Durham High School
End of Week Newsletter
Issue 16 – 17 January 2025
Dear Parents
It has been another exciting and busy week here at the High School, with a wide variety of activities, achievements, and events across all areas of the school. Our Year 7 and 8 girls are fully engaged in their Matilda rehearsals, and as I write this edition, it is wonderful to hear them singing the songs down the corridor after their rehearsal.
Our Nursery and Reception girls enjoyed the crisp winter sunshine as they got creative, making bird feeders to help our local wildlife during the colder months. Meanwhile, Year 5 made the most of the outdoor classroom, crafting "pear people" and discovering treasures during a scavenger hunt.
On Thursday, it was a pleasure to share breaktime with the Year 7 girls who had received Excellence Book nominations for their Norman Castle History homework. We enjoyed juice and cookies together, and I will be meeting with the other nominated girls next week to congratulate them as well. You can read more about their castles later in the newsletter.
Friday marked the end of the mock exam period for our Year 11 and Upper Sixth girls. It has been a demanding two weeks for them all, but I, along with all the staff, have been thoroughly impressed by their dedication and resilience. Well done to each and every one of you!
I have enjoyed meeting with parents of our Year 6 girls as we begin to think about their transition into the Senior Department. If you have not yet arranged an appointment and would like to come in for a chat, please contact Mr McGee, my PA (headmistress@dhsfg.org.uk), who will be happy to schedule one for you.
We are looking forward to our 11+ Entrance Test Day on Friday, 24 January, where we will welcome girls from both Durham High and other primary schools to join us for a fun-filled day (tests aside, of course!).
The first School Eco Council meeting of 2025 took place this week, where the Pre-Prep and Prep girls began planning an assembly and art competition focused on endangered species. It’s inspiring to see them tackling such important issues with so much enthusiasm. Senior Eco School meeting will take place next week.
Lastly, we congratulate Mrs Sneddon-Brown, who wrote a letter to the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) as part of their 150 Years celebration. We are thrilled that her letter was published in their book Triumph Like a Girl
I wish you all a lovely weekend ahead.
With best wishes
Nursery & Reception Bird Feeders
This week, our Nursery and Reception girls embraced the winter sunshine with a delightful outdoor activity making bird feeders, in our wonderful outdoor space.
The crisp, sunny weather provided the perfect setting for the girls to enjoy nature while engaging in this hands-on and creative task. They had plenty of fun crafting feeders, which will provide a treat for local birds during the colder months.
Well done to all our little nature enthusiasts for their fantastic efforts!
Year 7 History Excellence: Norman Castle
Congratulations to Fatima, Elodie, Milly and Eva who were nominated by Mrs Almond to receive Excellence Book Awards, for their history homework. The girls created incredible model Norman castles, showcasing exceptional research and creativity. Their hard work and attention to detail were truly outstanding.
Here is what Mrs Almond particularly admired about each castle:
• Fatima: A brilliant effort on the castle, with amazing attention to detail, especially with the trebuchet.
• Elodie: Excellent creativity, including dying the walls with tea to achieve a realistic stone effect.
• Milly: A fantastic effort, featuring an impressive working drawbridge!
• Eva: A strong and cleverly designed castle, perfectly capturing the imposing presence a Norman castle would have had.
We also want to highlight the exceptional quality of all the entries which can be seen in the pictures below. Each of our girls demonstrated remarkable effort and skill
Pre-prep & Prep Pupils of the week
This week’s Pupils of the Week in Pre-Prep and Prep were:
Nursery: Alicia for fantastic kindness shown to her peers. She has made our new children feel particularly welcome.
Reception: Molly-Rose for showing super independence in all areas of work.
Years 1&2: Thora for an amazing day when she worked incredibly hard in all of her lessons.
Years 3&4: Lola for an excellent week! Lola has been full of whizz with her 6x tables and has worked hard to produce excellent written work in English.
Year 5: Mathilde for fantastic work in English, using evidence from the text to support her points, and for her creativity.
Year 6: Sienna for having a fabulous attitude in lessons and for taking great pride in the presentation of her work.
Molly-Rose was Lingotot’s Star of the Week and Théa was presented with a certificate for being House Point winner five times this year.
Several girls had medals, trophies and certificates, which they have earned taking part in activities outside of school. Congratulations to Lucy (Swimming), Bea (Netball), Amiya (Cheerleading) and Mariam (guitar playing). Well done, everyone!
Stay & Play
We are excited to invite parents, and prospective families to our Nursery Stay and Play Event on 21st January, 1:30–3:00 pm.
Come and experience the magic of our Nursery as you watch the girls engaged in their daily activities. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore our nurturing environment, see our exceptional facilities, and discover what makes our Nursery so special.
We look forward to welcoming you! Please book here
Senior Sports Update
The U11A Football Team had a great morning at the Football tournament hosted by Newcastle High School, working well together and improving their skills throughout. They won all their matches against NHFG and Kings, with scores of 3-0, 20, and 1-0. Every player gave an excellent performance, with Sophia earning Player’s Player, and Tara receiving Coach’s Player. Great work, girls!
Netball Updates
Congratulations to our U18 Netball team on their determined performance in a friendly match against Durham School. Their effort levels were incredible and there were some excellent passages of play. Special mention to Chloé who stepped in at the last minute and was also awarded Player of the Match.
Our U12 and U13
Netball teams had a successful night of league fixtures against Durham School on Thursday. Both teams dominated with the U12's winning 14-2 and the U13's winning 20-5. Congratulations to our players of the match, Heidi (U12) and Zarah (U13).
Pupil Successes
Ruth - National Cipher Challenge
We are extremely proud of Ruth, one of our Upper Sixth Computer Science students. Ruth has taken part in the National Cipher Challenge, which is run by the University of Southampton. While we await the final scores, Ruth is currently ranked among some of the highest national teams (despite being a team of one) and is undoubtedly the highest-ranking team among Durham schools. We wanted to share Ruth’s success so far. Miss Turner, Head of Digital Strategy and Head of Computer Science, describes Ruth as a “brilliant problem solver.”
Eliana – Cheerleading Success
Congratulations to Eliana (Year 8) who won ‘Best Performer’ for her team (U16 International) at her annual club awards last weekend. Well done Eliana, great achievements.
Amiya – Cheerleading Success
A huge well done to Amiya (Year 3) who won ‘Best Attitude’ for her team (U8 Minis) at her annual club awards last weekend. Fantastic efforts Amiya!
Year 5 Outdoor Learning
Now the snow has cleared, and the temperature is a few degrees warmer it was a perfect opportunity for our Year 5 girls to enjoy a delightful afternoon in our outdoor classroom under the brilliant sunshine!
The woodland came alive with laughter as they embarked on an exciting scavenger hunt, discovering treasures among the trees. Using their findings, the girls unleashed their creativity to craft charming "pear people" – a perfect blend of nature and imagination.
Future Business Magnates Challenge 3
Our Year 8 Future Business Magnates girls recently participated in Challenge 3 of the program at Durham Cricket Club, diving into the vital finance and legal aspects of starting a business. They explored essential concepts including fixed and variable costs, profit margins, and sources of finance key components for developing their business ideas.
The highlight of the day was the Mini Pitch, where the girls presented their business idea to the organisers. Their passion, creativity, and confidence shone through, leaving the organisers highly impressed. In fact, the team’s innovative solution earned them an initial investment of £250 to bring their idea to life!
We are incredibly proud of their efforts and cannot wait to see how they take this exciting opportunity forward. Stay tuned for updates from our Year 8 Future Business Magnates!
Parents & Friends Nearly New Uniform Sale
A reminder that on Tuesday we have a nearly new uniform sale, courtesy of the Parents & Friends Association It will take place from 3pm – 4.30pm in the Main Hall. Please note that it is cash only.
January key dates for your diary.
The school calendar is available on the website and is updated with changes as they arise.
Date
Event Times
21 January Nursery Stay & Play 1.30pm – 3.00pm
22 January Parent & Friends Nearly New Uniform Sale Main Hall 3pm –4.30pm
22 January Year 11 and Upper Sixth Classics Trip
24January 11+ Entrance test Day
27 January STEM Career talk – Yr 11 & 9
27 January Senior Eco Council meeting 12.40pm –1.30pm
30 January Lower Sixth Parents’ Evening 4.30pm