FROM THE PRINCIPAL #214
4th October 24
This week at DLD College has been as busy as ever, with classes fully immersed in learning and students now settled into the right courses for them. Teachers have been marking and grading the first formal assessments of the academic year, and preparing reports which will be shared with parents as we finish for the October half term break. A reminder, that reports are a useful check-in and point of communication between home and school, however parents are welcome to contact their child’s teachers, tutor or housemaster/mistress at any point in the school year.
As we enter the month of October, we look forward to an upcoming evening for Black History Month 2024. This focus gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of Black Heritage and Culture in the UK and beyond. At DLD we have notable speakers and an exhibition space planned, which we will share more details about in forthcoming newsletters.
Thursday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. This year the focus is on the impact that work can have on our mental health. It can be good for our mental health, giving us a sense of purpose, boosting our self-worth, and providing opportunities to connect with others. But it can also be a source of stress and anxiety and contribute to developing or worsening mental health problems. The same applies to students in their ‘work’ setting at school. We have a fantastic team of pastoral staff, from tutors, to housemaster/mistresses, our matron and our wonderful counsellors. However, it’s also important that we understand how to protect and deal with our own mental health day to day. PSHE lessons and assemblies this week will focus on this topic in greater detail.
Although we are in the early stages of this new academic year, we begin small steps into the next with our recent Open Evening. Large numbers of prospective students and their parents and guardians came through our doors at the end of last week, and were warmly welcomed by our friendly students and staff. Our DLD students gave up their time to give prospective students a real insight into what it is really like to be a student in our school and home. My thanks particularly to our Heads of School, Arian and Mariella, for their thoughtful speeches.
Best wishes
Dr Sarah Watson, Vice Principal (Academic)
