Headteacher Message

Hello all,

Sunshine = smiles and we have had a lovely week here at Darell. I am currently at the front desk welcoming parents for the delayed parents evenings and it has been lovely to chat to parents on their way in and out. I am hoping that most of you saw the twitter update outlining how well our Debate Mate team have performed. I am not particularly competitive (I am) but it is really nice to hear how skillfully they are using their oracy skills to win debates and climb leader boards. We are currently in the top 25 teams nationally and 13th, yes 13th in the London area. I have always said that I want every child who leaves the school to be able to speak with clarity and confidence. Every single one of our year six cohort can do this and this is the benchmark for future leavers.

Speaking of leavers, we are saying goodbye to three treasured members of staff this week. You will have seen the message regarding Sara Tricker whose last day was yesterday. Next Friday both Julie Kelville and Jayne Blake will leave the school. Between them they have notched up 58 years of service. Quite incredible.

Jayne’s first day took place before our Year 2 teacher, Miss Carter, was born in 1989. She is a staff member and an institution and has been an incredible servant to the school. Just this year alone she has worked with every year group and I know that our children will miss her.

Julie has been here since 1995, the year the DVD was invented! Like Jayne, Julie has shown amazing commitment to the children of this school. She always puts them first and has worked tirelessly to support generations of Darell children. Please find some time to say goodbye to them both next week.

I have been very excited to hear that we have received some applications from our parental community and am looking forward to shortlisting candidates over the weekend.

Have a lovely weekend and see you next week.

Curriculum

This week's curriculum focus is all about being active! Across the school, we encourage the children to be active in a wide range of different contexts. These include but are not limited to; exploring their own learning in Early Years, regular movement breaks across the school, the weekly mile, PE lessons, swimming lessons, a wide range of sports clubs, active play leaders in the playground and much more. The importance of being physically active and giving children the opportunity to move in the classroom cannot be understated. With the enforced amount of time that we have all spent indoors over the last two years, it is incredibly important for the school to place an emphasis on the children's physical fitness. Having regularly completed the weekly mile with Year 5, I have directly seen the benefits on their physical fitness and the linked mental health benefits this also provides. With the improving weather, now is the time to get outside - both in school and at home!

Darell in the Community

We are very lucky to have teamed up with KPR to provide our children with an opportunity to take part in project run at KPR by their coaches. The sessions focus on leadership skills, developing communication within a team, resilience building and confidence. These sessions aren't based on football but there is a sport aspect to them. We ran this last term with a group from year 5 and the feedback was very positive, with one parent telling me she felt it had made a huge difference to her child's confidence and self belief. The sessions are funded by a bursary through KPR and we are hoping to continue this partnership so more of our children can benefit. Here are what some participants have said: Ruby year 5 - I like that it is a small group so I feel comfortable to talk in-front of the class.
Princess Rakaya - I enjoyed playing capture the flag. I also learnt that I can follow my dreams.

Office Updates

Outstanding Payments

As we are approaching the end of the term. Please can we ask you log into your Arbor account and settle any outstanding payments. Thank you.

Bake Sale

Garden Work Party

Parents, carers, friends and children!

Come and help get the school garden ready for summer planting and growing! Children must be accompanied by an adult. Refreshments will be provided. Plant a sunflower to take home.

Communication Sent Home

Year 4 Swimming
New summer term lunch menu
Are your Children Safe online workshop
Heatham House Easter programme
Garden Work Party flyer
Debate Mate letter

Diary Dates

Year 2 Scooter Training

1:00pm – 3:00pm

March

Year 2 St Paul's Cathedral Trip

9:00am – 3:00pm

March

Easter Holiday

All Day

From 04 Apr until 19 Apr

April

Inset Day - children do not attend

All Day

April

Y4 - Thames Young Mariners Residential Trip

9:00am – 4:00pm

From 25 Apr until 26 Apr

April

Y6 SATs - SPaG

9:00am – 12:00pm

May

Y6 SATs - English reading

9:00am – 12:00pm

May

Y6 SATs - Maths Paper 1 (Arithmetic) Paper 2 (Reasoning)

9:00am – 12:00pm

May

Y6 SATs - Maths Paper 3 (Reasoning)

9:00am – 12:00pm

May

Wellbeing

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 - Can you remember how to make bread?

Peake - Can you explain the difference between a house and a home?

Weir - Why did the Great Fire of London spread so quickly? How did they finally stop the fire??

Walker - Why was Jasper feeling sad? How do you know he was sad?

Newton - What is happening in the forest in spring?

Thunberg - If you could be any character out of Perseus, who would you be and why?

Darwin - If you were the traveller in Walter de la Mare’s poem, and you could talk to one of the ghosts in the house, what would you ask it?

Attenborough - How does Libby Scott's book Can You See Me? help people understand autism better?

Parks - Explain how Kensuke has ended up on his island.

Why does Kensuke have such little faith in humanity?

Can you think of any beautiful events that have happened on the island?

KS1 Star of the Week

Wonder Class

Ines - for settling in so well and becoming more resilient!

Peake Class

Johannes - for creating a fantastic speech bubble in role as the bird. Well done, Johannes!

Weir Class

Yagmur - for becoming more confident to share her ideas in class. Well done, Yagmur!

Walker Class

Sonia - for looking after her friends and having a responsible attitude in class. Well done, Sonia!

KS2 Star of the Week

Newton Class

Amrit - for excellent progress in handwriting

Thunberg Class

Jack - for good learning behavior and contributing well in class discussions

Darwin Class

Sam - for the tremendous effort he has taken to improve his handwriting

Attenborough Class

Ted - for his enjoyment and aspiration in history

Parks class

Elisey - for his outstanding progress during Year 6

Rashford

Harry - for having a positive attitude and always being ready to learn. Well done, Harry!

E Safety News

Are your children safe online?

Workshop - Monday, 28^th April at 6:00pm at Darell School, Niton Road, TW9 4 LH.

You can book a place by either:

Call: 0208 876 6721

Email info@darell.richomnd.sch.uk

Google form:

The digital world has offered a fantastic resource for our children and young people, not only as a source of entertainment but accessing information instantly has replaced those hours spent in libraries. Being able to contact you or their friends instantly with their phones has made life much simpler.

There is a darker side to this digital freedom however, and children can be vulnerable to bullying and abuse or even unwittingly commit illegal activities. In this workshop, PC Mick our Safer Schools Officer, and Karen Ali from the mental health charity “Mind”, will give an insight into the dangers of the cyber world, both on the mental health of the child, and the legal consequences that can come through poor choices made online. We will be covering topics such as:

Cyber bullying – the effects on mental health
Grooming – the dangers to be aware of
The dangers of sexting – the legal and mental health consequences
The consequences when things go viral
How you can help your child to stay safe online

Darell Primary & Nursery School Follow

We're so proud of our two UDL Debate Mate teams! In the top 25 of all teams nationally and 13th in all teams across London after Round 1. Absolutely fantastic work! https://t.co/kxxu5THM1e

2 days ago

Attendance

Overall school attendance this week was 95% our target is 96.8%.

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

Best for punctuality was Weir, Darwin and Mozart class with 0 late!

Let's do our best for next week!

Cooking and

Craft Corner

Rainbow tortilla salad

Rainbow tortilla salad recipe

We've used mozzarella, cucumber, tomatoes, carrot, eggs and ham on this kid's salad recipe but you could change any of the ingredients for your child's favourite. Try sweetcorn, olives, tuna or cooked green beans.

Ingredients

2 wholemeal tortilla wraps
2 tsp olive oil
2 eggs
40g 50% reduced-fat mature grated cheese
10 mozzarella pearls
½ cucumber, sliced into rounds
8 cherry tomatoes
1 carrot, coarsely grated
2 slices wafer-thin cooked ham
2 slices wafer-thin cooked ham

Method

Heat oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Brush both sides of the tortillas with the oil, then cut into triangles like tortilla chips.

Place in a single layer on lined baking trays and bake for 7-8 mins until golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, place the eggs in a small saucepan and fill with water until covered by 1cm water. Bring to the boil and cook for 7 mins until hard-boiled.

Remove from the pan and run under cold water until cool enough to peel and thinly slice.

Arrange the tortilla chips on the plate and top with the cheeses, cucumber, tomatoes, carrot, ham and egg.