In The News

As you are aware, we are doing incredibly well with our PIE Challenge. We have sent letters out to all the businesses we use at school and we have had interest from Enterprise Travel, Avec, Darlington Credit Union, Watercare, 1AB taxis and the Star of Bengal to name a few.

We have also visited IT Systems who have helped us set up our own website. Check it out at www.reidstreetpiechallenge.co.uk.  They wanted to invest too and offered us £100 so we are adverting their business now.

We have been to the boardroom at Bannatynes, to learn about being an entrepreneur and also make a pitch for their business to advertise on our website. After watching a presentation, about how Duncan Bannatyne made his money, we made our pitch and shared our advert. They decided to support us and asked us to promote their three businesses:  Bannatynes Gyms, Bannatynes Spas and Bannatynes Hotels. Quick thinking Hamish struck the deal and they agreed to pay £75 per business so we received another £225.
 
Our biggest investor was Tracey Wilson from Itech. On the Tuesday afternoon (after school had finished) a group of 12 pupils headed to Newton Aycliffe. We sat at the boardroom table and presentated our case. Itech were incredibly impressed and we managed to get £400 for their advert! Tom shook on the deal. 

​We also sent a Marvellous Me to all our parents and they have supported us too! Alfie’s dad at Gsit sponsored us; Cole’s mam wanted to advertise on our website; Kizzy’s dad’s tattoo parlour was one of the first to sign up! Harry’s mum runs two businesses and she is thrilled to sign up her two companies. It was been amazing!  From just the adverts we have raised over £1,300. What a team we are!
 
Thanks for reading this from The Pie Challenge team.

As well as selling advertising space for our website, we set up a side-line to our business. We linked our new business to the Darlington Carnival. Pupils involved in the carnival created prayer flags – based on the ones you will no doubt have seen on the many photographs of Everest. We decided to create and sell prayer flags/wishes to all pupils and members of the public at the carnival. For 50p each person got a personalised message and the prayer flag formed part of our Reid Street Carnival ‘float’. People were keen to support our Big PIE challenge and help us in raising more money in order to win the £5000 prize money – £1000 of which we will donate to St Teresa’s.  We raised £229.00 and only spent £7.50 on a pack of coloured paper. The profit was £221.50. 

​Our third business venture was Melissa’s idea. Originally, she wanted to bake and sell cakes but the general manager (Alfie) suggested we cash in on the hot weather and sell ice pops to pupils in school. After all, Duncan Bannatyne started with an ice cream van! From that we managed to raise £146.85 and, as the 500 ice pops only cost £28.00 to buy, we made £118.85 profit.

​Nearly 30 children from year 4 took part in the annual Darlington Community Games event on Thursday 5th July at Eastbourne Sports Complex. The event involved the children splitting into teams and competing in three different sports – cricket, tag-rugby and athletics. On arrival, the children were each handed a Community Games t-shirt. The children then took part in a collective warm up and were introduced to Craig Heap – an Olympic gymnast. Once the opening ceremony was complete, the children were separated into their groups and took part in games and skill sessions at their allocated event. Craig Heap spent time with all of the children and they had the opportunity to have their t-shirt signed by him. During the closing ceremony, awards were handed out for the key Olympic values. Reid Street was awarded the Respect award, which now proudly stands in our trophy cabinet. The children had a fabulous time and developed their skill set which is their first step in the School Games competition calendar for year 5 and 6.      

As a reward for coming second in the Eurovision contest this year, Reid Street were asked to participate in the Proms in the Park event. The children learned a selection of songs from ‘Oliver’ as well as performing the well-known ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. Children sang with Mowden Primary School accompanied by The Royal Signals Brass Band. The event was witnessed by over 3000 people and it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. The choir performed beautifully and we were a credit to the school. Marion Ogle, the Town Centre Partnership and Events Manager passed on her thanks to the children: ‘On behalf of the organisers I would like to thank you all very much for participating in yesterday’s hugely successful Proms in the Park .
Ivor whom retired after yesterday’s performance has always wanted a school choir and he was over the moon with your exceptional performance of Oliver, please pass this onto the children from us all. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.’

It seems not that long ago, that we were all auditioning for this amazing production. We had to go to all the lunchtime rehearsals: they were really fun! A few months later, we found out our parts. Rehearsals were more often and more serious. Soon, the talented Mrs Fawcett, started making the costumes from all the cast. A very big THANK YOU! Weeks later, the rehearsals intensified and we were out all day. Before we knew it, dress rehearsals began; this put us all in character. Finally the big day came! We were all so nervous backstage. All the teachers calmed us down. When it was our turn, we all did our very best and blew the audience away. Everyone remembered their lines, the singing was in tune and the acting was spot on! We had some fantastic help from Mr Parkinson (who created the scenery) and the team from the Forum, who helped with the sound and lights. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without the two teachers that put this together, Mrs Rimmer and Mrs Farthing! Thank you!! We are sure, you will see some of us on the stage or TV one day. Keep an eye out!

​On Wednesday 27th June, Chloe Ryan (an England School Girls player) visited Reid Street to talk to our girls’ football teams. She spoke about her journey and her passion for the sport, followed by a question and answer session. Chloe then worked with the girls to produce posters on all of the key attributes of being a football player. The girls then presented their posters back to Chloe. It was a fantastic experience and the girls loved working with Chloe. It has ignited their passion to play football at the highest level possible.