Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 241
Friday 8th September 2023
Message from Miss Siddall
Dear Parents and Carers.
Welcome back! I hope you have had a wonderful summer with your family. September signals the start of a school year and the children have been settling into their new classes and are already working hard with their new teachers. If you would like a chance to meet your child’s new teacher, there will be a chance to meet the teacher later in September (see the newsletter dates below for more details).
As usual, there is lots of interesting learning to look forward to over the coming term and some of our year groups have trips already planned, so keep a look out for letters coming home about these soon.
A reminder that there is a slight change in the timings at school this year: KS2: 8.40am to 3.10pm. KS1: 8:45am to 3.15pm. Reception: 8.50am to 3.20pm.
Children who arrive at school after 8.55am will need to enter via the office as the gates will be closed promptly to allow teachers to begin lessons.
Meet the Teacher sessions
As noted above we are excited to have our Meet the Teacher sessions coming up very soon. These take place after school and give parents/carers the opportunity to come into the classroom and have a chance to speak to the teachers. Please note the session times are:
EYFS: Monday 18th September 2023
Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2): Tuesday 19th September 2023
Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4): Wednesday 20th September 2023
Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6): Thursday 21st September 2023
Cardinal Wolsey Birthday Celebration
Before the summer holiday, we had a special visit from Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in readiness for his 550th birthday celebration! Some of our Year 6 pupils took part in a virtual hat parade, posing in the Cardinal’s hat as part of its tour of Ipswich schools. You can view the journey at the link below:
Thomas Wolsey Hat Parade - Schools Programme - YouTube
Assemblies
The theme of our assemblies for next week will be: What is democracy? How does it promote the rights of children? (UNRC Link: Article 4: I have the right to have my rights made a reality by the government). 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.
Attendance: New Website
Suffolk County Council have set up a new website, which offers support and guidance to parents and carers with regards to school attendance. It also has a list of frequently asked questions which you may find helpful. To see this information please follow the link below:
Why a child should attend school
Every child has a right to an efficient and suitable full-time education and it is a parent’s legal duty to ensure this happens. Where parents/carers have chosen to register their child at a school, they must ensure their child attends school regularly.
It is well known that missing school for any reason can cause a child to fall behind in their learning. Missing school not only damages a pupil’s learning and grades, but can disrupt routines and can make children vulnerable to crime. Sometimes children also find it difficult to settle back into school after a break.
In the longer term, evidence shows that reduced levels of attendance are likely to affect the progress of any child, whatever their needs or ability and can result in lower levels of qualifications being achieved. At Whitehouse, we know that children who have good attendance achieve better in school. Last year, 75% of children who had good attendance passed their year 6 maths test, compared to only 55% of children who did not have good attendance. 76% of children who had good attendance passed their year 1 phonics check, compared to only 25% of children who did not have good attendance. Good attendance really does matter!
By ensuring your child attends school regularly, this will helps develop crucial life skills, resilience and a strong work ethic that will benefit them throughout their lives. If your child is having difficulties attending school, then it is important that you as a parent/carer speak to us. This is especially important if your child has any health conditions that are affecting their attendance.
If you would like to make an appointment to see us for some assistance or support with attendance, please contact the school office who will arrange this for you.
Parents and Friends Association at Whitehouse (PFA)
We have been very lucky in recent years to have a wonderful PFA, led by Ms Salmon, who have put on many events at the school for our children and families to enjoy, including our very popular Christmas and Summer Fairs. Unfortunately, with children moving on to High School, we have a lost a number of our volunteers and are looking for some new PFA members who would be willing to give a little bit of their time so we can continue to hold events. If you think you might be interested, we are holding a very short meeting on Tuesday 12th September 2023 straight after school in our Marlow Road Hall (next to the school office). Please do come along and hear a little more! We look forward to seeing you!
School Photos
We are pleased to let you know that we have our school photographer coming into school on Monday 18th September to take individual photos of our children. Please remember to send your child in wearing their full uniform and looking their best. If your child was due to have PE that day, please ensure they come into school in their school uniform instead of their PE kit.
School Dinners
As you will be aware, from September we have moved over to a new caterer: Lunchtime Co. The children have been very excited with the ‘new look’ of our dining hall and the delicious foods they have been able to try. New additions include a wonderful salad bar and a wide choice of desserts, both of which are proving extremely popular! If your child has not tried school dinners yet, now would be a wonderful time to give it a go. Each day as well as a hot dinner (including vegetarian options), there are always jacket potatoes and pick and mix options to choose from as well. Children in Reception, Years 1 and 2 and those eligible for Free School Meals are not charged for meals. The cost of a meal for all other children is £2.43. If you think you may be eligible for Free School Meals, you can apply at the following link:
Parking
As we move into the new school year, we would like to remind parents/carers the importance of ensuring they are parking safely and considerately in the area around the school site. As you will be aware the start and end of the school day is very busy with many cars and pedestrians near the site. Please do think about whether it would be possible for you to leave the car at home and walk to collect your children. We would also ask you to please be considerate to the residents living near the school and do not block the access to their homes when parking. Also, please be aware the car park is not for use by parents/carers, unless they have a blue badge which must be displayed.
Eco-Schools Award
We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag! Miss Jaspal, Miss Tempest and pupils on our Eco-Committee have worked very hard on this over the last year and should be very proud of their achievement!
Some of the comments we received were: “It’s very impressive you have formed such a large Eco-Committee. It shows young people in your school are aware of environmental issues and committed to being active and creating positive change…It’s clear your Eco-Committee are constantly considering what actions they can take to improve their community and benefit our planet…We are incredibly impressed by all that you have achieved!”
Brownies
Did you know that we have a Brownies group who meet at Whitehouse every Monday evening? If you have any girls aged between 7 -10 years old who might be interested, they have a few spaces at the moment. The girls get to work towards earning badges, they play games, get creative and make lifelong friendships.
If you would like to learn more, or register to have a space for your child, then please see the following link: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/information-for-parents/register-your-daughter/
Breakfast Club
Our breakfast clubs are proving as popular as ever this year. Please remember if you want your child to attend, you need to book a space. This can be done via Arbor or at the school office. The cost is £1.00 per child, per day and must be paid in advance. You need to enter via the KS1 playground gate and then turn right and enter in the bottom door of the Marlow Road hall, where a member of staff will greet your child and sign them in. Please do NOT walk across through the playground as this causes a health and safety issue with staff arriving in their cars.
Dates for the Diary
Tuesday 12th September 2023 – PFA Information Meeting – 3.20pm
Monday 18th September 2023 – School Photos
Monday 18th September 2023 – Meet the Parents EYFS – 3.20pm
Tuesday 19th September 2023 – Meet the Parents KS1 – 3.15pm
Wednesday 20th September 2023 – Meet the Parents LKS2 – 3.10pm
Thursday 20th September 2023 – Meet the Parents UKS2 – 3.10pm
Thursday 28th September 2023 – Flu Immunisations
Monday 23rd October 2023 to Friday 27th October 2023 – Half Term Holiday
Friday 3rd November 2023 – Whole School SMSC Day: Healthy Eating
Wednesday 29th November 2023 – Autumn Term Reports home to parents/carers
Thursday 30th November 2023 – Online Parents/Carers Evening
Wednesday 6th December 2023 – Online Parents/Carers Evening
Thursday 7th December 2023 – Flu Immunisations follow up session
Friday 8th December 2023 – Nursery Nativity Play
Monday 11th December 2023 – Reception Nativity Play
Thursday 21st December 2023 to Wednesday 3rd January 2024 – Christmas Holiday
Thursday 4th January 2024 – PD Day (Children not in school)