Happy Holidays!

Hello and welcome back to the last Blog of the academic year!

How are you all? I hope that you had a good week and that you are now relaxing and enjoying the official start to the summer holidays!

The last week of term is always a frantic one and this year was no exception! However, I did actually go into school for the first time in four months which was scary and exciting all at the same time. I ended up going twice - once for the Year Eight Leaver's Assembly and then at the end of school on Friday to say 'Goodbye' to our very own Miss Randall.

The picture below is of me on Wednesday. It felt so strange being back in the school building. I really did feel like the 'new girl' as I wasn't sure where I was allowed to go or what to do with myself. Everyone was so welcoming though - I work with some fabulous people.

The best thing was to have the opportunity to say 'goodbye' to the Year Eights. This year group contained my last ever Homebase group (5ER - I shared them with Miss Enever) so it was lovely to see them again. I'm not sure how many Year Eights read this Blog but if you are, I wish you all the very, very best for the move to your new school and hope that you continue to work hard and be the fantastic human beings that you are.

To help calm my nerves before and after that first visit back, I spent a some time with 'the boys'. They were as unaffectionate as usual - at least they are consistent I guess? I wish I could be as chilled as Beryl in the second picture - he seems to have life sussed doesn't he? Maybe that's what I'll be like when I've unwound and found my groove in the holidays?

I was back in school on Friday for the farewell picnic after school. It was such a glorious day, a huge contrast to the constant shivering on Wednesday! Ms Pluck did a sterling job wishing everyone who was leaving well and did THE best speeches!

It was also a brilliant opportunity to catch up with some of the Key Stage Two Team who I have missed enormously...

Best of all, I was thrilled to be able to say 'Goodbye' to our wonderful Miss Randall. She had been at DMS for 17 years and is now moving on to pursue her goal to study horticulture and become a gardener.

We will miss you Miss Randall!

I had a busy weekend which, unsurprisingly, consisted of two long (well, long for me) runs. On Saturday, I went out with my friend Nina but it was so hot that we ended up walking quite a lot. It was such a beautiful day though and the river was simply stunning.

On Sunday, I went for a run (and I did run more this time!) with Hannah and Karen. We went a bit earlier this time and ended up being the first customers of the day at our regular coffee and cake establishment. This time we got rather soggy due to the rain but I know for a fact that my garden was very appreciative of it!

DASP Citizens of the Year

Huge congratulations to the children who were voted DASP Citizens of the Year!

In Year Five, Sophie T and Sophie M were the recipients of this award and Alfie and Alice in Year Six. 

When I asked the teachers to nominate children for this prestigious award, I was inundated with suggestions. I was so proud (and rather impressed!) that so many children were put forward in Key Stage Two. If only we could hand out thirty awards! 

There are always a lot of 'thank yous' at the end of any term but this term warrants even more than usual so please bear with me and apologies if the following sounds like an acceptance speech at an awards ceremony..

The Key Stage Two Team

They are amazing aren't they? The pictures below were taken nearly a year ago and, at the risk of sounding like a cliche, so much has happened since then.

Year Six Team September 2019

Year Five Team September 2019

I can't begin to thank them all for their hard work and dedication to the wonderful children in our school.There have been a few changes along the way but whatever has happened, our children are at the heart of what we do.

I hope that they all have a very restful summer holiday, they all have all worked so incredibly hard, in the most extraordinary of circumstances, and deserve this summer break more than ever.

Thank you for being such a fantastic team to work with and have a good summer!

Miss Easton

This lady is AMAZING!

She has worked so hard all through lock down to not only ensure that the children in our care are well supported but she has been an absolute force when it has come to transition. All the fantastic resources on our website are down to her, she's been to every meeting, supported all the Zoom Presentations, put together all the classes - the list is endless! 

Thank you Miss Easton, from the bottom of my heart for EVERYTHING - you are fantastic!

Miss Sharpe

Miss Sharpe is our SENCO and has also been fantastic! She works so incredibly hard across the school for our children and has been an instrumental part of the transition process this year. She has been amazingly supportive throughout and Miss Easton and I couldn't have done it without her.

Thank you Miss Sharpe - you are simply wonderful!

Google Classroom

I want to thank all of the children who have been at home for the duration of lock down and who have been Google Classroom Superstars. The amount of work that some of you have turned in has been second to none and I can't begin to tell you how impressive this has been. Being at home for this amount of time has not been easy for everyone (and I feel I know what I am talking about here!) so well done to one and all.

All our fabulous children

How can I begin to thank you for, well everything! It's not been the year that we wanted for you but you have shown us that you can pretty much cope with anything that gets shoved your way! I can't wait to see you all, regardless of your year group, in September when we get to reunite and reconnect with each other. I too hope that you have a fantastic summer and a well deserved break. 

When you come back in September, there will be new challenges for us all. We need to embrace these challenges because that is what life is about. There will also be changes, there always are, but at the end of the day, we want you to be safe.

So, this is going to be the last Blog for a few weeks as this Blogger is going to rest her laptop for a bit. I think the laptop is rather relieved!

Have a fabulous few weeks - may the sun shine and your batteries recharge! Be kind to those around you and please look after each other.

Mrs Ray x