Friday Bulletin

Dear Parents and Carers,

There is sometimes a perception that schools ‘wind down’ at this time of year but the reality is in fact quite the opposite! In many ways this is one of the busiest times in the school calendar, as we have the opportunity to celebrate the many successes of the last year, whilst also preparing and planning for the year ahead.

Celebration has certainly been the focus of the last week or so, as each year group have enjoyed a special assembly to give out end of year awards, and showcase some of the fantastic talent in each cohort. James Hall has been filled with the sound of cheering and clapping each afternoon, as students congratulated their peers on their many achievements, not to mention some incredible musical and dance performances. Awards ranged from subject nominations to sporting and cultural achievements, as well as recognising those students who have gone above and beyond for our community. For Year 12, we had our inaugural Sixth Form Scholar’s Awards, where students were nominated for Academic Excellence, Community and Contribution Awards, and Outstanding Contribution. We are always proud of our students at Durham Johnston, but seeing all of these achievements brought together in one place really highlighted what incredible young people we are privileged to have in this school.

In another first this week, I had the pleasure of attending our first ever KS3 Talent show, which had an incredible variety of acts. We were entertained by everything from Three Guys and a Tuba, to beautiful ballet, some very brave and talented soloists, student-authored hilarious plays – including one entirely in French teaching a strong moral lesson about the dangers of social media – and culminating in a magic act which truly had to be seen to be believed. We laughed, we cried, and we all came away feeling better for the experience - a true tonic at the end of a long year!

From a new tradition to a well-established one, Thursday evening saw our Annual Sports Presentation evening for a thirtieth time. It is easy to take the success of our fantastic PE department for granted; however, I was sitting with a colleague who was attending for the first time, and it was fantastic to be reminded by his amazement at the vast array of trophies at the front of the room how extraordinary their achievements are. It was lovely to see so many students and parents there, and as I shared last night, I am so proud of their achievements and our dedicated staff.

In amongst all these celebrations, we have been finalising plans and timetables for next year, and staff have been putting together plans for our re-vamped Wellbeing Week which starts on Monday. This promises to be a brilliant series of experiences for our students – whether they’re away in Malaga, Lockerbie, on the WWI Battlefields, or staying in school.

This is the final Friday Bulletin of the year; we will publish an end of year letter next week instead.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs McFadden

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