13 December 2019
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Dates for your Diary - Autumn Term 2019
- Annual Christmas Carol Service, Friday 20 December, 1.00 p.m.
- Term ends after the Carol Service, Friday 20 December
- Term begins on Monday 6 January 2020
- Year 9 Options Evening, Monday 13 January 2020, 4.00 - 6.00 p.m.
- Year 9 Parents' Consultation Evening - Monday 20 January 2020, 4.00 - 6.00 p.m.
- Year 12 Parents' Consultation Evening - Monday 3 February 2020, 4.00 - 6.00 p.m.
- Year 7 Parents' Consultation Evening - Monday 2 March 2020, 4.00 - 6.00 p.m.
- Year 8 Parents' Consultation Evening - Monday 23 March, 4.00 - 6.00 p.m.
- Year 10 Parent' Consultation Evening - Monday 27 April 2020, 4.00 - 6.00 p.m.
Mr O'Sullivan Writes
Christmas is usually a very busy time at Durham Johnston with lots of activities and opportunities to be part of our school community. It is also a very positive time (I won’t mention the election) and our students demonstrate their commitment to and support for others. Whether that is via running in fancy dress as part of the Santa Run to raise money for St. Cuthbert’s Hospice, or bringing in food parcels to support local families and the Durham foodbank. It makes me very proud that our students care and think about others. It is also important to acknowledge the work of Miss Forbes in creating opportunities for students to demonstrate this, via the links that she has forged with the Foodbank and charities such as Changing Lives. Social justice is fundamental to our ethos and helping others at this time of year is an important demonstration of that commitment. In that spirit, we are also holding a tea dance for elderly residents on Tuesday 17th December and are keen to welcome people into the school. Our kitchen and administrative staff made a huge effort in order to provide a Christmas lunch for students and staff on Wednesday, even coping with a power cut that affected the wider Crossgate area, and it was good to see so many students thanking them for their efforts. Last night’s Christmas concert was wonderfully attended – tickets sold out very quickly - and, as ever, it was impressive to see such talent on display. The music department and their supporters do a fantastic job and we are now looking forward to next week’s Cathedral service. In simple terms, our students are taking advantage of the opportunities provided at Christmas, but are not forgetting the importance of helping others who might be struggling.
Thank you for your support in 2019 and I would like to wish parents, carers and friends of the school a very Merry Christmas.
In Memory of Joan Gibb
Life is a Cabaret
Joan Gibb, a long serving member of the English Department at Durham Johnston, died recently and we would like to pass on our condolences to her family and friends. Joan was a formidable individual and made a huge difference to large numbers of students during her years at the school. She was a hugely talented teacher and her school productions clearly demonstrated that ability. On a personal note, I attended the ‘school play’ in my first year as a newly qualified teacher at Durham Johnston with low expectations, imagining the ‘usual’ school performance; wobbly sets, forgotten dialogue, embryonic talent and polite applause from enthusiastic parents. The play in question was Cabaret and I was taken aback by the quality of the production; the sets, quality of direction and honed performances. In addition, the sheer gumption of choosing Cabaret as a school production.
Joan’s funeral was on Monday and, fittingly, a large number of former students attended. For many students there is often one teacher who makes a big difference at a pivotal time in their lives and, for many, Joan Gibb was that teacher.
As an aside, I still rue the day in 1997 that I accidentally sat in her chair in the staffroom.
A J O'Sullivan
Christmas Carol Service Arrangements
Our annual Christmas Carol Service will take place in Durham Cathedral at 1.00 p.m. on the last day of term, Friday 20 December.
Please click on the following links for a copy of the letters.
Year 7 Reminder
If parents have not yet returned the tear-off slip indicating how their child is getting home after the Carol Service, please could they ask their child to hand the completed slip to their form tutor on Monday. A copy of the letter with the tear off slip is available on the link below.
Arrangements for students in Years 7,8 ,9, 10, 12 and 13
Arrangements for students in Year 11
Visit of Famous Linguist, David Crystal, OBE
The English Department are very pleased to announce that the very famous linguist, David Crystal, OBE, will be joining us on the afternoon of Wednesday 22nd January, to talk to our A Level English Language students about topics relevant to their course.
David works from his home in Holyhead, North Wales, as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster. He has published over 100 books and we are all very excited that he will be joining us for the afternoon.
Mrs Walton, KS5 English Co-ordinator
Santa Run 2019
A total of 346 festive runners supported by 20 festively attired sixth formers raised an impressive amount that will make a difference to families in need of St Cuthbert's specialist support this Christmas.
We received the message of thanks below from Jade McArdle at the hospice.
'On behalf of everyone at St Cuthbert’s Hospice I would like to thank all the wonderful Year 7 and 8 pupils for braving the cold and embracing the festiveness and taking part in the Festive Fun Run.
Myself and Louise thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon at the school, thank you so much for allowing us to come along to cheer on the students.
I can confirm that the monies have been counted and an amazing £352.42 has been raised for St Cuthbert’s Hospice which could pay for a day of care provided by a Specialist Care Nurse – thank you.
Wishing everyone at Durham Johnston a very lovely Christmas and a happy and healthy 2020!'
Best dressed runners earning house points were:
Katie Jones 7H
Mia Gibson 7A
Maia Haden, Gracie Bell, Isabella Lewis 7M
Daniel Brems 7C
Calvin Cushley 8D
Daniel Brown 8J
Liam Johnson 8S
Number of runners in each form
Mrs Bell, Assistant Headteacher
Kids' Lit Quiz Newsletter
To read the final Kids' Lit Quiz Newsletter for 2019 please click on the link below.
Autumn Appeal
As our giving back campaign moves into its second year we look develop our community links and charitable contributions. As a school, we recognise how important it is to think of others and to help support a brighter future for people in our local community. We also wanted to give thanks to organisations who do so much for us all; this is why one of our pledges goes to Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. As part of on non-uniform day for autumn 2019, we collected for four of our chosen charities:
Changing Lives
Children in Need
Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Durham Foodbank
All incredibly, worthy recipients! The charities do an amazing job and we hope a donation of £350 per charity will help with their campaigns.
Miss Forbes, Senior Teacher, Subject Leader for Business and Computing
Christmas Appeal
I do not even know where to start; when this appeal was launched, I could only dream it would be this successful. We took the decision to work with two charities in the lead up to Christmas.
Feeding Families, (who deliver Christmas hampers to those in need, so they have something special for breakfast and lunch on Christmas day) and Family Action (family action support Durham young carers, an organisation which ensures children of all ages receive a gift on Christmas morning).
I am overwhelmed with the kindness and thoughtfulness of our students and staff – it is truly amazing what we have been able to achieve! Our Christmas tree was literally jam packed with an array of gifts, all carefully sourced and wrapped by our young people. The hampers were overflowing and it took two minibuses to take it all away.
Christmas is a time for giving; it is wonderful to know that our school community has helped those in need.
Thank you to everyone who contributed, you really are magic!
Miss Forbes, Senior Teacher, Subject Leader for Business and Computing
Music Notices
Christmas Concerts
Many congratulations to everyone who performed at the Christmas Concerts on Thursday evening. It was a wonderful evening of festive music-making with some stunning performances of seasonal favourites as well as new works. The concerts are the culmination of many weeks of rehearsals and practice, and a chance to show family and friends the high quality music that goes on here at Durham Johnston.
Thanks to all the musicians who responded so generously to the department ‘Bring a Tin’ collection, which was in aid of the Durham Foodbank. Pat, one of the Foodband volunteers, attended the concert and she was overwhelmed by such generosity.
Neville’s Cross Community Association Christmas Festival
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Johnston Brass played a wide variety of carols at a rather packed Christmas Festival, which was held at Ustinov College, last Friday evening. This is the second year they have been invited to perform at this event and they were glad to have been invited back.
Looking ahead…
Afternoon Tea
Big Band and Johnston Brass will be performing at a special community Afternoon Tea on Tuesday 17th December. This takes place straight after school in James Hall.
Carol Service
Members of Senior Choir, Chamber Choir and Senior Orchestra should have returned a permission slip to reception and be aware of the arrangements for Friday 20th December. If letters have been misplaced, copies are available below. Junior Choir should come to school as normal on that day and will travel to the Cathedral with the rest of the school.
Carol Service Permission Letter - Years 7 and 8
Carol Service Permission Letter - Year 9 - 13
KS4/5 Celebrations
Wind Band will be performing before this event on Tuesday 7th January from 6.00-6.45pm. And, in preparation for this, they will have their usual rehearsal from 2.45 to 3.45 that day.
Spring Term Rehearsals and Vocal/ Instrumental Tuition
Please note that ensemble rehearsals and lessons from both Durham Music Service and Music Works will begin on the first week back.
Mr Holmes, Subject Leader for Music
National Citizen Service
Next term NCS will come into school and present an assembly outlining the whole NCS experience. A cost saving is available for students who sign up early and before the end of December. Year 11 students will receive an information letter next week. For a copy of the letter please click here.
A link describing what NCS is all about is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAi0TSUdDlM&list=PLct9oPGud0dOfgjyxY4jSqy8lxTkXkQMB
In brief, the programme includes four sections;
Be Epic – away from home for 5 days and 4 nights staying at an approved outdoor education centre, a chance to try some new adrenaline fuelled activities such as rock climbing, canoeing etc. built in refection, teambuilding and free time.
Live Life – a 5-day, 4-night university style experience, independent living and responsibility, budgeting, community exploration in term of services and charities and more...
Do Good – lead your own project! Young people will spend 30 hours planning and 30 hours delivering their very own social project focussed on the issues they care about. Youth led.
Go Party – time to celebrate, bring a plus one and be congratulated and presented with your nationally recognised certificate.
The programme is government funded and is worth £1500 per young person. The most you will ever pay if you sign up your daughter or son is £50, and if you secure their space before December 31st, you’ll qualify for a discounted price of £30.
Bursaries are also available at £25 per place regardless of when you sign up, if you think your son or daughter may be eligible for a bursary or you would like the opportunity to chat about this unmissable opportunity, then call a member of the NCS team on 0800 197 8010.
Mr Kennedy, Subject Leader for Guidance and Careers
PE Department News
Excellent news from last Saturday when our Junior girls and Inter boys cross-country teams were at Mount St Mary’s College in Derbyshire competing in the ESAA national finals. We took on the best 24 schools in the country over a very demanding course. Our girls finished in 14th place and our boys 18th. Many of the schools who finished ahead of us were private schools so both teams finished as one of the top state schools in the country. Special congratulations to Charlotte Dillon who finished in 6th place in her race. Both teams were a credit to the school throughout the weekend.
On Monday our U14 girl's basketball team made the long journey to Sheffield to play Tapton High School in the English Schools Cup. This was another very good performance from our girls as we played some excellent basketball on our way to a 36 – 18 victory. That means we remain top of the northern group with only 2 games to go and look favourites to qualify for the national knockout stages after Christmas.
Our Year 7 Futsal team made the shorter journey to St John’s to compete in the BASFA Futsal tournament. This was a similar story to the 5-a-side competition as we remained unbeaten to win the competition and qualify for the regional finals in the new year.
On Tuesday our Year 8 boys and girls basketball teams were at Sedgefield School competing in the BASFA tournament. This is a boys competition but our girls started with an easy 10 point victory over the hosts. Both our teams remained unbeaten setting up an all-Durham Johnston final. This was the best game of the evening as our girls took an early lead. However an excellent fightback from our boys saw them claim the title with a 8 point win.
Also on Tuesday both our Year 7 girls and U16 girls' football teams were in English Schools action. Our Year 7 girls played first taking on Easington. An excellent defensive display saw us keep a clean sheet as we reached the next round with a 3 - 0 victory. It was a similar outcome for our U16’s against St Roberts as they also progressed with a 4 - 0 win.
On Wednesday afternoon three children represented the school at the Inclusive swimming trials at Freeman’s Quay. Our pupils swam in events against all other Durham Schools to try and gain places on the Durham City team for the Winter school games. Libby Dixon won all three of her races, with Cameron Richardson and Megan Shaw showing great promise in all of their races. We eagerly await to see who has made it onto the team.
During period 5 the PE department held our annual “Festive Run” in aid of St Cuthbert’s Hospice. This was an amazing spectacle as nearly 350 Year 7 & 8 students completed the run dressed in Christmas fancy dress raising over £350 for such an excellent cause.
After school our Year 9 basketball team were competing in the Tyneside tournament at St Cuthbert’s school. We started with a 8 point victory over Whickham. Our final game was against the hosts and was level with less than two minutes to play. However we conceded two late baskets to finish runners-up.
On Thursday our Year 7 football team took on English Martyr’s School in the English Schools Cup. This was an outstanding game of football. We lead 2 – 0 at half-time and with less than 15 minutes to go we still held the lead. However we conceded two late goals to take the game into extra time. No more goals were scored so we reached penalties. We were level after 5 penalties so went to sudden death. Unfortunately after 8 attempts we missed to lose the game.
At the same time our U14 girls' football team were playing Hummersknott in the county cup. It was better news for them as they kept a clean sheet to win 2 – 0.
After school our annual house netball tournament took place. An excellent standard of netball was played in an amazing atmosphere of Christmas music and festive fun.
Following that we were hosting the Year 10 Tyneside basketball tournament. Unfortunately two schools dropped out at the last minute meaning it was a straight match against Whickham. We proved too strong for them eventually winning by 18 points to reach the finals after Christmas.
Finally good luck tonight to our Year 11 basketball team who are competing in their Tyneside tournament also hoping to reach the finals.
Mr Hopper, Subject Leader for PE
Boxing Success
Our young people should be celebrated for their success in school but also for their success and contribution to the wider society in which we live.
A number of Durham Johnston students are keen members of Brandon’s boxing club and we would like to offer our congratulations to John Dixon, who was named best junior boxer at a recent event. Please click here to read about the event.
Keep up the good work.
Mr Digby, Head of Year 8
Whole School Literacy
What do the words, pictured below, have in common?
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This week the Year Eights studied the word root ‘log’ meaning ‘word’, ‘study’ or ‘meaning’.
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Mrs Clark, Whole School Literacy Co-ordinator
Year 7 and 8 Book Group
The year 7 and 8 book group was set up in October by two English Literature students, and since then it has grown to 15 members from both year groups, who come together every week to discuss favourite books and share ideas.
The group has looked so far at famous series like 'Harry Potter', but have also been expanding their repertoire through sharing ideas on books like 'A Monster Calls' and 'The Giver'. Every participant has been really enthusiastic in bringing book reviews and pieces of writing to share, as well as getting involved in quizzes and other activities.
It has been a great experience so far to promote continued interest in reading with the younger years.
Please click on the link below to read the reviews.
Years 7 and 8 Book Group Reviews
Anouk Saint, Year 13