Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin 338

Friday 6th February 2026

A Message from Miss Siddall:

It has been wonderful to see many parents in school this half-term at one of our open sessions.  Many thanks to the teachers for organising the events – we hope you enjoyed them. Next week we have our half-termly project showcases (YN, 1, 2 and 5 on Tuesday; YR, 2, 4 and 6 on Thursday) straight after school so we look forward to seeing many of you there.

Unfortunately, we have had a number of concerns raised from our community about some of the parking at the beginning and end of the school day. Whilst we appreciate that many of you park considerately, please could I remind you not to park on the yellow chevrons outside the school, in front of driveways or up on the pavements as this puts our children at risk. Thank you.

Attendance for the previous week:

Classes with the best attendance: Foxes (99.33%)

School Uniform

We would ask that all parents/carers please support your child in attending school wearing the correct school uniform.  This consists of grey or black trousers or skirts and white polo shirts with a red jumper or cardigan. We consider jeans and brightly coloured t-shirts and sweatshirts bearing logos to be unsuitable for school wear.  Heels on shoes should be low and wide in the interest of safety.  All pupils are expected to wear black shoes as part of their uniform.  All items of clothes should be clearly named. 

In addition, we feel that nail varnish, make-up (including false nails) and hair dye are not suitable to be worn in school and would ask that these are not worn, or we will ask for these to be removed.  Please also be aware, that for safety reasons, the wearing of jewellery in school is not allowed, except a pair of stud earrings. All earrings must be removed for PE and swimming lessons, and the children need to be able to remove these for themselves.  The school cannot accept responsibility for any loss of earrings which may occur. We thank you for your assistance in this matter.

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:

Blue Peter Badge

Congratulations to Lena, in Year 6, who recently received her Blue Peter Book Badge.  Well done Lena, wear your badge with pride!

Year 6: BriteBites Dental Hygiene Visit

This week BriteBites came in to talk to Year 6 about dental hygiene.  They learned the importance of brushing teeth twice a day and some top tips for brushing effectively.  They also learned about the benefits of drinking water throughout the day rather than squash or juice.  Using this advice, the children will be able to keep their smiles bright and healthy for years to come!  They also shared the following helpful advice for parents/carers:

Year 3 and 4: A.I.M High Writing Day

On 22^nd January, Mr Trimmer and Mrs Jousiffe took six Year 3 and 4 children to The Oaks Primary School for a fun, interactive writing session with children’s author Robin Price.  The entire day was around the love of writing and using imagination to create exciting worlds set in the past and then the future. The children had plenty of opportunities to work with each other and Robin to discuss and write their own stories and then they had the chance to read their work aloud in a microphone to the whole group. All the children who represented Whitehouse were superbly behaved and worked incredibly hard in their writing with Robin himself being very impressed with what they came up with. Well done!

Attendance: Duck Race Winners

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

Looking for Sponsorship

As you will be aware from our newsletters, we have a very active set of sports teams who regularly compete within the school games leagues, and we have noted that our team uniforms are getting a little old and in need of replacement.  Do you have a company or are employed by a company who might like to help us by sponsoring our kit?  It would involve purchasing the kit and having your company name displayed on it.  If you can help please speak to the school office or to Mr Jordan, our PE Lead.

Accelerated Reader

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

World Book Day

World Book Day will be with us soon on Thursday 5^th March.  As usual this is a chance for the children to dress up as a favourite book character.  There is no need to spend money on an expensive costume, instead, why not get crafty over half term and together create an outfit all of your own!  The World Book Day team have produced the following to give some ideas of things you could make!  We look forward to seeing your creations!

https://www.worldbookday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/World-Book-Day-2026-Dressing-up-resource-pack.pdf

https://www.worldbookday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/World-Book-Day-low-cost-dressing-up-pack-2025-compressed.pdf

Year 2 Parent/Carer Session

Last week Year 2 opened their classroom doors to their parents and carers and invited them to embark on a scientific investigation.  Year 2 have been learning how to work scientifically by conducting experiments based around properties of a variety of material, testing their elasticity and strength.  Year 2 had launched an investigation to find the strongest shape for a paper bridge.  With the added support and enthusiasm of the parents/carers, the overall conclusion was the concertina shaped bridge was the strongest!  A big thank you to everyone who was able to come along and support and be involved with their children’s learning.

Online Safety

Internet Matters have recently uploaded 3 new short videos to YouTube, each focusing on parental controls for YouTube, Roblox and TikTok.  These can be very helpful when guiding your children and can be viewed on the below links:

YouTube Guidance:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hskr4KnSKJE

Roblox Guidance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkMuSv0rRWw

TikTok Guidance: youtube.com/watch?si=_1IYlptYGqvdxUW4&v=9KFzq7iG5LE&feature=youtu.be

Please do be aware that TikTok should not be used by anyone under the age of 13.

Family Concert: Ipswich Symphony Orchestra

Each year in March, the Ipswich Symphony Orchestra put on their popular Family Concert, which is designed for primary school aged children and provides a fun and informal introduction to classical music.  The event has been running for over 30 years and includes lots of well-known pieces along with some family favourites and no need to worry if your little ones enjoy moving around – dancing is encouraged!  Please see the poster below and tickets are available from the following link:  https://ipswichtheatres.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173663211

Dates for the Diary

Monday 9^th February 2026 – Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Tuesday 10^th February 2026 – School Photographer: Class Photos

Tuesday 10^th February 2026 – Spring 1 Project Showcase – Years Nursery, 1, 3 and 5

Thursday 12^th February 2026 – Spring 1 Project Showcase – Years Reception, 2, 4 and 6

Friday 13^th February 2026 – Whole School SMSC Day: Oracy

Monday 16^th February 2026 to Friday 20^th February 2026 – Half Term Holiday

Tuesday 24^th February 2026 – Year 6 Walton Trip – Toucans and Ocelots

Wednesday 25^th February 2026 – Year 6 Walton Trip – Tigers and Chameleons

Thursday 5^th March 2026 – World Book Day

Wednesday 11^th March 2026 – Reports Home to Parents

Friday 27^th March 2026 – Last day in school before Easter

Monday 30^th March 2026 to Friday 10^th April 2026 – Easter Holiday

Monday 25^th May 2026 to Friday 29^th May 2026 – Half Term Holiday

Friday 22^nd May 2026 – PD Day (School closed to Children)

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

Tuesday 14th July 2026 – Year 6 Production- 9.30am and 6.00pm

Friday 17th July 2026 – Year 6 Leavers Picnic and Assembly – 1.50pm