communication

Should you be interested in purchasing a Darlinghurst beanie hat they can be ordered from our suppliers at School Uniform Direct. Darlinghurst Beanie (knitted) Hat – SCHOOL UNIFORM DIRECT

We started the year hitting the press with our fantastic results. All schools now have published data with comparisons locally and nationally.

We are delighted to be in the top three schools with our combined results! This means that children achieve the expected standard in all three subject areas.

The final tour for prospective parents this week talked about their school of choice and how they wanted to come to Darlinghurst. If you have a child in Nursery or of Reception age, the deadline is fast approaching. If you need any help with admissions, Mrs Lowe is happy to help. mrslowe@darlinghurstacademy.org.uk

Parent Consultations

It is the time of year when we provide further updates on learning with our face-to-face consultations and share curriculum overviews outlining what your children are learning this term.

Consultations will be taking place on Tuesday 14th January 4:30pm – 6:30pm and Wednesday 15th January 3:30pm – 5:30pm.

Please enter via the main front office ahead of your appointment slot. Y1 and 2 consultations will take place just off the main hall. Y3 to 6 consultations will take place in your child’s classroom. Your child’s core books will be out for you to look at ahead or after your consultation. If you have not already booked your appointment, please do so via MCAS. This will remain open until Friday 10th January 7pm.

Half termly curriculum letters for year 1 – 6 will be accessible on MCAs outlining this half terms learning and provision. These will be available the early part of next week.

Please note: PE, ART and Outdoor learning has changed for year 3, 5 and 6.

Other year groups remain the same, the table below demonstrates the changes.

Starting points

This week, when walking around the academy, I saw the starting points of learning and the launch of new themes and lines of enquiry. In the connected curriculum children were excited to share what they already know about their unit of learning, drawing on their prior knowledge but also sharing some fantastic ‘wonder questions’.

The whole academy was buzzing with new ideas and introductions to what is happening this half term. It may be a shorter half term but will be jam packed with learning, making the most of every opportunity.

In year 1 the children loved engaging in roleplay of an aeroplane take-off and landing. They had virtual footage of an aeroplane landing on the screen. This was linked to their unit question: What we can we learn about the world from stories?

In year 2 their learning is linked to a fantastic story, Mrs Armitage and exploring the question, What is the best way for Mrs Armitage to travel?

I still remember Mrs Cooke in year 2 dressed up as Mrs Armitage in a wig and skirt riding around the playground on her bicycle. Mrs Cooke sends her love and continues to work at a university, training the next generation of teachers. What a great role model and teacher to have as a trainee.

In year 3 they are excited about their question, ‘Would you like to visit Guatemala?’ They used clues, atlases and research to find out the country they are going to explore.

Have you heard of Guatemala?

In year 4 they were asking questions all about chocolate and creative ideas were generated too. The unit question is, ‘Should we stop eating chocolate?’

We discussed the types of chocolate, ingredients and why we like eating chocolate.

In year 5 the science and technology unit of study is called, The Fairground. This is a great unit for us living by the seaside with Adventure Island and travelling fairs too.

They were excited to demonstrate their exciting hook to learning by spinning a bucket of water in a circular motion without spilling a drop! They were able to tell me all about the centrifugal force and referred to the fairground ride – hearts and diamonds. Children shared how they had seen this ride at Chalkwell Fair. Have you been on this?

In year six, we started to wonder how and why some creatures no longer exist and this led us wondering if there was a way of bringing back the dinosaurs, like Jurassic World or making a special island for endangered species for protection. Children shared what they know about dinosaurs including how many names they could recite. I wonder if year 1 and 2 would know more dinosaur names than the memory recall of year 6. One child shared why the Dodo became extinct, whilst others wondered if DNA could support any form of regeneration. There were some great lines of enquiry.

Imperial War Museum

On Thursday, year 5 arrived at school bright and early for our trip to the Imperial War Museum in London to support our historical connected curriculum topic on castles and World War One.

We arrived wide eyed at the big guns that stand guard outside of the museum. After a brief introduction by one of the museum’s education volunteers, we split off into groups exploring the four galleries.

On the ground floor was the WW1 gallery which innovatively explored the era and the impact that it had upon the world.

On the first floor was the WW2 gallery which had various exhibits, stories and photos explaining the global impact of the second world war.

On the third floor was an exhibition depicting war through art, film and photographs.

Finally, on the 5th floor was a heroes gallery which had some of the stories as to why people received various medals, from the past right up to present day, for acts of bravery and selflessness that provided much aspiration to the children.

Yet again, the children in Y5 were fantastic ambassadors for Darlinghurst that enthusiastically took in many of the sights and sounds of the museum and were respectful at all times.

A big thank you to all support given by the parents and carers on the trip.

Sports Hall Athletics

This week our sports squads have hit the ground running with 2 competitions in the first week back. On Thursday our Y5/6 Sports Hall Athletics team were in action and today our Y3/4 Squad also competed in their local competition. Our children, as always, represented our school demonstrating many of our school values but none more so than the determination one. Over 24 schools in total entered each competition and our squads finished 3rd and 5th respectively. Well done to all involved, we are very proud of you.