Parent Community
Parent Community
Hello! My name is Nicola de Arcangelis and I currently chair the BMR. I have two daughters, Ella who has recently moved on to her secondary school and Sophie who is currently in Form 2. I have been in role since September 2017 and a member of the BMR since 2012.
BMR stands for “Brockhurst, Marlston and our pre-prep, Ridge House” and is made up of a group of parents across all years of the school. We typically meet a few times each term and our role is to support our community of families within the school as outlined below!
How we connect parents
At a class level a BMR class representative will organise social events for the parents such as a coffee morning or evening drinks to enable parents to get to know one another. It is always so wonderful to witness how welcoming our class reps are and they can really help new families find their feet with all aspects of starting a new school.
At a group level, we organise events such as the hugely popular annual quiz night for parents, the Summer Fayre for the whole extended family and the Christmas Disco for the children. These events are designed to be fun first and foremost, but with the added benefit of raising funds that we then invest back into the school. Sometimes we assist the school with add-ons to long established traditions, for example we now make and sell Mulled Wine at the annual fireworks event. More recently, we have also established and now run The Cabin and the second hand uniform shop.
How we benefit the children
Aside from the benefit of having a more connected parent community, all of the funds that we raise through our activities are invested back into the School. Our recent investments include transforming The Cabin, creation of the secondhand uniform shop and the funding of the Space Project.
The Cabin – an onsite parent café and workspace
Established in 2019, The Cabin has been created by the parents for the parents. Run by the BMR, it is a beautifully relaxing and comfortable space, available for parents to use whenever the school is open (typically from 7.30am – 9.pm daily).
Inside you will find free super fast WiFi, self service tea, coffee, soft drinks and light snacks all available to purchase using our cashless payment system at a reasonable price, and perhaps a friendly face or two! Outside the school have recently installed a beautiful terrace with seating to provide an outdoor extension to this wonderful space.
The BMR also utilise this space to run events such as coffee mornings, Wreath Making sessions in the run up to Christmas and Uniform Sale events.
The Second Hand Uniform Shop
Available both by appointment and through regular sales the secondhand uniform shop is located next to The Cabin and provides a conduit for parents to both buy and sell good quality used uniform.
We sell quality secondhand items at half of the Stevensons selling price. Parents can either choose to donate uniform or sell it with half of the proceeds going to the BMR and half directly back to the seller.
