Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 307

Friday 2nd May 2025

A Message from Miss Siddall

At school we are here to help you with any safeguarding (child protection) concerns that you have - safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility. If you have a safeguarding concern and you need to speak to a member of staff, please contact Mr Williams (Deputy Headteacher/Designated Safeguarding Lead).  The other safeguarding staff you can speak to are Miss Siddall, Dr A Hall, Mrs Porter and Mrs Gotts. For more information about safeguarding at Whitehouse and beyond please visit our school website: https://www.whcps.org/safeguarding/. If you need URGENT safeguarding assistance outside of school hours you should contact Customer First on 0808 800 4005. Thank you for helping us to safeguard children.

We hope you have a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

Attendance for the week before the Easter holiday:

Class with the best attendance: Rabbits (100%)

Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies for next week will be World Asthma Day: What is it and when is help needed?  (UNRC: Article 6 – I have a right to life).  This would be a wonderful time to check if your child knows what to do in an emergency.  Would they know how to call 999 and ask for help? 

Bake Sale: Monday 19^th May

The House Captains are excited to announce that we are running a bake sale after school from 3.15pm to 3.30pm on Monday 19^th May.  We will set up our stalls on the Astroturf outside the Year 6 classes on the KS2 playground.

If you would like to donate baked goods for us to sell please see the following points:

• Items must be handed in to your teacher by the morning of Monday 19^th May
• All items must be clearly labelled with your child’s name, house and class
• Any items that are homemade must include an ingredients list or we will unfortunately not be able to sell them.
• Any donated foods must NOT contain nuts

Items will be sold for between 20p and 50p and all proceeds will be donated the charities the children have voted for.

Thank you for your help and support!

The House Captains

Attendance: Duck Race Winners

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

Join us for No Mow May

This May we are encouraging all families to take part in ‘No Mow May’ by letting a section of your garden grow wild and wonderful!  It’s a simple way to help pollinators like bees and butterflies thrive.  You don’t have to leave the whole garden - a small section will do!  We would love to see what grows in your space, so please send us a photo of your wild area and the nature that it attracts.

Year 2: Shimpling Farm Visit

This week Year two have been on a school trip to Shimpling Park Farm to learn about where our food comes from.  They learned about how wheat is planted, grown and milled using lots of different machinery on the farm. Then they looked at how flour can be used to make bread – they even got to taste some!  Shimpling Farm is mostly an arable farm but they did have some sheep who help fertilize the fields and the children were lucky enough to see some of the lambs too!  It was a wonderful day and the children showed the Whitehouse Way throughout.

PFA (Parents and Friends Association) Update

As noted last week, the Summer Fair this year is planned for Friday 4^th July and we are now starting to make preparations.  Please note there has been a change in date for the PFA meeting.  This will now take place on Wednesday 7^th May 2025 instead of Thursday 8^th May 2025.  As before please come to the main office directly after school where Ms Salmon will meet you.  All parents/carer are invited to come along and get involved.

Attendance Update: Term Time Holidays

As we move into the Summer, we understand that holidays can be important family time, and sometimes travel opportunities come up that seem too good to miss.  However, it is essential to understand how time away from school during term time can have a significant impact on your child’s education.

Why Attendance Matters: Primary school is a crucial time in a child’s development and each day in the classroom builds on the last, especially in core subjects, where even a few days off can leave gaps in a child’s learning.  Teachers work hard to support children who have missed lessons but catching up is not always straightforward, especially when it comes to class discussion, group work and hands-on activities which cannot easily be replicated at home.

The Broader Impact:  When one child is absent, it not only affects their own learning but can affect the learning pace of the whole class.

When time off is unavoidable: We do understand, that on rare occasions, taking time off during term time might be unavoidable. In these cases, we would encourage families to shorten the absence whenever possible. Doing this can help your child stay more connected to their learning and ease the transition back into school. In addition, shortening an absence can also help avoid unauthorised absence penalties.

What the Law says: According to National Guidelines, Headteachers can only authorise term-time absences in exceptional circumstances.  Family holidays are not usually considered exceptional.  Instead they can lead to formal warnings or fines.

Thank You: We appreciate your continued support in helping us provide every child with the best possible learning experience.  Regular attendance plays a vital role in making that happen.

Year 1: Colchester Zoo Visit

Year 1 had a wonderful visit to Colchester Zoo last week where they had the opportunity to see the animals and learn about which continents they live in.  Well done to Year 1 who all behaved wonderfully throughout the day.

Celebrating our Children

This week we are celebrating Demi, in Year 4.  Demi has been attending tap dance lessons every week and has been working very hard to learn the routines.  She recently passed her tap exam with flying colours!  Well done Demi, this is amazing!

Ipswich and South Suffolk Cross Country Event

Before the Easter break, Mr Jordan, Mrs Jousiffe, Mrs Giles and Mr Dunnett took 40 of our Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils to the Royal Hospital School to compete in the Ipswich & South Suffolk Games Cross Country event. Having been chosen to represent our school following their fantastic efforts in Mr Jordan’s Cross-Country Challenge during their PE lessons, and with a number of the pupils attending the after school running club, the pupils were excited to put their running skills to the test in their individual races. Each race took place through the amazing grounds of the Royal Hospital School and involved the pupils completing a race distance of 1,500m (Year 4) and 2,200m (Year 5 & 6) in their respective races.

The pupils showed incredible determination, perseverance and stamina with every single pupil completing their race! As a result, the team produced some fantastic individual and individual team results. A special mention goes to Logan, Cleo, Noah, Jason, Millie, Arthur and Noah for finishing their races within the top 20 places. A further massive congratulations goes to both Noah, Millie and Arthur for finishing 7th, 9th and 6th in their respective races, a fantastic achievement! 

As a result of all our pupils’ efforts, the individual year groups team results, compared to the other schools competing at the event, were as follows:

Mr Jordan and the rest of staff could not have been prouder of each of our pupils. They all definitely

showed the ‘Whitehouse Ways’ throughout the event! Well done to all who took part in the event,

you were all amazing!

Free School Meal Vouchers

We are pleased to confirm that supermarket vouchers will again be issued over the May half term holiday for any families who are eligible for free school meals (due to receiving certain benefits).  A voucher of £15.00 will be issued for each child who is eligible.  As usual parents/carers will receive an email which will arrive by Thursday 22^nd May 2025 with a link to access the voucher.  These vouchers must be used within 2 months or they will expire.  If you think your children may have become eligible you can apply online https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-meals-uniforms-and-trips/apply-for-free-school-meals) or you can come and speak to the school office who can help you apply.  Please let us know if you have had a change in email address to ensure the vouchers reach you.  If you do not receive the voucher please email freeschoolmeals@suffolk.gov.uk who will be able to assist further.

Dates for the Diary

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

Wednesday 7^th May 2025 – PFA Meeting – 3.30pm (change of date)

Thursday 8^th May 2025 – Year R Easton Farm Park

Monday 12th May 2025 – Thursday 15^th May 2025 – Year 6 SATs Week

Thursday 15^th May 2025 – Helping Hands (from 2.00pm)

Monday 19^th May 2025 – Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Monday 19^th May 2025 – House Captains Bake Sale – 3.15pm to 3.30pm

Tuesday 20^th May 2025 – Project Showcase (Years N, 1, 3 and 5)

Thursday 22^nd May 2025 – Project Showcase (Years R, 2, 4 and 6)

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

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

Tuesday 3^rd June 2025 – Year 4 Victorian School – Hedgehogs Class

Thursday 5^th June 2025 – Year 4 Victorian School – Squirrels Class

Monday 9^th June 2025 – Year 4 Victorian School – Foxes Class

Monday 9^th June 2025 – Year 6 Crucial Crew

Tuesday 10^th June 2025 – Year 3 Ducking Down the Deben – Owls Class

Wednesday 11^th June 2025 – Sports Day – Nursery / Reception

Thursday 12^th June 2025 – Sports Day – Years 1, 2 and 3

Friday 13^th June 2025 – Sports Day – Years 4, 5 and 6

Tuesday 17^th June 2025 – Y3 Ducking Down the Deben – Rabbits Class

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

Tuesday 24^th June 2025 – Y3 Ducking Down the Deben – Badgers Class

Wednesday 25^th June 2025 – Transition Day

Thursday 26^th June 2025 – Transition Day

Friday 27^th June 2025: SMSC Day: British Values

Friday 4^th July 2025 – Summer Fair

Tuesday 8^th May 2025 – Project Showcase (Years R, 2, 4 and 6)

Thursday 10^th May 2025 – Project Showcase (Years N, 1, 3 and 5)

Friday 11^th July 2025 – Reports Home to Parents/Carers

Wednesday 16^th July 2025 – Year 6 Production

Monday 21^st July 2025 – Year 6 Lavers BBQ

Tuesday 22^nd July 2025 – Year 6 Leavers Assembly

Tuesday 22^nd July 2025 – Last day of the Summer Term

Wednesday 23^rd July 2025 – First day of the Summer Holiday

Monday 1^st September 2025 – PD Day (School closed to children)

Tuesday 2^nd September 2025 – PD Day (School closed to children)

Wednesday 3^rd September 2025 – First day of term for the children