Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 207

Friday 14th October 2022

Message from Mrs Hall

There will be two open mornings in November for parents/carers whose children are starting school in September 2023 (article 28: children have the right to education). Reception school places must be applied for by 15^th January 2023. Therefore, if you know anyone who may be interested in finding out more about our wonderful school and the high-quality education we provide, please let them know about these open mornings (Tuesday 1^st November and Wednesday 2^nd November). Appointments will need to be booked through the office: parents@whcps.org

We are incredibly proud of our school and we know the prefects are very keen to show visitors around, alongside the senior team.

Attendance for the previous week:

Class with the best attendance: Lions (97.7%)

Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies for next week will be: What is an Eco-school?  What does Whitehouse have to do to become one? (UNRC Link: Article 29: I have the right to education which tries to develop my personality and abilities as much as possible and encourages me to respect other people’s rights and values and to respect the environment.). 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.

Awards

Key Stage 1:

Lower Key Stage 2:

Upper Key Stage 2:

Westbourne Transition: Year 6

Westbourne are aware that some children will find the transition to High School more of a challenge than others and may need some extra support during this time.  The Westbourne SENDCo is hosting an ‘Afternoon Tea’ for Year 6 parents/carers who feel that their child may need this support.  It will take place at Westbourne Academy on Wednesday 19^th October 2022 between 1.30pm to 4.00pm.  This event is free and parents/carers are welcome to bring their children along if they would like to do so.  If you are planning to go, please click on the following link, so they know who to expect on the day: https://forms.office.com/r/YZVjGxeZu4. If you are taking your child along to the event please let the office staff know so we can update their school attendance record accordingly.

Parents/Carers Evening

Please note we have our first Parents’/Carers’ Evenings on Thursday 17^th November 2022 and Wednesday 23^rd November 2022. These will take place online and details of how to make an appointment have been sent out via email.  If you need some help to book please speak to a member of the office team. Please note we will be holding a second Parents’/Carers’ Evening later during the Spring Term, and this will be a face to face event.  Thank you for your continued support, the teachers look forward to meeting with you next month.

School Dinner – Price Increase

Unfortunately, the provider of our school dinners has informed us that they are increasing the price of our school dinners from Monday 31^st October 2022.  Please note if you pay for school dinners for your child, both hot dinners and pick and mix lunches will then cost £2.35 instead of £2.30.                     

Purple Man Reading Competition

The competition is progressing well each week, with lots of children participating to help their class progress. The winners of last week are:  Badgers (Year 3), Hedgehogs (Year 4), Red Pandas (Year 5) and Chameleons (Year 6).  Well done to all your hard work.

RRSA Committee

We are very excited to let you know we have now appointed the children to serve on our RRSA Committee (Unicef: Rights Respecting School).  Well done to the following children, we are looking forward to seeing how you help us a school in our Rights Respecting journey.

Times Tables Rock Star (TTRS) Battles

The most recent results from class battles on TTRS are in and again there was a noticeable improvement in engagement and scores.  In LKS2, Owls beat Squirrels, Badgers defeated Foxes and Hedgehogs beat Rabbits. In UKS2, Toucans beat Pandas, Tigers beat Lizards, whilst Macaws and Chameleons beat Ocelots and Jaguars. The top scoring class this week was Macaws with an average score of 2,408!  Battles for week six have already commenced so get yourself logged on to TTRS and get battling!   If you want to see how many battles your class has won, check out the TTRS display next to the KS2 library.

Do you need a Helping Hand?

We are pleased to let you know that on Thursday 20^th October at 2.15pm we will be holding our first Helping Hands event.  We know with half term coming up, times can be a little tough for everyone.  With this in mind, we will have a number of items available free of charge for our parents/carers to take home.  These items will include store cupboard staples, fresh fruit and vegetables, second hand uniform and even a small number of second-hand bedding items and blankets.  If you think this would help then please come to school from 2.15pm to the Blue Meeting Room at school (entrance is via the main car park, and through the little wooden gate to the right of the main entrance).  Mrs Gotts will be there to welcome you and help in any way she can.  A big thank you to Greggs Foundation for their kind donation which has made this possible as well as many staff and parents/carers who have donated items.

Free School Meal Vouchers

We have had confirmation that families who are eligible for Free School Meals, will again receive a £15.00 voucher for each child to help with food costs over the October Half Term Holiday.  Please note for anyone who is eligible, an email will be sent to you from Edenred on Thursday 20^th October 2022.  Please then follow the instructions and you will be able to choose which supermarket your voucher can be used in.  If you have any problems please contact Miss Sara McCullum on finance@whcps.org.

October Half Term Activities

Following the success of the iCard in the summer holiday, Ipswich Borough Council will be putting on more activities during the October Half Term Holiday.  You can see the variety of activities going on by clicking on the link below.   There is a small charge for the activities and details of this are also on the above link. https://www.ipswichfit.co.uk/octoberhalfterm/. 

School Christmas Fair

We are very excited to let you know we will be holding our School Christmas Fair on Friday 2^nd December 2022 straight after school.  We know how popular these events are so please put the note in your diary!  It will be organised and led by our PFA (Parents and Friends Association).  If any of you would be interested in joining and helping organise such events please let the office know.  Ms Salmon would love to have you on board!

Dates for the Diary

Monday 17^th October 2022 – PFA Meeting- 3.15pm

Tuesday 18^th October 2022 – Year 5 Greek Day

Wednesday 19^th October 2022 – Westbourne Transition ‘Afternoon Tea’ – 1.30pm to 4.00pm

Wednesday 19^th October 2022 – Year 1 and 2 – Parent/Carer Reading Share Session – 2.40pm

Thursday 20^th October 2022 – Helping Hands Event for Parents/Carers – from 2.15pm

Monday 24^th October 2022 to Friday 28^th October 2022 – Half Term Holiday

Monday 31^st October 2022 – Deadline to Apply for High School Place

Tuesday 1^st November - Open Morning – new parents 9.15 am and 11.15 am

Tuesday 1^st November 2022 – Flu Immunisations

Wednesday 2^nd November – Open Morning – new parents 9.15 am and 11.15 am

Thursday 3^rd November 2022 – Year 6 Martlesham Control Tower Visit

Friday 4^th November 2022 – Year 2 Framlingham Castle Trip

Thursday 10^th November 2022 – Year 6 Martlesham Control Tower Visit

Tuesday 15^th November 2022 – Year 4 Sutton Hoo Trip

Wednesday 16^th November 2022 – Year 4 Sutton Hoo Trip

Thursday 17^th November 2022 – Parents/Carers Evening (Online Event)

Tuesday 22^nd November 2022 – Year 1 Ipswich Transport Museum Trip

Wednesday 23^rd November 2022 – Year 1 Ipswich Transport Museum Trip

Wednesday 23^rd November 2022 – Parents/Carers Evening (Online Event)

Friday 25^th November 2022 – SMSC Whole School Day: Global Citizenship

Friday 2^nd December 2022 – Flu Immunisations Catch-up Day

Friday 2^nd December 2022 – School Christmas Fair

Tuesday 6^th December 2022 – Book Fair – 3.15pm

Thursday 8^th December 2022 – Book Fair – 3.15pm

Friday 16^th December 2022 – Last day of the Autumn Term

Tuesday 3^rd January 2023 – PD Day (School Closed to Children)

Wednesday 4^th January 2023 – First day back at school for the children