With only two weeks left to go before the end of term, there is still so much for us to fit in.
We wish pupils in Year 11 and Year 13 the best of luck as they take part in their final round of assessments next week, ahead of the GCSE and A Level examinations starting in May. In Junior House, there are music concerts for pupils in Years 3 and 4 (Tuesday 22 March) and Years 5 and 6 (Tuesday 29 March). We always look forward to being able to welcome parents and family members into school to watch our wonderfully talented pupils perform. We also have the Sports Presentation Evening at Ramside Hall on Monday 28 March and the rearranged Year 6 Transition Evening on Wednesday 30 March in school.
We are also very excited to be welcoming the team from Affixxius into school during the last week of term. The content production specialists are putting together our new school film, which will premiere before the Summer. The campaign is entitled “Calling all Girls” and aims to celebrate the very best of Durham High School and our wonderful pupils. The team will be on site from Monday 28 – Thursday 31 March, so if you see them around then please do make them feel welcome.
School Ball
The Parents & Friends are delighted to see the return of the Durham High School Ball after Easter. The rainforest-themed event will be taking place on Saturday 7 May from 7pm in The Bishops Suite at Ramside Hall. 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 annual event, which was last able to take place in May 2019, is a wonderful occasion which will allow us to finally come together as an entire school community and celebrate the wonderful efforts of our pupils, staff and parents throughout the last two years. The aim of the evening is to raise money for the Parents & Friends, who do fabulous work for the benefit of all pupils at Durham High School. To book, please visit bit.ly/dhsrainforestball where you can choose your menu options and pay for your tickets. We really do hope to see you there.
Easter Holiday Camps at DHS
This year, there will be two weeks of Easter Holiday Camps running, from Monday 4 – Friday 8 April and Tuesday 19 – Friday 22 April 2022. The clubs are open to all children aged 3 to 11 and will be run on the grounds of DHS by our partners REEVO Coaching. Their popular holiday camps have been a challenging yet fun environment for children to flourish during school holidays for over 8 years. There will be a mixture of activities to keep children engaged from sports (football and netball) to arts and crafts, whilst also including outdoor games and movie afternoons.
Costs are £25 per day or £100 for week one and £80 for week two. Siblings of two or more are £20 per day – please enquire direct for weekly booking price for siblings. If you are interested, you can reserve a place by clicking here. If you have any questions, you can also contact them at [email protected] or call 07814805679. We are delighted to have REEVO working with us as we look to expand our out of school offering. They will also be helping to run our Summer Holiday Clubs throughout July and August.
New Chair of Governors
At the meeting of Governors on Thursday 10 March, Miss Linda Clark stepped down as Chair after several years of leading the school. Miss Clark was on the Board of Governors for 10 years and, before that, was Deputy Head at Durham High School from 2008-2010. We wish her all the best for the future. At the meeting, the Governors elected Rev Canon Michael Everitt as the new Chair of Governors and he takes over with immediate effect.
Easter Quiz and Bingo
Join the Parents & Friends for an evening of fun and prizes at the Easter Quiz and Bingo on Friday 25 March. The event will run from 6.30pm – 9pm in the Main Hall, and friends and family, as well as parents and children, are welcome to attend.
Tickets are £5 for adults and £2 for children and teams should be no more than 8. Snacks are included with your ticket, but please bring your own drinks. Details on how to book are available on Firefly or contact the school on 0191 384 3226.
Anything Goes – Photos
We cannot believe it has been two weeks since pupils took to the stage for Anything Goes at the Gala Theatre. The wonderful performances were testament to the hard work and dedication of Mrs Lonsdale, Dr Hardy and the whole cast and crew, who deserve a lot of recognition for their fabulous efforts. We have uploaded a gallery of some photos to our Facebook page for you to view.
Year 13 Science Olympiads
Congratulations to the Year 13 A level Chemists who achieved Bronze and Silver certificates from the Chemistry Olympiad Round 1 2022.
Year 6 Games Captains
Our Year 6 Games Captains have been very busy lately, organising the Easter Hunt, helping with Netball Club and leading their house at the Swimming Gala. Well done girls.
Support for Ukraine
The final day of term, Friday 1 April, will be a non-uniform day to raise money for The Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian appeal. The Junior School Council have also decided that the proceeds from the Junior House Sponsored Walk, which will take place on the same day, will also go to the appeal for Ukraine.
In addition, Mrs McElrue and her husband will be driving to Poland after school on 1 April with a van and a trailer filled with supplies for families. They are seeking donations for babies and children including Calpol, nappies, wipes, bottles and baby milk as well as things such as pencil cases with colouring pencils, mindfulness books and colouring books.
As a school, we thought Mrs McElrue come take some gifts from our pupils, for children that are the same age as them, with a message attached as a small token of support. All and any donations are welcome, but for storage purposes we would ask that parents and pupils do not bring anything into school until Thursday 31 March.
Durham University Junior Programmes
Team Durham, based at Durham University, are currently hosting three junior programmes in hockey, basketball and tennis, for a variety of ages.
Junior Hockey
When: Sundays, Ages: 6-9 (09:30-10:30) & 10-16 (10:15-11:55)
Where: Maiden Castle Hockey Pitches (DH1 3SE)
Cost: £4.50 a session (Termly or Annual discount available)
Junior Basketball
When: Tuesdays 4.30pm-5.30pm, Ages: 8-12
Where: Maiden Castle Arena A (DH1 3SE)
Cost: £3.50 a session
Junior Tennis
When: Mondays, Ages: 5-7 (4pm-5pm) & 8-11 (5pm-6pm)
Where: Maiden Castle Arena A (DH1 3SE)
Cost: £3.50 a session
Find out more on the Durham University website.
