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

• Asia Week!

  Mon 31 Oct 2022

  A great week of activities has been planned by Mrs Seymour, our Diversity Champion, to celebrate the continent of Asia as we return from half-term. Pupils have participated in Indian drumming and dancing, they have learnt to identify the countries which together form the continent of Asia, beautifully folded origami paper, as they have studied Japan, and created intricate Henna patterns as they have explored Mehndi. This week's artwork has been inspired by the Taj Mahal and PE has included the games Sepak Takraw (from Thailand), Chinlone (from Burma) and dance from Türkiye . Pupils have also learnt to count in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. We have an amazing 46 languages spoken by the pupils within our school; learning from one another and sharing our knowledge of the world is fascinating.

  

• Houses of Parliament

  Sat 29 Oct 2022

  Last half term, our very lucky school council representatives from each class went on a trip to the Houses of Parliament! We were fortunate to be joined by the school council representatives from Hayes Park- our very first trip together! Despite a very early start to the day and a long journey into central London, the children had a fantastic day learning all about the history of the Houses of Parliament, the different roles that politicians play and the value of democracy. The children were given the unique experience of a guided tour which even allowed them to stand within the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Not only that, they even carried out their own mini debate with Hayes Park. The children beautifully demonstrated to the public our behaviour code: Ready, Respectful, Safe and were complimented by a police officer for their lovely manners!

   

  

• Festival of the Month: Diwali

  Mon 24 Oct 2022

  Diwali (also known as 'divali' - derived from the Sankrit word 'deepavali' meaning 'row of lights'), is Hinduism's most popular festival.  It is the biggest festival in India and is also recognised as an official national holiday in many other countries.  It is celebrated over five days in accordance with the Hindu lunar calendar and the arrival of the new moon between October and November every year. It also marks the end of the Hindu calendar year and brings a fresh start to the new one ahead. This year, Diwali will be celebrated between the 22nd-26th of October. Its beginnings hark back to many different events, from the iconic ancient mythological story of Prince Rama rescuing his wife Sita from the evil king Ravana, to commemorating the release of Sikhism's holy Guru Hargobind after being wrongfully imprisoned in 1619. Thus, it represents light over darkness, truth over ignorance, hope over despair and the freedom and triumph of good over evil. The festival is filled with feasting, dancing, singing, prayer and blessings to all, with evenings lit with diva lamps and the night sky brightened up with fireworks and lanterns. The children at Whitehall have all been learning about Diwali and we would like to wish you all a very joyous and prosperous Diwali if you are celebrating. Happy Diwali! 

  

• Harvest Festival

  Fri 07 Oct 2022

  Thank you to 6W for leading us in our Harvest Festival today and for reminding us to be thankful for all that we have and for the work that goes into harvesting our food. Thanks to all of our families who so generously supported the event by donating items. We have bags of food packaged up and awaiting collection by our local Food Bank to help others in our community.

  

• World Mental Health Day

  Wed 05 Oct 2022

  Monday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. The theme for Mental World Health day this year is: 'Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority'.

  All year groups will be participating in activities to learn more about the following aspects of good mental health:

   

  Year 3- How physical exercise can help our mental health.

  Year 4- How kindness and gratitude can improve our mental health.

  Year 5- The impact of self-talk on our mental health.

  Year 6- The importance of sleep to our mental health.