Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin

Friday 6th March 2026

A Message from Miss Siddall:

We've had a fantastic week in school and yesterday we thoroughly enjoyed celebrating World Book Day. It was wonderful to see so many children excited about reading and dressed up as their favourite characters. I visited the children and saw a whole range of characters, from superheroes to fairy tales to classic story time favourites. During the day, the children were visited by a pop-up bookshop and were able to take home the free World Book Day book that they had chosen. Thank you to Mrs Balaam and Mr Taylor for organising this.  Thank you to all our families for supporting this special day and encouraging reading at home – this will help your child to build a lifelong love of stories and learning.

Attendance: Top 3 classes with the best attendance for week ending 27^th Feb 2026

               Hedgehogs 100%           Foxes 98%         Ocelots 98%

Be an Attendance Hero!  Help achieve our 96% target!

🌟 We had a FANTASTIC week for our Attendance last week! 🌟

As a school, we achieved an amazing 96% attendance – well done everyone!  A special shout out to Hedgehogs class who achieved an incredible 100% attendance last week – a brilliant achievement.  🦔⭐

Attendance Reminders

If your child is unable to attend school, please contact us before 8.55am on 01473 741249.  Please leave a voicemail with as much details as possible, including your child’s full name, class and the reason for the absence.  Alternatively, you can email us on parents@whcps.org, again leaving the same information.

NSPCC: Children and Phone Safety

The NSPCC’s guidance on children, mobile phones and online safety is a useful resource.  It addresses one of the most common questions asked ‘When is a child ready for a phone?’ and how can families manage the risks. The guide offers balanced, practical advice on readiness, boundary-setting, parental controls and ongoing conversations about safe and responsible use.  https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/children-phones-online-safety/

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:

World Book Day Photos

Following a successful World Book Day, some of the photos have been shared with the Ipswich Star for inclusion in their special supplement which comes out on Tuesday 10^th March.  Copies sell quickly, so keep an eye out to see if your child may be featured!

Spring 1 Project Showcase

We are very pleased to share with you the winners of the Spring 1 Project Showcase.  As you can see from the photos below, as always, we had some wonderful work completed by the children in every class. 

Well done everyone, we love seeing your homework projects and are excited to see what you are working on this half term!

Accelerated Reader

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

Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies this week was World Book Day (UNRC: Article 31: I have the right to play and relax by doing things like sports, music and drama). All of the children received a special book to take home and read, this would be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the book together as a family.

Attendance: Duck Race Winners

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

Scholastic Book Fair

Our next Scholastic Book Fair is scheduled to take place after school on Thursday 12^th March.  As it is also Parents/Carers evening, the book fair will be open for an extended period, from 3.00pm to 5.30pm.  It will be based in the Blue Corridor (outside the EYFS Library) and will feature a great range of titles for you to choose from, including a good selection of budget-priced books for below £5.00 Every child who attends the Book Fair on that day will have the opportunity to enter our free prize draw with a chance to win a book chosen by our Prefects.  There will also be a separate competition to win a book for your child’s class book corner.

Payment can be made in cash on the night, or via the online payment platform.  To pay online, you will need to bring your mobile phone and your payment card, and scan the QR code which will be on display at the fair.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Holiday Activities and Food (HAF)

A reminder that there are a number of activities and holiday clubs available throughout the Ipswich area over the Easter holidays.  Many of the clubs are available free to any children who are eligible for Free School Meals.  Have a look at https://eequ.org/ for more details and the opportunity to book into an activity.

NHS Parent/Carer Workshops

We are very pleased to be able to offer the following two courses for our parents/carers which will be held on site at the school during April.  These are very good courses which many families may find to be of benefit.  Keep an eye out for further details on how to sign up for the sessions.  For further information please speak to Mrs Gotts.

Year 6 Netball

What a fantastic performance from our Year 6 Netball Team in their match against Rushmere Hall Primary, where the team secured an impressive 9-2 victory, showing excellent skill, determination and teamwork throughout the game.  From the first whistle the players worked brilliantly together, passing the ball confidently up and down the court.  Their movement and communication were outstanding, helping to create space and set up some fantastic goals. The shooting was accurate and calm under pressure, which really made a difference on the scoreboard.  The teamwork on display was truly exceptional – every player supported the other and played their part.  Big congratulations to Leonardo, who was awarded Player of the Match, for a top performance and brilliant all-round play.  Miss Last’s award went to Lacie for her excellent effort and contribution to the team.  Well done to Mia, Scarlett, Nojus, Idunnu, Lacie and Muhamad – you should be very proud of yourselves!

KS2 Mixed Panathlon Event

On Friday 27^th February, a group of our KS2 children took part in a fantastic Mixed Panathlon event, a fun skills-based event designed to be inclusive and engaging for everyone. Eleven teams took part, each rotating around a carousel of exciting activities, focused on fundamental movement skills.  Each station gave the children the opportunity to develop their coordination, teamwork and confidence in a supportive environment.  The atmosphere throughout the event was brilliant, our pupils demonstrated outstanding team spirit, cheering each other on and celebrating one another’s achievements. Both Ms Salmon and Mrs Moore were extremely impressed, the children represented the school wonderfully.  To celebrate each child’s involvement, teams were presented with a certificate.  They also all received a medal on the day, a proud and special moment for them all.  Well done, you were amazing ambassadors for our school.

Dates for the Diary

Monday 9^th March 2026 - Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Wednesday 11^th March 2026 – Year 3 Colchester Roman Experience Day

Wednesday 11^th March 2026 – Reports Home to Parents

Thursday 12^th March 2026 – Parents/Carers Evening – 3.30pm to 5.30pm

Monday 16^th March 2026 - Family Breakfast – 8.00am

Monday 16^th March 2026 – KS1 Fire Engine Visit

Tuesday 17^th March 2026 – Parents/Carers Evening – 3.30pm to 6.30pm

Thursday 19^th March 2026 – Year 5 Felixstowe Trip (Groups 1 and 2)

Friday 20^th March 2026 – Comic Relief: Red Nose Day

Monday 23^rd March 2026 - Family Breakfast – 8.00am

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

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

Tuesday 21^st April 2026 – NHS Parent/Carer Workshop: Anxiety – 2.00pm to 3.00pm

Tuesday 28^th April 2026 – NHS Parent/Carer Workshop: Emotion Regulation – 2.00pm to 3.00pm

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

We've had a fantastic week in school and yesterday we thoroughly enjoyed celebrating World Book Day. It was wonderful to see so many children excited about reading and dressed up as their favourite characters. I visited the children and saw a whole range of characters, from superheroes to fairy tales to classic story time favourites. During the day, the children were visited by a pop-up bookshop and were able to take home the free World Book Day book that they had chosen. Thank you to Mrs Balaam and Mr Taylor for organising this.  Thank you to all our families for supporting this special day and encouraging reading at home – this will help your child to build a lifelong love of stories and learning.