A Message From Miss Quarmby
Hello everyone, Spring is finally here, and it’s been so lovely seeing the daffodils in full bloom on the hill next to the car park – they always make Whitkirk feel even brighter at this time of year. Our Year 6s are having an amazing time on their residential. Miss Tomlinson and Mr Sadler have said so many lovely things about how brilliantly the children are representing Whitkirk, and I think they’d happily stay for a bit longer if they could! We can’t wait to welcome them back later today and hear all their stories. Year 1 enjoyed a wonderful trip to Temple Newsam House as part of their Great Fire of London learning, and they came back absolutely buzzing with even more knowledge! On Thursday, Miss Dougan hosted the Leeds Debating competition here at Whitkirk with some of our fantastic Year 5 pupils. It’s one of her favourite events of the year, and she was incredibly proud of them. I was at the Trust Offices in Harrogate for the day and was gutted to have missed seeing them in action! A reminder that next week is Parents’ Evening, so there will be no after‑school clubs running. Wishing you all a lovely weekend!
Our Whitkirk Rockstars!
Four children who attend drumming lessons with Mr Manktelow travelled to Templenewsam Halton Primary School on Monday to perform for a group of children and parents. They were absolutely incredible and wowed the audience with their amazing talents. The children represented our school beautifully and we are incredibly proud of them. Well done to our fantastic drummers - Lydia, Lacey, George and Miles!
Climate Conference
Last week, four of our Year 5 pupils were selected to attend a Climate Change Eco-Conference at Leeds Civic Hall. This was an exciting opportunity to allow our pupils to be inspired about how we can take action to protect our planet. During the day, the children took part in a range of workshops, each one focusing on a different area of climate action, e.g. climate justice, the importance of bees in our ecosystem and how a range of schools have taken climate action themselves. Our Year 5 pupils were fantastic ambassadors for our school. They asked thoughtful questions, helping them to build their own Climate Action Plan throughout the day. When hearing about the successes and challenges from other schools, they were respectful when listening to ideas and were keen to share their own. Their enthusiasm shone through, not just for taking part in the day but also in helping to put some of the actions into practise - ultimately helping to play their part in protecting our planet. An enormous well done to our Y5 representatives!
Attendance
This week, finishing in first place with 100% are 6NT. In second place are 6WS, with 99.48% and in third place are 4CO with 99.22%. A shout out also goes to 1LR, 1VM, 2CH, 3RD, 4AB, 5AK and 5AS who have also finished the week above our school target of 96.5%. The whole school attendance this week is 96.81%: can we beat this next week? The only way to do that is if we all come to school as often as we can. 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 half term, Tim the Travelling Turtle is helping Pre-school to learn about forest and woodland habitats. This week, the children enjoyed using the natural materials they collected to create a home for minibeasts in our outdoor area. Each day, we have carefully checked for any new visitors and have already spotted a ladybird, ants, and a wiggly worm! During our Welly Wednesday session this week, we focused on naming the different parts of trees and exploring their texture. The children noticed that the tree bark felt bumpy and rough, and worked as a team to use chalk and paper to create colourful rubbings, capturing its unique texture!
Throughout the year, Reception have been developing their understanding of seasonal change, exploring how the world around them transforms across the seasons. This week, our little scientists headed out on a “Signs of Spring” walk, searching for clues that spring has arrived! They spotted beautiful daffodils around our grounds, tiny buds beginning to open in the allotment, blossom starting to grow on the trees, birds building their nests, fresh green leaves starting to grow, and even daisies scattered across the grass. The children really enjoyed observing these changes up close, we cannot wait to plant some spring flowers and vegetables and watch them grow!
LOWER SCHOOL
This week, Year 1 made us unbelievably proud during their trip to Temple Newsam House! They took part in an exciting workshop all about The Great Fire of London, which included dressing up, role‑play, sorting photographs into past and present, singing, and so much more. Back at school, the classes have been busy recreating Pudding Lane using junk modelling and performing the song “September 1666.” It’s been a fantastic week of hands‑on learning and creativity!
This week, Year 2 have written fantastic non-chronological reports about Mary Anning. In art, we designed our own prints inspired by William Morris. In maths, we have been ordering and comparing length and height.
This week in Art, Year 3 have been studying Stephen Wiltshire and using his talent in drawing landscapes to inspire their artwork of Temple Newsam House. We have looked at using different pencil types to show light and tone, and applied this to a detailed sketch. In Computing, we have used the app Book Creator to make comics. We were able to use graphics and sound to complete our work.
UPPER school
This week, Year 4 have immersed themselves in the history of Ancient Greece. As historians, they have searched for and analysed a range of Ancient Greek artefacts, e.g. sculptures and vases. Using their findings, the children have discovered key features linked to the Olympian Gods. The children were fantastic at working in teams and sharing their ideas with each other. Another great week Year 4, well done!
In Art this week, Year 5 took part in a gallery walk exploring twelve colourful images. The children noted what they liked, disliked and the skills they spotted. The children even tried to guess the artist and their country of origin. After sharing ideas, we revealed the artist (Frida Kahlo) and then discussed their thoughts about her style and techniques. Well done Year 5!
Year 6 are on residential, lots of exciting updates coming next week!