Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 286

Friday 25th October 2024

A Message from Miss Siddall

We’ve had an incredibly busy half term at Whitehouse, but we’ve achieved a lot and we’re very proud of the hard work the children have put into all their learning, both in the classroom and at home. I was especially pleased to see so many children engaging in the HW projects with their families – I have been visited by lots of children who have been very proud to show me their creations.  Thank you for all your support. I hope that you have a wonderful and safe half-term holiday. Please remember that school starts back on Monday 4^th November.  We look forward to seeing you then.

Attendance for last week:

Class with the best attendance: Tigers (100%)

Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies for next week will be: Singing: Why is it important? (UNRC: Article 31 – I have the right to play and relax by doing things like sports, music and drama). We hope to include lots more singing in our assemblies moving forward.  Why not ask your child to teach you the song they sang this week?

Attendance: Duck Race Winners

Well done to the winners of our Duck Races last week:

Footwear

Can we remind parents/carers that it is very important that children come to school in the correct footwear.  All pupils are expected to wear black shoes as part of the uniform.  Shoes with fashion heels and crocs are not suitable for school. Heels should be low and wide to ensure the child’s safety as they walk around the school site.  Trainers and sandals are not to be worn instead of shoes.

Awards

As you may be aware, the children are encouraged to follow ‘The Whitehouse Way’ in school to help them in their learning and in becoming good citizens. Our ‘Wonderful Week’ awards this year will be given as a recognition that the children have worked very hard in one of these areas:  Courage, Perseverance, Reflection or Responsibility.  This will be shown in the colour coded lists below. We are so proud of our children at Whitehouse and their wonderful achievements.  Well done to you all.

Key Stage 1:

Lower Key Stage 2:

Upper Key Stage 2:

Attendance

To celebrate attendance this half term, the class with the best percentage will be receiving a treat!  We will also be having our parent/carer raffle.  All the children who have 100% attendance will be put into a draw, and the parent/carer of that child will be receiving a treat!  We will update you on which class won the treat after half term!

Message from the House Captains

The House Captains are very excited to announce the winners of the house point competition for this half term:

In 4^th place, with 670 points, was Emerald

In 3^rd place, with 689 points, was Diamond

In 2^nd place, with 708 points, was Sapphire

So in 1^st place, with 778 points, was Ruby!

Well done to Ruby, who have won a non-uniform day on Friday 8^th November (the first Friday after half term).

Special Menu

A reminder that when we come back from the half term holiday, we will be moving to a new dinner menu.  You can view the new choices of lunch on our website at the following link:  https://www.whcps.org/school-dinners/.

Also, please note on the first Tuesday we will be having a special menu to celebrate Bonfire Night.  Please see the menu below.  Pick and mix and jacket potatoes will also be available.

Community Courses

Please find details of a new course that is starting on 6^th November 2024 which may be of interest to our parents/carers who look after a child with additional needs and is in conjunction with Suffolk Community Foundation.  The course is ‘Mindfulness for Parents who Care’.  It is free to join and will run for six weeks online, from 1.00pm to 2.00pm.   More information can be found on the following link:  https://the-mindful-life.com/mindfulness-for-peoplewhocare.  Feedback from the course shows that it improves carers’ wellbeing and sleep as well as reducing loneliness, low mood, stress and anxiety.

Suffolk Parent/Carer Forum

Please note the link for the October newsletter for the Suffolk Parent/Carer Forum below. This forum offers support and information for those who have children with SEND needs. 

https://suffolkpcf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SPCF-Autumn-Newsletter-OCT-24-Final-2.pdf

Celebrating our Children

We were excited to hear about three of our children who have received medals and certificates this week, for taking part in dance exams which they took during the summer term.  Amelia (Pandas) received a commended grade for Modern Ballroom Waltz whilst Grace (Badgers) and Emily (Owls) both received the commended grade for the under 8s dance test.   Well done girls, we are very proud of your hard work!

Wanted: A Travel Agent

Can you help?  We are looking for a travel agent who would be willing to come into school and talk to Year 5 about Greece: what it is like there, what can you do, what can you see and what can you eat?  If you are able to help or know anyone who can, please do let the school office know.  Thank you!

Remembrance Day: Poppies

The 11^th November 2024 is Remembrance Day, a day where we pay tribute to the fallen of all wars both past and present.  Each year at Whitehouse we love to support the Poppy appeal by selling poppies for a suggested donation of £1.00 per item and we are pleased to say we will be doing the same again this year.  The School Parliament will be out with the poppy items as detailed below:

Year 1 children can purchase items on Monday after school on the KS1 playground

Year 2 children can purchase items on Tuesday after school by their classroom doors

KS2 children can purchase items at breaktime on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and after school on Wednesday on the astro turf.

Thank you, as always, for your support in helping the soldiers and their families.

U11 Boys Football Event

On Tuesday 8th October, Mr Jordan took 10 Year 5 and 6 pupils to take part in the Ipswich and South Suffolk School Games U11’s Boys 7v7 Football event, which took place at Whitton Sports Centre. This very popular annual event begins the start of many Level 2 (Inter-school) football events throughout the year, and provides the first opportunity for our football teams to play together as a team. Eighteen teams took part in the boys’ event, and were separated into three different groups to determine which teams would progress from the group stages to the semi-finals of the event. With only four places available for the semi-finals each of the matches were closely contested and very competitive. The boys were drawn to play in group 3 and played five matches throughout the event, facing tough opposition in St. Johns, St. Marys Ipswich, Hadleigh, Britannia and Shotley Primary Schools. Despite it being the first time the boys had played together as a team in a Level 2 (Inter-School) event, they played some excellent football and really grew in confidence with each match. As a result, of their efforts the boys won two, drew one and lost two of their matches. Unfortunately, the boys did not progress to the next stage of the event. Despite this, Mr Jordan was extremely proud of the teams’ efforts, work rate and pleasing football skills shown throughout the event. A special mention goes to the Muhamad for receiving the ‘fair play’ award voted by the young leaders at the event. 

Year 5 and 6 Girls Football

It has been a fantastic start to the year for our Year 5/6 girls football team, as they finish the half term unbeaten!

U11 Girls Football Event

On Thursday 10th October, it was the Year 5/6 girls team turn to attend the Ipswich and South Suffolk School Games U11’s Girls 7v7 Football event, which also took place at Whitton Sports Centre. Again, just like the boys’ team, the event also provided the first opportunity for girls to play together as a team. During the event the girls were drawn to play in group 2 and faced equally tough opposition from Elmsett, Broke Hall, Cedarwood, Shotley and Britannia Primary Schools. Throughout the event the girls showed excellent teamwork in both attack and defence, implementing the tactics and skills they have been working on during the after-school club with Mr Jordan fantastically during each match. As a result, during their five matches the girls did not lose a single match, winning 4 and drawing 1 of their matches. The girls also scored a very impressive thirteen goals from five different goal scorers (Skye, Idunno, Ivy, Scarlett, Lacey) and conceded just one goal throughout the event!  Mr Jordan was extremely proud of the girls’ behaviour and effort throughout the event. A special mention goes to Idunno for receiving the ‘Fair Play Award’ voted by the young leaders at the event.

Year 5 and 6 Girls Football (Friendly)

On Monday the girls were back in action as they travelled to Broke Hall to play in a ‘friendly’ match. The aim of the ‘friendly’ was to allow the girls the opportunity to not just gain more game time, but also to continue to implement their skills and develop their confidence playing within a football match. The girls were extremely excited and keen to put on a good performance during the match, and they did exactly that and were again fantastic from start to finish! The girls played some brilliant football both individually and as a team. Out of possession the girls worked hard to put Broke Hall under pressure to win the ball back, making some excellent tackles and blocks to break up and disposses any Broke Hall attack. In possession of the ball the girls showed some fantastic passing and frequently attacked the Broke Hall goal. As a result of the girls’ fantastic play, the girls went into half time ahead thanks to two very well taken goals from Millie and Scarlett. During the second half the girls continued to play some very pleasing football and were again rewarded with another goal from Ivy. At the other end of the pitch, Sakura kept her concentration and made some fantastic saves to prevent Broke Hall from scoring. Despite some late pressure from Broke Hall, the girls kept strong to finish the match with a 3-0 win! Mr Jordan was extremely proud of each and every one of the girl’s effort and performance throughout the match, well done girls!. Well done also to Millie for being voted as ‘Player of the match’.

Book Fair

A date for your diaries!  Please note our next Scholastic Book Fair is due to take place after the half term break on Monday 11^th and Tuesday 12^th November 2024.  Both fairs will take place in the Marlow Hall as usual from 3.00pm to 4.00pm.  It would be lovely to see lots of you there and don’t forget with every purchase, the school earns rewards which we can spend on books to add to our lovely libraries.

Suffolk Summer Reading Quest

Huge congratulations to Holly (Red Pandas) who successfully completed the new Suffolk Summer Reading Quest.  Well done Holly, we are very proud of you!

Accelerated Reader

We are thrilled to be able to celebrate more children who have earned certificates for their reading.  A big well done to the following:

Ready Reader: Luke, Lucas and Hendrix (Owls), Freddie, Eliot, Peyton, Maria and Ronan (Badgers), Demari, Whitney and Harper (Rabbits)

Independent Reader: Henley (Rabbits)

Rising Reader: Shola (Hedgehogs)

Super Reader: Muhamad and Scarlett (Lizards)

Advanced Reader: Grace (Jaguars), Mason (Chameleons), Noah (Tigers) and Saira (Ocelots)

Cross Country Success

After finishing a very impressive 3rd place during last year’s Ipswich & South Suffolk School Games Cross Country event, Arthur (Year 6) was recently invited to represent the School Games team in the Suffolk Schools Area Cross Country Championships. The Area Championships, which again took place at the Royal Hospital School, involved competitors within Arthurs section (minor boys) to complete a 3040m course. With the top 50 competitors progressing through to the Area Championships finals at Woodbridge School, the race was an extremely competitive affair. After yet another very impressive race, Arthur was able to secure himself a top 50 place finishing in a very impressive 34th place. As a result, Arthur has now qualified to take place in the next round of the Area Championships! Well done Arthur!  

Year 3 Mosque Trip

On Friday afternoon last week, our Year 3 children were able to visit a mosque in Ipswich.  They all really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the Muslim religion, what they believe and to see what their place of worship looks like.  The children also had a chance to speak about what they had learned in RE lessons this term and ask lots of very good questions.  Year 3 represented the school very well, with their outstanding behaviour and the respect they showed throughout the visit.  Well done everyone!

Dates for the Diary

Monday 28^th October – Friday 1^st November 2024 – Half Term Holiday

Tuesday 5^th November 2024 – Year 4 West Stow Visit

Friday 8^th November 2024 - Open Morning for Reception 2025 children

Friday 8^th November 2024 – Non-uniform day for Ruby House

Monday 11^th November 2024 – Year 2 Framlingham Castle Visit

Thursday 14^th November 2024 - Open Morning for Reception 2025 children

Friday 15^th November 2024 – Flu Vaccinations

Monday 18^th November 2024 – Year 1 Transport Museum Visit

Wednesday 27^th November 2024 – Year 6 Bletchley Park Visit

Monday 2^nd December 2024 - Open Morning for Reception 2025 children

Wednesday 4^th December 2024 - Reports home to parents/carers

Thursday 5^th December 2024 – Online Parents/Carers Evening

Friday 6^th December 2024 – Non-Uniform Day – Bring chocolate / sweets as a donation

Tuesday 10^th December 2024 – Online Parents/Carers Evening

Friday 13^th December 2024 – Christmas Fair

Tuesday 17^th December 2024 – Autumn 2 Project Showcase (Reception, Years 2, 4 and 6)

Thursday 19^th December 2024 – Autumn 2 Project Showcase (Nursery, Years 1, 3 and 5)

Friday 13^th December 2024 – Flu Vaccinations Catch-up Session (more details will follow)

Friday 20^th December 2024 – Last day of the Autumn Term

Monday 23^rd December 2024 – Friday 3^rd January 2025 – Christmas Holiday

Monday 6^th January 2025 – PD Day (Children are not in school)

Tuesday 7^th January 2025 – First day of the Spring Term

Thursday 9^th January 2025 - Open Morning for Reception 2025 children