commuication

Dear parents and carers,

The end of term is nigh, and as the term draws to a close, we look forward to the final few days of the Autumn Term, with plans in place to finish the terms learning and celebrations.

We return on Thursday 4th January 2024 and look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting new term. Attendance and punctuality remain a high expectation for the new year to maintain high attendance and to reduce patterns of absence or lateness.

Upon our return, parent consultations will take place to share your child’s progress and next steps. This is a valuable time and a chance to also look at your children’s learning.

I look forward to 2024 and thank you for a wonderful first term this academic year.

Finally, I would like to wish you all happiness and peace at this time of year.

As always, enjoy your family time together.

Mrs Nicholls

In The Spotlight

Winterfest

Winterfest was a wonderful start to all things Christmas here at Darlinghurst. Children from Tiddlers, Tiny Tiddlers and pre-schools came along for an afternoon of art, crafts and games. The choir sang some festive songs and Santa came to share a story too.

Letters to Santa

Our Nursery children were excited to go on our a festive walk to send their letters to Santa with some added sparkle.

Choir at the Southend Light Switch on

The choir performed on stage at the Southend Light Switch on. They even had an interview and coverage on BBC Sounds.

Running club

Running club and the PE team were up and about for an early for a festive run on a VERY frosty morning!

Elves Workshop

Our year 5 children have been busy little elves, preparing for all things Christmas in the art room.

Christmas Greetings at Bluebird Care

Our Bluebird Care Christmas card competition winners visited staff and residents to receive a prize for their achievement. It was explained that one of the ladies that is cared for chose the winning design and the runners up but that she found it extremely hard to decide, due to the outstanding quality of the artwork and effort displayed. The winning card has been printed and is the chosen card for all 4 Bluebird Care establishments as their card of the season. The winning entry was a joint design by Grace and Harvey and the runners up were Tommy and Amber. I am so proud of all the children that took part in this and some of the other entries are displayed in Bluebird Care’s window.

Mrs Buckley

Santas visit to Tiny Tiddlers

Our Tiny Tiddlers had a visit from Santa during their weekly session. Santa came to Hagrid’s Hut and each Tiny Tiddler had the chance to see him. It was a magical experience, and we are so grateful that he could take the time to visit Darlinghurst.

Christmas Jumper and Dinner Day

On Christmas Jumper Day, the hall was full of festive cheer and children enjoyed their Christmas lunch with their friends and staff. Christmas Jumper Day raises awareness and funds for Save the children. Thank you for your donations, this year we have raised a total of £382.

Festive visits to Admiral Court

The Choir and Junior Governors have been spending time with our Dear friends at Admiral Court to spread Christmas cheer and well wishes to the residents and carers.

Choir performance at Church

The choir enjoyed performing on Sunday at Leigh Road Baptist Church. They were part of the church’s ‘All Age Instant Nativity’. The congregation commented how much they enjoyed listening to children sing. Siblings also joined in the performance by dressing up and becoming part of the Nativity along with a real live Baby Jesus.

Nursery performance – Twas the night before Christmas

The nursery children shared the poem ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ with songs and joy. They were delightful and warmed the hearts of everyone.

Reception production – Born in a barn

Our Reception children came together to share the magic of Christmas in their charming nativity. They looked very sweet in their costumes as they shared the commotion within the stable.

Year 1 & 2 production - A King is born

Children in year 1 and 2 shared the story of the birth of the baby king. The angels, shepherds, and kings followed the star to the stable. A star performance!

Christmas Light Concert

Our Children in KS2 celebrated the season of light with a repertoire of songs, poems and performance. They certainly let ‘love shine a light’.

PTA Christmas Fayre

On Tuesday 19th December, we will be holding our very own Darlinghurst Christmas Market. Families and members of the community are invited to come together to celebrate with food, fun and festive games. We will be having a special visit from Santa and Mr Grinch, limited timeslots are available to book via your child’s ParentPay account.

An Eco – Christmas

We’ve had a busy week! Some of the Eco Committee took part in a UCL research project on Friday evaluating a new template for the Eco-schools website. It has certainly made us reflect on what we are doing to track the impact we are having. We also submitted a report for the Better Planet Schools scheme about Waste and Recycling which has been our focus this half term and have received a certificate for successfully completing the task. In addition, we featured in the Eco-schools Interim Report as the scheme has had such a great impact on our school over the years.

This year we have signed up to a scheme to recycle Christmas cards. The box will be arriving next week and will be collected on 15th January. If you have any Christmas cards and envelopes, please bring them to us to be recycled as we have a chance of winning prizes for the school.

Online Safety

With Christmas right around the corner, millions of families are excitedly anticipating the chance to spend some quality time with each other over the festive season. When everyone’s engrossed in their phones or glued to their games consoles, however, genuinely meaningful moments with loved ones can often be difficult to orchestrate.

This Christmas guide will lend a hand: providing some advice on helping young people to set aside their devices for a while and live in the moment. Even if going full tech cold turkey feels unrealistic, implementing just a few of these tips could still decrease the amount of screen time in your home this festive season – enabling everyone to make the most of it.

Hockey

If your child is interested in hockey, please find attached details of a free trial being offered by S&B Hockey Club.

Attendance

EYFS

Starfish – 96%

KS1

Puffin 98.1%

Shrimp – 97.9&

KS2

Billet – 98.7%

Swordfish – 97.1%

Proud To Be Me

Save the date

Thursdays: Tiny Tiddlers: 9am

Monday 18th December – ‘A King is born’ Year 1 & 2 production – 2:15pm – 3pm

Tuesday 19th December – PTA Christmas Fayre 3:30pm – 5:30pm

Wednesday 20th December – last day of term – 1.30pm finish

Thursday 4th January – Academy open after Christmas break

Monday 8th January – Parent Consultation booking closes – 7pm

Monday 16th January – Tea & Talk: Reception Maths – 8.50am

Tuesday 16th January – Parent Consultations – 4.30pm – 6.30pm

Wednesday 17th January – Parent Consultations – 3.30pm – 5.30pm

Wednesday 31st January – Tea & Talk: Eco – 8.50am

Tuesday 6th February – Tea & Talk: Internet Safety Day – 8.50am