This weekend marks World Religion Day, which is celebrated every January on the third Sunday of the month. Its aim is to promote understanding and peace between all religions and highlight the role religion has played in uniting people across the planet. We held an assembly for pupils in Year 7-9 today about the six major religion of the worlds, which are Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism, to help pupils to learn about, and celebrate, other faiths. This is so that we can encourage each other to act with respect and understanding, to help create a better world for everyone.
Christmas Trips
At the end of last term, the PE Department and a number of Senior Department girls headed to the slopes in Italy for a pre-Christmas skiing trip. Meanwhile, members of the Sixth Form went to France, with their trip including visits to Paris, Disneyland and Lille. Our sincerest thanks must go to all of the staff, on both trips, for giving up some of their own holidays to ensure that pupils had a tremendous time.
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 from the movie.
There will be evening performances from Thursday 2 March to Saturday 4 March at 7.30pm, with a matinee performance 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.
Coronation of King Charles III
The Government has announced that there will be a one-off Bank Holiday on Monday 8 May 2023 to mark the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. In line with all other schools and further education providers, Durham High School will be closed to all pupils and staff on this day. We will open as normal on Tuesday 9 May 2023.
Parent Webinar
We are excited to share that Elevate Education’s first free webinar of the Spring Term will be taking place on Tuesday 17 January. Elevate Education works with pupils to deliver high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. Last term, they led a session in school for pupils in Year 11 and Year 13. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how you can help better support your children at home through reinforcing the skills they learn at school.
Their first webinar is on Tuesday 17 January 2023 from 6.00pm – 7.00pm and is entitled How to Help Your Child Make Better Notes. The webinar will include the most effective way to structure notes, the 3 levels of acquiring knowledge and how to implement this with your child at home and the power of deliberate practice and the fastest way for your child to improve their marks. If you would like to attend then you can register your place by clicking here.
Catering Update
It will have been almost impossible to not have been impacted by the effects of rising inflation on the price of goods and services over the last few months. We have all seen the cost of our weekly shopping going up, with dairy, meat and fish, among other items, facing a substantial rise in cost for consumers. The school, as you will appreciate, is not immune to the effects of rising inflation and Thomas Franks, and our wonderful catering team, have done remarkably well to ensure that this sharp increase in costs has not impacted on the quality of lunch that is delivered to pupils.
However, it is clear that to avoid a mid-year rise in the price of school lunches for parents, there will inevitably need to be some minor tweaks to our menu in the short term. This is to ensure that our spending remains responsibly within our means, while allowing us to continue to provide a nutritious and balanced meal to our pupils. The impact will be limited.
Outdoor Tots
Outdoor Tots is a great way for girls and boys aged 1-4 to have fun, exploring the natural world in a safe and stimulating environment. Our sessions for this half term return on Tuesday 17 January and take place in our wonderful outdoor learning environment in the Forest Area of the school grounds. Sessions run every Tuesday morning, from 9.30am – 11.00am, during term-time. Places are limited and booking is essential. Tickets are £5 per child (1-4). Additional siblings (1-4) are £2.50 each and any accompanying under 1s are free. Booking is available a half term in advance, so you can now secure your place until the end of February by clicking here.
