Comic Relief Fundraising

Last week I was raising money by selling homemade face masks for Comic Relief. Thank you to everyone who supported me and this fantastic cause! We managed to raise over £200, which I'm sure will be extremely beneficial to such a wonderful charity.

Milly B, Year 11

Duke of Edinburgh Updates

Congratulations to both Ben A and Ben H-F in Year 11 who have completed their Bronze DofE Awards this week. Ben A helped at Tormead School, boxed and drummed! Ben H-F took on the challenges of the martial art of Choi Kwang-Do (pictured below), singing and peer mentoring. Both also flourished during our expeditions in the Surrey Hills in which they enjoyed weather from all four seasons over the two expeditions!

Pictured is Arthur B, who also recently qualified in part by using his chosen sport of cricket. He is shown here demonstrating his batting technique as well as learning the rules of umpiring.

Mr Lodge

Senior School Updates

In Year 8 History, pupils reenacted 'The Warming Pan Baby'. In 1685 King James II’s wife gave birth to a baby boy. However, the boy would follow his father in becoming a Catholic king and Mary, who was strongly Protestant, objected to this and supported the rumour that the child was not genuine, as James’ wife had lost many previous babies in childbirth and so someone else’s newborn baby must have been smuggled into her bed in a warming pan.Well done to Helena K for playing the part of smuggling in the baby.

Commendations this week go to Ben H-F and Ben A in Year 11 for completing their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award, Ava W, Abi W and Ariane L in Year 8 for their exceptional effort in choreographing and rehearsing their Hamilton performance, Isaac P and James B in Year 7 have also received commendations for their outstanding preparation and delivery of a charity campaign in English. Ella S, Ariane l, Helena K, Will R, Rufus B have also received a commendation for their outstanding effort with their River Project and, lastly, Matilda R for picking up someone else's rubbish (when she thought no-one was watching) and disposing of it correctly, a lovely gesture demonstrating the kind of community spirit we hope to instil in all School community members.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter break and look forward to an exciting Summer Term.

Mr Wilson

Weekly Wellbeing

Easter is a period that signals rebirth and new life. Springtime in general is a season when life springs anew from a period of locked down repair and renewal. With that comes a sense of renewed hope. Pupils return to school, the planned easing of restrictions dates, the lighter evenings, can all be seen as signifiers of hope that things are improving.

Hope is vital to our wellbeing. It is the force that builds our resilience and drives our resolve. Hope is what keeps us going when life is a struggle. Viktor Frankl’s amazing book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ defines hope as the indicator for survival and human endurance.

Whilst there will continue to be times when things feel like a struggle, it is more important than ever to ask for help and remain hopeful for change and better things.

A lovely exercise to try with your children is to write down, discuss or illustrate a journal or poster expressing what they are hoping for as lockdown eases and the new term starts. I wish you all a wonderful and relaxing Easter break; I am hopeful for a productive, fun and hopefully sunny, Summer Term.

Mrs Douglas

E-Safety Tips

What digital boundaries are right for your child?

How to set the right rules at the right age.

13 - 15 years - Taking risks 

Teens become self-conscious about their use of the Internet and social media to express and explore their interests. It’s likely your child will be curious and search for sites and topics you may not think they are ready for. Help them be aware of, and critical about, what they may come across online. Being able to understand potential risks – such as extremist, violent or pornographic content – can help them to assess the dangers and make better decisions about what is suitable for them. 

Sleep: NHS recommends 9-9¼ hours a night | Gaming: PEGI 16; BBFC 12, 15 | Screen time: 1.5hrs per day weekdays, 2hrs weekends can be beneficial for this age range

Top Tips:

• Find out what rules their friends’ parents are setting and discuss with them
• As the rule maker, be clear, firm, and consistent

Mr Boden

A Message from the Medical Room

As we now head into the Easter holidays with the COVID-19 infection rate for Surrey as a whole, remaining stable,  I thought it might be helpful to share a reminder of the social distancing rules moving forward, particularly as lockdown rules are due to ease a couple of times during the school holidays (these are the earliest dates of easing - dependent on government confirmation).  

What's going to happen on 29 March?

• People will be allowed to meet outside, either with one other household or within the "rule of six", including in private gardens
• The "stay at home" rule will end, but the government will urge people to stay local as much as possible
• Outdoor sport facilities will reopen, including golf courses and tennis and basketball courts, and formally organised outdoor sports can restart (for example, grassroots football)

Stage two of lockdown easing (no earlier than 12 April):

• All shops allowed to open, along with close-contact services, including hairdressers and beauty salons (including in people's homes)
• Restaurants and pubs allowed to serve food and alcohol to customers sitting outdoors
• Gyms and spas can reopen, as can zoos, theme parks, libraries and community centres
• Members of the same household (or bubble) can take a holiday in the UK in self-contained accommodation

Please also ensure the Senior pupils continue to use their home lateral flow test kits on Wednesday and Sunday evenings throughout the holidays, and finish with their last test on the evening of Sunday 18th April in order to return to School on Monday 19th.  We hope to supply more test kits to Senior pupils at the start of the Summer Term.

Finally, please remember for the Summer Term, pupils should come to School with a named bottle of sun lotion (please apply before school each day when the weather is warm), a sun hat, and a named bottle of water, and those with a history of hayfever should medicate at home before School for their own comfort.  

Enjoy the break and have a very Happy Easter,

The School Nurses

House Updates

The Spring term has been filled with a wide range of House events for the Prep and Senior students to get stuck into! A big thank you to all of the teaching staff who have organised and supported the competitions, as well as the pupils who have taken the time to partake in them. House Photography is still ongoing so any students who wish to test their skills with a camera may do so over the Easter holidays. 

All of the House points earned by all of the Prep and Senior students in the Spring term have been counted! You can use this link to see the totals in more detail (Leaderboard- End of Spring Term ). Chichester have significantly narrowed the gap between 3rd and 4th; while Hillary have snuck into 1st place. However, the last Summer term proved that any leader can be caught so it is all to play for!

Mr Gritton

School Social Media

At Duke of Kent School we have three social media platforms; Instagram (dukeofkentschool), Twitter (@DoKSchool) and Facebook (Duke of Kent School).

Our Twitter and Facebook accounts are public however, our Instagram account is private to keep it strictly for the Duke of Kent School community only. To follow the School Instagram account you will need to request to follow the account. 

We recommend following all three accounts to receive push notifications with news, updates, educational articles, interactions with other schools, communities and public figures.

Miss Vernon