Harvest Festival
The children at the hill site had a very successful Harvest Festival. The children nominated people in our local community to receive a bag of mixed fresh and tinned produce. The tins which were unused were donated to the Salvation Army at Sherburn Hill. The children of Butterfly Class were thrilled to have the opportunity to take the tins on Friday morning.
Durham in Bloom
On Wednesday 5th of October, Madison, Jack and Joe attended the Durham in Bloom Awards evening with Mrs. Cox and Miss Barnett and Chris our volunteer gardener.
The school received a Merit for their school garden and the surrounding area. We are delighted and proud of Chris who received an award for his contribution to maintaining the Salvation Army’s grounds and for the fantastic work he does with the children and staff of Sherburn Primary School, Hill site. We are grateful for his time and expertise which he freely shares. We look forward to working with Chris next year on our nature garden.
Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.
The School Council at the Hill Site had a busy time organising their coffee event. They decorated enough cupcakes for the whole school and at morning break everyone had a cupcake and juice.
In the afternoon parents were invited to come for coffee/ tea and cake and to stay and watch our Reward Assembly. We were thrilled to have so many parents, friends and Governors come along to support us including Mr Pye, our Chair of Governors. A prize was awarded for our ‘Design a Teacup’ competition. This was won by Duccio for his heart design.
We raised a grand total of £200 across both sites. Thank you to everyone who supported us.
‘Make a Difference’
Dragonfly Class are working collaboratively to ‘make a difference’ to the issue of animal cruelty in County Durham. As part of this project, the pupils have researched and created this page on animal cruelty. It explains what it is, how you can help to tackle the issue, and the organisations and charities involved.
What is animal cruelty?
Animal cruelty can take many different forms. It includes abuse and violence towards an animal, but it also includes neglect or the failure to take care of the animal’s needs. Not only can animals be hurt physically, they can also be caused psychological harm if they are distressed or tormented. Some owners are also forcing their animals to breed or fight for money and entertainment. This is also animal cruelty.
The RSPCAS’s annual figures show that County Durham is the second worst area in the country for animal cruelty. A shocking 277 animal cruelty cases were made across the county in 2014 and 83 people were convicted of their crimes.
How can you help?
As a class, we are trying to raise awareness of this distressing issue and fundraise to help to protect animals in our local community. Here are some suggestions on how you can help to tackle animal cruelty.
Donating
You can show your support for animals by donating online to the RSPCA or the Dogs Trust. This money can help to rescue animals, rehabilitate them, provide them with veterinary care or help them to find a new home.
You can also donate unwanted items through the websites shown on the RSPCA’s webpage, such as unwanted/used inkjet cartridges, CDs, DVDs, computer games and clothes. These items can be turned into funds.
Fundraising
Are you interested in fundraising for the RSPCA or the Dogs Trust? You can raise money through a range of fun ideas to help to save animals. Whether you want to organise a sponsored sports event, a bake sale or a fancy dress event, they can all help to raise money to protect animals. Look on their websites for more ideas and let them know what you are doing.
Volunteering
Volunteering for the RSPCA or the Dogs Trust is one way in which you can help to look after and protect animals from cruelty. These charities cannot achieve their mission without the help of their volunteers.
There are many different ways in which you can volunteer across their charity shops and animal and wildlife centres. No matter how much time you can offer, your support will make a difference.
As a volunteer you will:
- Gain a sense of achievement
- Gain new skills
- Take part in something rewarding
- Help your local community
Sponsorship
With the help from sponsorship, animals who have suffered cruelty can be given the home, food, love and care that they need to recover.
You can help the RSPCA by sponsoring dog kennels or cat pods for only £6.50 a month. In return you receive a special welcome pack, regular updates with photos and stories about the animals you have helped to keep safe and invitations to visit the dog kennel or cat pods you are sponsoring.
You can help the Dogs Trust by sponsoring a dog for as little as £1 per week. This money helps stray and abandoned dogs in need. In return you receive updates of your new friend, including a photograph.
The greatest benefit of sponsorship is knowing that you have helped to give neglected and abused animals a fresh start in life.
Which charities and organisations are trying to tackle animal cruelty?
The Dogs Trust
The Dogs Trust was founded in 1891 and is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK. It is there mission to care for dogs around the country and ensure that no healthy dog is ever destroyed. They help owners to micro-chip their dog to keep them safe, and they have 20 Rehoming Centres which help dogs to enjoy a happy life. They rely on donations, volunteers and fundraising to protect this creature from cruelty and neglect.
The RSPCA
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) was founded in 1824, and this makes them the oldest 
animal welfare charity. They were the first to introduce a law to protect animals. Every day they campaign against, investigate and tackle animal cruelty. With support from donations, volunteers, fundraising and sponsorship, the RSPCA provide shelter, food, rehabilitation, veterinary care and re-home animals which have been neglected or abused.
Helpful Tips for Dog Owners
Here are some of our helpful tips on how to look after your dog:
- Make sure your dog wears a lead in public places.
- Give your dog toys to play with.
- Provide your dog with a comfortable, quiet place to rest and sleep.
- Ensure they eat healthy dog food.
- Give them a blanket for comfort.
- Reward good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour.
- Regularly check their ears, eyes and other body parts.
- Only leave them alone for short periods of time.
- Toilet train your dog when they go outside.
- Make sure they are vaccinated, wormed and treated for fleas.
- Always take your dog out three times a day for a walk.
Following our fundraising activities, which raised £302.20, the children went to ‘Pets at Home’ to buy toys and treats for cats and dogs that had suffered from animal cruelty. Here are some photos of the animals we made a difference to at the RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre.
We were really pleased when our hard work was recognised in the local newspapers:
On Monday 4th July, the children in Dragonfly Class presented their ‘Make a Difference’ project at The Durham Centre. Fifteen schools from across County Durham took part in the event. Therefore, we were extremely proud when our project was chosen as the winners of the Scrapbook Competition by the Citizenship Foundation. Here are photos of our presentation and our very happy faces when we were presented with the trophy and certificate.
Durham City Homes
Dragonfly Class have been working on a project with Durham City Homes to improve the local area. The children have been busy planting bulbs and trees on a patch of land owned by the Durham City Homes down the bank from the school. There are also plans to bury a time capsule and erect a ‘Mood Board’ which will depict children’s images of life in Sherburn Hill.
Take a look at our efforts that day: