Whitehouse Weekly Bulletin

Friday 27th March 2026

A Message from Miss Siddall:  

It has been a great term and I am delighted with the progress the children have made with their learning – well done. The children have enjoyed a range of visitors and trips (Year 3 Colchester, Year 5 Felixstowe and Year 6 Walton-on-the-Naze) as well as our Oracy day which was a huge success. We've also had several parent/carer open sessions and successful project showcases this week - thank you for supporting these. On behalf of all the staff, I would like to wish all our families a wonderful Easter break and we look forward to seeing the children again on Monday 13th April. 

Attendance: Top 3 classes with the best attendance for week ending 20^th March 2026

                        Hedgehogs 96%      Lions 96%     Cobras 95%

🌟 Well done Hedgehogs, 96% Attendance! 🦔 🌟

Whole School Attendance: 93%

A Message from Mrs Sharkey, our Attendance Officer

I am so pleased to see how much attendance has improved this term! It’s been lovely to see so many children excited to come to school and fully engaged in their learning.

The Kiosk is still a big hit, with lots of children saving up their stamps for even bigger prizes. The weekly duck races are also proving really popular and bring lots of fun to the classrooms.

After the break, we’ll be bringing back Golden Time for attendance. Remember, the class with the most days each week achieving 100% attendance will win 20 minutes of Golden Time. Something to aim for!

Thank you all for your continued support and hard work. I hope you have a wonderful Easter break, and I can’t wait to keep up this fantastic progress next term!

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. Well done to you all.

EYFS:

Key Stage 1:

Lower Key Stage 2:

Upper Key Stage 2:

House Point Competition

Your House Captains are excited to announce the winners of the House Point competition from Spring 2 as follows

In fourth place with 603 house points is Emerald

In third place with 607 house points is Diamond

In second place with 864 house points is Sapphire

In first place with 887 house points is Ruby!

Ruby will have a non-uniform day on the first Friday back to celebrate their win.

Year 5: Felixstowe Port Visit

This week, Year 5 had a trip out as part of their Enquiry trade unit with an exciting visit to Felixstowe Docks. The trip brought learning to life as they saw first-hand how goods are imported and exported around the world. One of the highlights of the day was travelling in style with a real police escort! The children were interested to see the large container ships, cranes and the busy activity at one of the UK’s largest ports (although we did have to give way to a few AI driven trucks!). Well done Year 5.

Accelerated Reader

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

50^th Anniversary of Ipswich Children’s Book Group

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Ipswich Children's Book Group, the Children's Library at County Library in Northgate Street have arranged a fantastic morning of activities on Saturday 16th May for you to enjoy with your child.

There are three sessions available: 'Explore a Story with Dominique Valente, author of the very popular (KS2) Starfell and Witchspark series (10.30–11.00am), a story time session (10.15-11.45am) and finally a session with Harriet Howe, author of the picture books 'Follow the Leader' and 'Tiger's Last Roar' (12.00-12.30 pm).

This is an ideal chance to also explore the fabulous facilities on offer at the County Library.  Why not take the opportunity to join the library with your child too?  It's totally free to join - you just need to take proof of your address with you on the day.

We have a supply of A5 flyers promoting this event in each of our libraries.  Please encourage your child to pick one up on their next visit to the library. Further information is also available from Ipswich County Library, Northgate Street, Ipswich IP1 3DE Tel: 01473 927260

Assemblies

The theme of our assemblies this week was How is Easter Celebrated around the world? (UNRC: I have the right to think what I like and be whatever religion I want to be, with my parents’ guidance). The children have been learning about the meaning of Easter and how it is celebrated differently around the world. The children have been asked about what ‘new beginnings’ they would like to do this spring such as trying a new skill or helping a friend. Perhaps you could try a new skill together at home.

New YouTube Feature

One of the most common concerns among parents when it comes to YouTube is the lack of parental management features—in other words, control over the videos their children can and should not watch. Many parents are unaware that such features exist within both the main YouTube app and the YouTube Kids app.

Google has now introduced another feature that allows parents to set up a Supervised Experience account on their own device. This is particularly important, as many younger children watch YouTube videos on their parents’ devices, where restrictions are often not in place. As a result, this new feature is a welcome addition.

To bring all these features together, please see the link below to an article explaining Supervised Experience (on the main YouTube app) and Parent Allowlisting (on the YouTube Kids app).

Link: YouTube Settings for Parents

Supporting Young People’s Mental Health – Parent/Carer Workshops Summer Term 2026

There are a number of virtual workshops being held during the Summer Term to offer advice and guidance for parents and carers on supporting the young people in their life. To find out more about the workshops you can visit http://www.nsft.uk/workshops.

• Understanding and Supporting Your Child/Young Person with Self Harm - Wednesday 29^th April, 1pm
• Tools for Managing Worry and Uncertainty in Young People – Thursday 30^th April, 1pm
• Supporting Your Child/Young Person to Manage Their Big Feelings – Monday 18^th May, 1pm
• Managing changes and transitions as we enter the summer holidays – Wednesday 8^th July, 1pm.

Attendance: Duck Race Winners

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

Dates for the Diary

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

Wednesday 22^nd April 2026 – Year 2 Shimpling Farm Trip - Cobras

Wednesday 22^nd April 2026 – Story Sack Course begins (sign up required)

Wednesday 22^nd April 2026 – Year 5 Parent/Carer Session – 9.15am – 9.45am

Thursday 23^rd April 2026 – Year 2 Shimpling Farm Trip - Dragons

Friday 24^th April 2026 – Year 1 Colchester Zoo Trip

Monday 27^th April 2026 – Year 2 Shimpling Farm Trip - Frogs

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

Thursday 30^th April 2026 – Year R Easton Farm Park Trip

Monday 4^th May 2026 – Bank 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