This week marks the beginning of the meteorological spring, although you would not have thought it, given some of the weather that we have experienced recently. It is also the return of our annual school production, which got underway in spectacular fashion at the Gala Theatre in Durham yesterday evening. This year, we are staging the vibrant, energetic and heart-warming musical School of Rock and you can still purchase tickets for the remaining performances on the Gala Theatre website.
A huge congratulations to Team School, who performed last night, and ‘break a leg’ to Team Rock, who take to the stage this evening. We know that a tremendous amount of work has been put in by both the cast and crew and we sincerely hope they enjoy and embrace the experience.
Sports Presentation Evening
A reminder that the PE Department will be hosting their annual Sports Presentation Evening on Monday 27 March at Ramside Hall, with footballer Grace McCatty featuring as guest speaker. The deadline for purchasing seats is fast approaching, so please make sure you book your tickets as soon as possible using our online system.
International Women’s Day – Football Session
We held an assembly today in Senior Department about International Women’s Day, which will be held next Wednesday, 8 March. The aim of the global day is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. As part of the event, the Football Association and Youth Sport Trust are holding their biggest ever football session, with the aim of getting as many girls as possible, in schools across the country, all playing football on the same day.
On Wednesday, pupils in Prep are invited to take part in a football session from 12.40pm – 1.10pm, with Senior Department girls welcome along between 1.10pm – 1.40pm. Pupils can bring a football top from home to wear in the session, if they wish, to celebrate all things football. They will be completing challenges and playing fun games.
School Ball Tickets
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.
Easter Quiz
The Parents and Friends will also be hosting an evening of fun and prizes at their Easter Quiz and Bingo on Friday 24 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.
Last year’s event was extremely successful and proved an excellent night of fun for young and old alike. Tickets are £5 for adults and £2 for children and booking information has been emailed to you. In addition, donations of Easter Eggs or other Easter-themed prizes would be very gratefully received as soon as possible. You can drop any donations into Main Reception by Tuesday 21 March.
Prep Netball Success
The U11A team travelled to Mowden Hall on Wednesday to play in a Netball festival. The team were brilliant and won all of their matches, which is a tremendous result. Their matches saw them win against Mowden Hall A (7-4), Mowden Hall B (19-3), Austin Friars (14-0) and Hunter Hall (6-0). Unsurprisingly this led to 1st place finish for the team. Well done to all who took part.
Netball Camps at Durham High School
We are delighted to be offering a Netball camp to Prep pupils this Easter. The camps provide high quality Netball coaching to girls aged 8-11, regardless of their ability. Miss Cartwright will be running these sessions at Durham High School for both internal and external girls.
Activities will include games, group drills, individual player development and plenty of match play. The emphasis will be on fun and player game understanding. The sessions will run from 9:30am – 3:30pm on Monday 3 April and Tuesday 4 April. For more information and to book, please email [email protected].
The Good Schools Guide
We were happy to welcome The Good Schools Guide into school this week, to complete our latest review. The Good Schools Guide reviews 1,300 schools across the UK, covering state and independent, boarding and day, mainstream and special sectors. Its aim is to help parents in every aspect of choosing the best education for their children by offering impartial and candid school reviews. As part of the visit, the reviewer met with staff and pupils, toured the Pre-Prep, Prep and Senior Departments and spoke to a selection of parents. We look forward to reading the final report when it is published.
Senior Department Careers Fair
There are still a couple of spaces for business representatives to attend our Durham High School Careers Fair next Friday, 10 March 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].
Confirmations
The Bishop of Durham will be carrying out confirmations for the Church of England parish in which Durham High School is located on Saturday 29 April 2023 at 6pm. Confirmation is a special service in which a person confirms the promises made when they were baptised. For a young person who was baptised or christened as a child, these promises were made by their parents and godparents. Confirmation is an opportunity for a young people to make these promises for themselves and to commit themselves to following Jesus Christ.
The Bishop of Durham will lay hands on the young person’s head and ask God’s Holy Spirit to give them the strength to live God’s way for the rest of their lives. For many people, the first time they receive Holy Communion will be following confirmation. Generally, anyone over 10 years of age who can answer responsibly for themselves is ready for confirmation. If you would like to be confirmed or if you have any questions or would like further information, please contact [email protected].
