The Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 176

Friday 17th December 2021

Message from Mrs Hall

Thank you to everyone who took part in our wonderful Christmas baking competition this half-term. Please find a link to our website which shows all the great entries https://www.whcps.org/dt-news-20212022/ It has been a busy half-term and we have been delighted with the progress the children have made during this ongoing pandemic. They have shown such resilience and determination of which they should all feel incredibly proud. We would like to wish all our families a wonderful, safe Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Attendance for last week

Class with the Best Attendance – Frogs (97.6%)

Thank You

Our Pastoral team would like to take a moment to say thank you to those who helped us to help our families as we go into the Christmas Season.  We would particularly like to thank Love Ipswich, for their Christmas Hampers, Families and Friends of Whitehouse for their donation of Christmas presents and to Greggs Foundation who again have provided us with vouchers to help our families. 

Purple Man Reading Competition

A big well done to Hedgehogs and Chameleons for winning the Purple Man Reading Competition last week.

Free School Meal Vouchers

A reminder that for those parents/carers of children who are entitled to Free School Meals, your Edenred vouchers will be emailed to you on Monday 20^th December 2021.  You will receive the full £30.00 for each child who is eligible which will cover the two-week holiday.  If you do experience any problems in accessing your voucher please let us know by emailing parents@whcps.org.  The school office will be closed but we will do our best to help you as soon as possible.

Breakfast Club

Both our Quiet and Active Breakfast Clubs remain popular, and we have now added these to our new system Arbor, so parents/carers can book spaces for their children directly instead of booking through the office.  A letter has been sent home this week explaining how to do this.  If you have any problems, please do call the school office who will be able to assist you.  The letter can also be viewed on the website: www.whcps.org.

The Great Whitehouse Gingerbread Bake Off

Thank you to everyone who entered our Whitehouse Gingerbread Bake Off competition. We had an amazing collection of entries and it is clear that the children who did participate had so much fun creating their gingerbread masterpieces. 

The Star Bakers of the Whitehouse Gingerbread Bake Off 2021 are:

          Frankie- Rabbits                              Rebecca- Hedgehogs                        Fayth-Starfish     

                                              Sakura - Badgers                                           Henley - Puffins

Congratulations to all our Star Bakers!

Awards

Key Stage 1:

Lower Key Stage 2:

Upper Key Stage 2:

Online Safety – Parent Permissions

Lots of children across the country will be receiving new consoles, mobile phones and games for Christmas, so here is a reminder of how to set some parental controls to help your children stay safe.

Games:  Don’t forget to check the PEGi age rating to help you choose an age appropriate game. PEGi provides age classifications on the age suitability, not the difficulty of the game.  However, they do not take into consideration user generated content within the game or chat facilities.  You can find more information at the following link; https://pegi.info/.

Consoles: It is very important that when buying a new console you set up appropriate controls, such as restricting spending limits and managing who your child can talk to. These links will explain how to do this:

• Nintendo:https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Hardware/Nintendo-Switch-Parental-Controls/Nintendo-Switch-Parental-Controls/1183145.html
• PS5:https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/support/account/ps5-parental-controls-spending-limits/
• Xbox: https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/community/for-everyone/responsible-gaming

Tablets/Smart Phones: Also, remember to check the suitability of the of the apps your child may want on their tablets and phones. You can seek advice at the following links:

• iPhones/iPads: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201304
• Google: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/1075738

Online Safety - Mobile Phones

Is your child about to get their first phone?  EE have launched PhoneSmart Licence, which is a course to help prepare children for their new phone by teaching them how to stay safe and be kind online. PhoneSmart is free and available to everyone, not just EE customers.  Your child will need to complete 5 sections and as they complete each episode they will be rewarded with a sticker. Once they have completed all 5, they will be given their PhoneSmart Licence.   You can find more information at the following link: https://eephonesmart.co.uk.

Steel Drum Band

We were delighted to welcome back the Irie Steel Pan Group back to our school last week.  They gave two performances which saw the children dancing along to their favourite Christmas tunes, followed by workshops for Reception and Year 3.  The children were given the chance to play and learn about the instruments as well as to dance and have plenty of fun!

Lateral Flow Tests

As Covid cases continue to rise across Suffolk, we are aware that it has been harder to get hold of the lateral flow test kits.  Please see the letter from Suffolk County Council and Public Heath England on our website which has some guidance on where this can be obtained from: https://www.whcps.org/15-12-2021-lateral-flow-test-availability/ In addition, if you have not used these tests before, then you may find this video helpful to show you how to take the test correctly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk3LLAD7ybk.

Dates for the Diary

Friday 17^th December – Last Day of Autumn Term

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

Tuesday 4^th January – PD Day (School Closed to Children)

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

Monday 28^th February – PD Day (School Closed to Children)