A message from Miss Quarmby
Aww! It’s been an amazing week here at Whitkirk! We had our first fire drill of the year, and we’re so proud of all our children—especially our Reception and Year 1 pupils, who did it perfectly! Miss Emery has also been joining Year 1 for Maths, and she’s been super impressed with their progress. "To infinity and beyond" definitely comes to mind when we talk about our little Year 1 superstars! Writing in Year 3 and Year 4 has truly amazed me this week—there are so many future authors in the making! I also want to apologise for any confusion I caused with the Cauliflower Christmas cards! My brain isn’t quite in Christmas mode yet! Please remember to order your cards before Wednesday. It was wonderful hearing all the positive feedback from the Temple Moor High School Open Evening. A quick reminder to our Year 6 parents: the deadline for Year 7 applications is 31st October—time flies, doesn’t it? Lastly, don’t forget to book your Parents' Evening appointment on Arbor before Monday, 14th October. If you’re having any trouble, please contact the school office. Have a wonderful weekend!
PTA updateS
Please book via the Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1033490035517?aff=oddtdtcreator
Attendance
This week, finishing in first place with 99.44% are 5/6AR. In second place are 2CH, with 99.43% and in third place are 6NT, with 98.33%. A shout out also goes to 4AS, 5KD and 1JL, who have finished the week above our school target of 96.5%
The whole school attendance this week is 95.81%: can we beat this next week? The only way to do that is if we all come to school as often as we can.
NHS guide Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Please remember that your child CAN attend school with a runny nose, cough, sore throat or other cold-like symptoms, without the presence of a temperature. Absence for colds will be recorded as unauthorised (O) following NHS guidelines.
If you don’t feel your child is well enough for the 8.45am start, rather than missing the whole day, please remember that you CAN bring them in at any time in the day.
Arrivals before 9.15am but after playground doors are closed will be marked as late (L). This mark does not count as an absence.
Afternoon sessions start at: -
Reception - Key Stage 1 – 12.30pm
Key Stage 2 – 1.30pm
Let's take a look AT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON THIS WEEK
EYFS
This week, Reception became phonics teachers! The children practised using their 'crocodile snap' to hold their pencils and write each sound using the Read Write Inc letter rhymes. The children then used Fred to practise segmenting the sounds and identifying words. The EYFS team have been blown away with how quickly the children have learned the phonics sounds and their enthusiasm for each phonics session! Well done Reception!
Key Stage 1
Year 1 are well and truly the most magnificent mathematicians this week! We have been working extremely hard on our place value knowledge and using a number line to solve a range of problems! In Geography, we have explored different physical and human features in our local area, ready to identify on our trip to the local library. What a fabulous week!
This week in Year Two, we have written fantastic letters about our local area. In RE, we learned about Sikhism and how Sikhs visit the Gurdwara to welcome people into the Langar kitchen. In PE, we created weather dances using colourful ribbons.
Lower Key Stage 2
What a fantastic week we have had in Year 3! In English, we have been writing instructions, using imperative verbs and adverbs; Miss Dougan and Mr Sadler were blown away by Year 3's amazing writing! In Maths, we have been adding and subtracting using written methods. In Science, we have been comparing the human skeleton with other vertebrates. Well done, Year 3!
Our Year 4s have been learning about Europe in Geography and this week located different landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and The Colosseum on maps. We have also been embracing Europe by learning how to say how we are feeling in French. Our Year 4s are continuing to impress with their amazing knowledge of the world!
Upper Key Stage 2
This week, Year 5 have been continuing to develop their knowledge and skills in French. We are becoming much more confident when saying and recognising the number 1-10. Also, we have begun to learn how to say a range of colours in French. We played lots of games with our partner to practise using these and even played our own code breaker game! It was clear to see how much the children enjoyed playing these games from their enthusiasm and confidence! Great work Year 5!
Year 6 have had a fantastic week this week. We have started writing our non-chronological reports all about the circulatory system and the heart. This will give us chance to apply our Science knowledge from this half term into a beautiful report, which we are going to be sharing with Dr Hart after his visit next week. We started by creating video explanations all about how the heart works! We have also become masters of long division. The effort, determination and resilience that the Year 6 children have shown whilst mastering this complex skill, has certainly made us very proud!