We are proud to be supporting Place2Be’s Children’s’ Mental Health Week in school. Now in its ninth year, the initiative was set up to encourage more people to talk about children’s mental health and promote positive change. The theme this year is ‘Let’s Connect’, which is about making meaningful connections for all. When we have healthy connections, this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing. When our need for rewarding social connections is not met, we can sometimes feel isolated and lonely, which can have a negative impact on our mental health.
All this week, we have been running a series of wellbeing activities at lunchtime across the school, to encourage pupils to try something new and engage with each other. Pupils have enjoyed activities including Pilates, sound bath relaxation, creative writing, crochet and rock painting.
Durham Women’s FC match
On Sunday we took a group of students in Years 7-12 to watch Durham Women’s FC play Sheffield United in the Barclays Women’s Championship. It was a brilliant day and a great opportunity to watch live football, made even better by Durham scoring a late goal to win the match 1-0. Afterwards, the girls enjoyed meeting and talking to the players, congratulating them and collecting some autographs.
Climbing success for Charlotte
Charlotte in Year 8 was invited to attend a bench-marking session in Sheffield with GB Climbing, following her recent performance in the English National Bouldering Championships. She has subsequently been invited to join their talent squad and is excited to be training with them throughout this year.
Karate Club taster session
Karate lessons have been held in school by Rosanne Tombs for several years. Lessons are constructed to follow a coloured belt grade syllabus and a merit badge award scheme. Emphasis is also made on self-defence practice. Rosanne is holding a free taster session for pupils in Years 2-7 this Wednesday 15 February at lunchtime. If your daughter is interested in the taster session, please email Miss Cartwright at [email protected].
Prep Sport
The U9A team travelled to Mowden Hall to play in a netball festival on Wednesday. The team played great netball and there were some very exciting moments. In the final match against Mowden Hall the team came back from a 0-2 at half time to draw the game 3-3.
On Thursday, the U10A team played in the NHS invitational tournament. The team worked extremely hard and played fantastic netball with victory against teams from Dame Allan’s, RGS and NHS. The team came 3rd place overall out of 10 teams.
University Chemistry visit
A Level Chemists were invited to Durham University Department of Chemistry on Wednesday to experience a university laboratory. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of identifying a painkiller using TLC, IR and melting point analysis. Thank you to the Teaching Fellows in the Chemistry department at the university for their hospitality.
River walk for Year 6
Year 6 have been learning about rivers as part of their Geography work in school. This week, they went for a walk through Low Burnhall Woods beside the River Browney to see some of the features they had been learning about.
Senior Department Careers Fair
We are still looking for some business representatives in areas such as PR, the environment, the arts, veterinary and business consultancy, to attend our Durham High School Careers Fair next month.
The fair will take place on Friday 10 March 2023 from 1.45pm-5pm. All pupils from across Senior Department will be in attendance to find out about a wide range of careers and opportunities. Parents will also be able to attend with their daughters from 4pm.
Exhibitors should arrive at Main Reception at 1pm on the day and bring photo ID. You can bring any promotional literature, banners etc and set up is possible from 1.15pm onwards. Stallholders will have a trestle table approximately 1.5m x 0.5m. If you are interested in attending on behalf of your business, please get in touch with Mrs Robinson on [email protected].
Durham High School ‘Viva Las Vegas’ Ball
The Durham High School Ball is back for 2023, with the Las Vegas-themed evening taking place on Saturday 29 April at Ramside Hall Hotel. The Ball is for all members of the school community, with parents from all year groups invited, as well as Year 12 and 13 pupils, staff, Governors and Old Girls who are aged 17 years old and above. The aim is to raise money for the Parents & Friends, who do fabulous work for the benefit of all pupils at Durham High School. The cost of tickets is £45 for DHS pupils and staff, and £60 for parents and friends of the school. Details on how to book online will follow shortly.
Cybersecurity talk
This week was also Safer Internet Day, which is an annual event designed to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology. We were grateful to Dr. Igor Kotsiuba, who is a parent at Durham High School, for coming in to deliver a talk to pupils about cyber security. Dr. Kotsiuba, who is based at the Durham University Business School and is originally from Ukraine, is the school’s new Enterprise Adviser through the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and will be running a series of talks and workshops over the coming months.
Wellbeing Hub
We are delighted to invite you to sign up to The Wellbeing Hub, which is designed by experts to meet the social, emotional and educational needs of young people. You can watch an introduction to what The Wellbeing Hub is here. The school has invested in membership for all parents, staff and pupils (aged 10-13 and 13+) to have access to their own dedicated areas. Pupils will be introduced to the Wellbeing Hub in the coming weeks and given the opportunity to register themselves.
As part of the membership, parents have access to:
- Training and courses
- Interviews, articles and tips
- Inspiring Futures Podcast
- Ask the Expert and live Q&As
- Other exclusive member offers
We would encourage you to sign up and take advantage of this fantastic resource. It is completely free, with the costs covered by school, and there is no need to enter a coupon code as the link below will set you up automatically. You can sign up now by clicking here. Just remember to enter the school name as ‘Durham High School’.
Gala Production – March
We are delighted to be returning to the Gala Durham in 2023 for our annual performance, which this year will be the vibrant, energetic and heart-warming musical School of Rock. The stage show is based on the hit film and features 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as all the original songs that you may remember from the movie.
There will be evening performances from Thursday 2 March to Saturday 4 March at 7.30pm, with a matinee performance also on the Saturday afternoon at 2.30pm. Tickets are £15 for adults and £12 for concessions, with a £48 family ticket also available. You can purchase your tickets now from the Gala Durham website. We hope to see you there.
