Durham High School
End of Week Newsletter
Issue 12 – December 3, 2024
Dear Parents
Firstly, may I apologise that you are receiving the End of Week Newsletter on a Tuesday. We have worked very hard this term to ensure you receive this by the end of the week. However, last week was an extraordinarily busy week, with the fabulous Chicago performances on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Evening and our wonderful Christmas Fayre on Friday afternoon. As a result, it has set us back slightly in the compilation of content. Thank you for your patience.
As I write this week’s letter, I find myself reflecting on the events of last week and still in awe of what Mrs. Lonsdale, Mrs. Lawrence-Wills, and Mrs. Crinson accomplished in just eight weeks with our Senior girls and their performances of Chicago. This year, we had two casts, and it was truly wonderful to witness the unique interpretations of each of the lead characters. Our ensemble worked incredibly hard over the four nights, and by Friday, it was a joy to see them adlibbing and fully embracing their characters on stage.
The performances were a remarkable showcase of talent, both on and off stage, and I am immensely proud of each and every one involved. Their dedication and commitment have been truly indefatigable. I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the parents for their support, whether it was bringing the girls to weekend rehearsals or cheering them on during the evening performances. Your support is deeply appreciated, and I’m sure you will carry these wonderful memories for years to come.
Looking ahead, I’m excited for the Year 7 and Year 8 rendition of Matilda Junior in the Spring Term, where, as our Guest Speaker at Speech Day, Steph Edusei, reminded us – "Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty!"
On Wednesday, we welcomed Year 11 girls from other Secondary Schools to join our Year 11 girls for a Sixth Form Taster Day, and a glimpse into the exciting opportunities available to them here. Whether engaging in taster lessons in Economics, Computer Science, Psychology, or Fine Art, to name but a few subjects, or simply enjoying lighter moments, such as eating doughnuts, or experiencing life in the Common Room, it was a day filled with enthusiasm and promise. Our commitment to making this transition as smooth as possible for these young women is unwavering, and we look forward to seeing them thrive within our supportive, stimulating environment
I am sure you will be pleased to know that our Junior Eco Council met this week, and it was a very serious affair. With representatives from Yr 1 – Yr 6 they discussed some of the issues that mattered most to them, such as taking care of nature, planting wildflowers and trees, preventing littering and recycling. Discussions were in full flow for starting a gardening club, albeit in the finer weather. Thank you to Ana, our Eco Council Sixth Form Leadership Representative for encouraging the girls with such projects. I look forward to seeing them come to fruition.
Miss Turner, our new Head of Computing and Digital Strategy, enrolled the girls in the Bebras UK Computational Thinking Challenge. Congratulations to Ema and Amiya, who claimed Best in School in the Kits category, and to Mathilde, the top scorer in the Castors category. In the Juniors category, Mariam and Tara both achieved perfect scores, earning them not only top marks but also a remarkable joint Number 1 ranking in the country! What an achievement. The achievements continue with Robyn leading the Inters, Holly excelling in the Seniors, and Ruth triumphing in the Elites category, where her impressive score ranked her Best in County As a school, we performed exceptionally well across each category, and you can read more about this later in the newsletter.
As if we hadn’t had enough excitement for one week, we hosted our Christmas Fayre on Friday. The Prep Choir opened the event with a beautiful performance, and then we were delighted by a visit from Father Christmas. The excitement was truly palpable. I am filled with pride and gratitude for the enduring spirit of community that thrives within our school, which was on full display at the Fayre. A huge thank you to our Parents and Friends Association for all their hard work and organisation in bringing this wonderful event together. I also want to thank our parents for their generosity in providing gifts, raffle prizes, and buying tickets, as well as giving their time Finally, a heartfelt thanks to all the local businesses who donated raffle prizes or ran stalls your support was greatly appreciated.
As we look ahead to the festive season. Our girls continue to inspire, uplift, and support one another, and it is this sense of camaraderie that makes our school such a special place. I look forward to seeing those of you who can make the Pre-Prep and Prep Nativities and concerts this week, please do say “hello”. We then have the Senior Department Christmas Concert on Wednesday evening which is always a joy. Our annual Carol Service is coming together nicely, ready for next Wednesday at 2.15pm at Durham Cathedral. We have invited back our Upper Sixth Leavers and their parents who will hopefully also be able to join us for the event.
With best wishes
Focus on Careers
We are excited to share the upcoming Careers Events scheduled for this academic year. These events offer valuable opportunities for girls to explore various career paths and gain insights from professionals in different industries. It’s important we share with them as many career routes not just traditional professions but a wide range of new and emerging career paths.
• 5th December 2024 – Careers Talk: Becoming a Solicitor / Apprenticeship Route with BHP Law
• 28th January 2025 – Careers Talk: Working at a Museum / Durham Museums
• 28th January 2025 – Careers Talk: Women in Engineering / Chloe Hinchcliffe
• 14th February 2025 – Assembly: National Apprenticeships Week
• 17th February 2025 – Careers Talk: Applying to Medicine and Dentistry / Newcastle University
• 3rd March 2025 – Assembly: National Careers Week / Careers Reps
• 2nd April 2025 – Careers Talk: Women in the Music Industry & Entrepreneurship / Ghost Writers Events
Careers Fair – Friday, 7th March 2025
This year's Careers Fair will take place on Friday, 7th March 2025. We are pleased to have already confirmed 11 participants, including universities and employers, but we are still looking to expand the range of sectors represented. Based on valuable feedback from girls, we are aiming to showcase a wider variety of career options than in previous years. If you know of any potential participants who could benefit from attending, please do spread the word within your networks. Your support in ensuring a diverse range of opportunities for our girls is greatly appreciated.
Prep and Pre-Prep stars of the week.
The Pupils of the Week in Pre-Prep and Prep who were recognised in Friday’s Celebration Assembly were:
Nursery: Matilda W for being such a trooper and not letting her foot injury prevent her from enjoying all our Nursery activities.
Reception: Matilda M for good progress in letter sounds and word building.
Year 1 and 2: Georgia for using good strategies to help herself to focus on doing great work.
Year 3 and 4: Amiya for the exceptional effort she has put in when preparing for our Nativity production.
Year 5: Nancy for amazing work in Maths and for creating and answering a multi-step reasoning problem.
Year 6: Nadia for fabulous work in Maths lessons. It is great to see her being so confident!
In addition, Mrs Hopper presented Alba with dancing trophies recognising her achievement in recent dance exams. Lucy’s success in a riding competition was also recognised.
India was our Lingotot’s Star of the Week. Well done to everyone!
Jazzy Jar Competition
Once again, the annual Jazzy Jar competition in Pre-Prep and Prep was well-supported and there were lots of fabulous entries. The judges had an incredibly tricky job choosing the winners!
In Pre-Prep the winners were Charlotte, Jessica and Layla.
In Prep the winners were Nadia, India and Wren.
Many thanks to the Parents and Friends Association for donating the prizes.
CyberFirst Girls
The CyberFirst Girls Competition officially concluded at 12 noon on Wednesday, and we couldn’t be prouder of our talented Year 8 girls. Over the past nine and a half days, these amazing girls have been tackling a series of challenges hosted by GCHQ, including logic puzzles, cryptography, programming, and networking tasks. Their dedication, teamwork, and resilience have been truly inspiring, we are so proud. We are hoping to have the results early next week.
Celebrating Success in the Bebras UK Computational Thinking Challenge!
We are thrilled to share the results from this year’s Computational Thinking Challenge! Released at 9 AM on Friday 29th November, the results highlight the incredible talent and hard work of our girls, with a stunning array of winners across all categories. The Bebras Challenge is the first stage of a national competition designed to test computational thinking skills through engaging logic problems and puzzles. It’s a fun yet challenging opportunity for girls to sharpen their problem-solving abilities. Those who excel in this stage move on to the second round, which is a coding challenge. Over the next few months, the girls will spend time preparing for this exciting next step.
In addition to our overall winners, congratulated by Mrs Hill in her introduction, we are also delighted to report that 12 of our girls placed in the top 10% nationally, earning Gold Star Awards and a well-deserved spot in the next round, set to take place in March.
Adding to this success, our school’s average score across all categories not only ranked above the county average but also outperformed the national average in most categories an incredible testament to the hard work and dedication of our girls and staff.
A huge congratulations to all our participants you have made us proud! Your achievements showcase the power of perseverance and critical thinking. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish in the next round of the competition! Keep up the amazing work!
Prep & Pre-Prep Sports Update
Last Friday, girls from Years 3 & 4 and Years 5 & 6 competed in an exciting House Football Tournament. It was wonderful to witness such high levels of skill and fantastic spirit of friendly competition throughout the matches.
In the Year 3 & 4 tournament, Booth emerged as the overall winners, with Tempest, Heath, and Neville sharing second place.
Meanwhile, in Years 5 & 6, Booth claimed first place, followed by Heath in second, Neville in third, and Tempest in fourth. The standard of play was exceptional, and the matches were extremely close. Special congratulations to Lucy from Year 6, who was named Player of the Tournament, and to Sophia from Year 6, who earned the title of Coach's Player of the Tournament.
A huge well done to all the girls for their hard work and determination!
On Friday morning, our Year 4 girls took part in a hockey festival. All the girls played excellently, and despite the cold, each player showed great determination, teamwork, and skill throughout the games. Special congratulations go to Jessica and Maya, who were both awarded Coach's Player of the Tournament for their teams.
Well done to all the girls who played –you were fantastic!
A big thank you to our Under 11’s, who participated in the Durham High School Hockey Tournament at Maiden Castle, last Friday. Congratulations to our brilliant Year 5 and Year 6 girls for representing our U11 Hockey Team so well. Their hard work, dedication, and team spirit were truly impressive.
CrossCountry
Our cross-country runners were all fantastic at the District Schools’ Cross-Country on Tuesday.
A huge well done to all our girls who ran and special mention to Megan in Y9 and Millie in Y10 who qualified to represent Durham Central at the County Championships in January.
Senior Department Sports Update
In Hockey news, our U15 team played brilliantly against Barnard Castle B Team on Tuesday winning 5-0. A hat-trick for Millie earned her player of the match.
The U15's joined forces with the U18's on Wednesday in another friendly against Barnard Castle. Despite a robust performance they lost 1-2. Well played girls and congratulations to our Player of the Match, Chloé.
This week our U12 and U13 Netball teams played two fixtures in the Durham District league. Both teams delivered fantastic results showing excellent movement on court and good communication. Against Hermitage School, the U12's won 14-0, Player of Match was Tallulah and the U13's won 16-9, and Player of the Match was Esmée. Against Framwellgate Moor School, the U12's won 227, Player of the Match Lucy and the U13's won 25-3 Player of the Match Esmée.
Annual Carol Service
A reminder that our annual Carol Service is planned for 11 December within the beautiful setting of Durham Cathedral. This year, we warmly invite you to join us. Doors will open for visitors at 1:30 pm with the service starting at 2:15pm. A collection will be taken during the service in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity, a vital organisation dedicated to funding groundbreaking research, providing support for those affected by brain tumours, and raising awareness about this condition. Further information can be found by clicking the link www.thebraintumourcharity.org. You can donate on the day or can donate in advance by scanning the QR code.
Key Dates Round up
With Festive activities getting well underway here is a rundown of key dates and activities.
December 3 Yr 5 & 6 Christmas Concert 2.00pm
December 4 Y1 and 2 Christmas Concert 2.00pm
December 4 Senior Department Christmas Concert 7.00pm
December 5 Nursery & Reception Christmas Concert 2.00pm
December 6 Pre-Prep & Prep Elf Run Morning
December 6 Y10 – U6 Christmas Shopping Trip 11.30am -7pm
December 6
December 6
Year 8 and 9 Christmas Cinema Trip 12.30pm –3.55pm
Year 7 Winter Walk followed by their Christmas Party 1.30pm – 5.00pm
December 9 Christmas Dinner Normal Times
December 9
Year 3 and 4 Christmas Party 2.00pm
December 10 Yr 5 & 6 Christmas Party 1.30pm
December 11 Carol Service at Durham Cathedral 2.15pm
December 11 Nursery and Reception Christmas Party 1.30pm
December 11 Year 1 and 2 Christmas Party 1.30pm
December 12
December 13
Parents and Friends Carols round the Tree- Pre-Prep and Prep Hall 3.00pm
Interact Christmas Jumper Day (£1 donation) All Day
December 13 End of Term 11.30am for Nursery and Reception 11.45 for Pre-Prep and Prep 12.00 pm for Seniors
