27 September 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
At the end of our fourth week in school, we are reflecting on transition across different stages. As our new Year 7 and 12 students have settled really well, and it seems like they have always been here, we are starting to look ahead to supporting our Year 11 students with their next steps. This week we had the Year 11 parents' information presentation and an assembly for students. The core messages were that Year 11 is a marathon not a sprint; that they should be breaking revision and work down into bite size pieces; how and when to seek support; and the importance of work-life balance. With the first milestone of mock exams on the horizon, I would like to encourage parents to get in contact with school should they have any questions or concerns.
Continuing with the theme of transition and next steps, Monday was our Year 6 Open Evening where we had the opportunity to showcase not only our broad curriculum, pastoral support, and extra-curricular opportunities, but also our fabulous students. We had student volunteers from across the year groups and they were, as ever, a real credit to our school. It was lovely to hear so many comments from prospective parents on how helpful, polite, and approachable students were, and their willingness to answer questions. Thank you to those who took the time to write in to tell us that; one parent wrote “I just wanted to say what an absolute credit to the school the pupils are. We were so impressed with the youngsters who were brave enough to speak before a room full of hundreds of people”, whilst another commented that the students who showed them round “were really impressive and a credit to your school. They made my daughter, feel very comfortable and brought her out of her shell when she was feeling overwhelmed. They waited patiently for us to finish in each subject room and guided us where we needed to be. If they are a snapshot of the students at your school, then I can only say how impressed I am.”
We are very proud of our students and every year they continue to impress us, as well as our guests, with their conduct at events like Open Evening, and throughout the school year with their embodiment of the school’s ethos and values.
Thank you for your on-going support; let’s hope that now the sunshine has finally arrived, it continues into the weekend!
Mrs McFadden
What is my child learning?
In the Learning section of our website you can find guidance on what every student at the school is studying. As well as an overview of our curriculum and principles behind it, you can find an overview of each subject area.
You can also find a guide to the content being covered in every subject and how you can support your child for each half term here: Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 | Year 12 | Year 13
Cressida Cowell Visit
How to Train Your Dragon is a series of children's fantasy books written by Cressida Cowell. We are delighted to announce that Cressida Cowell will be visiting Durham Johnston on Tuesday 8th October. She will talk to Year 7, in the hall, and pupils will have the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of her new book for a discounted £6. This is a link to the book for more information.
If any parents/carers would like their child to purchase a signed copy of the book, please send in £6 (in cash) in an envelope for pupils to pay for the book on the day.
Mrs Walton
English department
Eichenkreuzheim Year 9 German Study Visit 2024
At 10.30pm on Sunday 15th September 39 Year 9 students and staff set off on a journey to Eichenkreuzheim in Germany. The journey was long but as pleasant as could be expected. The ferry crossing was smooth, and students had their first taste of adventure exploring the shops and cafés aboard the boat. On our first arrival in Vluyn, we enjoyed our first “Döner” experience. After unpacking our cases and checking out our home for the week “Eichenkreuzheim”, we had dinner and had a late evening walk to Vluyn.
The next four days consisted of early morning and late-night lessons, with fantastic days out in between exploring towns and cities such as Vluyn, Düsseldorf, Köln and Kempen.
Students particularly enjoyed climbing the Rhine Tower, visiting the Cathedral and chocolate factory in Köln and interviewing locals in Kempen.
Highlights included cake and ice cream tasting sessions, finishing with a barbecue, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. All students were a huge credit to the school; please enjoy some of their accounts of the week below!
Miss Schwaiger
Subject Leader for Languages
It was a very fun trip. We really enjoyed the chocolate factory and the interviews. We went to Vluyn, Düsseldorf, Köln and Kempen, as well as the fact that we stayed at Eichenkreuzheim. The rooms were big.
In Düsseldorf, we visited the Rhine Tower and we went up 168 metres in the lift. There were many magnificent views of the city and a nice selection of foods. Afterwards, we had free time in the old town, so we explored the shops.
In Köln, we climbed up 533 steps up the cathedral. We then had lunch. We then went to the chocolate museum/ factory. The chocolate was very nice, and the chocolate fountain was exquisite and for free. The cake tasting was delicious.
In Kempen, we had fun with the interviews, and we had delicious ice creams. We also bought snacks. There was an extremely fun disco and conga and macarena line and we played some games.Scarlett H, Jake P, Jessica F-W
We had a fantastic time with our school classmates on the trip. Our favourite things we did were: the Lindt Museum, the Rhine Tower in Düsseldorf, the Köln Cathedral and of course the shopping! We loved all of the authentic and delicious German cuisine. The hostel was very fun and it had a great park. On the last night, we had an awesome disco party with lots of fun party games. In Kempen, we interviewed six people – who were all very nice. We also practised our German which was very helpful. Overall, we had a fantastic time, and we would recommend it to anyone who does German.
Esme C and Grace L-C
Eichenkreuzheim has a park area with a big swing which we played on a lot. We took the bags up the stairs and unpacked before dinner. The food at the centre was really good. Our favourites were the schnitzel and the ice-cream block for pudding.
On Tuesday, we went to Düsseldorf. The first thing we did was walk to and go up the Rhein Tower. It had slanted glass panels so you could look directly down and see the tower beneath you. It also had an excellent view of the river. We then visited the old town and went shopping. We went to a lot of souvenir shows and we think that Düsseldorf was the best place to buy things to take home.
On Wednesday, we travelled to Köln. We climbed the cathedral tower and saw people below us and cranes too. It wasn’t quite as tall as the Rhine Tower but it was still amazing. Afterwards, we went to the chocolate factory and saw their chocolate fountain.
Elsie F and Emma S
On Monday, we left Durham Johnston and went of a 7 hour coach ride to Dover. After, we went into passport security and went on ferry ride to Calais, France. After arriving there we went on a four-hour journey to Germany. We went through countries like the Netherlands, Belgium and obviously Germany. When we arrived, we had a kebab in a takeaway shop – it was so good! Then we arrived at our hostel, which was a small building in the woods it was very nice there with a lot of activities to do. After having some free time, we had a walk down to the small town and then had a lesson before going to bed soon after.
On Tuesday, we had breakfast and got ready to go to Düsseldorf where we went to the famous Rhine Tower. This was one of my favourite parts because it was so breathtaking and gorgeous. Once we got back down, we had our lunch and went to the Old Town where we had ice cream and went shopping. Most people got a keychain or a T-shirt. After that, we came back to the hostel, ate our dinner, did another lesson and went to bed.
On Wednesday we went to Cologne. This is one of the best experiences I had on this trip because of the cathedral. It was so tall and beautiful! Then we went up one of the towers and it was so tiring as we had to climb 533 steps! But it was all worth it in the end. Afterwards we walked around the shopping area – it was very expensive. Then we went to have lunch, and after we went to the chocolate factory. I was so stuffed eating all of the chocolate because we got so many for free! After the chocolate factory we went back to the hostel, had tea and did another lesson before going back to sleep.
On Thursday, we interviewed people around Kempen, asking where they lived what they ate for breakfast and if they've been to England before etc. Overall, it was a wonderful day and fortunately we managed to get souvenirs.
Hannah P, Isabelle L, Scarlett F and Libby P
Programming Club is BACK!
Programming Club was in full swing this week as our future programmers tried to recreate a Snowman from the board using only Scratch code.
Congratulations to Jimmy L, Mohammed E, Izzy S, Alex D and Samuel J who produced the most accurate drawings of the Snowman. Next week we will be creating a Maze game with Scratch!
Programming club is now at full capacity, but if you are in Year 7 or Year 8 and you are interested in all things cyber you may want to join Cyber Explorers club which runs every Wednesday lunchtime! Please see me in IT2 for further details.
Mr O'Connor
Lead Teacher of KS4/5 Computer Science
Music Notices
St. Cecilia Composition Competition
Congratulations to Hazel and Tina who attended an awards dinner on Wednesday evening at the St. Cecilia Lodge in Durham where they both won prizes for their GCSE compositions. Both pieces were for violin and piano, and were performed live by Mrs Holmes, and Hazel's mum (a professional violinist)! The pupils were presented with cheques, and the school with a trophy. We have entered pupils into this competition for many years and have been fortunate that lots of them have been awarded prizes. We are grateful that the members of the lodge support young musicians both here at Durham Johnston School and in the wider region, recognising their potential as composers and performers.
DMS Instrumental/Vocal Lessons
As things stand, we currently have vacancies for new starters in flute, clarinet and oboe. Please contact me in the first instance if you might be interested in this opportunity.
Mr Holmes
Subject Leader for Music
PE News
We have made an outstanding start to the football season with all our teams unbeaten so far.
On Monday our Year 10 boys team travelled to Whickham in the County Cup. This was a competitive game in which we met a very good goalkeeper. However, 2 goals from Zack S saw us reach the next round with a 2-1 win. Ethan M was POM.
On Tuesday our Year 7 - 10 boys teams all started their league campaigns at Woodham. Our Year 7s made a great start to their school career with a dominant 12-0 win. Harry F-H scored 4 goals and was POM. Our Year 8 team also had a comfortable win, scoring 5 first half goals. Toby R scored 3 goals and was POM. Our Year 9s also secured a 5 goal victory, winning 6-1 with 2 goals each from Finn R and Henry B. Malachi D was POM. It was also a 6-1 win for our year 10s, with Joe S POM after a solid defensive display.
On Wednesday, our U19 boys’ team hosted RGS in the National Cup. We controlled the game from the start reaching the second round with a 6-0 win. Jamie S scored a great header and was POM.
Also on Wednesday, we hosted the U19 district netball tournament. After national success last year, we made a great start to this season led by our new captain Tabbie B, winning all our matches to become champions. We scored 61 goals and only conceded 17.
Finally on Wednesday, our U15 boys’ rugby team travelled to Barnard Castle for a friendly against their 2nd team. We secured a convincing 47-7 victory.
The heavy rain yesterday caused the cancellation of several fixtures, but our Year 7 football team did take on Cardinal Hume in the National Cup. Despite the awful weather, we managed to play some great football on the way to a convincing 6-1 victory. We had four different goal scorers, but POM was Thom B after a solid defensive performance.
Finally, good luck tonight to our Year 9 boys’ football team who are hosting High Tunstall in the County Cup.
Mr Hopper
Subject Leader for PE
A reminder of our weekly sports bulletin:
Sports Bulletin
