Newsletters

Newsletter 12 - Friday, 27th November 2020

Headteacher Message

Hello all,

I hope you are all well.  Today it has been confirmed that London is in tier two of the new restrictions which will be in effect from 2nd December. This should make very little difference to our school day but we can now look at our after school clubs and begin to plan for the next calendar year.  This week I have had to write a report for the full governing body meeting on Tuesday.  When you are living it, you tend to just keep going tackling hurdle after hurdle and not pausing for breath.  The writing of the report has forced me to stop and reflect on what we have achieved this term.  Instead of listing these achievements I would like to sum it up by describing my lunch duty today.  I was in the Key Stage 2 playground and I took a moment to look around. I could see all of Year 5, Year 4 and Reception playing in their outside area and it dawned on me.  Our children are happy.  In the context of the pandemic that we continue to live through this is a testament to the hard work that you and we have put in to provide for them, stay positive and basically keep going.  Effectively my governors report could be quite short with a strapline of ‘our children are happy’ and very little else as I believe we have fulfilled our remit but I fear they may want a little more!  In terms of ensuring our children are happy I would like to extend my thanks to all of our staff including our cleaners and catering staff.  We have also been lucky enough to have our nurture team which has enabled us to offer support to any children who are finding anything challenging.  We don’t fully know how this crisis will affect our children and what this will look but it is immensely re-assuring to have our nurture team in place to deal with any eventualities.

It has been really lovely to see the movie nights everyday this week.  A big thank you to Sumru and the army of class reps who have supported these events.  We are currently planning a socially distanced end of term fair. Please support in any way that you can. A great way to see the happiness in the school is to follow our twitter feed where you can see what is happening around the school.  Hot on the heels of a like and a comment from Marcus Rashford we have had famous children’s authors retweeting our tweets. Please follow us.

Lastly I am going to ask you a favour.  We are coming to the end of quite a tumultuous term and I can feel that our staff are beginning to feel the pace.  If possible could you send an e-mail to the school with a positive comment about a member of staff.  Knowing their professionalism this small gesture will really mean a lot to them.  I will ensure that they get the message.  I have been lucky enough to receive some positivity from the parental body and I know how good it will make them feel.  Thank you. 

Have a lovely weekend.  Wrap up warm, be happy and look after yourself, your families and friends.

Joe Porter

Office Updates

Christmas Lunch 

This year, our annual Darell Christmas lunch will be Wednesday, 16th December. Please could you fill out the form by  following the link below to indicate whether your child will be having Christmas Lunch and their choices. If you do not have a google account please log into your child's account to gain permission. The lunch cost will be £2.25 which you can pay by logging in and topping up your Arbor Account. If you are in receipt of free school meals the Christmas lunch is included.e £2.25 which you can pay by logging in and topping up your Arbor Account. If you are in receipt of free school meals the Christmas lunch is included.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tErnhpgH0-S0Oqv0vwhYdcN033rI9gy6SZyJYVri2jU/edit?usp=sharing

No Nuts

Can we remind all parents and carers that we are a Nut Free School. Please be especially careful when using chocolate spread and chocolate filled crepes, as often it is chocolate and hazelnut. We have several children that suffer from nut allergies and sitting next to someone who has eaten nuts could be enough to cause a reaction. We thank you in advance for your co-operation.

 

Upcoming Diary Dates

Monday, 30th November - 

  • Year 5 Movie Night
  • Year 5 Mufti day

Tuesday, 1st December -

  • Year 5 and 6 Tennis at Pensford Field
  • Year 6 Mufti day
  • Year 6 Movie night

Wednesday, 2nd December - 

  • Year 2 Football at North Sheen Rec 

Thursday, 3rd December - 

  • Year 3 and 4  tennis at Pensford field

Friday, 11th December -

  • National Christmas Jumper Day

Wednesday, 16th December -

  • Darell christmas Lunch

Friday, 18th December -

  • Last day of term

Communications Sent Home

  • No attachments this week

Wellbeing

We just wanted to        remind everyone that here at Darell Primary and Nursery school we feel that wellbeing, including your physical and mental health are extremely important. We want to support the whole family during this time.
It is important that our parents and carers feel supported and well in themselves so the tips and links you will find within this section are to support adults and children.

The Reading Corner

Welcome to our weekly section of the newsletter all about reading. Every week, we will share a question (or two) with you about the book your child is reading in school. Please use these questions to help you find out a little more  about what your child has been reading in school and continue to develop their love of reading.

 

Packham - Where did Naughty Bus go?

Peake - How did the children treat Beegu? How does this compare to how the adults in the story treated her? 

Weir - What would you do if there was a tiger in your garden? 

Mozart - How did the bear feel when he was left in the park? 

Newton - How did the tree change as it grew?

Thunberg - What adventure do you think the bear and the boy will embark on? 

Darwin - Would you prefer to wear a toga or use a quill pen?

Attenborough - What do you think the dreaded 'click' sound means?

Do you think Beckman still has what the man and the girl are looking for?

Parks - What has happened in the text to change Michael’s views on Kensuke?

Why do you think Kensuke was so insistent that Michael not light fires on the island when he initially arrived??

Maths Challenge

The mighty maths challenge is back!

Each week you will find a new maths challenge in this section of  the newsletter and your Google Classroom along with the winner of the previous week.

Good Luck! 

Please email your answers to maths@darell.richmond.sch.uk

 

 

PSA

It’s Christmas time!

Christmas Silent Auction 2020

If you're looking for last minute presents, check out Darell's Christmas Silent Auction.

You'll find top of the range beauty products to books, festive bottles of fizz and spirits, as well as some fabulous homemade items donated by talented Darell parents, not to mention Miss Helen's famous Christmas cake. There really is something for everyone.

All items are brand new (unless stated otherwise).

The auction opens on Friday 27 November at 8pm and ends on Sunday 6 December at 8pm.

Keep checking in as new items are added as the week goes on.

Don't forget all the money raised will go towards  ICT equipment.   

Visit  https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/darellchristmasauction2020 and get bidding!

We are aiming to purchase a class set of micro:bits for KS2 computing lessons and the code club we are planning to run from the summer term onwards (COVID permitting)

https://microbit.org/

and a class set of these programmable robots for KS1 and EYFS    

https://www.tts-group.co.uk/Rugged_Robot_Features.html? 

 

Darell Coins 

Are Ready For Sale!                

Running out of cash? Looking for a safe way for your child to interact at school sale activities? From now on, Darell will have their own optional school currency.
Get 10 Darells for £11 or 5 Darells for £5.50.

First coins come in a money bag. 


Payable over Classlist or at reception. Coins will be delivered to your child in classroom.

Many thanks to Samta & Chris for making this happen!

Get inspired by our Darell Christmas Market 2020!


During December you will have the opportunity to buy Christmas Crafts and Treats, which are carefully selected and prepared for you to buy at the pick-up time on both playgrounds!
We’ll start with Xmas Craft Sale on Thursday, 3rd of December.

On Friday, 4th of December will be a Cake Sale on both playgrounds.
Please bring some coins, get creative and enjoy a delicious piece of cake!

Christmas is coming soon!

Donations:
We kindly ask for donations           
- Chocolate or wine
- Books - the book should be for children between 4-12 years, either new or used, but should be in a good condition.

Donation boxes will be in each playground. Alternatively, you can drop them also in reception.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas time!

Your PSA

Christmas Artwork!

Hi all,

I’m sure lots of you are online Christmas shopping at the moment!   Don’t forget it you haven’t already checked out your child’s artwork at https://mychildsart.co.uk/order/home/ please take a look!  

Username: Darell

Password: sx6dA72S

As well as Christmas cards, there’s lots of other great products you can have your child’s artwork printed on!!  This is a great opportunity to Christmas shop and fundraise for Darell at the same time!!

Orders will be shipped direct to your home which we feel is much safer in current circumstances.

Just to reassure, no child's name is displayed in full online. You will be able to find your child's artwork when you search their name.

 

  

      

Online Safety 

Sitting down with your child and exploring their favourite app or game is a great way for you to learn more about what they like to do online.

You can ask them why they like to use an app or play certain games, as well as who they’re talking to and what sorts of things they’re sharing.

You can follow the online safety links for tips on how to keep kids safe on popular apps, sites and games.

Please click on the links below to find some useful information.

Are your children online more than ever during this lockdown? Here are some tips to keep the conversation open about online safety:

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/news/8-tips-for-keeping-your-kids-safe-online-during-lockdown/

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/nspcc/parents-vs-kids

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/youtube-kids/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/whatsapp/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/news/gaming-keeping-kids-safe/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/among-us/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/tiktok/         

Darell Primary & Nursery School Follow
Here's the first of our pupil recommended reads! Rayyaan would like to recommend Gods & Warriors by @MichellePaver He loved the adventurous storyline, the amazing characters and intricate plot. Watch out for more recommendations coming soon! https://t.co/JFtX6KUzzq
1 day ago
Follow

Attendance

Overall school attendance last week was 96.2% our target is 96.8%.

Well done to Mozart Class for the highest attendance with 100% last week.

Best for Punctuality was Attenborough, Mozart, Newton and Thunberg class with 0 lates!

let's do our best for next week!

Stars

Follow the link below to reveal our stars for this week!

 

Star of the Week

Community news

The village is illuminated by thousands of Christmas lights hanging in and from the trees.

Alongside Kew Sparkle fundraising events are held to raise additional funds specifically for the lights.

These usually include an evening event attended by the local community as well as several schools holding a “Christmas Jumper Day”.

 

Useful Links

     Arbor Parent Portal - darell-primary.uk.arbor

     Follow us on twitter - twitter.com/darellschool

     School Uniform Shop - The Shoe Station

      School Meals  -  Feeding Hungry Minds ISS