Whitchurch Combined School - December Newsletter | |
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Headteacher: Mrs R. Mobbs
School Vision: “Growing Today, Ready for Tomorrow!”
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The end of another busy term!
As we approach the end of a very busy term at Whitchurch Combined School, we would like to share some important updates with our school community.
We are sadly saying farewell to Mrs Hunt, who has been an integral part of our school for twenty-four years. In her role as PE Coordinator, she has consistently inspired countless children to become the best sportspeople they can be.
To recognise her significant contribution, we are proud to announce that our end-of-year Sports Award will now be known as the ‘Karen Hunt’ PE Award.
The children thoroughly enjoyed Mrs Hunt Day yesterday, when everyone dressed up in their favourite sports outfits to celebrate her wonderful career.
We extend our warmest wishes to Mrs Hunt as she begins a well-deserved retirement.
  
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Staffing Update
In another exciting development, Poppy Johnstone, a former pupil of Whitchurch, has been appointed as a Teaching Assistant. We are delighted to welcome her back to the school in this new role.
We are also pleased to share that Mr Soar, with support from Mrs Spring, will be taking on the role of PE Lead, helping to continue our strong and vibrant sports and physical education programme across the school.
Finally, Mrs Atkinson will be teaching in Year 2 on Wednesday mornings and Year 5 on Wednesday afternoons.
We also wish Mrs Forsythe well in her second teaching placement at Thornborough Infant School after Christmas. She will return after half-term.
These changes will ensure that we continue to provide high-quality teaching and support across all year groups.
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Penguin Pete & I Spy Christmas - Christmas Shows!
This year’s Christmas Shows were a truly magical celebration of talent and festive spirit. Key Stage 1 delighted families with their heart-warming performance of Penguin Pete, bringing the snowy Antarctic to life with confident acting, expressive singing, and wonderful teamwork. The children shone on stage, sharing a story filled with friendship, courage, and plenty of festive charm.
Our Reception pupils followed with their joyful performance of “I Spy Christmas.” From the bright costumes to the enthusiastic actions and songs, the youngest members of our school amazed the audience with their confidence and enthusiasm. Their hard work and excitement made the show an unforgettable highlight of the season.
Both groups did an absolutely wonderful job, and we are incredibly proud of every child who took part. A big thank-you to staff and families for their support in helping the children prepare.
To read more about these two brilliant shows, head to School Events on our website for photos, details, and behind-the-scenes moments.
  
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Sports News
Despite it being the coldest and wettest time of the year, we still manage to enjoy a fantastic range of Sporting Events at school. Our students continue to show brilliant enthusiasm, resilience, and team spirit—whatever the weather brings!
Recently, we have taken part in a variety of exciting competitions:
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Whitchurch Warriors vs Newton Longville – Boys’ Football
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Whitchurch Warriors vs Wanderers – Another great match showing skill and determination
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Girls’ and Boys’ Handball – Fast-paced games with excellent teamwork on display
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Year 2 Multi-Skills Festival at The Royal Latin – A fun-filled event helping our younger pupils develop coordination and confidence
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Year 5 Mixed Football Tournament at The Royal Latin – A fantastic opportunity for our players to challenge themselves against other schools
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Whitchurch Kites – Celebrating their first win of the season! A brilliant achievement for the team
We are incredibly proud of every pupil who has represented the school this term. Their positive attitudes and dedication shine through in every event.
- Please head to the school Sports News page to read more about each competition and to see photos from the day.
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School Trips
We have been on some exciting school trips this half-term. Year 1 visited Warwick Castle, Year 2 travelled to Hazard Alley in Milton Keynes, Year 5 explored the National Space Centre in Leicester, and Year 4 spent the day at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford learning all about the Egyptians.
We love school trips at Whitchurch, as they enhance our children’s learning and enrich their life experiences. To learn more about these visits, please head to the School Trips section to read about these exciting opportunities for our children.
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School Events
We have enjoyed a number of exciting school events this term, providing all our children with plenty of opportunities to learn, celebrate, and have fun. These have included the Snow White Pantomime, kindly funded by the School PTA; Safety Week; the KS2 House Singing Competition; Christmas Concert; and our Handwriting Competition, where winners from each year group were recognised for their excellent presentation and effort.
We also held a thoughtful Remembrance Assembly, led beautifully by Year 6, as the school came together to reflect and remember.
We were also delighted to welcome our local MP, Laura Kyrke-Smith, who visited school to present a prize to Ayria, in Year 3, whose Christmas card design was selected to be used in the Houses of Parliament.
Finally, we ended the term with our much-loved Christingle service at St John’s Church, hosted by Reverend Janet Bayly, bringing our community together in celebration.
Details about all these events can be found in the School Events section of the website.
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Bad Weather Conditions – Important Reminder
As we enter the time of year when severe weather is more likely, we would like to remind families of our procedures for adverse conditions. Please be assured that we will always aim to keep the school open whenever it is safe to do so.
In the event of heavy snowfall, a decision to close the school will be made as early as possible. Closure information will be posted on the Bucks Council School Closures website, and parents will receive an email message from school.
If it is unclear the night before whether roads will be safe, staff will travel into school the following morning and a decision will be made based on staffing levels and the safety of the school site. The decision to close is never taken lightly; however, the roads to the school can become hazardous. This decision is always made in consultation with our Chair of Governors, Mrs Jo Dallas.
Please regularly check the Bucks website (We recommend adding it to your favourites.)
Please note that you will not receive a message to confirm the school is open. The assumption is that school is open unless a closure message is sent and information is posted online.
Details of our Remote Learning provision can be found on our website.
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Cold Weather
As the weather turns colder, please ensure that your child comes to school with a suitable coat, and, where appropriate, a scarf, hat and gloves. All items should be clearly named – it’s surprising how many children struggle to recognise their own hats and gloves!
We would also like to remind families that, from next term, trousers should be worn as part of the school uniform rather than shorts. For outdoor PE lessons, children should wear jogging bottoms while the weather is cold.
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PTA Christmas Fayre - Friday 28th November
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Christmas Fayre at the end of November. It was a hugely successful afternoon, and we’re thrilled to share that we exceeded last year’s total, raising just under £2,000.
Thank you to everyone who came along, shopped, donated and helped make the event such a lovely day. We’d also like to extend a big thank you to all of our wonderful concession holders who joined us – your support and stalls helped make the fayre extra special.
The money raised will be used to fund coaches for school trips and support the Junior Librarian programme in school. We are incredibly grateful to our amazing school community for making it all possible.
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Santa Float Visit – Tuesday 2nd December
A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support the Santa Float as it travelled around the village. It was a fantastic evening, and we are delighted to share that the event raised £852 for the school. This money will be used to purchase outdoor lighting for the field.
We would like to extend a special thank you to the Whitchurch Combined School PTA and the Winslow Rotary Club for organising such a wonderful community event. Santa also brought plenty of festive cheer, dancing his way through the evening and collecting some very special Christmas letters from a few excited youngsters.
It was a magical night filled with community spirit, and we are truly grateful to everyone who helped make it such a memorable occasion.
  
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Help Us Refresh Our Class Libraries!
Thanks to your amazing support, we now have over £120 of credit to spend on books for Whitchurch Combined School!
Our LoveReading4Kids wishlists have been updated, and you can help by:
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Visiting the website
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Choosing a book from your child’s class wishlist
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Selecting “Whitchurch Combined School” at checkout
The school receives 25% credit on every purchase, and books are sent straight to school for the children to enjoy!
A huge thank you to all parents and carers who have shared the links and purchased books — your support keeps the love of reading alive for every child.
Explore the wishlists here: School Homepage
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Support Whitchurch Combined School While You Shop This Christmas!
With Christmas just around the corner, many of us will be doing more shopping online. Did you know you can raise funds for Whitchurch Combined School at no extra cost to yourself?
We are registered with Easyfundraising, a platform where over 8,000 retailers — including major supermarkets, Amazon, insurance providers, holiday companies, and more — donate a percentage of what you spend directly to the school.
All you need to do is start your shopping via the Easyfundraising website or app. It’s that simple, and every little bit helps!
Support us here: Easyfundraising – Whitchurch Combined School
We really appreciate your support this festive season; we have raised over £900 so far! Thank you for helping us raise funds for our children!
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Whitchurch in the Community
Well done to Alice in Year 5, who spent part of her half-term helping her grandma at the foodbank in Aylesbury. She helped sort food and, upon returning to school, shared with her classmates what she had done and how the foodbank operates.
Inspired by Alice, Year 5 took part in the Reverse Advent Challenge, collecting a total of 8.61kg of food, which Alice kindly delivered to the foodbank. The children also created festive pictures that will be shared with people at St Mary’s Church in Aylesbury on Christmas Day.
A huge well done to Alice and Year 5 for their generosity and community spirit!
   
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A big thank you to Whitchurch and Oving Youth Club Charitable Fund!
We are delighted to share some wonderful news with our school community!
A huge thank you to the Whitchurch and Oving Youth Club Charitable Fund, which has provided over £2,800 in funding for school. This fantastic scheme supports young people aged 5 to 21 across Whitchurch, Oving, Pitchcott, Hardwick, Weedon, Dunton, and Creslow, providing single grants for educational purposes.
Thanks to this funding, we will be able to purchase:
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New replacement sheds for both the KS1 and KS2 playgrounds
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A selection of fun and engaging playground games
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A portable PA system for children to enjoy—perfect for singing, dancing, and creative play outdoors
This generous grant will make a big difference to our pupils’ play and learning experiences. We are extremely grateful for this support for our school!
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Whitchurch Combined School Annual Governors’ Day
Earlier this term, we welcomed our school governors for our Annual Governors’ Day. They spent the morning visiting classrooms, observing a wide range of learning, and attended a whole-school assembly led by Mrs Mobbs. In the afternoon, governors worked with her on developing the school’s strategic priorities.
Mrs Dallas – Chair of Governors:
“Great to see Year 1 so enthusiastic with their ‘measurements’ maths, and Year 4 reading with such confidence and clarity.”
Mrs Williams – Parent Governor:
“There’s a strong sense of belonging here. Teachers create an environment where students champion one another.”
Mrs Greatorex – Associate Governor:
“I was inspired by the pace, inclusion and fun teachers bring to every lesson — matched by the children’s curiosity and kindness.”
Mr Rider – Governor:
“As always, it was a pleasure to spend time in school — the cultures and values shine through beautifully from Reception to Year 6.”
We are extremely proud of our dedicated staff and wonderful pupils, who together make Whitchurch a truly special place to learn and grow.
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Christmas Tree Lights Turn-On!
On the day of our Christmas Fayre, we proudly switched on our school Christmas tree lights during Celebration Assembly. This much-loved Whitchurch tradition sees our youngest pupil, Summer, and oldest pupil, Eliza, come together to light up the tree.
A big thank you to Mr and Mrs Wolfenden for kindly supplying our beautiful school Christmas tree this year.
Well done to Summer and Eliza — you did a wonderful job!
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Parking Reminder for Parents and Carers
We have received a concern from a local resident regarding parking on Newman Close during school drop-off times. Please be reminded that Newman Close is private property and parking there is not permitted.
Parents and carers are asked to avoid parking on Newman Close and instead use the Whitchurch Recreation Ground for parking or drop-off. This will help ensure safe access for local residents and prevent damage to vehicles.
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community and neighbours safe and respectful.
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Christmas Dinners!
Last week, Mrs Eaton made and served an impressive 161 Christmas dinners to children and staff. Everyone enjoyed a full Christmas roast dinner, and it was absolutely delicious!
A huge thank you to our wonderful school cook, who does such a fantastic job keeping all our hungry children well-fed every day. We truly don’t know where we would be without you.
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Christingle Service at St John's Church
What a lovely way to end the term! The whole school enjoyed a walk down to St John’s Church, where we took part in a wonderful Christmas service led by Reverend Janet Bayly.
Each year group contributed to the service by performing a song, prayer, or piece of Christmas music. Reverend Janet then explained the meaning of the candles, before we came together to light the Christingles.
In keeping with Whitchurch tradition, the Year 6 pupils each held a Christingle and were joined by a representative from every year group, while Reverend Janet gave a special blessing.
Our sincere thanks go to Reverend Janet and Mrs Carson for organising such a memorable service, and to the army of staff and volunteers who ensured the children travelled to and from school safely. A truly special occasion to share together at the end of the term.
  
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Season’s Greetings
As the term comes to a close, we would like to wish all our parents, carers, and families a very Happy Christmas and a restful New Year. We hope you enjoy a joyful festive season filled with happiness, laughter, and precious time with loved ones.
Thank you for your continued support this year – we look forward to seeing the children back in school on Tuesday 6th January, ready for an exciting and successful new term.
Warm regards,
Mrs Mobbs and Mr Soar
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