Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 295

Friday 17th January 2025

A Message from Miss Siddall

As well as working hard in their lessons, many children have been choosing to take part in one of our after-school clubs.  The UN Convention on Rights of a Child (Article 31) recognises the children’s rights to play and rest. We are very fortunate to be able to offer lots of free clubs at Whitehouse as we want all children to have the opportunity to learn, play, develop new skills and gain new experiences.  Clubs run until the end of the half-term when there will be a new set of clubs on offer.  We don’t offer our clubs on a first-come-first-served basis and priority is given to children who have not accessed a club this year, so if you were unlucky this term, then you will be more likely to be offered a place next time.  Thank you for your support.

Attendance for last week:

Class with the best attendance: Tigers (100%)

Tiny Magic Orchestra

This week, Reception and Key Stage 1 had a visit from the Tiny Magic Orchestra.  The children really enjoyed listening to the live music played on a harp, a guitar, a clarinet and a flute.  They were able to join in with some body percussion and followed the story that was told alongside the music.  Thank you to the Suffolk and Norfolk music hub for recommending them to us!

Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies for next week will be Burns Night: Who was Robert Burns and how is Burns Night celebrated?  (UNRC: 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).  Why not celebrate Burns Night in your house in some way?

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.

EYFS:

Key Stage 1:

Lower Key Stage 2:

Upper Key Stage 2:

Comic Relief 2025

A date for your diaries!  We will be holding a non-uniform day for Comic Relief this year, on Monday 21^st March 2025 in return for a small donation to the charity.

Parent/Carer Sessions

A reminder that we have several Parent/Carer sessions coming up as detailed below.  We hope to see as many of you there as possible:

Attendance:

As we welcome back the children this term, we are noticing that some of them are still struggling with seasonal coughs and colds.  We know it can be distressing for some of the children, especially the younger ones when they have a mild cough or cold, but please be reassured that they are well cared for in school and this is the best place for them to be.  Equally, we are aware of the struggle it is to get the children out of the door in the morning when they feeling a little anxious.  For these reasons, continued communication between parents/carers and the school is vital.  Daily calls must be made if your child is absent because they are unwell.  It is not only our responsibility to educate your child but also to keep them safe.   Therefore, even if we know your child has a sickness bug, for example, please call in and leave a message on the absence line or speak directly to Mrs Zantboer, the Attendance Officer.  If your child is experiencing difficulties with being in school, we have a team here at Whitehouse with a wealth of experience in supporting your children.  Please call us and let us know.  We can only help if we know of the issues.

Attendance: Duck Race Winners

Well done to the winners of our Duck Races the week before Christmas:

Dates for the Diary

Monday 20^th January 2025 – Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Wednesday 22^nd January 2025 – Year 6 Parent/Carer Session – Mummification – 9.05am to 9.50am

Monday 27^th January 2025 – Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Monday 27^th January 2025 – Year 3 Parent/Carer Session – Badgers – 2.30pm

Tuesday 28^th January 2025 – Year 3 Parent/Carer Session – Rabbits – 2.30pm

Thursday 30^th January 2025 – Year 3 Parent/Carer Session – Owls – 2.30pm

Monday 3^rd February 2025 – Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Monday 3^rd February 2025 – Year 2 Parent/Carer Session – 2.15pm

Monday 10^th February 2025 – Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Tuesday 11^th February 2025 – Project Showcase (Years N, 1, 3 and 5)

Thursday 13^th February 2025 – Project Showcase (Years R, 2, 4 and 6)

Monday 17^th February 2025 to Friday 21^st February 2025 – Half Term Holiday

Friday 21^st March 2025 – Comic Relief – Non-Uniform Day (for small donation)

Wednesday 2^nd April 2025 – Whole School SMSC Day

Monday 7^th April 2025 to Monday 21^st April 2025 – Easter Holiday

Tuesday 22^nd April 2025 – PD Day (School closed to children)

Monday 5^th May 2025 – Bank Holiday (School Closed)

Friday 23^rd May 2025 – PD Day (School closed to children)

Monday 26^th May to Friday 30^th May – Half Term Holiday

Monday 23^rd Tuesday 24^th June 2025 – Year 6 Residential (Danbury)