Newsletters

Newsletter 6– Friday,15th October 2021 

Headteacher Message

Dear all,

I hope you are all well.  The cold weather is approaching and even today, sitting at my desk I already have a number of layers on.  We know that coronavirus has not gone away. We will continue to ensure that there is adequate ventilation across the school. We feel that this has been a big factor in our excellent safety record.  As such, we will be allowing children to wear extra layers as long as they have their school uniform as their base layer.  Have a chat with them this weekend as I know that the office spaces are notoriously cold and they may not be feeling cold as yet.

Our attendance across the school has dropped but this is not primarily because of Coronavirus.  There have been a number of students and staff off due to flu and heavy colds.  I anticipate this improving as our immune systems get up to speed.  Thank you for phoning the school and giving a reason for your child’s absence as this allows us to keep our records up to date and means we do not have to use admin time chasing you.  

It has been extremely heartening to see the level of parental engagement this half-term. We had excellent attendance at our live online E-safety talk and the numbers are looking good for the phonics workshops next week.  We are also running a weekly ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) course that is well attended.  It is lovely to open our doors once again and invite you in.  Working in partnership will ensure the best outcomes for your children. We will continue to run workshops throughout the year.  We will send a survey out regarding what form and content you would like to ensure that you have a voice in this process.  It will be a short form, so please make every effort to complete it.  This will be sent to you next week. 

Like many jobs, this job can be challenging but, sometimes it offers so much more in return.  This week I have been brought to the brink of tears twice by the excellence of the children in our school.  On Tuesday this wonderful poem was placed on my desk.  I absolutely love it and I would like to share it with you.

Yesterday, I was told about the actions of one of our Year 6 children.  He saw that a boy in Reception was upset and he held his hand and took him into the Reception classroom.  He then proceeded to sit him down and read him a book. Both these acts were not asked for but are examples of our wonderful children using their own initiative, living our values and ‘Making a difference.’  What a nice way to end the newsletter.  I really hope you have a lovely weekend and enjoy every moment with your friends and families. 

PS:  You may have noticed that we have a new member of our office team.  I am delighted to announce that Lara Sawyer has joined us and will be seen front of desk and generally sorting things out.  She is on an apprentice scheme and we are really pleased that Darell School is able to support these initiatives.  Please say hello when you see her.

Joe Porter  

HARVEST TIME

This year Darell School will be donating to local Richmond charities and families to support people in need.  We would like contributions of the following:

 

FOOD ITEMS:

  • TINNED FOOD, such as meat or fish, vegetables, tomatoes, soup, tinned custard, rice pudding, sponge puddings - they prefer all tinned food to come in ring-pull cans rather than those requiring a can opener
  • COFFEE (small jars), TEA BAGS, LONG LIFE MILK, LONG LIFE FRUIT JUICES
  • INSTANT MASHED POTATO, SAUCES, CEREAL AND CEREAL BARS, BISCUITS
  • JAM, MARMALADE, MARMITE, CHOCOLATE SPREAD
  • MEALS IN A TIN/POT NOODLES
  • PASTA/RICE
  • BISCUITS

NON-FOOD ITEMS:

  • TOILET ROLLS, WASHING UP LIQUID, WASHING TABLETS / CAPSULES, DEODORANT, SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, BODY WASH, TOOTHPASTE, SHAVING FOAM
  • £1/2 CASH DONATION

All donations will be collected in the school office from Monday,11th October.

Thank you very much in advance for your generosity!

Office Updates

Lates and Absences

If your child is unwell and unable to attend school you must call the office or email before 9:00am. 

If your child is late for school please come into the front office to sign them in on the electronic system. Just to remind  gates are closed at 8:55 

Tissues    

It's that time of year again when we kindly ask for your donations of tissues. If you would like to donate a box of tissues please drop them off at the school office. Thank you in advance.

 

   Defibrillator 

I would like to say a huge thank you for the donations made towards purchasing a defibrillator for the school! so far we have raised a massive £276 well done!

 

Cold and Wet Weather 

As the winter weather is drawing in, we ask that all children attend school with a coat or jacket. If it is raining, children who  do not have a coat or jacket  will not be allowed out for break.

 

Secondary Transfer

Children born between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2011 are due to start year seven at secondary school in September 2022.

Use the eAdmissions website from 1 September to apply online for your child’s secondary school place.

You can name up to six schools in your application including academy or free schools and schools in other council areas.

If you do not live in the borough, you need to apply through your own council and you can include Richmond schools in your application.

The closing date for applying for a year 7 place is 31 October 2021.

Secondary school admissions

Open evenings and mornings

Diary Dates

Year 6 Swimming
1:30pm – 2:30pm
18
October
Nasal Flu Vaccinations Reception - Year 6
9:00am – 12:00pm
19
October
Year 2 Trip - Thames Explorer
9:30am – 3:00pm
20
October
Half Term
9:00am – 5:00pm
From 25 Oct until 29 Oct
25
October
Closing Date for Year 7 Applications
All Day
31
October
Nursery Autumn Walk
9:00am – 10:00am
02
November
Nursery Autumn Walk
12:30pm – 1:30pm
02
November
Year 3 Safe Walking Scheme
All Day
From 08 Nov until 10 Nov
08
November
Reception Open Day
9:30am
09
November
Reception Open Day
10:00am
27
November
Kew Sparkle
5:30am – 8:30pm
03
December
National Christmas Jumper Day
All Day
10
December
KS1 and Reception Nativity
2:00pm – 3:00pm
14
December

Wellbeing     

Get support

If you're concerned about a child or young person's mental health, you can get free, confidential advice via phone, email or webchat from the Young Minds Parents Helpline.

Action for Children has lots of tips to help you spot signs of mental health issues in children and advice on the action you can take to help.

Barnardo's has also set up the See, Hear, Respond support hub – a dedicated service to help children, young people and their families or carers with problems caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Experiencing the loss of a friend or loved one can be extremely difficult. The Childhood Bereavement Network has information and links to national and local organisations you or the child you look after might find helpful.

Any professional that works with children and young people should be able to help you get support. You could talk to a teacher, school nurse, social worker or GP.

You can find more information about NHS children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS) on the NHS website. You can also look at your local Clinical Commissioning Group website, and most services also have their own website with information about access, referrals (including whether you can "self-refer") and contact details – try searching in your area for "CYPMHS" or "CAMHS" (children and adolescent mental health services, an older term used for some CYPMHS).

If you are worried about a child or young person who has or may have an eating disorder, check if your local Children and Young People's Community Eating Disorder Team accepts self-referrals and contact them as soon as possible. You can also speak to your GP. Beat has lots more useful advice for children, young people and adults.

If you look after a child that has additional needs, Mencap, the Mental Health Foundation and the National Autistic Society all have excellent resources and support for parents or carers of children with learning disabilities or autism.

Do not hesitate to get urgent support if you think either you or your child needs it.

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.

Wonder - Tell me about a moment you were kind and made someone smile

Peake - What do you think the mother pig might have done when she saw the houses being blown down? What would you have done if you were her?

Weir - What kind of adventure do you think Orion and the Dark will have next?

Walker - How does Ruby get rid of her worry?

Newton - Why are all the witches afraid of Rapunzel?

Thunberg - How will the eagle learn how to fly? How would you help him?

Darwin - What colour would a zebra be if it lost all its stripes?

Attenborough - What do you think is inside the locket that Lupe left for Isabella?

Parks - What information do you know about the HMS Endurance?

How would you describe the conditions faced by Shackleton and his crew in the Weddell Sea?

How did Shackleton and the crew escape Elephant Island?

KS1 Star of the Week

Wonder Class 

Mason- for always trying his best and having such a great attitude in class this week

Peake Class

Isla - for excellent sounding and blending in our phonics lessons. Well done, Isla!

Weir Class

Ali - for settling well into Weir Class! Well done, Ali!

Walker Class

Sonia - for having and go and trying new things.  For going to Forest School with a smile and joining in. Well done, Sonia!

KS2 Star of the Week

Newton Class

Josh - for Working hard to become more independent in class, with his homework and reading

Thunberg Class

Millie - for Being a responsible member of our class and always having interesting and thoughtful things to say

Darwin Class

Aidan - for his many insightful thoughts and comments about our learning 

Attenborough Class

Lily-Rose - for her fabulous writing and her commitment to all her learning

Parks class

Acacia - for her impressive can-do attitude at Thames Young Mariners

Darell Primary & Nursery School Follow
This week in Reception we have been focusing on our gross and fine motor skills. We have rolled, climbed, pinched and practiced our mark making to strengthen our muscles to help with our writing. #earlyyears https://t.co/P5snMAVx2w
2 hours ago
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Attendance

Overall school attendance this week was 90.1% our target is 96.8%.

Well done to Walker class for the highest attendance of 100% this week.

Best for punctuality was Darwin and Walkerclass with 0 late!

Let's do our best for next week!

Community News

October Half Term: Ghosts of Richmond Palace – workshops at the Museum

Tuesday 26 October to Friday 29 October, 10am to 12noon

Discover the ghostly goings on in the remains of Richmond Palace. Make your own haunted palaces to help decorate your home this Halloween!

BOOK NOW

October Half Term: Ghosts of Richmond Palace – online workshops

Tuesday 26 October to Friday 29 October, 1pm to 3pm

Discover the ghostly goings on in the remains of Richmond Palace. Make your own haunted palaces to help decorate your home this Halloween!

BOOK NOW

 

 


 

Caterlink are seeking to recruit talented and ambitious individuals to work within our Richmond & Kingston Schools.

Current Vacancies

Catering Managers, cooks and General Assistants

10 – 30 hours a week

Term time only

If you are interested in joining our team, please contact Tracee Delaney our Area Manager on 07435 987848

Useful Links

     Arbor Parent Portal - darell-primary.uk.arbor

     Follow us on twitter - twitter.com/darellschool

     School Uniform Shop - The Shoe Station