Durham High School End of Week Newsletter
Issue 2 – September 14, 2024
Dear Parents
I can’t believe this is only the end of our first week back. Our Year 7 and Lower Sixth are settling in brilliantly and our new staff have enjoyed meeting their classes and starting to get to know the girls. Our extra curricular activities began last week in Pre-Prep and Pre and will begin in earnest this week in Senior Department, although are still a couple of clubs to be added onto the existing programme. The timetable can be found on our website.
Thank you for your patience with the new communication format last week. We hoped we had cracked it, trying three different email addresses outside of our Durham High one, before sending to you all, but unfortunately, there are so many firewalls and restrictions in place that we hadn’t considered, and as a result, the method did not work. We are determined to reduce the number of letters you receive from the High School in your inbox on a daily basis, so we are trying a different process this week. You will still only receive communications on a Wednesday and a Friday (unless there is something specific for individual children or groups of children that are more urgent). The letter will show one link, which will take you to a dedicated year group page within our website. Here you will see the letters and communications for that date and any previous ones too, so for those who couldn’t open the pdf links last week, you can go into the 6 September and open the letters there. We think this new method should work.
Hopes of sitting together on the grass to enjoy our 140 birthday picnic on Tuesday were thwarted by our British weather, however, Thomas Franks, our catering providers decorated the dining room instead and we all enjoyed our picnic boxes in there. This was the last of our 140 celebrations. We can now start planning the 150 year celebration.
It was a delight to chat with so many of our Pre-Prep and Prep parents attending the information evenings on Tuesday, where we were excited to share our partnership with Lingotots Durham. I particularly enjoyed playing the body parts French game led by our Lingotots teacher Lisa Armes. I’m sure the girls will have great fun!
In Senior Department, we have been building up to Speech Day which took place at Glow Venue in Newton Aycliffe. In addition to welcoming you all, it was an honour and pleasure to have in attendance, His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Mrs Sue Snowdon, The High Sheriff of the Palatine of County Durham, Mr Harry Swan, The Right Worshipful The Mayor of County Durham, Councillor Liz Brown and her Consort and The Vice Chairman of Durham County Council, Patricia Jopling and her Consort, as well as Governors, former Headmistresses, Old Girls, Rotary representatives, our PCSO’s.
When attending events as the King’s representative, the Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs. Sue Snowdon, must be received with the same etiquette and protocol afforded to a member of the Royal Family. This includes a formal welcome into the presentation room, which you may have noticed at the event, and ensuring she is the last person to be seated. Unfortunately, due to traffic, some parents were still arriving at the scheduled start time, which delayed our entry into the auditorium until they were seated. Despite this minor delay, we enjoyed a wonderful evening celebrating the hard work and achievements of your daughters and our High School, especially in this 140th Birthday Year.
I’m always sharing with my hubby, daughters, and parents how proud I am of our High School and its many achievements. So, I thought it would be wonderful for them to experience firsthand what makes it such a special place. I invited them as guests to Speech Day, and my parents even made the trip from Lancashire for the event. They immediately saw just how remarkable your daughters and our school truly are. Thank you all for your ongoing support of the High School—we couldn’t achieve what we do without you.
Our guest speaker, Steph Edusei, is the Chief Executive of St Oswald’s Hospice, a leading children’s and adults’ charitable hospice in Newcastle. She also serves as a Director of the North East Chamber of Commerce. Deeply involved in her local community, Steph has been a leader with Girlguiding UK for over 30 years and currently holds the position of Chair at Eliot Smith Dance Company. Her previous roles include Non-Executive Director of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and co-chair of The Angelou Centre, a charity providing training, counseling, and refuge support. Steph is also the founder of the ‘Black All Year’ podcast and events, a platform dedicated to amplifying Black voices, addressing the challenges faced by the Black community, and celebrating their successes. In 2022, she was recognized as a Transformational Leader at the Northern Power Women Awards.
Steph delivered an inspiring and powerful address, sharing her experience of growing up with a Ghanaian father and a Geordie mother. She reflected on feeling different in a predominantly white community due to both her appearance and her accent. She spoke candidly about her personal journey, the challenges she faced—including prejudice and imposter phenomenon —and how she overcame them. Steph concluded her speech with five key messages:
1. You are enough
2. As one door closes, that’s okay as another opportunity is on its way
3. Surround yourself with key people who will be supporters of you
4. Values are everything
5. Sometimes, everyone has to be a little bit naughty.
The planning will now begin for next year. Thank you for the emails sharing how much you enjoyed the evening and for the suggestions you would like us to consider for next year.
Unfortunately, our parent calendar is still not syncing with our website. We are working with the company to rectify this. Last week in the communication bundle, there was a key dates sheet until October half term. I am hoping we can get this resolved in the next week. Please bear with us.
With best wishes
This will take place on Friday 27 September, with pre-supper drinks being served in the Dining Hall at 7.00pm. It is our hope that all parents of girls who were new to the school this year will be able to attend the evening, with all parents in Nursery, Reception and . For parents whose children have joined us at any point since October 2023, we would also be delighted if you would be able to join us. On the evening, it will be my pleasure to welcome you, and you will also be able to meet teachers and other parents. This is a lovely opportunity to have a child free evening,
Congratulations to Mrs Slane, our Director of Sport who took part in the Great North Run last weekend, skipping into school on Monday morning, like she had just been for a walk in the park. What a pro!
A number of our girls took part in the Junior and Mini Great North Run. Congratulations to Rose and her brother who took part in the Mini race. Maanashi in Year 10 completed the Junior race and looks incredibly proud of her achievements! Well done, Maanashi.
Millie ran in the U15/U16 age category for the first time this year and finished in a fantastic 5th Position. What an achievement Millie, well done!
Emily and her brother ran in their Red Sky Foundation vests. Well done to you both.
Huge congratulations to everyone else who took part across our community.
Show Jumping
Last weekend, Lucy, one of our Deputy Head Girls, competed in Wolsingham County Show and was placed 3rd and 4th in her class, resulting in her taking home, once again the trophy for the highest placed rider in the area. Congratulations Lucy!
As Lucy couldn't ride both horses in the lap of honour, her cousin, Olivia (Old Girl) rode one of the horses for her.
County Netball
Congratulations and well done to our pupils in Prep, Lucy, Beatrix, Zaria and India who have been selected for the County Netball squad. We are very proud of you keep up the great work!
Kynren success
Congratulations to Rana for her remarkable involvement in four seasons of Kynren. This season has been her most significant yet, showcasing her skills with fire performances and even performing on the lake. She captivated audiences of 5,500 to 6,700 people across seven shows.
If your daughter has any achievements they would like us to celebrate, please send them to enquiries@dhsfg.org.uk so we can showcase them in our newsletters.
Book of condolences
Over the summer, our former Deputy Head Girl, Poppy, tragically gained her angel wings. Poppy was a truly wonderful young lady, with a heart of gold and so much creative talent. She was a fantastic ambassador of Durham High School and we are exceptionally proud of what she achieved and went on to achieve in her first Year at University. She was loved by all who came across her and we will miss her dearly.
There is a book of condolences in Reception for any member of staff, parent or pupil to sign.