Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 122

Friday 17th January 2020

Message from Mrs Hall

I am delighted to report that we have secured funding to widen the school gates and improve the paths around the school which is fantastic news.  This work is due to start in the Easter break, in order to keep disruption to the children’s learning to a minimum. I really appreciate your patience and support when moving around the school, particularly on the rainy days, when some of the paths have been flooded. Please can I remind parents and carers that all children need to walk on the paths and to avoid going on the grass/mud.  Thank you for following our health and safety guidance and for your continued support.   

Attendance for the previous week

Classes with the Best Punctuality – Elephants, Jaguars, Lemurs, Pandas and Chameleons

Class that needs to improve their Attendance – Cobras (92%)

Classes that need to improve their Punctuality – Frogs and Toucans

Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies for next week will be: Sign2Sing: Do we need words to communicate?  Learning a new song.  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.

Polish Speaking Volunteers Needed

Can you speak Polish?  Do you have a few hours to spare in an afternoon?  We are looking for some volunteers to help with a Polish speaking child and would love to hear from you if you could help. You could volunteer just one afternoon a week (1.10pm -3.10pm) or several afternoons, whichever would suit you best.  If you can help or would like some further information please speak to Mrs Julia Moore.

Library News

Congratulations to Jana who has become our second Word Millionaire!  Jana has received a book prize and has joined Harvey with a star on our Achievement Wall.  We have several others who are working their way towards this so watch this space for more millionaires coming shortly!

EYFS:

Key Stage 1:

Lower Key Stage 2:

Upper Key Stage 2:

Year 6 Construction Day

On Tuesday our Year 6 children had the opportunity to engage in a series of construction activities led by Eastern Roof Training.  The aim of the session was to give the children a chance to explore various trades within the construction industry and to give them a 'hands-on' learning experience.  The children thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and worked incredibly well within their groups.

Grandparents Lunch

Thank you to all those Grandparents who have joined us for lunch over the last two weeks. We look forward to welcoming Year 4 Grandparents this coming Friday and Year 3 on Friday 31^st January. 

Parents / Carers Online Safety Workshop

Are you muddled by Minecraft or rattled by Roblox?   Come along to our Parent/Carer workshop on Wednesday 5th February at either 2.00pm or 4.00pm to learn about your child's online world and where to go for more help and advice.  The workshop will be run by the NSPCC and O2 and will be an hour-long interactive event, providing parents/carers with tips, tools and advice in helping to keep your children safe online.  Talking about online safety with your child does not have to be difficult.  We will help build your confidence and enable you to have these important conversations. We look forward to seeing you there!

Attendance Update

As a school we continue to work on improving our attendance throughout the school as we work towards achieving at least 96.1%.  Unfortunately we just missed this again in Autumn Term 2 and ended with a 95.8% attendance rate, the same as we achieved in the Autumn Term 1.  Some classes have seen a good improvement in their attendance but others have seen a drop in percentage.  Thank you to all parents/carers for your continued support in helping us address and improve our attendance levels.  

French for the Family - Badgers Class

On Thursday 13th February from 1.10pm we will again be offering the opportunity for parents/carers (or 2 alternative family members) of children in Badgers Class to come along and learn French alongside their child.  The aim of the session is for children and parents/carers to work together and support each other, whilst learning a new skill.  The afternoon will start with a lesson in the Marlow Road hall where everyone will learn how to order food in French.  This will be followed by a Continental Afternoon Tea which will give a chance to practise the newly learned skills!  Letters will be sent home shortly.  Please return the reply slips so we know how many to cater for.  

NSPCC Non Uniform Day

We are pleased to let you know we will be holding a non-uniform day to raise money for the NSPCC which we are sure you will agree is a wonderful cause.  This will be held on Friday 31^st January and a suggested donation would be £1.00 per child.

Dinner Debt

A reminder to parents/carers that all outstanding dinner debt must be cleared as a matter of urgency.  If you are unsure of the amount owed please speak to a member of the Office Team.

Under 9 Dodgeball Festival

Last Thursday Mr Jordan and Ms Salmon took six Year 4 children to Inspire Suffolk to compete in the School Games U9 Dodgeball Festival.  As with previous years, the festival format consisted of a round robin style event in which our team competed against five other schools within their group.  With each match consisting of three 2 minute games, each match was played at a fast pace and was an exciting affair.  The team played brilliantly and put 100% effort into every game.  As a result of their efforts, the team managed to win two of their matches, drew 2 and lost 2. As well as showing some impressive Dodgeball skills and most excellent teamwork.  Mr Jordan and Ms Salmon were incredibly proud of the spirit in which the team played throughout the festival.  The team showed the Whitehouse Way as they took time to shake hands with their opponents and the umpires after every game.  Well done everyone!

PE Kit Reminder

A reminder to all parents/carers that PE kit should be available in school for pupils PE lessons.  Unfortunately, some PE kits have not come back into school following the Christmas break.  As of next week, class teachers will be monitoring pupils that persistently forget to bring PE kit into school.  Each class is provided with 2 PE lessons each week (Indoor and Outdoor).  If you are unsure which days your child has PE, please do not hesitate to check with their class teacher.  We would suggest it is good to keep the PE kit in school on your child’s peg so they have access to it throughout the week.

Dates for the Diary

Friday 24^th January – Grandparents Lunch – Year 4

Friday 31^st January – Grandparents Lunch – Year 3

Friday 31^st January – Non uniform day for NSPCC

Tuesday 4^th February – EAL Coffee Morning

Tuesday 4^th February – Year 1 Parents/Carers Session 2.30pm – Making Bird Feeders

Wednesday 5^th February – NSPCC Online Safety Parent/Carer Workshops – 2.00pm / 4.00pm

Thursday 6^th February – Young Voices – Choir to the O2

Friday 7^th February – Grandparents Lunch – Year 2

Friday 7^th February – Victorian Day – Year 4

Thursday 13^th February – French for the Family afternoon workshop - (Badgers) – 1.10pm

Friday 14^th February – Times Tables Rockstar Session – Year 4 – 8.45am

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

Friday 28^th February – Grandparents Lunch – Year 1

Thursday 5^th March - Parents/Carers’ Evening

Friday 6^th March – Grandparents Lunch – Year R

Wednesday 11^th March- Parents/Carers’ Evening

Thursday 19^th March – Whole School Science Day

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

Friday 26^th June Sports Day (Morning) - Reception, Year 1 and Year 2

 Friday 26^th June Sports Day (Afternoon) - Year 3 and Year 4

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

Wednesday 8th July – High School Transition Day

Thursday 9^th July – High School Transition Day

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

Thursday 23^rd July – First Day of Summer Holiday