The Olympics come to Monmouth

Whether or not you managed to get tickets for London 2012, you can still join in the fun in Monmouth on 25th May with our Olympic-themed Sports Event. That morning the Olympic torch will be passing through Monmouth at about 11 a.m., so come and watch this historic event and then join us for lunch at the Pavilion; we'll be laying on a hog roast, strawberries and Pimms. After lunch you will be entertained by elite sports (starting at 1.30 p.m.), a tug of war, speed kicking and other fun and games. There are rumours of a surprise staff event and it is hoped that a special guest will be there to present the medals.

All parents and friends are warmly invited to join us, so book the day off and come and celebrate this historic occasion!

A taste of France

FoMS brought a taste of France to a wet Monmouth evening at a very successful wine tasting on 27th April.

After a week that had started with school fees, seen the return of the recession and ended with torrential rain, our guests were ready for a drink. Luckily we had Tom Innes of Fingal Rock to guide us through a French-themed evening that saw the Pavilion superbly bedecked with the tricolor, bunting and red roses.

After a glass of cava (Spanish, Tom confessed), he introduced us to a succession of French wines and one New Zealand wine just to mix things up. He taught us how to look at the rim of the wine to assess its age and character and to savour its bouquet before getting to the important business of tasting it.

We also sampled a magnificent array of French cheeses, provided by the school catering department, and guests had the opportunity to buy bottles of the wines that they had most enjoyed, both to take home with them and to continue the merry-making.

Grateful thanks go to all who helped with setting up, pouring wine, clearing up afterwards and to the following very generous donors of raffle prizes:

Beth Price of Colour Me Beautiful, Monmouth School Sports Complex, Blake Theatre, Whole Earth Bistro, Envee Shoes, No. Eighteen and Monnow Valley Vineyard.

Fundraising websites - easy ways to make money for FoMS

You can now earn money for FoMS just with the click of a mouse.

If you register at www.easyfundraising.org.uk and nominate Friends of Monmouth School as your chosen charity, then every time you make an online purchase from a wide range of online retailers (including Boden, Tesco, Amazon, M&S and John Lewis), a small sum of money will got to FoMS at no extra cost to you. (Note: to earn funds for FoMS the retailer must be accessed via the easyfundraising website)

Similarly, if you register wtih its sister site, www.easysearch.org.uk, again designating Friends of Monmouth School as your nominated charity, you can raise money for FoMS every time you use it as your search engine. Each search raises £0.05 for FoMS and you'd be surprised how quickly the money adds up.

We have checked this out carefully and trialled it ourselves, and can assure you that it's clean, legal and won't involve you in junk mail or spam. Please register and start raising funds the easy way.

FoMS on Facebook

We now have our very own Facebook page where you can find out our latest news, make suggestions for future events and view photographs of what we've been up to. If you're on Facebook, just search Friends of Monmouth School. You'll need to request to join as for security reasons it's a closed group. Once you've joined you can add other parents if they are Facebook friends.

FOMS Christmas Fair

This year's Christmas Craft Fair was a great success and a lovely start to the festive season.

The Blake Theatre was transformed into a vibrant, colourful hive of activity, with nearly 40 stalls, featuring a wide range of gifts: jewellery, Christmas ornaments, photography, toys, festive food and even chicken doorstops. Up on the stage, the Grange showcased their now-famous Human Fruit Machine, whilst main school boys manned a highly popular "Splat the Rat" stall.

Meanwhile, little ones were thrilled to meet Father Christmas in a magical grotto full of snowflakes and sparkling lights. Santa had brought some of his sleigh bells for the children to try, and each child came home with a special gift.

Out in the foyer, a team of hard-working volunteers served glittery mince pies, stollen, mulled wine, tea and coffee - a welcome treat for foot-sore shoppers.

Musical entertainment was provided by the Monmouth School Brass Band who braved the cold to play outside the theatre, and by the Grange and Inglefield House choirs, who sang carols from the balcony inside. They were rewarded with a walkabout by Father Christmas who appeared, as if by magic, with chocolate lollipops for all of the singers.

Huge thanks to everyone who helped with organising the event - especially Sarah Merriam Pierce and Ann Nixon - and to the local shops and businesses (below) who generously provided raffle prizes:

Monmouth School Shop

FOMS Donations

We were delighted to be able to grant a number of funding requests at our most recent committee meeting.

The first was a substantial contribution towards the building of a computer by A-level Computing students to enable Monmouth School to participate in the Folding@home project: an international, award-winning, charitable research project run by the University of Stanford to explore cures for degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Huntingdon's and many others. The computer will form part of a "super-cluster" of computers processing data that will be sent back to the University.

Our next contribution was towards the purchase of three digital cameras to be used by KS3, GCSE and A-level students as well as during photographic workshops organised as part of the Tenby Art Trips that the school has run for the last two years. As most boys have only experienced "point and

shoot" automatic cameras, these cameras will enable them to learn how to use manual functions on a camera, which will give them a better understanding of how a camera works.

Finally, we are contributing to some indoor softball equipment for the school softball team to use in the dark winter months. The team hopes to mount a challenge in the 3rd division in Bristol in the spring; let's hope that the new equipment stands them in good stead.

Forthcoming FOMS Events 2012

There's plenty to look forward to in 2012. We are hoping to hold the long-awaited Theatre Supper in the Lent Term: an evening of theatre at the Blake Theatre, produced and performed by parents and staff (who wouldn't pay to see that?), accompanied by a lovely three-course supper. Any enquiries about this event should be directed to Mr. Geraghty at JohnF.Geraghty@monmouthschool.org.

Then in the summer term we are planning an Olympic-themed event to coincide with sports day. Watch this space for further details.

Summer Ball 2011

The Summer Ball held at the end of the summer term was a fantastic success.

Guests were treated to welcome fizz, accompanied by the fabulously talented Will Stokes on the piano. They then moved into the marquee, by now bedecked in black and gold, for a mouth-watering three-course dinner and dancing to the Good Times! 

Some guests were lucky enough to win fantastic raffle and auction prizes, and enjoyed the sight of an HMSG pupil modelling one of the auction prizes - an outfit worn by pop superstar and former HMSG pupil, Marina and the Diamonds.

Huge thanks go to all who made it happen, especially Neil Muir and the catering team, Dr. Connors, Mrs. Davy,k Mr. Chowns, Mr. Boiling and all of the  maintenance and housekeeping staff busy behind the scenes.

Special thanks also go to the Ball committee who worked exceptionally hard for almost a year to bring you this much-loved event, and to Vince Oliva for being our auctioneer for the night.

We are also grateful to our sponsor, 24-7 Recruitment, and all those who generously  donated items for the raffle and auction.

		Atelier Gilmar

The Anchorage, Skye

Fabulous Fish

Jo Booth

Sue Gibson