Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Girls' Netball Rally

  Sun 27 Feb 2022

  On Saturday 26th February, we took two teams to take part in the District Girls' Netball Rally which was held at Ryefield School.  Both teams played well throughout the group matches of the competition but unfortunately, neither team progresses to the quarter finals.  All sixteen girls who played did very well and we are very proud of all of their performances and great sportsmanship in their matches!  Thank you to all the parents who came and supported us during this competition.

• Young Shakespeare Company

  Thu 24 Feb 2022

  The Young Shakespeare Company visited Whitehall today to perform 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to all of Year 6 in preparation for their study of this Shakespeare text in their upcoming English lessons.  The performance was thoroughly enjoyed by all of the children and they now have a thorough understanding of the story plot and main characters ready for their study of this text.  The Year 6 pupils are very much looking forward to their upcoming English lessons where they can explore this play in greater depth.  

  

• Children's Mental Health Week

  Wed 09 Feb 2022

  Children's Mental Health Week this year took place between Monday 7th February to Sunday 13th February.  To recognise this week, Whitehall completed a wealth of activities in school to support children's mental well-being.  Each day throughout this week the children were supplied with an affirmation of the day, such as 'I can do anything I put my mind to' and we used these affirmations to support the children with their mindset.  As well as this, each year group had an assembly about 'Growing Together' which was produced by the organisation Place2Be (children's mental health charity).  To further support children's mental health, each class took part in a yoga session led by a qualified instructor to further support them in their well-being.  The week was thoroughly enjoyed by all!   

  

• Festival of the Month - Lunar New Year

  Wed 02 Feb 2022

  This week marks the start of Lunar New Year! The festival, also known as Spring Festival and Chinese New Year, always begins in accordance with the start of a new moon on the Chinese calendar. Rather than following the Gregorian calendar, which heralds in a brand new year every January 1st, the Chinese calendar follows the phases of the moon, where the emergence of a new full moon symbolises the start of the year instead, which usually falls between January 21^st and February 20^th every year. In addition to China, it is also celebrated across many parts of Asia and South-East Asian, in countries such as Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Tibet, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

   

  Each new year also co-coincides with that of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, where 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. Chinese tradition believes each animal's unique personality is attributed to the people born within their corresponding year, and so anyone born this year will be attributed to the personality of a tiger– brave, confident, and expected to face each challenge with resilience and willpower.

   

  Lunar New Year is traditionally a time to feast with family members, as well as honouring ancestors and deities. The celebrations usually last for around two weeks in total, from the New Year’s eve to the Lantern festival, which is held on the 15^th day. Although variations are different across the country, the theme is the same: seeing out the old year and wishing luck and prosperity for the new year ahead. Lunar New Year is celebrated by greeting people with the phrase 'Gung Hay Fat Choy!' loosely translated as 'congratulations and be prosperous'. It is tradition to wear bright floral colours during this time to symbolise the incoming of Spring. Friends and family are visited and ancestors honoured by the giving and receiving of red envelopes filled with money to represent good fortune. Delicious meals are consumed, such as 'Song Gao' (a sweet rice cake) and long noodles called 'longevity noodles' - it is believed the longer the noodles are the longer and happier your life will be! In fact, every single meal eaten during the festival has a special significance and represents an important aspect of the celebration. Outdoors, bright floral colours and arrangements are decorated and seen, fireworks are set off, lanterns are lit, Lion and Dragon dances (both symbols of prosperity and luck) are performed in public along with folk singing and poetry. Temples are visited to honour deities and to pray for good luck, good health, fortune and positivity all around.

   

  The children at Whitehall Junior have been learning about the festival this week and participating in different activities to understand more about it. We would like to wish you all a Happy Lunar New Year if you are celebrating, and invite you to share your experiences with us, if you so wish. Gung Hay Fat Choy!