End of week bulletin – 25 March

This week marked the two-year anniversary of the first national lockdown, and we cannot help but reflect on what another tumultuous 12 months it has been for us all. Even though COVID-19 has not gone away completely, as the days get longer and the Summer emerges from its hiatus, it is wonderful to have enjoyed those aspects of school life that we have dearly missed, with the annual drama production, Junior House Music Concerts, school photographs and in-person Parents’ Evenings all able to take place free of restrictions again. We are very much looking ahead to a Summer of exciting events, trips and activities that we can celebrate together as a school community.

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.

Year 4 Bracelet Making

Cara in Year 4 was very moved when she learned about the situation in the Ukraine, so decided to help by raising some money. Together with her team, she is working through every lunchtime making bracelets to order for £1 each. Well done to Cara and friends.

Swimming success for Anya

A massive congratulations to Anya in Year 5, who won the Freestyle and IM Relay at the Northumberland and Durham Counties ASA Swimming Championships. Well done, Anya!

Raffle Tickets

All pupils have been given a set of raffle tickets ahead of the School Ball, prices at £1 each. Anyone can purchase a raffle ticket, even if they are not attending the ball and there are some fantastic prizes to win. Please return raffle tickets both sold and unsold with ticket money in an envelope marked ‘RAFFLE TICKETS’ to school by Friday 29 April. The raffle will be drawn on Saturday 7 May.

Opera Celebration for Emma

A celebration of one of the largest community opera projects in the North East took place on Wednesday at Shildon’s Locomotion. The performance of extracts from ‘Song of Our Heartland’ by Will Todd marked 2 years since lockdown. The original plan for a live performance of the piece moved to a virtual one during the pandemic, with households recording individually. Emma in Year 13, who performed as part of the project, was congratulated yesterday for all that she has achieved in the past 2 years as part of the project, as well as her achievements in Sixth Form at Durham High School, including her Choral Scholarship offer to University of Oxford.

Year 8 Netball

Congratulations to the Year 8 Netball Team who finished the season on a high winning their matches against St. Bede’s and Framwellgate.

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.

Suubi Africa 60 Mile Challenge

Are you ready to take on a challenge and change a child’s life at the same time? Join a virtual challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Participants will be following the Northern Circuit Route and the Lemosho Route, which is a 60-mile journey to the top and back. Complete your 60 miles in 6 weeks, starting on 1 May, by walking, running, cycling and/or rowing. Every penny will go towards supporting the children and families of Suubi Africa Village, Uganda. Sign up at suubi.link/60miles or visit facebook.com/60mileschallenge.

Support for Ukraine

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, pupils are invited to consider giving a gift to a child the same age, such as something they think they would like to receive if they were in such a position. They can put it in a bag with a message, signed with first name only, and put on their age so the gift can find its way to a child of a similar age.

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. There is also a JustGiving for anyone who would like to donate – https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ukraine-kids?utm_id=1&utm_term=aA8eKy78j.