“I’ve learned that people will forget what you think, what you said, people will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel. Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
Maya Angelou
Message From Mr Sutherland
Message From Mr SutherlandWelcome to our first newsletter of the Spring term here at Dunston Hill.
The mornings and evenings are definitely getting lighter, daffodils are beginning to emerge and there is a feel of spring being in the air. We have even had a couple of days where it hasn’t rained! It has been such a busy half term and I think it is so important occasionally to take a few moments to reflect on our achievements during that time. Even just this week, Year 6 have performed four brilliant songs, (including Sam Fender’s “People Watching” – one of my favourites), for the children in our Hall; we participated in the Swimming Gala at Dunston Pool; our One Voice choir performed and sang beautifully for parents and carers after school and our School Council have been involved with more work to support the Daft as a Brush charity. This is just a snapshot of what we do here at Dunston Hill and we try to keep you informed of all these activities as much as possible via our Facebook page and our website.
This week has also been our Parent & Carers Consultation Week. Thank you so much to all the parents and carers who have engaged with us whether in person or via a phone call and it has been lovely to chat to those who I have spoken to this week in and around school. I believe it is so important for the ongoing pastoral and academic development of your child and really helps to further cement positive, productive relationships. Your engagement is really appreciated.
I have just a couple of items of news I would like to share. Firstly, plans are well under way for the development of our Forest School area and we are assembly a team of parents, carers and school staff who will help us shape the future of this wonderful provision. Also, after the half-term break, we will be undertaking a Poverty Proofing review of our provision, a year on from our original audit which you may remember. We have asked you for your feedback on how you feel we have developed since the original audit and members of the Poverty Proofing organisation will be visiting school to speak to children, staff and parents on the yard to gain everyone’s views on our progress this year. As always, I welcome any constructive feedback which will improve outcomes for our children and their families.
Finally, whilst writing this newsletter I would like to wish Mrs O’Hara very best of luck as she heads off to begin her new adventures from tomorrow. Her contribution to our school over her time with us cannot be understated and we are so grateful for everything she has done for our school community. We are sad to see her go but happy for her that she is beginning a new chapter in her life. And in the spirit of new chapters, I would also like to extend a warm welcome to Miss Shepherd into the Early Years and Dunston Hill team. I know that many of you will have already met her and we wish her every success and happiness as she begins her new role.
Please keep checking in on our Facebook page for all our latest activities almost as they happen and have a good look through our newsletter for upcoming events. Also, remember that we update the school calendar with events regularly for parents and carers to see what is coming up and when, so that you don’t miss a thing.
Have a wonderful half-term break and we will see you back at Dunston Hill at the usual times on Monday, March 2nd 2026.
Whole School Information
Holocaust Memorial Day
This half-term, our children marked Holocaust Memorial Day through a whole-school focus on remembrance, kindness and standing up against prejudice.
Across the school, children engaged in thoughtful discussions and age-appropriate learning about the importance of fairness, inclusion and respect. Our KS2 pupils explored the theme of discrimination and the responsibility we all share in challenging unkindness, while KS1 reflected on the power of kindness and making positive choices in their everyday lives.
Each class contributed to a shared Memorial Flame display, inspired by stories of courage and compassion. The flames represent our collective commitment to remembering the past and learning from it to shape a better future. Alongside this, a whole-school book display was created to honour Holocaust Memorial Day and to support pupils in exploring this important part of history through carefully chosen texts.
We are incredibly proud of the respectful and thoughtful way our children approached this learning and the meaningful conversations that took place across school.
Through remembrance, we reaffirm our shared values of kindness, fairness and standing together.
Remember. Reflect. Stand Together.
Family Learning
Family Forest
Family Forest starts back next half-term. This will be on a Tuesday, 2-3pm, starting Tuesday 3 March. Sign up via Arbor.
Contact our School Office to book a place.
Toddlers
Join our Toddlers Group every Wednesday morning, 8.50am-9.45am in the School Hall. We would love to see you there.
Forest School from Monday 2 March
Children should come to school dressed in clothing suitable for the weather, including a warm coat, gloves, and a hat when it is cold. On their bottom half, they should wear black trousers, which you are happy for them to get dirty in, a school hoodie and a white T-shirt. They should bring their wellies to leave in a plastic carrier bag.
Reception – Monday
Year 6 – Wednesday
Year 1 – Thursday
PE from Monday 2 March
Children should come to school dressed in their PE kit; a school hoodie, a white t-shirt, navy or black shorts/tracksuit joggers and trainers for the whole day.
Reception – No PE kit required, when children take part in physical exercise, they will remove socks and shoes.
Details for all other year groups will be emailed out tomorrow and added to our Facebook page.
Swimming from Monday 9 March
Year 4 will swim on Mondays.
Events to look forward to…
World Book Day, Thursday 5 March – No dressing up required.
Wow! What an amazing creative morning we have planned for this year’s World Book Day! The children will take part in two workshops with old and new friends across the school which they have signed up for.
The children’s choices will be on our Facebook page on Monday 2 March via video!
This will give them the opportunity to listen to a new story and then create something linked to the text. Last year, we had clay cats, elastic band cars and magic tricks! Our Reception and Nursery children will complete a similar alternative morning in their Early Years setting.
We love being creative and reading at Dunston Hill!
If your child is in Nursery- Year 3 and ordered a book through us, they will be given out on World Book Day – if they did not, they will receive their World Bood Day voucher. This voucher allows them £1 off any children’s book at participating stores or can be used to purchase one of the special World Book Day books (participating shops: Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco, The Works, TG Jones and Waterstones).
If your child is in Years 4-6, they will either receive their voucher on World Book Day or their chosen book when we visit Waterstones (Metro Centre), week commencing 9 March. More details to follow.
British Science Week, 6-15 March The theme for this year’s Science Week is ‘Curiosity: What’s your question?’. Scientists of all different kinds have developed the world in which we live, and our understanding of it by using their curiosity and asking questions. So, the Children of Dunston Hill will have the chance to investigate and ask their own questions. Teachers are already busy planning lots of interesting activities – keep and eye on our Facebook page for updates across the week to see what the children have been up to.
Week commencing 9 March, we will be celebrating ‘International Women’s Day’ (Sunday 8 March).
Red Nose Day, 20 March. This Red Nose Day, it’s time to take things a bit less seriously. To lighten up a little and laugh loudly, proudly and together…at ourselves. So again this year, we are doing something funny for money. Children can come to school with a funny, funky hairstyle and non-uniform if they wish. £1 voluntary donations are welcome.
Easter parent/carer workshops – week commencing 23 March 2026 – dates and times to follow.
Our Happy Feet Dance Club and our Boys Dance Club are looking forward to performing at the Glasshouse, Gateshead on the afternoon of Tuesday 24 March 2026. Parents/carers of those children attending have been emailed information about purchasing tickets.
Nursery Easter Stay and Craft parent/carer sessions – Wednesday 1 April and Thursday 2 April, 10.45-11.30am.
Reception Easter Stay and Craft parent/carer session – Thursday 2 April, 8.45-9.30am.
School Lunch
The menu for the week commencing Monday 2 March is Week 2. School lunch cost £2.80 per day payable in advance using the school app Arbor.
To Celebrate World Book Day on Thursday 5 March, there will be a special lunch menu, details will be emailed to parents tomorrow.
As part of our Healthy Schools programme, we ask that children not bring crisps, chocolate or fizzy drinks in their packed lunches.
Due to allergies, please ensure that no peanuts or items containing nuts are brought into school, including in the form of Snickers, chocolate spread or peanut butter sandwiches. This is especially important to remember for children bringing in packed lunches or snacks.
Arbor – Are You Missing Messages from School?
If you use our Arbor Parent App, please make sure you have in‑app messages enabled so you don’t miss important updates from school.
Keeping notifications switched on ensures you stay connected and up to date with everything happening in school.
To check your settings, simply follow the steps in the link below:
Parents not receiving push notifications – Arbor Help Centre
Early Years News
Early Years have had a wonderful first half-term of 2026 with much to be celebrated. We welcomed our January starters into Nursery, and those children have made a wonderful beginning to their Dunston Hill Journey already. We are thrilled to welcome families who are already a part of our Dunston Hill community, as well as new families who have joined us for the first time.
Nursery and Reception have enjoyed our Stay and Count sessions, which were very well attended yet again. Families joined us to take part in fun and practical maths activities, supporting children with their Number knowledge and automaticity. We would like to thank families again for their support, and look forward to seeing you again next half-term for our Easter Stay and Craft sessions.
We thought a lot about Kindness recently too, as part of Children’s Mental Health Week. The children have learned that being kind is important to help others feel like they belong and to feel happy. We also learned that being kind can give us a boost as well, having a positive impact upon everyone.
Everybody in Early Years is looking forward to some Spring weather after half-term, so that we can hopefully begin planting and seeing some signs of new growth in our outdoor area.
Key Stage One News
This half-term, Year 1 have thoroughly enjoyed retelling the story of Hermelin the Detective Mouse, developing their confidence and creativity in writing. In our maths lessons, we are beginning our journey into addition and subtraction and in our Mastering Number lessons we have enjoyed exploring odd and even numbers. We have loved taking part in our calming ‘Storm Breaks’, which help us to look after our mental health and wellbeing. A highlight of the half-term was welcoming our visitors from HSBC bank; they taught us all about the different coins we use in the UK and about their value.
Year 2 have been working hard across all subjects. In our History lessons, we have enjoyed learning all about Florence Nightingale and other wonderful nurses from the past. In our Art lessons, we have produced some wonderful depictions of the Northern Lights using chalk pastels. Another highlight of the half-term was our visit from a member of the Blue Cross animal charity who taught our children about caring appropriately for pets.
Well done, Key Stage 1!
Times Tables
In school this half-term, children in KS2 have enjoyed battling it out in numerous Times Table Rockstar tournaments. There was a great buzz in assembly when the most recent whole key stage results were shared; with 5C taking first place, 4E in second place and 5S in third. Well done everyone! Please encourage your children to complete at least 30 minutes of times table rockstars every week. Please encourage children in KS1 to access Numbots which will greatly support their fluency in additive facts.
Climate Crew
Our Climate Crew took part in a wonderful interactive workshop with Groundworks recently where they explored biodiversity in the school grounds. The children worked brilliantly as a team to explore habitats and made suggestions for improvements. Work is already underway to celebrate Earth Day 2026 and we are lucky enough to be working once more with Northern Gas Networks. Well done, Climate Crew!
School Council
The School Council have had a very busy half-term. They have had very important jobs to do: interviewing candidates for the new Headship and holding a whole school assembly focused on Children’s Mental Health Week. They have been given a great opportunity to work with the Daft as a Brush Charity, where they have been auditioning to be the voice of an advertising campaign, Luma Love Daft as A Brush.
Sports News
Swimming Gala –
Our team of Year 5/6 swimmers competed in the Swimming Gala at Dunston Leisure Centre. Each member of the team swam their best and Miss Parkin was extremely proud of their performance!
KS1 Cricket Festival –
Recently, some of our Year 1 children attended the KS1 Cricket Festival at Gateshead Stadium. The children worked with some of the staff from Durham Cricket Foundation and they practised their throwing and batting skills. The children had a great afternoon and each of them left with a certificate to celebrate their hard work!
EYFS Multi-Sports Festival –
Earlier this half-term, some of our Reception children went to Gateshead Stadium for a Multi-sports Festival. The children completed lots of different activities, which helped them to practise their throwing, jumping, balancing and running skills. We are so proud of the children who all represented themselves and Dunston Hill brilliantly!
SEND/Nurture
Miss Tuart and Mrs Cox are offering a SEND and Nurture ‘coffee and catch up‘ on Wednesday 4 March 2026, 9-10am in our Dunston Den.
Don’t forget you can reach out to Miss Tuart (SENDCo/Deputy Headteacher) should you wish to discuss your child’s needs and/or provision: sendco@dunstonhillschool.co.uk.
You can also reach out to Mrs Cox (Family Support Worker): fsw@dunstonhillschool.co.uk