Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 131

Friday 4th September 2020

Message from Mrs Hall

Welcome back to an exciting new term at Whitehouse. Firstly, thank you for your continued understanding and support regarding all the new changes we have needed to make in line with government guidelines around coronavirus. We are very sorry if some families have had to walk further around the school site than in previous years but it is vital that we do not have large groups of adults gathering on the school site for prolonged periods of time. We all need to work together to do everything we can to keep the school open, as it is imperative that the children do not miss out on vital learning and wellbeing support. If you have any questions or concerns about the reopening arrangements please don’t hesitate to ask. We are continually looking at ways to refine the new procedures so would welcome feedback and suggestions. Also, well done to all the children for returning to their classes with great enthusiasm and a keenness to learn. The children have listened brilliantly to the safety talks and have adapted to the changes well. Keep following the ‘Whitehouse Way’ - we are so proud of you all.

Assemblies

We are pleased to confirm that we will be continuing to hold Assemblies but these will now be presented in a different way to ensure the safety of all staff and children. Moving forward, assemblies will be held via ‘Google Meet’ which will enable children to join the assembly from their classroom. The theme of our assemblies for next week will be: New Beginnings: How can I be the best learner I can? 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.

Parent/Carer Queries

As mentioned on previous correspondence, we are unable to let parents/carers into the school office or building at the moment unless they have a previously arranged appointment. However, there are several ways you can contact the office team who will be happy to assist with any queries.

By email to parents@whcps.org

By phone on 01473 741249

If you have paperwork to pass over, please note we now have a postbox on the car park gates in Marlow Road, which is checked daily. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Payments

Can we remind parents/carers that due to the current circumstances we are unable to take money in school. We would encourage where possible that payment is made online using either a debit or credit card, through Suffolk County Council using the following links:

Dinner Money: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-meals-uniforms-andtrips/school-meals/. Please note you will be asked which days your child will be eating a school dinner. You can enter any dates as we do not use this information, but will continue to ask your child each day what they would like for lunch. There is a minimum payment of £11.50 which is the price of five school meals.

Breakfast Club: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-meals-uniforms-andtrips/pay-for-a-school-trip/ Where online payment is not possible we are able to accept a cheque which should be made payable to Suffolk County Council.

Curriculum Newsletters

You should have received your child’s class newsletter today which explains what the children will be learning this term. If they haven’t brought a copy home, the curriculum outlines are available on the school website: https://www.whcps.org/the-whitehouse-curriculum/

Library Books

If you have any library books at home, please can you ensure that they are sent back to school as soon as possible. We have over 500 library books missing, which reduces the children’s choice. Thank you for your co-operation.

Dates for the Diary

Monday 26th October – Friday 30th October – Half Term Holiday Monday

2nd November – PD Day (No school for children)

Friday 13th November – Children in Need

Thursday 19th November – Parent/Carer Evening

Wednesday 25th November – Parent/Carer Evening

Friday 27th November – Whole School SMSC Event

Monday 21st December – Friday 1st January – Christmas Holiday

Monday 4th January – PD Day (No school for children)

Friday 12th February – PD Day (No school for children)

Monday 15th February – Friday 19th February – Half Term Holiday

Thursday 4th March – Parent/Carer Evening

Wednesday 10th March – Parent/Carer Evening

Friday 19th March – Whole School SMSC Event

Monday 29th March – Friday 9th April – Easter Holiday