A message from Miss Quarmby
Hello everyone! What a fantastic week it’s been! On Wednesday, Miss Dougan and a brilliant team of Year 5 pupils took part in the Leeds Debating Competition, and we were so proud to host the event here at Whitkirk. The debate topic—whether schools should have a school pet—sparked some incredible discussions, and our pupils absolutely shone! Their confidence and passion were inspiring—we might even have a future Prime Minister in our school!
Miss Richardson is bursting with pride over her Year 1 writers. There were so many shining stars that I couldn’t fit them all in my office, so I went to them instead! Miss Lynch is equally blown away, and Isabella proudly shared her writing with me today (see below). I was blown away—it’s hard to believe they’re only in Year 1! Their enthusiasm for learning about the Great Fire of London is wonderful to see, and the progress they’ve made since September is just amazing. Our teachers can’t wait to share their achievements with you at Parents’ Evening.
Looking ahead, our Year 6 pupils are off on their residential trip next week. Miss Tomlinson and the team have an action-packed adventure planned, and we know it’ll be an unforgettable experience for them. Have a wonderful weekend everybody!
Attendance
This week, our overall attendance was 96.72%—above our whole school target! A huge well done to Y3RD for achieving the highest attendance at an incredible 99.64%! Y6NT, YRJS, and Y2CH also had fantastic attendance this week, all reaching over 98%—great job!
Let's take a look AT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON THIS WEEK
EYFS
As part of British Science Week, Reception had a fantastic time as little scientists on Welly Wednesday! They set off outside to search for the first signs of spring and were thrilled to spot buds starting to grow on trees and daffodils beginning to bloom. We can’t wait for the weather to warm up and for the children to keep exploring and spotting even more signs of spring in the weeks ahead!
Key Stage 1
Year 1 have had a fabulous week; sparkling and shining in their learning challenges! In Science this week, we were able to conduct an investigation to find out which materials could bend or stretch to find out if their properties were flexible or rigid. In Design Technology, we have started to create our charity pin using stencils and felt to create flower shapes.
This week, Year 2 have started our unit on measurement in maths. We have measured in centimetres and metres. In English, we have learnt all about David Attenborough's achievements. We have also learned the running stitch in DT.
Lower Key Stage 2
We have had a super week in Year 3! From measuring perimeter of shapes in Maths, to exploring light and shadows in Science. We have loved being so hands on with our learning - not to mention beginning our DT Textiles sewing project! We can't wait to share our final products!
The weather might have taken a chilly turn, but we’ve been buzzing with learning in Year 4! We have been putting the finishing touches to our sequels of Theseus and The Minotaur in English; in reading we've been practising performing a poem based on it ready for ‘ The Poetry Slam!’ In Science, we have continued learning about how electric travels and have been making even more complicated circuits.
Upper Key Stage 2
Year 5 have blown us away in History this week with their participation in our own mock court trial, which was part of our big idea of crime and punishment. The children played the roles of the jury, judge, witnesses and prosecution to decide if they were guilty or not guilty! Well done Year 5!
Year 6 have had an amazing week! In maths, they’ve been getting to grips with line graphs and dual bar graphs, showing great skills in reading and interpreting data. They’ve also been learning all about their emotions in our lesson about the Zones of Regulation, thinking about how they feel at different times of the day and ways to manage their emotions. It’s been fantastic to see their confidence grow - well done, Year 6!