Contents
- Contents
- Head Teacher's Message
- General Messages
- Wellbeing
- Nursery News
- Reception News
- Year 1 News
- Year 2 News
- Year 3 News
- Year 4 News
- Upcoming Dates
Head Teacher's Message
Dear Parents and Carers, What a fantastic year we've had at Dinnington! I'd like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to the fantastic team of staff here, the governing body, parents and friends and to all of you as parents and families who support us every day. The children seem to have really enjoyed their transition days to their new classes and are ready for new challenges in September. This week we say goodbye to our absolutely wonderful Year 4s. They shared all their happy memories of their time at Dinnington with us this morning in their leavers assembly. It's been amazing see them grow into such fabulous young people who we know will carry on being resilient and kind and making the most of all the opportunities to come. From all the staff we wish them all the best in their new schools and the future - the door is always open to come back and tell us how they are getting on! For those of you who will be returning in September, the school calendar is currently being updated on the website with dates for the Autumn Term and a printable version is attached at the bottom of this newsletter. I hope you all have a lovely summer break and we look forward to welcoming you and all our new families back on Wednesday 2nd September. Kind regards Mrs Ash and the Team
General Messages
Goodbyes Next week we say goodbye to a few members of staff. Miss Gray will be leaving our school to take up an exciting new role in the world of football. During her time with us, she has become a highly valued teacher and member of staff, making a positive impact on pupils and colleagues alike. Miss Gray has been a passionate advocate for girls' football and has inspired many of our pupils to get involved in the sport. While we will miss her greatly, we are determined to continue building on the strong foundation she has created and keep her legacy going. Miss Berry will be leaving our school at the end of term to take up an exciting new role in health and well-being. Throughout her time with us, she has provided valued support to pupils across both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, always putting their needs and wellbeing first. Miss Berry will also be fondly remembered for sharing her passion and expertise in dance through the many dance clubs she has led across the school. We thank her for her dedication and commitment and wish her every success and happiness in her new career. Mrs Coxon is also leaving for new ventures. During her time at Dinnington, she has played an important part in helping many children thrive as they began their school journey in Reception. Her kindness, patience and dedication have made a lasting difference to both pupils and families. Mrs Coxon will be remembered fondly, and we thank her for her valued contribution to our school community and wish her every success in her new role.
Congratulations Congratulations to Miss Gullon who is getting married during the summer break. When Miss Gullon returns she will be Mrs Freedman!
Wellbeing
We have almost come to the end of another fantastic year, well done to all the children for working hard and to the whole school community for supporting them to be the very best they can be. Coping with Change The children will soon be having their transition days and meeting their new teachers to help them prepare for September. Even if a change is positive and exciting, it can still feel stressful, particularly for children. As children move year groups and have to say goodbye to their current teacher, they may feel overwhelmed and appear be agitated or withdrawn. This is perfectly normal and offering them emotional support to express and understand their feelings will help them regulate themselves and build resilience.
For more information about supporting children and ourselves to manage change click this link. https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/young-people/well-being/activities/adapting-to-change
Here are some lovely picture books that explore themes of change, building confidence, managing worries and coping with loss. If you don't own these books, you could borrow them from the library or see if there is a read-aloud video of them on YouTube.
Enjoy the Summer holidays Most of us love to have a rest and a break from routine, but it can also feel like a long and expensive six weeks when you have children to entertain! Here are some links that provide ideas for free or inexpensive activities to do with your children over the summer holiday. https://annahardy.co.uk/40-school-holiday-ideas-that-wont-break-the-bank/ Local outdoor places to visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east Free family activities in Newcastle https://childrenandfamiliesnewcastle.org.uk/whats-city#:~:text=Museums%20and%20galleries%20are%20wonderful,workshop%20at%20the%20Hatton%20Gallery. https://newcastlegateshead.com/blog/summer-holidays-events-for-kids-in-newcastle-gateshead
Ms Tustin, Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead
Nursery News
Nursery had a fantastic trip to Blyth beach, the weather wasn’t the best but we made the most of it and had lots of fun together. The children with their grown ups made sandcastles and a mermaid, paddled in the sea, buried each other in the sand, collected seaside treasures, had a picnic and played together on the beach and in the park. A fun-filled day with sleepy heads on the way back on the coach.
Our theme this half term has been Marvellous Minibeasts. We had a visit from Zoolab which gave the Nursery children hands on experience of some extraordinary minibeasts including a giant snail, some cockroaches and a tarantula. The children were so brave and found the experience fascinating. They learnt many facts too.
Over the week’s we have focussed on spiders, snails, caterpillars/butterflies, ladybirds and frogs. All of the activities we have done have been based on these bugs. The children drew some wonderful lifecycles of a butterfly and named each stage. When we looked at snails we learnt about the artist Henri Matisse and we produced our own snail collages. We also read the story of ‘Matisse’s Magical Trail’ about a snail who loved to draw. We made our own drawings on pebbles and made a trail in our forest. We are now in the season of Summer so Nursery went on a Summer walk spotting the seasonal changes. The children found that they could make shadows when the sun was shining. We have had lots of Summer fun so far!
Reception News
Reception continues to be fascinated by minibeasts this half term and are writing many facts about them. We are also watching our class caterpillars grow and become chrysalises. We have also been learning about different minibeast habitats and we have been discussing which minibeasts we can see in the garden amongst the plants that we have grown together.
We also had a visit from 'Zoolab', where we held and looked at various exotic creatures and learned new facts about them. Freddie said "The tarantula looks camouflage in its tank and it shoots hairs from its legs when it is scared!" Taya said "The snail feels cold in my hand."
We have worked hard in high temperatures to practice different athletic skills for Sports Day and have loved having Coach Jess in from Little Kickers to teach us football skills.
Year 1 News
We have had a wonderfully busy and exciting few weeks in class filled with lots of memorable learning experiences. In Design and Technology, the children enjoyed making their own healthy smoothies. They carefully prepared ingredients, used their food preparation skills safely and explored different flavour combinations. The finished smoothies were a huge success, with many children keen to share their opinions.
“My smoothie is delicious!” - Jousha
“I love it sooooo much.” - Leighton
Sports Day was a fantastic event and the children demonstrated excellent effort, determination and teamwork throughout. From running races to field events, everyone participated with enthusiasm and supported one another brilliantly. We were incredibly proud of the positive attitudes shown by all the children, who cheered each other on and celebrated everyone’s achievements.
We have also been hard at work rehearsing for our upcoming Voices in Colour concert. The classroom has been filled with singing as the children practise their songs and performance skills. They have shown great commitment and enthusiasm, and we are all looking forward to sharing our hard work with families and the wider school community. In History, we have been learning about the fascinating history of trains. The children have explored how railways developed over time and the impact they had on travel, industry and daily life. They have enjoyed discovering how trains have changed through the years and comparing historic locomotives with modern rail transport. To bring our learning to life, we are looking forward to our visit to the Discovery Museum, where we will have the opportunity to learn even more about transport and local history through a range of exciting exhibits and activities. It has been a fantastic few weeks, and we are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, curiosity and hard work shown by all the children.
Year 2 News
It has been a very busy few weeks for Year 2, filled with hands-on learning, trips out of school and some great achievements. In History, the children took part in a Grace Darling drama workshop right here in the hall. They re-enacted the famous rescue, learning about the historical event through acting. One of our Year 2 pupils said,
"I loved pretending to row the boat through the giant waves—it felt like we were really there!"
We also enjoyed two school trips recently. First, we visited Nando’s to learn about the workplace, where the children found out about the different jobs involved in running a restaurant.
Soon after, our mini singers went to The Glasshouse for the Big Sing. They practiced their songs and performed together.
"Singing on the big stage made me feel like a real pop star,"
shared one of our singers. Finally, well done to everyone for their hard work on Sports Day. Every child took part, cheered for their classmates and put great effort into their races, from the egg and spoon event to the sprints.
"Sports Day was the best day ever because everyone was cheering for each other,"
said one of the runners.
Thank you to all the parents and carers for your support throughout these activities. Have a wonderful break.
Year 3 News
Year 3 have had a busy and fun time during June. Highlights included visiting St James’ Park football stadium, playing quidditch, and participating in Sports Day. All the Newcastle United fans thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the home of the Magpies. It was great to learn all about the history and take a peek behind the scenes to see how everything works. The stadium was a maze of corridors and rooms, but luckily, our guide was extremely knowledgeable.
Quidditch and Sports Day provided lots of opportunities to keep active and get fit, and both were tremendous fun. It was lovely to see so many smiles and so much laughter. The children are all working extremely hard, so it has worked wonderfully for them to have an opportunity to unwind whilst doing some exercise.
Year 4 News
Year 4 have had a fantastic half term, showcasing a wide range of talents and skills. The children have worked incredibly hard across a variety of exciting opportunities and have continued to demonstrate enthusiasm, creativity and teamwork. A particular highlight was taking part in the Big Gig, where Year 4 performed a selection of songs from famous films, including Ghostbusters, Singin' in the Rain and School of Rock. We are incredibly proud of how professional they were throughout the performance. They represented our school brilliantly, showing confidence, commitment and some truly fantastic talent.
Year 4 have also been enjoying their ukulele lessons, further developing their musical and performance skills. They have learned a range of notes and chords and have enjoyed performing songs such as Shake It Off and Stand By Me. It has been wonderful to see the children's confidence grow as they learn a new instrument and perform together as a class.
The children also took part in a stop-motion animation workshop, where they learned what stop-motion animation is, how it is created and how to add voice-overs to bring their films to life. They thoroughly enjoyed developing this new skill and have loved using it in class to create their own short movies. Their creativity and teamwork have been fantastic to see.
Another exciting experience this half term was taking part in Quidditch. The children learned the rules of the game and were sorted into Hogwarts houses to compete against one another. Throughout the session, they developed their accuracy, shooting skills and teamwork, while showing excellent sportsmanship and determination.
Sports Day was another fantastic highlight of the half term. The children showed great determination, enthusiasm and team spirit as they took part in a range of athletic events and races. It was wonderful to see them encouraging one another, celebrating successes and demonstrating excellent sportsmanship throughout the day. We were incredibly proud of their positive attitudes, resilience and willingness to give every challenge their best effort.
We are also incredibly proud of the children who successfully completed their Bikeability training in May. They demonstrated great resilience and responsibility while developing their cycling skills and road awareness. Well done to everyone who achieved their award! As we approach the end of the year, Year 4 have been working incredibly hard to prepare a fantastic Leavers' Assembly. The children have shown great dedication while learning their lines, songs and performances, and we cannot wait to share it with you. It promises to be a wonderful celebration of their time at Dinnington First School and all they have achieved during their First School journey.Well done, Year 4 – you have had a brilliant half term filled with creativity, teamwork and outstanding performances!
Upcoming Dates
Full details of trips and visits will be sent directly to parents
Training Days (School closed to pupils) Tuesday September 1st 2026, Friday October 23rd 2026, Monday June 7th 2027