WHITKIRK NEWS

A Message From Miss Quarmby

It was wonderful to see so many fantastic outfits on Wednesday as we celebrated World Book Day. It was also lovely to see children sharing their favourite books with peers from across the school during our Reading Swap - a real celebration of reading for pleasure. I’ve had the pleasure of spending time in lots of classrooms this week. One particular highlight was visiting Year 3RD during their handwriting lesson. I learned all about using sponge and jam to support ascenders and descenders! It was a real joy to be in their classroom - seeing how well the children work collaboratively, admiring their beautiful presentation, and hearing their excellent knowledge of writing instructions. We also enjoyed three trips this week: Pre‑School and Year 3 visited Temple Newsam House, and Year 5 visited St Mary’s Church for an Easter Experience. These trips are a fantastic part of our curriculum, and every KS2 class has the opportunity to take part in a visit like this throughout the year. St Mary’s Church also runs a lovely new initiative called ‘Bears and Prayers’, led by Reverend Claire. This is aimed at pre‑schoolers and the adults who care for them. Each session includes songs, stories, prayers and, of course, bears, followed by refreshments and time to chat and play together. ‘Bears and Prayers’ takes place at St Mary’s Church on Tuesdays during term time from 9.30–10.30am, starting on 24th February. All are welcome — and don’t forget to bring your own bear! A gentle reminder that dogs are not permitted on our school premises at any time. We would also really appreciate all family members being mindful with dogs just outside the school perimeter, to help ensure that journeys to and from school are safe for everyone. Have a super weekend, and here’s hoping for more sunshine!

Attendance

This week, finishing in first place with 100% are 2CH. In second place are 1VM, with 98.61% and in third place are 3JC with 98.28%. A shout out also goes 1LR, 2KD, 3RD, 4AB, 6WS and 6NT who have also finished the week above our school target of 96.5%. The whole school attendance this week is 97.12%: 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

On Wednesday, our Pre-School children enjoyed a wonderful visit to Temple Newsam House. The children walked very sensibly to and from Temple Newsam and represented our school beautifully! During our visit, we took part in a special tour that brought traditional nursery rhymes to life. We found lots of exciting costumes and props around the house, which children used to help act out the rhymes we sang. Miss Tree and the Pre-School team are incredibly proud of how well the children behaved and joined in! As always, we would like to say a big thank you to our family volunteers who came along to support us – we really appreciate your help!

This week in Reception we have continued sharing the story Jack and the Beanstalk. The children have been focusing on retelling the story using a story map and writing words and short sentences to match pictures from the text. We have been blown away by the children’s writing this week. They have been using brilliant writing posture and remembering to use their “crocodile snap” to hold their pencils correctly. We have also been so impressed with their use of “Fred Fingers” to pinch the sounds they hear in each word, as well as their fantastic recall of the letter rhymes to help them form each letter. Well done, Reception! We cannot wait to see how your writing continues to develop throughout the year.

LOWER SCHOOL

This week in Year 1, we enjoyed learning about plants in Science and explored the different parts of a plant. The children finished the week by creating careful observational drawings of daffodils that are growing in our allotment. In Art, we experimented with colour mixing and discovered how primary colours can be combined to make new colours. We also learned about Ramadan and discussed why this time is special for many Muslim families around the world.

This week in Year 2, we have been exploring different types of fossils, such as ammonites, trilobites and coprolites. In maths, we have been practising how to give change when buying different items. In science, we have been learning about habitats by looking at where different animals live in a tree.

What a fantastic week we have had in Year 3! We celebrated World Book Day and went on an exciting trip to Temple Newsam House, as well as learning lots of new things across the curriculum. In English, we have been using adverbs of manner and time and in Maths we have been ordering and comparing fractions. In RE, we consolidated our understanding of the second pillar of Islam, Salah, and in Science we learned that objects reflect light.

UPPER school

This week Year 4 have been scientists responsible for making electrical circuits. The children were set the challenge to light the bulb using a range of components given to them. Working in teams, they succeeded in creating complete circuits where the bulb successfully lit up. To deepen their learning further, they explored how adding an extra battery can change how bright the bulb is. Great work Year 4!