A BIG Special Thanks to all our Sponsors!

Platinum

Gold

Fall Fete will take place Saturday, October 19th, 2019 from 10am to 2pm!!

For returning families and those new to Howard, the Fall Fete is always a great family fun day, as well as being one of the school’s top fundraising events! Come out and enjoy Fall Fete Classics like:

Games for kids of all ages

Talent Show sponsored by the Michael Johnston Music Studio

Face Painting, Pumpkin Decorating

Cookie Decorating, Bouncy Castles

Spooky Haunted House

Wine Raffle and Basket Raffle

Popular Cake Walk (spin the wheel, win a cake!)

Terrific hot lunch available at the Lunch Table and the Bake Sale

Deep-fried Goodies prepared by our FryDaddies

What do we do with the money raised by the Fall Fete?

As parents, we are aware that our children at Howard enjoy many enriched learning experiences that most schools in the TDSB do not. These “extras” that we have come to accept as our standard are entirely self-funded. Examples include:

Visiting artists and scientists in the classroom

New playground structure, new stage, and risers

Field trips, classroom supplies, books, school computers

Graduation parties, end of year potluck, parent workshops, the learning garden

Each of these programs/enriched supplies are purchased with funds raised by us, the parents, through fundraising activities run through the Howard Home and School Association (formally known as the PTA). We should count ourselves lucky to live in an area where the culture of giving is as strong as it is, and the parent volunteers are so dedicated!  H&S raises approximately $60,000 each year for the above activities.

The Fall Fete accounts for over 1/3 of our fundraising dollars, but, more importantly, it acts as a tremendous community builder and is a great opportunity for parents and their children to spend time together, and for you to meet other parents at the school. And yes, it is also a ton of fun!

How can you get involved?

This year’s Fall Fete will be a success only because of parent volunteers and their donations. There are several ways to get involved:

Donate your time: before, during, or after the Fete

Have a resolution to get more involved at your child’s school this year? It takes a small army to run the Fete and our work starts now! We are looking for over 250 volunteers who have continually made this event such a tremendous success. Sign up for a 2-hour shift on event day and your kids will be thrilled! Sign up by clicking the link below.

(click the “SIGN UP!” button to go to the Volunteer Sign-Up Roster).

This year, many “old guard” parent volunteers are moving on with their children to other schools, and we are looking for new volunteer blood (metaphorically speaking) to grow the event and keep it successful! If you’d like to learn the ropes, please consider shadowing these expert volunteers, including Chair/Vice-Chair and Coordinators for the Cake Walk, Volunteer Recruitment, Lunch Table and Set Up & Tear Down.

DONATE – We are looking for USED ITEMS:

TOYS

Small used toys for the Fish Pond (no broken or plush toys please)

We are also looking for NEW ITEMS:

BASKET RAFFLE

This popular raffle can’t happen without contributions from our families!  Donations of new items are collected, sorted and assembled into beautiful, themed baskets and raffled off at the Fall Fete. Please send new items with your child to their classroom.  Baskets are in their classrooms waiting to be filled.  Need some ideas?  Themes from past years have included – arts & crafts, toys, games, books, sports-related items, things for the BBQ, gourmet food & kitchen items, health & exercise, home office, home spa and beauty items, items for a movie night or a rainy day, items related to gardening, chocolates, candy, coffees, teas and other gourmet/luxury items. Please think of what you would like to win when making your donations!

WINE RAFFLE

Donate a bottle, then try your luck at winning a case!

Back by popular demand is the parents’ favourite Fall Fête event: the Wine Raffle!  Pressed for time? This is a great way to make a Fall Fête contribution. Simply drop off a bottle of wine at the school office (please respect office quiet times). Pick a personal favourite, or something that you’d like to share (or win!).  Bottle donations will be accepted from now until Friday, October 12.  All donations will be assembled into cases to be raffled off at the Fête.  Last year ten lucky winners each went home with a case of assorted wines. Cheers!

BAKED GOODS

Gather your baking supplies now and contribute something nut-free to our bake table or submit a creative cake to the cake walk!

You can look for more information on how to donate or volunteer to be brought home by your child or by subscribing to our HPS blog at howardpublicschool.com. Also, keep up-to-date on all Fall Fete news by following us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fallfete and on Twitter @FallFete.

As always, please share your ideas about the Fall Fete, changes or improvements you’d like to see or things you really like and would like to keep the same. The Fall Fete is, above all, an illustration of our school community coming together – something at which Howard excels. We look forward to working with all of you to continue this tradition of success.

See you at the Fete!

If you are interested in knowing more or want to get involved, you can email us at fallfetehoward@gmail.com or use the contact form at the bottom of the Fall Fete page.

Sign up now at to volunteer at the Fete

(click the “SIGN UP!” button to go to the Volunteer Sign-Up Roster)!

To learn more about how the Fall Fete contributes to our school, please read this article