Headteacher Message

Hello all,

I hope that you are all well.  It has been another incredibly busy week here at Darell and we are finishing on a high.  Myself and Mr Gilbert have just finished our whole school reading assembly and we are now set up so we can see all the classes as we present.  It is not as good as all being in the same room but is lovely nonetheless.  Thank you all for your support with the reading logs.  We have noticed an increase in the amount of reading taking place across the school which is great. 

As you will all know, we are now in our second lockdown.  I mentioned it in the whole school assembly today, but it was just to let them know that we will continue to keep them safe and happy in school.  If possible, we would like you to continue to wear masks when you are on site.  We have no jurisdiction to demand this but hope that you would support us by doing so.  We would also ask you to consider your arrangements for picking children up.  I am acutely aware how challenging childcare can be and recognise that you will sometimes use other parents to pick up your children.  Our advice would be that you would need to currently seek other arrangements unless the adult is in your childcare bubble as per government guidance. It is not enjoyable to have to focus on these matters in the newsletter but hopefully working together we can continue to keep everybody safe.  The good news is that in the locality there has been a slight fall in positive cases this week, which is encouraging.

Last week, we sent out our remote learning plan and we have been trailing some of the aspects this week.  We continue to work on a home/school agreement that is needed for the chromebooks to be taken home if isolation is necessary.  This week we trialled some live lessons whereby pupils at home could watch their teacher during the whole class teaching of Writing, Reading and Maths.  It worked really well and if a child needs to isolate they will have access to the slides and live teaching during the morning.  We really feel that this is the best way for them to avoid falling behind and is also a way of continuing to promote their well-being as they are experiencing the lesson with their classmates.  We will keep you informed on our progress with this.

The forecast for the weekend is good so please wrap up warm, enjoy the great outdoors and have some quality time with your families. 

Joe Porter

Communications Sent Home

Parents Evening Consultation - Whole School

Coronavirus quick reference flow chart - Whole School

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 - What were the cats doing while Pam was sleeping?

Peake -  Why did the boy need to find the bear a new place to live?

If you were the boy, where would you take the bear and why?

Weir - Where do you think ?Claude and Sir Bobblysock will go next?

What do you think they would do? Where in the city would you go? 

Mozart -  What would you take if you went to the moon?

Newton - use 'ing' to talk about what the animals are doing in the book? eg They are stalking their prey.

Thunberg - How do you think the town’s opinions on Arthur have changed?

Darwin - If you were turned into a magical animal, what animal would it be?

Attenborough - What makes Treason a historical fiction text?

Why is Will's father heart-broken?

Parks - Why did the Nazis lose the Battle of Britain?

What were Esther’s experiences of Nazis whilst she and her family lived in Austria?