There’ll be no stationery costs for parents of juniors at Raglan Area School this year, thanks to an “out of the blue” donation of $7500 from the local Four Square supermarket.
School learning assistant Angela Massey – who was contacted in the holidays by store manager Bhupinder Singh – says it’s an “incredibly generous” offer that helps both the school and the families. “Huge ups to him,” she adds.
The funds cover $25 worth of stationery purchased by the school for the 300 or so children in years 0-6. This includes everything from exercise books, pens, pencils and erasers to glue sticks and highlighters.
“It’s funds that parents don’t have to find from their back pockets.”
Older students have more specialist and varied needs, Angela explains, so the focus on the junior classes means it was a simple task to add up the overall costs for what is effectively half the school roll.
Principal Louisa Barham told whānau in a newsletter “we are very fortunate to have had the costs for this stationery sponsored”.
An informal hui or meeting was held a month ago before the school year got under way to finalise the arrangement. “This is one less payment that can be put towards other things,” she said.
Bhupinder told the Chronicle the initiative was his way of “giving back to the community”.
Edith Symes
