End of week bulletin – 24 March

It is a pleasure to announce the Sixth Form Leadership Team for the next academic year:

School Photos – Monday 27 March

On Monday 27 March, Gillman and Soame will be in school taking class, sports team and music group photographs across all years. Please ensure that your daughter is dressed smartly, in full uniform, and that she brings in the appropriate kit and equipment to change into if in a sports team or choir/orchestra.

School Ball – Saturday 29 April

We are delighted to share with you details of the Parents & Friends School Ball, which will take place on Saturday 29 April 2023 in The Bishops Suite at Ramside Hall. The Las-Vegas themed 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.

We are sure anyone that has been before will agree that the annual event is a wonderful occasion which allows us to come together as an entire school community. The aim of the evening is to raise funds for the Parents & Friends, who use the money to fund many fantastic items and ‘icing on the cake’ activities to enhance the girls’ experience at school. You can book your tickets now by clicking here. Please note the Early Bird offer ends on 31 March, so book early to avoid disappointment.

WhatsApp and Communication

Whilst we cannot stop the use of WhatsApp groups for class and year group communication, we would like to make it clear that any groups set up using the school’s name (e.g. DHS Year ## Parents), are not endorsed by Durham High School. We would strongly encourage any parents that are not already signed up to Classlist, to register an account and use this service to communicate with others in their child’s class. A reminder that you should always follow the school’s communication protocol, attached to this letter, if you have any issues or concerns about your daughter. If you are ever in any doubt, you can contact the Main Office on [email protected] and we would be delighted to assist you.

Parent Study Skills Workshop – Tuesday 28 March

We are delighted to welcome you to a free 60 Minute Parent Study Skills Evening on Tuesday 28 March at 5pm with Elevate Education. Elevate Education works with pupils at Durham High School, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. They will be running an in-person seminar in the Main Hall and all parents are invited to attend.

The session will cover:

• How parents can help their children effectively manage their time
• How parents can help their children become motivated and stay motivated.
• The different types of work students should prioritise across the year to maximise results.
• How parents can help children work effectively with technology whilst minimising distractions such as social media sites.

Refreshments will be provided and afterwards, you will receive an e-guide which includes hints, practical tips and resources to help you to support your child through their studies and examinations.

Abigail’s walking challenge

A huge well done to Abigail in Year 7, who completed 60 miles as part of Epilepsy Action’s Walk 50 miles in February challenge. She raised £355 for the charity, which offers support for people living with epilepsy.

Eco Book Swap – Thursday 30 March

The Eco Team will be holding a Pre-Prep to Sixth Form Book Swap and Sale on Thursday 30 March. Donations of books from home would be gratefully received in order to support this event. Donations should be left on the stage of the main school hall between Wednesday 22 March and Tuesday 28 March. Pupils that have donated are then welcome to come along at lunchtime on Thursday 30 March to select a different book that appeals to them. Donations of small change would also be welcomed, with all money collected going to “Read for Good”.

Pre-Prep Farm Visit

Pre-Prep children had lots of fun at Hall Hill Farm earlier this week. They loved learning about baby animals and were even lucky enough to see two new born Shetland lambs.

Pre-Prep and Prep Music Concerts

Thank you to everyone who came to our Year 1-4 and Year 5-6 Music Concerts over the last couple of weeks. A huge well done to all the girls, who performed so brilliantly.

Prep Sport

Congratulations to the U8 and U9 netball teams who hosted matches against NPS this week. The teams had a fantastic afternoon and played excellent netball. A great outcome of 2 wins, and 2 draws was achieved. Well done to all who took part. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 came together to play a netball tournament this week. The standard was extremely high across all matches. Congratulations to Team 1 who won 4 out of 5 matches and took first place.

Easter Egg Donations

Over the last few weeks, we have been collecting Easter Egg donations for Feeding Families. The charity, which is based in the North East, offers support, hope and security to those experiencing food poverty. In the end over 150 eggs were donated, which will be put into emergency food hampers for families that need the help. A huge thank you to everyone that was able to donate something, and to Mrs Steel for her efforts in coordinating for such a great cause.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Year 9 had a wonderful time last week visiting Yorkshire Wildlife Park, as part of British Science Week 2023. Their favourite animals and creatures included the sea lions, polar bears, baby gelada monkey, wallabies and the hissing cockroach.

Reporting Absence

Please could we remind parents that they should ring school on a morning to report an absence? We appreciate that there is now a feature on School Gateway that allows parents to report, but for the avoidance of doubt we would ask that you always call the school and leave a message on our absence line to let us know that your child won’t be in school that day.