Newsletters

Newsletter 13 - Friday, 4th December 2020

Headteacher Message

Hello all,

I hope you are all well.  We all received the excellent news that a vaccine has been approved and will begin to be rolled out imminently.  This truly is the beginning of the end.  At Darell, we will continue to ensure that we stick to our risk assessment and ensure that the school remains extremely safe for your children.  We look forward to the day when we can completely return to normal but for now we will remain vigilant.  In other news it was announced that there will be no testing in Year 2 and while there will be tests in Year 6, there will be no national reporting of the results this year.  I broadly welcome these changes.  I am extremely pleased with the progress I have already seen in Year 2 and Year 6 and am confident that they will all make good progress this year.  We will continue to assess them internally and ensure they reach their full potential.  Year 6 will still sit their SAT’s in Reading and Maths but no league tables will be published. Nothing will change for us.  We will work tirelessly to ensure that every child is equipped with the skill set to thrive at secondary school.  

Myself and Mr Gilbert host a live reading assembly every Friday and today’s assembly is significant because we will be handing out certificates for 50 dots in the children's reading logs.  At the risk of sounding like a broken record, developing a love of reading in our children is the biggest gift we can give.  Thank you for supporting our reading initiative and please take some time this weekend to listen to and read to your children.  Also make sure you ask them their comprehension question on the newsletter.

Once again wrap up warm this weekend and look after yourselves, your families and your friends.

Joe Porter

      

Office Updates

Christmas Cracker Donations

As the Christmas lunch is fast approaching we would appreciate Christmas crackers donated for the children to pull during the lunch celebration. Please drop any donations into the front office.

 

Christmas Cards

Please can we ask all Christmas cards for children are clearly marked with names and classes  are put in the box outside the main school office and these will be distributed on the Thursday, !7th December. By doing this we are adhering to the quarantine rules and keeping everyone safe.

The last day to drop cards off is Monday, 14th December.

Christmas Lunch 

This year, our annual Darell Christmas lunch will be Wednesday, 16th December.

Please could you fill out the form by  following the link below to indicate whether your child will be having Christmas Lunch and their choices. If you do not have a google account please log into your child's account to gain permission.

The lunch cost will be £2.25 which you can pay by logging in and topping up your Arbor Account. If you are in receipt of free school meals the Christmas lunch is included.e £2.25 which you can pay by logging in and topping up your Arbor Account. If you are in receipt of free school meals the Christmas lunch is included.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWqAcehDLs7nN52s60jTmFrSOmH6Vb4koUiQzkfcFC7SOllA/viewform?usp=sf_link

 

No Nuts

Can we remind all parents and carers that we are a Nut Free School. Please be especially careful when using chocolate spread and chocolate filled crepes, as often it is chocolate and hazelnut. We have several children that suffer from nut allergies and sitting next to someone who has eaten nuts could be enough to cause a reaction. We thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Upcoming Diary Dates

Tuesday, 8th December -

  • Year 5 and 6 Tennis at Pensford Field

Wednesday, 9th December - 

  • Year 2 Football at North Sheen Rec 

Thursday, 10th December - 

  • Year 3 and 4  Tennis at Pensford field

Friday, 11th December -

  • National Christmas Jumper Day -  Please make a donation in class

Wednesday, 16th December -

  • Darell Christmas Lunch - Payable via Arbor
  • Christmas Mufti Day - Please make a donation in class

Friday, 18th December -

  • Last day of term

Communications Sent Home

  • No attachments this week

Wellbeing

 

We just wanted to remind everyone that here at Darell Primary and Nursery school we feel that wellbeing, including your physical and mental health are extremely important. We want to support the whole family during this time.
It is important that our parents and carers feel supported and well in themselves so the tips and links you will find within this section are to support adults and children.

The link below offers support and information about mental health, wellbeing and direction to services that can help. Particularly relevant to issues that may have arisen from Covid.

https://www.afterthe-storm.co.uk/

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 - Where has your Naughty Bus been?

Peake - Do you think Beegu and her family will return to Earth one day? Why? Why not?

Weir - What do you predict will happen next in 'There's a Tiger in the Garden'?

Do you think Nora and her Grandma will have an adventure with the mermaid? 

Mozart - What sounds kept Mr. Bear awake?

Newton - What did Meg and Ash make their nest from?

Thunberg - How do you think Antarctica expeditions have changed since 1914-16?

Darwin - Is freedom more important than peace?

Attenborough - Do you think the rosary will get Will and his father into trouble at Henry's court ?

Parks - Why did Kensuke spend the majority of his adult life on the island?

Why did you think Michael went to Japan in the book’s postscript?

Maths Challenge

The mighty maths challenge is back!

Each week you will find a new maths challenge in this section of  the newsletter and your Google Classroom along with the winner of the previous week.

Good Luck! 

Please email your answers to maths@darell.richmond.sch.uk

 

last weeks problem 1 winner was  - Mubarak from Darwin Class

Last weeks problem 2 winner was - Emilia from Attenborough Class

Well done to you both!

PSA

It’s Christmas time!

Christmas Silent Auction 2020

The silent auction closes on Sunday, 6th December

If you're looking for last minute presents, check out Darell's Christmas Silent Auction.

You'll find top of the range beauty products to books, festive bottles of fizz and spirits, as well as some fabulous homemade items donated by talented Darell parents, not to mention Miss Helen's famous Christmas cake. There really is something for everyone.

All items are brand new (unless stated otherwise).

Visit  https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/darellchristmasauction2020 and get bidding!

 

Calling all volunteers!

We are running some fund raising stalls after school and are in need of volunteers to help run them. Please let myself or Jennifer know if you can spare some time to help out.

Thank You

We would like to say thank you to Kelly and Lauren from Weir Class for their great help with the  Card stalls yesterday.

 

Darell Coins and Masks

are ready for sale!                

Running out of cash? Looking for a safe way for your child to interact at school sale activities? From now on, Darell will have their own optional school currency.
Get 10 Darells for £11 or 5 Darells for £5.50.

First coins come in a money bag. 

Darell Face Masks - £5.00

Payable over Classlist or at reception. 

Many thanks to Samta & Chris for making this happen!


Donations:


We kindly ask for donations           
- Chocolate or wine
- Books - the book should be for children between 4-12 years, either new or used, but should be in a good condition.

Donation boxes will be in each playground. Alternatively, you can drop them also in reception.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas time!

Your PSA

 

  

       

Online Safety 

Sitting down with your child and exploring their favourite app or game is a great way for you to learn more about what they like to do online.

You can ask them why they like to use an app or play certain games, as well as who they’re talking to and what sorts of things they’re sharing.

You can follow the online safety links for tips on how to keep kids safe on popular apps, sites and games.

Please click on the links below to find some useful information.

At Darell we have a zero tolerance approach to cyber bullying please follow the below link to find out more information.

https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/cyberbullying/protect-your-child/utm_source=ss_facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alwayson_nov_cyberbullying_B&fbclid=IwAR34BYPXaREwGymz4rAM65mC7GeEiEsZGpRNZE2a-JOe5-OVvdQF8vWCDl8

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/news/8-tips-for-keeping-your-kids-safe-online-during-lockdown/

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/nspcc/parents-vs-kids

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/youtube-kids/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/whatsapp/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/news/gaming-keeping-kids-safe/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/among-us/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/tiktok/         

Darell Primary & Nursery School Follow
Year 1's creativity and problem solving skills have been put to the test. They were challenged to design and make a toy for Beegu to help make her feel happy. As you can see, they came up with some innovative ideas! https://t.co/oE8rI1rZMV
4 minutes ago
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Attendance

Overall school attendance last week was 96.4% our target is 96.8%.

Well done to Thunberg Class for the highest attendance with 100% last week.

Best for Punctuality was Darwin, Mozart, Newton and Thunberg class with 0 lates!

let's do our best for next week!

Stars

Follow the link below to reveal our stars for this week!

 

Star of the Week

Community news

Brentford FCCST are offering a FREE online matchday commentary masterclass with Brentford FC commentator Mark Burridge. Our exciting webinar will include top tips on how to become a successful football commentator.

Once you have completed the webinar, you will be asked to send in your commentary for five matchday clips at a Brentford game. The clips will be judged by the experts and the winning participant will have the opportunity to take part in a unique matchday experience, which will include contributing to the matchday commentary of a live Brentford game.

The time of the webinar is 6-7pm on Thursday 10th December.

If you are interested please book a space using the link below.

https://www.brentfordfccst.com/product/matchday-commentary-masterclass/

The village is illuminated by thousands of Christmas lights hanging in and from the trees.

Alongside Kew Sparkle fundraising events are held to raise additional funds specifically for the lights.

These usually include an evening event attended by the local community as well as several schools holding a “Christmas Jumper Day”.

Useful Links

     Arbor Parent Portal - darell-primary.uk.arbor

     Follow us on twitter - twitter.com/darellschool

     School Uniform Shop - The Shoe Station

      School Meals  -  Feeding Hungry Minds ISS