50 years at Newton Lane celebrations!

Dear Friends, We are writing to past pupils, parents and staff of the Firs as well as those friends who have supported the school over the years. We want to extend a warm invitation to you to share in our fiftieth celebration weekend from 29 June to 1 July 2012. The school is of course considerably older but the move to the current building in 1962 marked a hugely important moment in the life of the Firs. We will be having a marquee on the lawn which will be the venue for a number of events over the weekend. The weekend begins on Friday 29 June at 7.00 p.m. with the musical "Cinderella Rockafella" performed by Year 6 pupils. Money raised at this event will be for a charity of their choice. Tickets will be £5 for adults and £2 for children. On Saturday 30th June we will be having our 60s themed dinner dance in the marquee. The evening starts at 7pm with carriages at midnight. Guests will receive a complementary free drink on arrival and a three course meal will be followed by a sixties disco. Tickets are £45 each if booked before 1st June and £50 thereafter. Tables for ten are available to be booked before 1 June for a special price of £400. The school chef Neil Riley, Holroyd Howe, Chester Racecourse and The Firs Parents Group are supporting us in making this a very special occasion. Numbers for this event are strictly limited so please book early. The weekend will see the launch of the Firs School Bursary Fund. We hope that this will be able to provide support for current parents who are experiencing financial difficulties but also give families who would otherwise be unable to consider the school for their children an opportunity to share in The Firs community. This is a cause very close to Ted Longman's heart and he is thrilled to launch this new and significant project on the occasion of his retirement which will be marked during the weekend. On Sunday July 1st at 3pm there will be a special service of thanksgiving and celebration. During the service Ted Longman will tell the story of the history of the school and afterwards we will enjoy a huge Tea party. We are expecting large numbers on Sunday afternoon so please let us know if you are able to join us and we will send you free tickets for the occasion. If you have any memorabilia, photographs or memories of the Firs please let us know and we will try to incorporate them into the weekend. After the tea party on Sunday we will be arranging tours of the school so that those who have not visited for some time will be able to see the way our facilities have been developed over the years. Ted is currently, writing the story of the Firs beginning in 1904 with the birth of his mother Florence Longman who founded the school in 1945. If you would like to order a copy of the book please send a minimum donation of £5 and it will be sent to you by the end of August 2012. The money will all go towards the bursary fund. Please make cheques payable to Firs Education Ltd and return to the school office. We do look forward to seeing many of you over the celebration weekend. If you are in contact with any other past Firs pupils or parents please let them know about the event. Our database is not comprehensive and only goes back a certain time. Our order form is on-line and you can add your details and order tickets for the various events. Thank you so much for your help in this. M. Denton   E.Longman   R.Longman