Great things happen when parents and teachers come together
The purpose of the PSA
The Highgate Wood School Parent-School Association (HWS PSA) is there to bridge the gap between home and school. We do this by:
- providing opportunities for families to meet other families and school staff members (during non-Covid times), for example at welcome evenings,
- helping to organise and manage fundraising events, such as the school Quiz night,
- keeping parents informed via mailshots and emails,
- and working alongside the school to enhance the breadth of education and opportunities it can offer to its pupils, for example through funding extracurricular activities or school equipment.
The members of the PSA
All HWS families and carers are automatically members of the PSA, but the PSA Committee is the driving force behind all the PSA activities and outreach. The PSA Committee comprises up to 15 members: 14 HWS parents or carers, and the current school representative, Tristan Ashman (Assistant Headteacher). The PSA Committee meets regularly to discuss events, fundraising, allocation of funds and specific issues concerning the school.
Committee members
- Katie Kelly – Chair / Volunteers, MADFest & Lottery Co-ordinator / Communications
- Vacant (TBC) – Deputy Chair
- Preeya Georgiou – Treasurer
- Anjali Patel – Secretary
- Fiona Gaughan – Second-Hand Uniform Co-ordinator / Seasonal Dig Co-ordinator / PSA Inventory
- Emma Grove – Newsletter
- Michal Meidan – Newsletter
- Ru Fernando
- Emma Jarvis
- Audrey Neil – Licence Co-ordinator / PSA Inventory
- Tristan Ashman – School Representative
We are always actively seeking new committee members to maintain our numbers in order to increase our output, maximise our reach and broaden our demographic representation, so if you can help, please email hwoodpsa@gmail.com
Word from the Wood
Word from the Wood is the HWS PSA newsletter. We produce a newsletter per term, providing those on our mailing list with details of what we do, upcoming events, extra-curricular activities, learning enhancement provision, fundraising activities, money raised and what the money helps to fund, useful information and feedback about the school. If you have any suggestions for Word from the Wood, please email wordfromthewood@gmail.com.
PSA General Meetings
Aside from our PSA Committee meetings, we host PSA General Meetings twice a year (currently all online) which all are welcome to attend (as non-participant observers, with the chance to ask questions via the chat forum). These meetings include updates on PSA funding, diary date information and a PSA Lottery draw, as well as a talk on a specialist subject (for example, e-safety and cyber-bullying, or understanding the teenage brain) presented by a member of staff or a guest speaker. The evenings also provide a chance to familiarise parents and carers with staff and the school on an informal basis.
Please see below for video recordings of recent AGM meetings.
Contact us
- To join our mailing list, to volunteer as a helper, to enquire about joining the PSA Committeeor for any other information including buying second-hand uniform: email hwoodpsa@gmail.com
- To join the PSA Lottery: email HWSLott2020@hotmail.com
- To get in touch with the PSA newsletter, Word from the Wood: email wordfromthewood@gmail.com
Headteacher Patrick Cozier writes:
The PSA is a highly valued group at HWS. The work that they have done in supporting the school and being a conduit for dialogue between staff and parents is second to none. The relationship we have is excellent. The impact on their work in terms of fundraising, contributing funds to support specific projects or initiatives that benefit our students and promoting a positive image of the school has been outstanding. They remain a consistent and important contributor to our continued success as a school. I am immensely grateful for what they do!
Stay in Touch
- Join our Mailing List
- Volunteer – to volunteer email us at (email tbc)
- Join our committee – email us at hwoodpsa@gmail.com to enquire about joining the committee
- Second hand uniform and lost property – email Gail Walker at psauniform@hws.uk.com
- Contact us on hwoodpsa@gmail.com
- Join the PSA Lottery HWSLott2020@hotmail.com
Social Media
We have a Facebook group to be used as an easy way to communicate to parents and carers at the school about PSA activities and for you to communicate with us. We appreciate not all parents are on Facebook or Twitter, but for those who are, it would be great if you could join the group and spread the word amongst the HWS parent/carer network you know.
Our Facebook group is a private group so you will need to send a join request, but we will try and approve those as quickly as possible to get you up and running. Please also read the description once you join as there are some common sense rules for all members of this group.
Word from the Wood
Our newest venture is our termly newsletter Word from the Wood. Please click here to download and read.