front lawn from this time until the drinks reception at 6pm. We have a delicious menu for the reunion dinner, created by the School’s award winning Burmese chef, Bobby Nanda. Please apply early as places are strictly limited. Click here for more details.
My project, researching the lives of old scholars, is progressing well and I am hoping to have some displays ready for the reunion. Thank you to all who have contacted me so far. It’s not too late to nominate, but please be aware of my new email address, jules.foster@hotmail.co.uk, (the previous one was hijacked and is no longer in use). Alternatively I can be contacted via the School.
I very much hope to see you at School on the 14th.
Regards,
Julie Foster
President 2010 to 2011
Click here to download a copy of Julie's letter.
January 2011
Dear Old Scholar,
I am writing to introduce myself to you as the current President of the Old Scholars' Association. I am part of the 1978 year group and also a current parent at FSSW. My children, Jessie and Toby, have both been pupils at the school since nursery, and are now in years 9 and 8 respectively.
I was asked to decide a theme for my year as President and have chosen a celebration of Old Scholars. It was one year ago that I tracked down my year group for a reunion last May. It was fascinating to find out what had happened to us all, we had a Bafta award winning TV producer, a light artist who had made a hologram of the Queen, a transatlantic yachtsman, a peace worker in Afghanistan, a couple of Professors and one of the naughtiest boys in our group had been awarded a CBE. I began to wonder about other year groups, and what had happened to them after leaving FSSW. I would like to begin to make a record of some of the more extraordinary Old Scholars, perhaps to be included on the School website and hopefully provide inspiration to current pupils. This is where I need your help. I would be very grateful if you could send me nominations, (if you have contact details for your nominee that would also be good). Please email me at dougal.boydog@hotmail.co.uk, or write to me at the above address.
I already have Tom Robinson, Imogen Heap, Tony Newton and Ralph Erskine on my list.
I look forward to hearing from you,
With best wishes for a happy and peaceful New Year,
Julie Foster
Click here to download a printable copy of the above letter.
