Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 111

Friday 11th October 2019

Message from Mrs Hall

We very much appreciate your efforts in ensuring the children come to school looking so smart and tidy in their school uniforms. Despite our best efforts, we sometimes struggle to get them home in the same condition but our learning is often outdoors and fun! In addition, occasionally items of clothing go missing, these items are usually found (if they are clearly labelled with your child’s name and class) so, please try not to worry. If you have any concerns please don’t hesitate to talk to a member of staff. Thank you for your continued support.

Attendance for the Previous Week

Class with the Best Attendance – Dragons (99.1%)

Classes with the Best Punctuality – Hedgehogs, Jaguars, Lemurs and Pandas

Class that needs to improve their Attendance – Lions (87.6%)

Classes that need to improve their Punctuality – Foxes, Tigers and Toucans

 Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies for next week will be: Looking after our mental health: What steps could we take to be in better health mentally and physically? Resources related to this assembly will soon be available on our website.  To access them, simply go to Learning and click on our Enquiry Based Assemblies.

Evening Star – Reception Children

We are pleased to confirm our Reception children will have their photograph in the Evening Star newspaper as part of their ‘First Class’ supplement on Tuesday 5^th November.  Keep an eye out for the flyers we will be sending home which will entitle you to a discount on the price of the newspaper.

Key Stage 1:

Lower Key Stage 2:

Upper Key Stage 2:

Dinner Money

Despite regular reminders we continue to hold a high level of dinner money debt.  Can we please remind parents/carers that the cost of a school dinner (hot dinner or Pick ‘n’ Mix) is £2.30 and MUST be paid in advance. All parents/carers who have an outstanding debt will be chased today and prompt payment must be made.  If it is easier to pay for dinners online, these can be paid at the following link: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-meals-uniforms-and-trips/school-meals/.  If paying online, payment must be for 5 dinners (£11.50) or more.  They will ask for dates the child plans to have a school dinner, please put in any dates as we do not use this information but will just reduce the money as meals are taken.  If there are any problems please speak to a member of the Office Team.

Flu Immunisations

The School Nursing Team will be coming into school on Friday 15^th November as part of the Annual Childhood Flu Immunisation Programme.  The vaccine is given through a nasal spray and is being offered to all children from Reception through to Year 6.  Parents/Carers need to confirm whether they do/do not wish their child to be given the immunisation.  The link to show your consent/non-consent can be found on the following page on our website: https://www.whcps.org/11-09-2019-information-for-parents-on-flu-immunisa/.   We would also ask parents/carers to carefully read the information on the website, particularly if their child is asthmatic or cannot eat gelatine.   If you have any questions please contact the Schools Immunisation Programme on 0300 555 5055 or

ccs-tr.suffolkimmsteam@nhs.net. Please note there has been some concern about a shortage of flu vaccine.  We can reassure parents/carers that the School Nursing Team have confirmed there is enough vaccine available for all children to receive it.  Please do follow the above links to ensure permission is given for this to be administered.

Library Photo Competition

We have been running a competition to get some photos of children reading in unusual places.  We have only had a few entries so far and the closing date has been extended to Thursday 31^st October.  This will give you time to take pictures during the half-term holidays.  We would love to cover our library walls with fun photos of our children enjoying reading!

Westbourne – Year 6 Parent/Carer Afternoon Tea

We know that some children find the transition to High School a challenge and may need a little bit of extra support.  With this in mind, Westbourne Academy are holding an afternoon tea session, where parents/carers can drop in (with or without their child) to have a chat with Miss Abbott (SENDCo).  This will be held on Thursday 17^th October between 2.00pm and 4.00pm.  Please email Miss Abbott on maxine.abbott@westbourne.attrust.org.uk if you are planning to attend.

School Disco

Please note the School Disco will be held on Tuesday 15^th October at the following times:

KS1 (Years 1-2) 4.00pm to 5.00pm.  Tickets are £2.00 and include drinks and snacks.

KS2 (Years 3-6) 5.15pm to 6.30pm.  Tickets are £1.50 and children can bring in a small amount of money to purchase drinks and snacks.

Tickets will be available to purchase before school on the KS2 playground on Monday 14^th October.  Tickets will also be available at the School Office on Monday for children who attend Breakfast Club ONLY. No tickets will be sold after these times. Please note there will not be any after-school clubs on Tuesday 15^th October due to the disco.

Bumped Heads

We would like to inform you of a change in procedure when a child has a minor bumped head in school.  As you will be aware we currently give the child a ‘Bumped Head’ sticker and send them home with an orange slip to inform you this has occurred.  Advice on the orange slip asks parents/carers to observe the child for the next few hours in case of any signs of concussion.  These signs are blurred vision, sickness, drowsiness and incoherence.  We will be changing procedure slightly after half term and instead of sending home a sticker and slip of paper, we will be placing a yellow ‘I have bumped my head today’ wristband on anyone who has had a bumped head.  These are made from a strong material that cannot be ripped off so will ensure the information reaches home.  We would please ask that you continue to ensure you observe the child to ensure no further symptoms appear and seek medical advice if needed.

Earrings

Can we remind parents/carers that our School Prospectus advises that children should only wear stud earrings to school.  Earrings must be removed for PE and swimming lessons and the children need to be able to remove these for themselves.  We appreciate your support in following this guidance to ensure the safety and comfort of all children.

Save the Date - Sports Day

We are pleased to announce the dates for our annual sports day. Due to the increase in the number of children within the school we have decided to hold three events:

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 – Friday 26^th June (Morning)

Year 3 and Year 4 – Friday 26^th June (Afternoon)

Year 5 and Year 6 – Friday 3^rd July (Afternoon)

Art Event

Year 2 parents/carers are invited into school on Wednesday 30^th October for an art afternoon at 2.15 pm. Thank you for your continued support.

Year 1 Reading Session

The Year 1 teachers are pleased to invite parents/carers to come in to school on Wednesday 30^th October at 2.30pm to read with their children.  We hope to see as many of you as possible.

Save the Date: Grandparents’ Lunch

At Whitehouse we recognise the role that grandparents play in the education of our pupils and the special place they have in their lives.  To celebrate this unique bond, we would like to invite grandparents to have a Special Lunch with their grandchild(ren) during the Spring Term as follows:

It will be a wonderful chance for grandparents’ to share their experiences of school and school dinners! Further details of how to book a space will be shared nearer the time.

Yom Kippur Assembly

The children had the opportunity to learn about the Jewish celebrations, such as Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur during assembly on Monday.    Thank you to our wonderful guests Beverley Levy and Ruth Stone for coming to speak to the children and enabling them to experience how they celebrate festivals in their families.

Under 11’s Boys Football Tournament

On Thursday 3^rd October the Year 5/6 Boys’ Football Team took part in the Ipswich and South Suffolk School Games 7 a-side Football Tournament, which was held at Whitton Sports Centre. A total of twenty schools took part in the event.  The Whitehouse Team were drawn to play in League 2 and faced tough opposition in Rendlesham, Kingsfleet, East Bergholt and Castle Hill Primary Schools. The boys managed to draw two matches and lost two matches.  Unfortunately this was not enough for the boys to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament.  However, both Mr Jordan and Mrs Zantboer were extremely pleased with the boys’ behaviour and effort throughout the event.  A special mention goes to Carnell for receiving the ‘Fair Player Award’ voted by the young leaders of the event.

Year 5/6 Boys’ Football – Cup Match

This week the Year 5/6 Boys’ Football Team were again playing in the IPSSA Knockout Cup.  The boys faced tough opposition in St Matthews Primary School, however came away with yet another well deserved win.  The boys showed excellent teamwork and some impressive defensive and attacking play. Excellent movement on and off the ball together with quality link-up play saw the boys create a number of chances throughout the game.  An excellent ball from Preston, finished off with a very skilful and well taken goal from ‘Man of the Match’ Frankie just before half time was enough to see progress to the next round of the cup. Mr Jordan was extremely proud of the effort shown by the boys throughout the match.  He would also like to thank all parents/carers who watched the game and showed support.  The team will face either Castle Hill or Handford Hill Primary Schools in the next round.

Dates for the Diary

Monday 14^th October – Badgers start Swimming Lessons

Tuesday 15^th October – KS1 School Disco – 4.00pm – 5.00pm

Tuesday 15^th October – KS2 Disco – 5.15pm – 6.30pm

Friday 18^th October – Drop-in Session (Castle Museum) – Year 2 – 2.30 pm

Monday 21^st October to Friday 25^th October – Half Term Holiday

Wednesday 30^th October – Art Session – 2.15pm – Year 2 Parents/Carers

Wednesday 30^th October – Reading Session – 2.30pm – Year 1 Parents/Carers

Thursday 31^st October – EARLY Minds Parent/Carer Session – Years 3, 4 and 5 – 2.00 pm

Friday 1^st November – Tigers start Swimming Lessons

Thursday 14^th November – Parents/Carers Evening – 3.30 – 5.30 pm

Thursday 14^th November – Book Fair

Friday 15^th November – Flu Immunisation – Year R to Year 6

Friday 15^th November – Children in Need Day

Wednesday 20^th November – Parents/Carers Evening – 3.30 – 6.30 pm

Wednesday 20^th November – Book Fair

Tuesday 26^th November – Choir visiting Mayo Court

Thursday 28^th November – Whole School Team Building Day

Thursday 5^th December – Reception Nativity (9.45 am and 2.15 pm)

Saturday 7^th December – Christmas Fair

Tuesday 10^th December – Year 1 Christmas Play (9.45 am and 2.15 pm)

Thursday 12^th December – Year 2 Christmas Play (9.45 am and 2.15 pm)

Tuesday 17^th December – EYFS and KS1 – Christmas Dinner

Wednesday 18^th December – KS2 – Christmas Dinner

Friday 20^th December to Friday 3^rd January – Christmas Holiday

Monday 6^th January – PD Day – School Closed to children

Monday 17^th February to Friday 21^st February – Half Term Holiday

Friday 3^rd April to Friday 17^th April – Easter Holidays

Friday 8^th May – May Bank Holiday

Friday 22^nd May – PD Day – School Closed to children

Monday 25^th May to Friday 29^th May – Half Term Holiday

Wednesday 22^nd July – PD Day – School Closed to Children

Thursday 23^rd July – First Day of Summer Holiday