A message from Miss quarmBY
Hello everyone! We’ve had such a wonderful week and are feeling very excited for next week’s Platinum and Diamond celebrations! Each half term, teachers choose two children who have been truly exceptional. These children receive a special postcard in the post and are invited to a celebration: Diamond winners will enjoy Afternoon Tea with Miss Emery and Mrs Downes and Platinum winners will join me for a pizza party!
We’ve also had a number of cases of headlice reported across school. To help prevent further spread, we kindly ask that girls’ hair is tied back. This small step can make a big difference and also supports health and safety during the school day.
We’re really looking forward to seeing you next week for our Harvest Festivals and Parents’ Evenings—it’s going to be a busy but super end to the half term!
🌟 Junior parkrun Reminder! 🌟
Don’t forget — this Sunday (19th Oct), Whitkirk will be joining the Junior parkrun family at Temple Newsam Junior parkrun! 🎉 Be there by 8:45am – the run starts at 9:00am Come along to run, jog, walk, or cheer! Remember to register your child before the event and bring their barcode (printed or on a phone): 🔗 https://www.parkrun.org.uk/register/ 🐾 Please note: dogs can watch on a lead, but can’t take part in the run or volunteering. It’s all about fun, fitness, and community spirit – let’s make it a great morning, Whitkirk! 💙
WHITKIRK TENNIS CLUB
Attendance
This week, finishing in first place with 100% are 2CH. In second place are 6OS, with 99.48% and in third place are 5AS, with 98.79%. A shout out also goes to 1LR, 4AB, 5AK and 6NT who have also finished the week above our school target of 96.5%. The whole school attendance this week is 95.63%: can we beat this next week? The only way to do that is if we all come to school as often as we can.
Please remember look at the NHS guide Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk) This is used to determine which reasons for absence will be authorised or unauthorised.
let's take a look at what each year group has been up to this week!
EYFS
This week, our Pre-School children had a wonderful time exploring the playground in search of autumn treasures. They discovered lots of colourful leaves and shiny acorns, and even spotted a cheeky squirrel up in the tree! Everyone had great fun marching up and down the hill, just like the Grand Old Duke of York. Back in the classroom, the children enjoyed sorting their autumn collection by colour and talking about the different things they had found.
This week, our Reception children enjoyed their first visit out of school – an exciting autumn walk at Temple Newsam. Armed with their autumn checklists, the children searched carefully for signs of the season, spotting colourful leaves, conkers, and more. They used mathematical language to compare leaves of different sizes, finding ones that were bigger and smaller than their hands. Working together, the children also had great fun creating a big leaf pile. We’re so proud of how brilliantly they behaved – listening carefully to adults and following all the important rules when crossing the road. Well done, Reception! A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped during the walk – we truly value your support and appreciate you taking the time to join us.
LOWER school
This week in Year 1, we created our final art piece inspired by the wonderful work of Beatrix Potter. The children used their sketching skills to draw their own beautiful flower illustrations, taking inspiration from nature just like the artist herself. In Science, we went on an exciting Autumn Hunt! The children explored the school grounds, observing and collecting signs of the changing season. Well done, Year 1 for another creative and curious week of learning!
Year 2 have had a wonderful week! In RE, we learnt our third Hinduism story, 'The Six Men and the Elephant'. The story teaches us to listen to other people’s viewpoints, and we enjoyed playing a game using our sense of touch before creating our own versions of the story. In Maths, we have been mastering column addition and showing great perseverance!
What a great week we have had in Year 3! In DT Food and Nutrition we have designed and made biscuits. We prepared our ingredients hygienically and followed instructions carefully. They were delicious!
UPPER school
This week in Year 4, we became Lighthouse Keepers! We had lots of fun taking turns in the hot seat and asking each other questions. In Maths, we’ve started using the column method for addition, with and without exchange. We’ve been practising hard for our Harvest Assembly and can’t wait to sing in Church next week! In Computing, our line-drawn animations are really coming to life as we start adding sound — we can’t wait to share them!
This week in DT, Year 5 worked together to make some delicious buns. They used their teamwork, measuring, and mixing skills to carefully follow the recipe and create tasty results. Everyone enjoyed working together and seeing their hard work pay off! Well done, Year 5!
In English, Year 6 have been writing non-chronological reports about the circulatory system. Using their scientific knowledge, built up over the half term, they have included detail and interesting facts to engage the reader. We can't wait to see their final published designs next week!