Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 330

Friday 28th November 2025

A Message from Miss Siddall: 

This week, I have been delighted to welcome many children who have proudly saved up their Wonderful Week certificates and earned a book prize after collecting five. Well done to all of them for following our Golden Rules by listening carefully and working hard, and for demonstrating the Whitehouse Way through their reflection and perseverance.

A reminder that we have a number of parent/carer events coming up over the next few weeks, with many year groups offering something special in the run-up to Christmas. The dates and times are listed below, so please check them carefully to avoid disappointment.

Attendance for the previous week:

Class with the best attendance: Foxes (98.71%)

Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies this week was Healthy Eating: What is a balanced diet?  What else can we do to stay healthy?  (UNRC: Article 24: I have the right to the best health possible and to medical care and to information that will help me to stay well).  Why not work together as a family to cook a healthy meal and then go for a walk afterwards to stretch your legs?

Cold Weather

As the weather continues to be cold, can we please remind parents/carers to send your child into school with a warm coat so they can wrap up before going outside on break and lunch.  Please ensure coats, hats and gloves are all labelled with their name so if they are found we can reunite them with the child.

Attendance: Duck Race Winners

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

Attendance:  Keeping Our School Healthy this Winter

As we move into the colder months, winter coughs, colds and seasonal bugs are becoming more common.  To keep everyone healthy and to maintain good school attendance, please take a moment to read the reminders below:

Clean Hands, Healthy School

Regular handwashing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop the spread of germs.  Please encourage your child to:

• Wash hands with warm water and soap after using the toilet and before eating
• Use tissues to catch coughs and sneezes and to ‘bin it, then wash hands”
• Bring a named water bottle to school each day

We are continuing our regular cleaning routines in school to help reduce the spread of illness.

Coughs, Colds and Winter Viruses

Children can usually attend school with a mild cough or cold as long as they feel well enough to take part in the day.  Rest, fluids and good hygiene help most symptoms to settle quickly.

Please do keep your child at home if they have a high temperature and are not well enough to be in school.  They can return once they are feeling better and their temperature has come down without medication.

Diarrhoea and Vomiting Bugs

These illnesses spread very easily, so if your child has diarrhoea or vomiting:

• Keep them at home for 48 hours after the last episode
• Encourage plenty of fluids
• Let the school office know the reason for their absence

Attendance Matters

Good attendance is important for learning, routines, friendships and wellbeing. Please inform the school as early as possible on the morning of any absence, stating the reason. 

Thank you for helping us keep our school community as healthy as possible this winter.  Working together makes a big difference!

Flu Catch-up Session

The Vaccination Team will be back in school on Tuesday 2^nd December 2025 to complete any additional flu vaccinations requested and to see children who were unwell when the others were done. If you would like to give consent or decline the opportunity please see the link below:

https://eastanglia.schoolvaccination.uk/flu/2025/suffolk

Upcoming Parent/Carer Sessions

We have a number of parent/carer sessions coming up this term as detailed below.  We hope to see you all there!

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:

SENDIASS: SEN Support

For those families that were hoping to attend the Supporting Children and Young People to Manage their Emotions session, please note due to staff absence at SENDIASS, this has been postponed to 10am on 22^nd January 2026.  Booking will open on the 5^th January 2026.   To view other available courses please see the following link:  https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/parent-workshops/

Accelerated Reader

A big well done to all the children below who have recently received certificates for their reading.  

Free School Meal Vouchers

We are pleased to confirm that Suffolk County Council will again be providing vouchers to parents/carers of any child who is eligible for free school meals, to help with food costs over the Christmas holiday.  The voucher will be £30.00 per eligible child.

As usual the voucher will be sent by email from noresponse@vouchers.pluxee.uk and will be with you by Thursday 18^th December 2024. If you do not receive the voucher, please email freeschoolmeals@suffolk.gov.uk and they will be able to assist.  Please do not contact the school office as we will be unable to help.  Please be reminded that the voucher must be used within two months or it will expire and cannot be used.

Inclusion Visit to The Bridge School

As part of our Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) and Centre of Excellence Status, we have been able to continue to develop our links with The Bridge School this term.  Last week, together with some of our school prefects, we were invited by The Bridge School to view a visiting sculpture exhibition before having the privilege of judging an art exhibition created by their pupils. Our pupils were joined by several students from The Bridge to explore and enjoy the sculptures. The judging of their annual art competition was wonderful; it was incredibly hard to choose winning classes. We also spent time in the classroom with the students and enjoyed eating a snack together.

Our pupils demonstrated exemplary behaviour throughout the visit and it was wonderful to see their inclusive approach as they interacted with students from The Bridge School.  We look forward to further developing our partnership with The Bridge School and future inclusive events.

Online Safety

Neurodivergent children can be amongst the most vulnerable when online which can result in them becoming victims to things such as scams.  Those with ADHD, Autism or other divergent ways of thinking may not recognise when someone intends to do harm.    Internet Matters have put together a brand-new free guide for parents/carers which explores how neurodivergent children’s unique traits can leave them open to such scams, particularly in games.  This guide can be viewed or downloaded at the link: https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/neurodivergent-children/neurodivergent-children-gaming/roblox-parents-guide-neurodivergent-children/video-game-scams/

U11 Boys Football

It’s been a very busy start to the half term for the Year 5/6 boys’ football team as they have competed in two football tournaments in as many weeks. The first event of the half term took place at Ipswich Town Football Club as Mr Jordan took a squad of eight Year 5 and 6 boys to take part in the EFL Cup competition. The event, hosted by the Ipswich Town Foundation, was not only the first event of the year that the boys had played together as a team, but also was the first time WHCPS had taken part in the event. It began with each team taking part in a flag waving procession before competing in a round-robin of 8-minute football matches against each other. With the winning team having the opportunity to represent the foundation at regional level each match was highly competitive! 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 one, drew three and narrowly lost three of their matches. Unfortunately, the boys did not progress to the final of the event; however, the boys were very pleased with their performances throughout the event!

Last week, Mr Jordan took eleven Year 5 and 6 pupils to compete in the rescheduled Ipswich and South Suffolk School Games U11’s Boys 7v7 Football event, which took place at Whitton Sports Centre. Having previously being postponed due to poor weather conditions, the boys were extremely excited to take part in the highly anticipated and very popular annual event. Just like the recent girls’ event, the boys’ event was again very well attended with eighteen teams taking part. During the event the teams 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 East Bergholt, Claydon, Colneis, St Mary’s Wood and Dale Hall Primary Schools. Throughout the event the boys played some excellent football, passing the ball and linking up really well when in possession of the ball. The boys also worked extremely hard when out of possession to close down and win the ball back off their opponents. Despite their hard work, 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 Logan for receiving the ‘fair play’ award voted by the young leaders at the event. Well done boys!

U11 Inclusive Ten Pin Bowling Event

Last Wednesday, Mrs Edwards and Miss Huggins took six pupils to Tenpin Ipswich, Martlesham to take part in the U11 Inclusive Ten Pin Bowling Event. The event was the first of several Panathlon (inclusive) events throughout the academic year, and the pupils were extremely excited to have the opportunity to participate in this event. During the afternoon, the team played 2 games of bowling. The final scores from each pupil from the first game were added together to give the team an overall score. The scores of each school were then compared to determine which position each school finished.  The team had an amazing time! Mrs Edwards and Miss Huggins were extremely proud of the fantastic behaviour, team spirit and fantastic bowling skills the pupils showed throughout the two games! Overall, the team finished the event in a very respectable 10th place! Well done team!

U9 Dodgeball Festival

On Tuesday Mr Jordan took six Year 3 and 4 pupils to Ipswich School Sports Centre, Rushmere to participate in the School Games U9 Mixed Dodgeball festival. During the festival the team played against eight teams in their group in a Round Robin of Dodgeball games. Each match consisted of three 2-minute games, which made for high tempo action packed matches. The team worked extremely hard to implement their dodgeball skills and tactics from last half terms after school dodgeball club into action. As a result, the team performed brilliantly, winning four and losing four of their matches. Mr Jordan was incredibly proud of the spirit and effort in which the team played their matches throughout the festival. The team showed true ‘Whitehouse Ways’ as they took time to show respect for their opponents by shaking hands at the end of each match.

Dates for the Diary

Monday 1^st December 2025 - Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Monday 1^st December 2025 – Tour for new Reception Children (starting Sept 2026)

Tuesday 2^nd December 2025 – Flu Catch Up Session

Tuesday 2^nd December 2025 – Online Parents/Carers Evening – 3.30pm to 5.30pm

Thursday 4^th December 2025 - EYFS / KS1 Library Session – 3.10pm

Thursday 4^th December 2025 – CET Christmas Concert

Monday 8^th December 2025 - Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Tuesday 9^th December 2025 – Nursery Nativity Event

Wednesday 10^th December 2025 – Year 2 Parent/Carer Christmas Crafts and Carols Session – 2.00pm

Thursday 11^th December 2025 – Reception Nativity Play

Thursday 11^th December 2025 - EYFS / KS1 Library Session – 3.10pm

Thursday 11^th December 2025 – Year 3 Parent/Carer Arts and Crafts Session – 2.00pm

Thursday 11^th December 2025 – Online Parents/Carers Evening – 3.30pm to 6.30pm

Friday 12^th December 2025 – Christmas Jumper Day

Friday 12^th December 2025 – Year 1 Parent/Carer Christmas Craft / Song Session – 2.00pm

Monday 15^th December 2025 - Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Monday 15^th December 2025 – Year 6 Parent/Carer Reading Session – 9.05am

Tuesday 16^th December 2025 – Year 2 visit to St Thomas’ Church

Tuesday 16^th December 2025 – Autumn 2 Project Showcase – Years Reception, 2, 4 and 6

Wednesday 17^th December 2025 – Year 4 – Christingle Service at St Thomas Church

Thursday 18^th December 2025 – Autumn 2 Project Showcase – Years Nursery, 1, 3 and 5

Thursday 18^th December 2025 - EYFS / KS1 Library Session – 3.10pm

Friday 19^th December 2025 – Last day in school before Christmas

Monday 22^nd December 2025 to Friday 2^nd January 2026 – Christmas Holiday

Monday 5^th January 2026 – PD Day (School closed to Children)

Tuesday 6^th January 2026 – First day back for the children

Monday 22^nd June to Tuesday 23^rd June 2026 – Year 6 Residential Trip to Mersea