Denstone College Newsletter - 20-01-2023 | News

January 20th 2023

20 January 2023

Newsletter from the Head – Week 2

Dear Parents and Guardians

Denstonacity really has started here! Thank you all for your kind words and engagement last week following the launch of our new marketing campaign. It is great to see it gain so much traction and I am grateful for your support in allowing Denstone to shout that little bit louder!

The Lent Term, as predicted, is racing along and your sons and daughters have been making the most of this wonderful wintry weather. There have been successes in so many areas and I do urge all of you to follow our social media feeds for live updates of news at the College. If you require advice as to how to do this, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we will happily help.

As always, I urge you to read the contents of this newsletter carefully and to act where appropriate. The theme of the week this week has been ‘a love of reading’ and whilst the school newsletter is in no way a truly engaging yarn, I am keen that you read it from cover to cover. I will be urging your sons and daughters to continue to be good and critical readers and to engage in everything they face on paper and please do reinforce these messages at home.

Activity Week

For a number of years, the final week of the Summer Term has been designated Activity Week, and involved all year groups being off timetable. As of this year onwards, we will no longer do this. Rather, some of the excellent trips and activities that have been customarily offered in that final week will be spread across the year (including some still in that final week), but the final week will be much closer to a normal week of timetabled academic lessons. This should have two effects, which we see as positive for pupils. First, it means a slight increase in concentrated academic time, which is an important factor that all schools across the country are considering in the post-COVID world. Second, it means some of the wonderful co-curricular opportunities that were held in that week will be spread out, and perhaps therefore a little more exciting, effective and refreshing for pupils involved.

In relation to this move, Speech Day will move from the penultimate Friday in the Summer Term to the final Friday in Summer Term, the day before Sports Finals on the Saturday. In conjunction, these two events will form a lovely culmination to the whole school year.

Details on individual trips and events will be passed to you in the usual way as they occur.

School Photos

A reminder that Group and House photos will take place on Tuesday 24 January and we look forward to seeing our pupils looking smart in their full uniform.

Communications Available on the Parent Portal

The following letters can be found on the Parent Portal by visiting https://parents.denstonecollege.org