Welcome to DSJ Weekly!
Good afternoon all - I hope you've all had a good week!
I must start with a thank you to everybody for supporting our non-uniform day today in support of donations for our Christmas raffle. Christmas is approaching and I know that it's a time of year when we all feel the squeeze a little bit more than usual, so every penny of support is greatly appreciated by all.
Needless to say, we have lots of Christmas orientated events coming up - more information on these below - and preparations have started. As many of you will have seen, the stage has been set up in the hall and practice of our Christmas performances has begun!
Last week, our community raised a fantastic £277.96 for Children In Need - a great amount for a great cause!
In this week's Tuesday assembly, we once again took a look at the Dodworth Pledge. I asked children what they thought was the most important part of the pledge: one child said 'that we are kind and respectful', another said 'learning about life', a third said 'work, play and live as a team', before the fourth and final volunteer said they were all equally important as they were all linked! I couldn't have planned it better if I'd tried! It really was a great demonstration of the fact that all three of the main parts of the Dodworth Pledge carry equal importance and - more importantly - that the message behind this is being understood by the children.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. It looks like we're set for a drop in temperature, so stay wrapped up!
Mr Smith
This week we have set up an Amazon Wishlist for our school. It goes without saying that there is no expectation from anybody to purchase anything - we understand that the run-up to Christmas is a time where we all feel the squeeze a little more than usual. If, however, you would like to help school in some way at any point, this is a fantastic way to do so.
The wish list will remain active throughout the rest of the academic year and contains things that we have identified that will help children to enjoy the school day that little bit more: playground equipment, resources that can be used in small groupwork, sensory items, and much more besides.
Please click here to view the wishlist.
Again, there is zero obligation, but every donation would be gratefully received!
It has been fantastic this week to see our Year 6 Sports Leaders provide their expertise and guidance to the younger children in school during playtimes. They have set up their very own club, where they help and guide younger children in accessing a range of sporting activities.
This sort of leadership is amazing to see, and fits right in to the 'Live, Play and Work as a Team' aspect of the Dodworth Pledge. Well done to all involved!
This week has been Safeguarding Awareness Week across the borough.
Keeping our children safe is our number one priority and we are strongly committed to safeguarding.
Safeguarding in our school is everyone’s responsibility: all staff, governors and volunteers play their part in keeping our children safe and have Level 2 Safeguarding training, with regular refresher training.
Information on safeguarding can be found on our website. However, for your information, our lead safeguarding team is as follows:
Designated Safeguarding Lead:
Mr J Smith (Head of School)
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads:
Mr S Kaufman (Executive Head)
Mrs D Whiteley (Assistant Head)
Mrs S Wood (SENCo)
Mrs L Harper (PSA)
We have some exciting stuff coming up this half term for Christmas! Here's a brief summary:
6th Dec, 14:30-16:30: Christmas Fayre
7th Dec: Christmas Jumper Day
12th Dec, 09:30: EYFS Nativity
12th Dec, PM: Y1-Y6 Paramount Pictures Trip to see Elf. More information below!
13th Dec, 14:00: KS1 Nativity
15th Dec, 09:00: KS2 Christmas Showcase
19th Dec, 1:45: Christingle Service
20th Dec: Christmas Dinner Day
22nd Dec: Last day of School before Christmas!
We are pleased to be able to offer the opportunity to take Classes Y1 - Y6 to Penistone Paramount to see the Christmas film Elf.
Children will travel by coach, leaving school at 12:45 after they have had lunch in school. We will be back to school by the usual time of 3.30pm. The total cost for the trip is £11.55 per child; this includes an ice-cream in the interval. There will f course be a non-dairy equivalent available (please let the school office staff know if your child requires non dairy).
As always, we must advise that if we do not get the numbers we require to re-coup the cost of the trip then unfortunately we will have to cancel.
The trip will be payable through ParentPay and you will be asked to give your consent for your child to go at this time.
Please ensure that care is taken around parking at the beginning and end of the school day. We have received reports of heightened congestion outside school caused by a large number of vehicles parking directly outside the school. We'd like to encourage people, where at all possible, to park further away from school to alleviate some of this congestion, particularly at times where we have a large number of children walking in/out of the main school entrance to reduce any risk to our families.
Thank you for your understanding and support in this.
Please be vigilant and check children's hair regularly for nits; prompt treatment is the best way to tackle these uninvited guests!
Information on the best way to treat nits and head lice can be found at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice-and-nits/
Please see the new school menu below. Images best viewed in landscape mode on mobile devices
Thursday 30th November
Year 6 Swimming
Junior Wardens Trip - Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Friday 1st December
Y5/Y6 Tag Rugby at Elsecar - details to follow
Our remaining INSET days for this year will take place on:
Monday 19th February
Monday 22nd July