Durham High School End of Week Newsletter Issue 9 – November 10 2024
Dear Parents I hope you enjoyed a restful and joyful half-term break filled with wonderful family moments. It has been delightful to welcome the girls back with such eagerness, ready to embrace the exciting opportunities this term brings. This part of the school year is especially dear to me, with the festive anticipation of Christmas and all the events that bring our school community together. I look forward to connecting with many of you at our upcoming Parents’ Evenings, the Year 9 to Upper Sixth musical production of Chicago, the Christmas Fayre, the Nativity performances and Christmas concerts across both Prep and Senior departments, and, of course, our beautiful Carol Service at Durham Cathedral. Our school has had much to celebrate this week, particularly the news of our new Strategic Partnership with The Ruthin Education Group. This collaboration will secure a bright future for generations of girls at our school, and I hope you share in our excitement for what lies ahead. We began the week with a joyful celebration of Diwali, honouring the Hindu and Sikh traditions within our school. Maanashi and Amrit shared how Diwali is celebrated in their cultures, demonstrating the diversity and warmth that enrich our community. Following this, our Mandarin peripatetic students expressed a keen interest in presenting an assembly on Chinese New Year, an event we now eagerly anticipate!
On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of meeting our recent Excellence Book nominees for juice and cookies, celebrating their achievements and contributions. Congratulations to Breshna, nominated by Mrs Wildish for her exceptional dedication across all areas, and to Charlotte, whose stunning achievements in Art have set an exceptionally high standard. We also recognized Izzy and Sobia for their captivating monologue performances at Speech Day and the New Parent’s Supper, respectively. On Thursday, it was wonderful to see our Year 11 students exploring Sixth Form life and A-Level courses at our Open Evening. It was equally rewarding to welcome prospective students and their families as they discovered what our Sixth Form has to offer. Our current Sixth Form students, who served as ambassadors, made us immensely proud with their warmth and enthusiasm. This week, I have also seen the heartwarming generosity of our school community, but especially seeing the excitement of our Pre-Prep and Prep girls as they made donations to the British Legion and selected items from the Legion’s merchandise box. It is so important for our younger generations to understand the purpose of Remembrance and