Christmas card sending in primary school

mrs_monkey

is there an alternative to sending xmas cards in primary schools, i know the kids love it but all that money wasted on cards could be better going toward pta. we are a c of e school and wondered if any others had tried alternatives. we are also an eco aware school so surely every child in every class sending one another cards has an eco impact too... even in a small school, 130 pupils, thats a heck of alot of waste.... any advice out there please?

Spendless

You could do what many companies do and instead buy a larger card which all the children sign and then ask them to donate the £1 or so that they would have spent on a pack of cards to charity. Depending on the size of the school you might need one 'communal' card for each class/year. Unless you outright ban the cards though, in which case prepare yourself for a story in the Daily Mail about it, not everyone will join in because as you say

mrs_monkey wrote: »

the kids love it

duchy

Why would you send cards to every child in the school ? 130 cards is daft.
My son went to a very similar sized school (also CoE) the kids just sent to their classmates (some just to their particular buddies) - so maximum of thirty cards plus one to class teacher often less.

Serendipitious

Children love sending and receiving cards and it would be a pity to overshadow such simple seasonal joy with environmental concerns, especially at such a young age.

The eco awareness can happen afterwards, with everyone participating in the recycling.

Spendless

duchy wrote: »

Why would you send cards to every child in the school ? 130 cards is daft.
My son went to a very similar sized school (also CoE) the kids just sent to their classmates (some just to their particular buddies) - so maximum of thirty cards plus one to class teacher often less.

I read it as each one of the say 30 schoolchildren would send 29 cards out to their classmates (and each receive 29 cards in return). The concern is over the amount being sent by children not by the school staff.

flipper_72

not sure how you think the kids not sending cards would equal money being donated to the PTA???

I have to be honest I am a PTA secretary and would never think of trying to stop cards being sent in order to raise our funds but maybe you could put a school PTA post box in the school, charge a small donation for the PTA to sort the cards and deliver to the correct child?
the only fundraiser we do for the Christmas period (church school) is the cards the kids design themselves and get sent away to be produced by another company, but this needs to be done around now to get them back in time.

l0ubbl0u

I've helped out on the PTA but this is one suggestion I wouldn't agree on. I'm also a Childminder, so ever Christmas I see the joy of all the children I care for when they get a card from a friend. Cards can be brought so cheap now. I think it's only in reception when a child sends to everyone in the class, after that it becomes friends. Like it has been suggested, why not focus on the recycling after.

mrs_monkey

I hear what you are all saying but christmas cards have nothing to do with the christian element. if all 130 children sent just cards to their class, approx 30 then that is 3,900 cards going through the school, if my maths is right! doesn't anyone else think that is a massive amount of waste when they see their school friends and teachers daily? and the reason i ask if there is an alternative that also enables the pta to raise money too means the children benefit from that anyway, my understanding of pta money raised is for the "nice" things that local councils no longer fund? i am not being a ba humbug, i embrace the christmas spirit. and would never suggest banning them, just would like to maybe re educate our up and coming generation not to pander to the commercialisation of christmas.

Own_My_Own

mrs_monkey wrote: »

doesn't anyone else think that is a massive amount of waste when they see their school friends and teachers daily? .

Both my children (20 and 16) live at home, so I see them daily but I still get them a Christmas card.

Spendless

I actually now have a vague remembrance that Junior school once did a virtual card, so you could log on to the schools website and post a message to everyone. I think this was free though and I don't think the idea took off too well as I don't remember it in recent years only during the time son was a pupil and he's now in yr 9 and I still have a child at said school.

mrs_monkey

Thanks Spendless... that is my fear.