The Darrick Wood Way
Parent Bulletin
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing”
– Albert Einstein –
Message from the Head Teacher
I would like to welcome back all students and staff after the well deserved two week break. We now embark on a busy second half of the autumn term. As you can see from this bulletin, the last couple of weeks before the break were incredibly busy but highly enjoyable and successful and this new half-term will not be any different. From the evidence seen here, there are so many opportunities for students to develop and grow, whether that is being part of an extra-curricular club or society, fund raising for a charity, or taking on a leadership responsibility. A highlight so far this year though has to be the Year 7 Choir of the Year. It really was a special event and all of us who came to watch and listen marvelled at how each Year 7 Form and then all the Year Group together had worked so hard and developed their singing to such a high standard. Well done to all.
Reminders
- Please can I again remind all parents/carers not to park on the yellow line outside school during restricted times. This causes congestion and reduces safety for the children on their way in and out of school.
- As mornings/evenings get darker we remind all students to travel safely, ideally with friends and not via short cuts through the woods etc.
- Parents/carers needing to meet with members of staff at the School are required to make a prior appointment. Please also be mindful of our Communications Policy on our website.
Thank you
Thank you to all students who volunteered their time at either the Open Evening or the Sixth Form Open Evening. They always excellent ambassadors for their school and we are very proud of them.
Thank you also to parents/carers who regularly give up their time or through donations to the PSFA. We have lots of ideas this year of how we will spend any money raised for the School including continuing to support to our playground areas and especially providing much needed shade in the Year 7 playground.
Attendance Focus
94.7%
Form Attendance
Highest form attendance (last half term) – 7YD, 8YC, 9XW, 10XW and 11YM
Reading Recommendations
Click below for details
Previous Bulletins
Upcoming Events
On Friday, 15th November we will be supporting Children in Need as a school by swapping an item of uniform for something spotty and paying £1 on Parent Pay.
Alternatively, we will be selling Children in Need merchandise during morning registration and at Break and Lunch in Dining Hall 2. Items to purchase are Pin Badges, Pens and Wristbands for £1, and Pudsey Ears for £2.50. Please ensure that students have cash on them for this.
Our charity reps will be helping with this and we thank you in advance for your support.
19-21/11/24 – School Production – Tickets on sale from Friday 18th October on ParentPay costing £5.
28/11/2024 – Pathways 2024 – 6.00pm to 7.30pm – Click here for more information
04/12/2024 – Year 12 Parents’ Evening
06/12/2024 – Year 7 PSFA disco
20/12/2024 – End of term
06/01/2025 – Start of spring term
Useful Links
If you would like to nominate a student for a Youth Award, please send Mrs Iddiols-Bunclark their name and a few sentences to explain why they should receive this award.
Highlights of the fortnight
Year 7 First Aid Training
On Friday, 11th October the British Red Cross came in to work with our Year 7 students on basic First Aid training. As well as looking at burns, asthma attacks and bandages, they also taught about the recovery position and CPR using dummies. The students learnt a lot of very useful information and were a credit to the School with their attitude and behaviour. The Red Cross representatives repeatedly said how amazing our students were and how they cannot wait to work with the School again.
Year 7 Ambassadors
Year 7 Ambassadors were awarded their badges in a main assembly by Dr Airey on the last week of term. Congratulations to all 26 members of the year group who are now wearing their badges with pride. We look forward to seeing their leadership skills as they help and support their departments.
Stand Against Violence
On Thursday, 17th October Year 9 attended an assembly delivered by a charity, Stand Against Violence. Students learnt of the story leading to the death of a young person called Lloyd, who was murdered in an unprovoked attack, the day before his 18th birthday. We explored the impact this had on the victims and the perpetrator, choices that were made and the need to think before making a choice. Students were also challenged to consider how they respond to incidents and consider the impacts of being a bystander. We were very proud of how students conducted themselves through a thought-provoking hour and how lots of them made very valuable contributions. Students were advised to speak to the Year 9 team if they wanted to discuss any of the topics raised during the assembly.
Travel Award
We have gained the Gold Travel for Life award which we will keep until 2026 and shows how many of our students are able to get to school with transport modes that are not a car and therefore helping with the environment allowing them to have more exercise and more independence. Thank you for all you do to help with your children in this area.
Breast Cancer Awareness Day
On the last Friday of term, we had many of our students wearing pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness Day. As a school we managed to raise £265 towards this charity and we would like to thank you for your contributions to this amazing charity.
Choir of the Year
Thursday, 17th October saw all of Year 7 come together for a celebration of song. Year 7 start their musical journey at Darrick Wood School studying the elements of music, through voices and singing; a key focus of the music model curriculum. Each form prepared a song to sing for the competition and all of Year 7 spent a day working on singing skills as a community. As well as class songs all students delivered an uplifting performance of ELO’s Mr Blue Sky, accompanied by our house band. Many thanks to all parents/carers, staff and judges who supported the event.
The Results
- Choir of the Year – The Gremlins – Saunders House with Set Fire to the Rain by Adele
- Runners up – Perfect Pitt(ch) – Pitt House with Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis
- Most Spirited – French Fries – Fry House with High Hopes by Panic! At the Disco
- Most Spirited Runner up – Crompton Candy – Compton House with Roar by Katy Perry
- The XY Trophy winners were the X half!
Well done to all Year 7 students who took part in the evening competition – you were amazing!
If your child wishes to be part of more music events, they should come along to one of our many extra-curricular clubs. Our next music event is the Christmas Concert on 19th December.
Bromley Food Bank
Thank you so much for your generous contributions to the Bromley Food Bank. This will be picked up at the end of the week. Once again, we have managed to collect so many items which will help local families and demonstrates what a great community spirit we have here at the School.
Curriculum Showcase
Code Club
Code club has started again at Darrick Wood School with a group of eager students wanting to stretch their coding prowess. Using Microsoft MakeCode we are able to create 2D games and now even import them onto mini gaming devices. This is fantastic as some of our students have already started coding their own games and testing them out on the handheld devices.
KS3
Year 7 have had a great start, learning about how to use computers at Darrick Wood School, how to use Office365 and core IT skills.
Year 7 are currently looking at E-safety and how students can be safer online and when using mobile devices. Students were tasked to investigate several areas such as digital footprint, appropriate usage and what to do if you feel threatened online. Students worked in teams to create a poster detailing important information on E-Safety and prevention techniques. Below are some of the posters created by 7YP.
KS4
In Computer Science in Year 10, we are currently learning about networks and topologies of networks. Students were asked to create a presentation and deliver information to the class about the different types of topologies and how they functioned. Students had to research and examine and list out the advantages and disadvantages of each topology.
In Year 11 Computer Science, students were coding games in python and learning how to use computational thinking to break down rules of a game and how programming techniques could be used to implement the solution.
Harry W in Year 11 made a version of Yahtzee in Python. Here is what he said on making the program:
“I have, mostly, recreated the game of Yahtzee. You can roll dice, hold them and there is basic scoring system. I broke down the problem into smaller, more manageable chunks. I used the following programming concepts: 2D lists/array manipulation, random, functions, sequence, selection, too many for loops. What I found most challenging was that at times I forgot to add comments to the program, making it much harder to continue developing the code as time progresses.”
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Anti Bullying Week is recognised nationally during the week of 11th – 15th November. On Tuesday, 12th November we would encourage all students and parents/carers to wear odd socks in support of Anti Bullying 2024.
We are also running a whole school ‘Respect’ challenge and are encouraging all students to earn as many ‘Respect’ positive points as possible throughout the month of November. Respect is a Darrick Wood core value and we would expect all of our students to demonstrate respect on a daily basis. However, there will be prizes for the most respectful students based on the positive points awarded!
Sports and PE News
Safety & Awareness
The PSHE leaflets this time look at two very different issues. With many firework displays taking place this weekend, the first looks at ‘Fire safety’ and some tips and advice for how to stay safe around this time. The second looks at ‘Horror Films and Age Ratings.’ This is always a concern but especially around Halloween when lots of new films are released and some of the classic Horrors come back to be viewed. Please read and understand the issues around this subject.
Click below for details
Click below for details
November is a focused month on ‘Cutting your Carbon’. As a staff body we are working on ways to adapt our need and uses of photocopying in order to reduce our paper and toner use. During Form time this week, students have watched a video on how to ‘cut their carbon’ and have learned about the impact this will have on our planet.
Throughout November we encourage all students and their families to take part in the national campaign and complete the following challenges:
- Can you make 5 miles of car travel ‘active’ instead? E.g. walk/cycle
- Can you eat plant based for 1 day?
- Can you turn down the heating by 1 degree for a week?
- Can you avoid buying anything ‘new’ for the month of November?
- Can you substitute baths to 4 minute showers?
- Can you switch off all non-essential electrical devices for 1 hour a day?
We hope you and your family enjoy completing these challenges collectively and having a positive impact on our planet! Please click here to see the challenge checklist.
Wellbeing
Over the last few years, schools have seen an increase in the number of children that are absent from school due to feeling anxious. The following websites provide helpful information and strategies for parents on this subject.
School Anxiety and Refusal | Parent Guide to Support | YoungMinds
Student Leadership
SEN Champions
Congratulations to the following students who have become our SEN Champions for the School. They will work closely with the Support Faculty to raise awareness and encourage support from all students across the School. They will be awarded their badges next week in alternative assemblies.
Year 7 – Poppy and Rejoice
Year 8 – Alexia and Maryam
Year 9 – Evie-May
Year 10 – Tobie and Seth
Year 11 – Riley, Sanvi and Anishka
Year 12 – Abigail and Poppy
Year 13 – Anna
Work Related Learning
Pathways 2024
We are hosting our bi-annual Careers Fair, Pathways 2024, in School on Thursday, 28th November 2024 from 6.00pm to 7.30pm.
The aim of Pathways 2024 is to provide our students and parents/carers with information on post-16 and 18 career pathways. This will comprise exhibitors across a range of Employers, Higher and Further Education providers as well as bespoke organisations to showcase the choices available to students and provide guidance on options including further training and education, apprenticeships and the job market.
If your employer has a school outreach programme and is able to support our event by promoting their organisation and industry to our school community, please contact Mrs Collier, Head of Work-Related Learning for further information.
