Happy!

 Hello and welcome back to the Dorchester Middle School Blog!

So, how was your week? I am pleased to tell you that there were no more escapee snails on my car this week although I did briefly mistake the washer jets on my car bonnet for one very early on Monday morning!

 We have had a great week in school with lots of things happening including a Non Uniform Day, The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly, Hello Yellow Day and Sports Clubs starting to name but a few. I think I need a lie down! 

Hello Yellow

I am still smiling about the sea of yellow I witnessed on Friday. I was so impressed with the clever way that people wore yellow. It was so touching to see so many members of the school community acknowledge World Mental Health Day so thank you to everyone who participated. 

I think this picture of 6JH sums it up beautifully.

The staff entered into the spirit of the day too, here are a few of the members of staff who I managed to capture on camera...

I hope that you have a good day on Sunday and have the opportunity to focus on your mental health and wellbeing. If you are looking for ideas of how to do this then don't forget these gems:

The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly

The corridors were alive with the sound of The Diana Awards' The Big Anti Bullying Assembly on Monday.

It was brilliant to see that on the following day, Homebase Tutors were completing some of the suggested activities. 

I was delighted to come across 6TH creating their Support Networks by writing, on an outline of their hand, the five people they could turn to if they were ever to experience bullying behaviour.

At the end of the week, Mr Haigh created a fabulous display outside his classroom of the finished hands.

They are fabulous aren't they?

Pet Rescue

A few months ago, we seemed to have an influx of hedgehogs in our school grounds. When yet another one was discovered, Mrs Whiting was called upon to don her thick rubber glove, fill up the pipet and come to the rescue time and time again. We ended up calling her The Hedgehog Whisperer! 

Last Sunday, Miss Easton and Mrs Whiting returned one of the previously rescued Hedgehogs (nicknamed Twiggy by Miss Easton's Mum) back into the school grounds. 

Twiggy had been a resident in a local Hedgehog Sanctuary and it was time for her to return to her original habitat.  

Miss Easton is feeding her every day and our little bundle of spikes continues to do well.

Welcome home Twiggy!

Worth a Mention Children

Massive congratulations to all of the children who found their names on this week's Worth a Mention Boards in Key Stage Two.

I am going to start with Year Six.

Now for Year Five:

I just love seeing all the different reasons why you have been selected.

Well done to each and every one of you!

A Goat called Wanda

Not only did Miss Easton release a hedgehog into the wild, she also managed to rescue a goat called Wanda on the same day! She was on her way home from school when, along with her partner Andy, she found a stray goat in the road.

I am delighted to tell you that soon after this picture was taken, Wanda was reunited with her owner.

Spoiler Alert

We are really looking forward to welcoming potential parents into our school with our first School at Work Morning starting on Monday.

 It has been a while since we have had the opportunity to hold this event so it will be lovely to welcome parents back into the school.

Here are a couple of display boards that I thought I would share with you.

We may only have been back for five weeks but goodness me, we really have hit the ground running with the amount of learning that we have managed to complete!

She's done it again!

As you know, Miss Clements only went and ran her second marathon in four weeks on Sunday and it wasn't any old marathon, it was the London Marathon.

Miss Clements completed the course in an extremely impressive 4 hours and 50 minutes. This is her delivering an assembly to Year Eight to tell them all about it.

Well done Miss Clements! 

Well, that's it for this week. I hope you all have a fantastic week and I will look forward to seeing you back here next week.

Mrs Ray

(who ticked her Mental Health Boxes by running twice this week. Once with Mrs Whiting and then Parkrun on Saturday which was completed following a lengthy swim. There may have been a Nana Nap later that day...)