Forward December 2017 | Page 39

COMMUNITY

Friends of the Preparatory School ( FOPS )

The FOPS committee has , as always , been very busy in Term 3 . The committee has been kept busy supporting cross country and athletics carnivals as well as the largest Rugby Sevens tournament ever , fitting for the 10th anniversary of this competition .
Some 1000 meals were served over the course of a very busy day , with refined precision by our committee and volunteers . We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day , record raffle sales with fantastic prizes and a visit from Western Force players who answered questions and signed autographs . It was wonderful to share in our Guildford community spirit at its best .
Events like Rugby Sevens and all other FOPS events could not occur without team work . The FOPS committee is a hardworking team that work together to plan and execute this busy event calendar each year but I would like to draw your attention to our extended teams .
The Liaison Parents assist FOPS in our communication with parents , spread our enthusiasm and promote a sense of inclusive community . Our other important group is our team of volunteers . These parents selflessly donate their time to help out at all FOPS events . Without these parents we could not achieve what we do each year for the community . Thank you for being part of our team and for consistently being supportive .
The annual FOPS Quiz Night with a Bollywood theme , hosted by Quizza-me , was a resounding success and was wellattended by staff and parents from both
the Senior and Preparatory Schools . It was a very successful fundraising event and funds will be allocated to the Senior School Houses and Preparatory School projects by the P & F . We thank the community for their generous donations of raffle prizes .
Sheri-Lee Knoop-Bender FOPS President

From the BPA

2017 has been an interesting year for the boarding community . The news that Guildford Grammar School would be transitioning to a co-educational day and boarding school into the future was met with many mixed emotions from boarding families . However , as time has progressed and more details have been made available , most families are feeling more comfortable with the decision taken by the School . Change is often challenging and how we adjust takes time .
The boarding community was very appreciative of the date change to the start of the school year . Being able to celebrate Australia Day without a return to school and boarding was wonderful .
Many boarding families chose to spend the day together as a family – a significant and special time together before being separated for long periods of time once again . Retaining the three-week mid-year break has also been hugely enjoyed .
This year the boarding community has had significant financial support from the P & F . Improvements to security and maintenance have been noticeable throughout the year . Thank you to the BPA Committee , and all boarding and school staff for their considerable support and guidance throughout the year . Working together with boarding families , we aim to make boarding a caring , happy , friendly environment where lifelong friends and memories will be made .
Christine Brown BPA Chairperson
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