{"id":978,"date":"2020-01-10T17:54:38","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T17:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.darrickwood.co.uk\/?p=978"},"modified":"2020-01-10T20:38:29","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T20:38:29","slug":"parent-bulletin-10-01-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.darrickwood.co.uk\/?p=978","title":{"rendered":"Parent Bulletin 10.01.20"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our\nMission Statement as a school was established many years ago. It is to provide\nthe best teaching and learning that we can. We have more recently referred to\nthis as ‘world class’ or ‘exceptional’. It is an aspiration, a journey that\nraises standards and expectations. It is meant to be aspirational and ambitious\nand rightly so. It means continually evaluating what is working well and what\ncould be changed or improved. One such change was introduced this week.\nStarting a new year and decade seemed the right time to introduce a small\nchange that we think will have a big impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nmany years students at Darrick Wood have been expected to wait outside their\nclassrooms until all have arrived and their teacher lets them into the\nclassroom where they then stand behind their chairs and place their equipment,\nreading books and planners on their desks. They would then say good morning or\ngood afternoon to their teacher and sit down when invited to do so. This\nsupports an orderly, structured start to lessons and has served us well most of\nthe time. However, it can also mean a delay to the start of learning as time\ncan be lost when those travelling from furthest away take longest to reach\ntheir next classroom and those who are most keen to start learning can be held\nup by those who are less enthusiastic! It can also mean that corridors are\nunnecessarily congested for longer. From this week, as long as their teacher is\npresent in the classroom, students no longer line up but go straight in, sit\ndown and begin their first learning activity (we call it a ‘do now’). It sounds\nlike a simple, quite obvious, change and of course it is, but we hope it subtly\nimproves the learning culture in the School where all appreciate that every\nminute of every hour is an opportunity to learn something new or to review\nprevious learning. Sometimes the smallest of changes can make the biggest\ndifference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nhave also re-launched and reinforced our usual classroom rules. New posters\nhave been placed in each classroom. An example is shown below. It helps to\nsupport what everyone knows is essential for exceptional teaching and learning\nto take place. The rules are also underpinned by our core values of Respect,\nResponsibility and Honesty, our Behaviour Policy and School Rules. Please\nsupport our endeavours by talking to your child about these and the change to\nthe start of lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On\nMonday, Year 11 received their mock GCSE results in a special assembly followed\nby the nerve wracking opening of envelopes, just like it will be in the summer.\nThey now begin the final stretch and should be spending time each evening\nworking hard to improve their results. Year 13 are currently taking their mock\nexaminations and Year 12 also have assessments. We wish everyone well. Year 11\nparents’ evening is coming up this week (Thursday, 16th January). Please make\nsure you have logged into Bromcom and booked appointments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rough Diamonds launch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nweek Darrick Wood School launched its very own school-based audio serial drama.\nSet in a fictitious secondary school, called Danson Wood High, ROUGH DIAMONDS<\/em><\/strong> follows the\nlives of a group of students and sixth-formers, exploring stories and issues\nrelevant to young people. The characters have all been created and performed by\nstudents at our school. They have worked tirelessly over the last year to get\nthe project to this point and should be congratulated for their efforts and\ntalents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Episode one is available to listen to now, with subsequent episodes and omnibus editions to follow every week on our YouTube Channel AMPLIFiED<\/a><\/strong>. You can easily access these by visiting the DWS Audio blog, which is on the home page of the School\u2019s website. Or you can click on this link http:\/\/dwsaudio.darrickwood.bromley.sch.uk\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nyou do listen, please feel free to like and subscribe, and tell others about\nit! You can also get regular updates on forthcoming episodes by following our\nInstagram account, which is called therealroughdiamonds\n<\/strong>(we promise not to follow you back!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nhope you enjoy listening!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coats<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents\/carers\nwill be aware that on the return to school this week we have been re-enforcing\nour uniform policy, with particular emphasis on students having an appropriate\ncoat. We will be speaking to our uniform shops (Oz and Graduates) about how\nthey can best support supplies of these. We have noticed this week, however,\nthat some of our boys would benefit from wearing the optional V-necked jumper\nunder their blazers. This, combined with one of the coats available from the\nuniform shop would suit all but the coldest of weathers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are aware that if a coat other than one in the uniform shops is preferred then it can be tricky by this stage of the winter to find one that meets our uniform policy. Whilst we cannot guarantee any of the those listed other than those from the uniform suppliers, the document below may help if you are still looking. It provides links to currently available, potentially suitable plain brown coats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plain-dark-brown-coats-for-Darrick-Wood-School-1<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bromley Education Business Partnership (Bromley EBP)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bromley EBP, part of the London Borough of Bromley\u2019s Youth Support Programme, signposts and supports young people to gain new skills and experience.  Through real-life contact with professionals from business and the community, young people are helped to understand and be better prepared for their futures.  Their spring 2020 newsletter can be viewed here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Darrick Wood School Parents Staff and Friends\nAssociation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The easiest way to\nsupport PSFA fund raising is to sign up the PSFA Lottery. The form can be found\nhere:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Darrick Wood PSA Lottery<\/a><\/blockquote>