Racing Rockets

Dear Parents / Carers,

Happy New Year to you all.  I trust you have had a wonderful festive period and that the children are well rested and ready for an exciting ‘blast off’ to the New Year.  Our first week has been great and the children have settled very well. As a class we are looking to 100% attendance each week as there are certificates to be won! May I take this opportunity to thank all parents/carers who have spent time over the holidays listening to their children read and learn their times tables.  This positivity shows a huge impact on their learning and helps the children achieve the best that they can be as a Racing Rocket.  

This half term our topic is The Anglo Saxons (see attached topic Web for further details). Through a range of subjects we will

Explore life during the Anglo Saxon period and study primitive living in settlements around the country. Who were the Anglo Saxons? Where were they from?   What changes did they make to Britain?  We shall be creating an Anglo Saxon Village (settlement) and also incorporating Drama into our Literacy sessions. Already the children have read information about a Grendel (Look at Beowulf & The Grendel) in brief and we have acted out many scenarios in school should any of us happen to see one!!! The children are aware that this dates back to Anglo Saxon times and is no longer real today.  In English we are also looking at information text and the children will generate information about their own mythical creature and also further information about the Anglo Saxon Period.  They can also gather further information at home and bring this into class if they wish for our display.

In mathematics we are learning how to use money when we go shopping.  We can use addition to calculate the price of our purchases and we are actively learning what is meant by the term change and how we work this out from our given amount.  Children must endeavour to practice their times tables focussing on their 2,5,10,4 and also 8’s.  This is vital to their further understanding of mathematics and also the speed in which they can answer further mathematical questions.  Times tables are a must!!!

Please note towards the end of term the children (Yr3 and Yr4) will be showing a production of Wiz Wham Alakazam which is a magical musical about Teamwork and Togetherness.  This is part of PSHE study. The date is to be confirmed and parents/carers are able to attend.

Reading:
Each child will read to an adult in school at least once per week. Children must show that not only have they read their chosen book but that they fully comprehend what that book was about before any books will be changed.  For children reading at home please note in the child’s reading record if they have finished the book and fully described what has happened in the story. Thank you for your Continued support here.

A few further bits of information:
P.E. 
This term we shall have swimming lessons on a Wednesday afternoon. Please ensure your child has their swimming costumes/trunks in school for this session.  We also have PE in the school hall on a Thursday in the school hall and the theme is Dance. The children have already been in search of a Grendel in the playground and have enacted a war as Anglo Saxons in the school hall. The plot thickens! Please, please can all children have the correct PE kit for these sessions?

Science Targets:

As from next week, spellings will be given out on a Monday and spelling tests will also be done on a Monday morning.  Please encourage your child with their spellings as this is also a very important part of their learning and children with full marks will receive a certificate of excellence each week.  Homework will alternate each week and as from today a “reading comprehension” will be sent home with the children.  Please ensure that this is returned no later than the following Wednesday for marking. Thank you.  Next week a maths task will be sent home relating to the topic we are studying for example Money and change. This alternation will continue throughout the term.

I hope this letter is informative. Please feel free to come and speak to me if you feel the need. 

Kind regards,
Mrs Hadfield
Reach for the Stars – Racing Rockets.

This half term our new topic will be ‘Shop ‘til You Drop!’  We will explore where we buy different goods and learn all about how goods are transported, both locally and globally.  We will also use what we learn to run our own Enterprise by designing and making a product for the Christmas Fair. In English we will be having lots of debates as we learn how to write a discussion text (balanced argument) and we will start reading a class book ‘There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom’.  Our maths lessons will focus on multiplication and division, so please keep practising your times tables as knowing these will make lessons much easier for the children! 

This half term we will be running a reading challenge. If children get 20 comments in their reading record (this comment must be made by an adult that has heard them read at home) by Monday 17^th December then they will receive an invitation to a Christmas Special Reading Party! 

Targets

Science

Passport

Homework
Your child will receive homework every Friday to be handed in the following Wednesday.  

Spellings will be handed out on a Monday to be tested the following Monday.  Children can then take their books home so that you can see their results, but they must have their book back in school every Monday. 

Dates for the Diary

• Monday 12^th – Friday 16^th November – Anti-bullying Week
• Friday 16^th November – Children In Need fundraising event.
• Saturday 1^st December – School Christmas Fair
• Friday 14^th December – We will sell our Enterprise products in the School Hall Christmas Fair
• Friday 21^st December – KS2 Christmas Party

If you have any questions or if there is anything I can do to help then please do not hesitate to ask!

Miss Gee

A big welcome back to all the children and parents!  I hope that you have all had a lovely Summer holiday and the children are now refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of Year 3! 

It’s been so lovely being back with my class again. J We have had a busy start to the week, learning the story ‘Theseus and the Minotaur’. This will give us the techniques, language and grammar skills needed to write our own magnificent myths, as well as launching our new topic – Groovy Greeks!

To help us develop our reading skills, we would like to ask you to hear your child read for 10 minutes at least 3 times a week and sign their reading record. There will be a new reading incentive soon to encourage children & parents to read together as often as possible. We appreciate your support with this, we know how busy life can be but those extra reading sessions will help your children to achieve their highest potential. This week the children have just carried on reading the book band colour they were on last year. This is because in Key Stage 2 the reading system is different. Children will undertake a small online test that will give them a Lexile score instead of a book band colour. Children can then choose a book from their Lexiled reading list. This may sound complicated at the moment, but it’s honestly not. We are currently waiting for each child’s log in details. Once I have these I will test the children. Once I have their Lexile score I will let you know what it is and they’ll be a letter explaining all about it. Please be aware not all children will score on the Lexile system so will keep reading coloured book banded books until they achieve a Lexile score. You will probably find your child reads less individually this year. This is because the emphasis on reading moves away from individual readers to guided reading sessions.  Your child will take part in at least one guided reading session each week.  During these sessions the focus moves away from decoding skills to understanding / interpreting the text. Comments are not made in children’s reading records during these sessions but diaries will be stamped so you can see they have read as a group that day.  

In maths, we will continue our Place Value topic we started during transition week which focusses on 3 digit numbers. This will be followed by learning practical and formal methods of addition and subtraction of numbers up to 1000.

Targets

Science 

Passport

Homework
Just like last year your child will receive homework every Friday to be handed in the following Wednesday. The rules in Key Stage 2 are a little different though. If children do not complete & hand in their homework then they have to miss some of their Golden Time on a Friday afternoon to complete this. Obviously if there is a genuine reason homework has not been completed then please contact me through Dojo or by ringing school as I would not want your child getting upset about this if it is not their fault. There will be a little bit more homework this year than last in line with our school policy.  Homework will be a mixture of online homework and paper based exercises. If your child is not able to access the online homework please let me know as soon as possible.

Spellings
Spellings will now be handed out on a Wednesday to be tested the following Monday.  Please make sure children keep their spelling book in their bag or at least make sure it is in school every Monday.  Children will receive 6 spellings the same as last year. Again the rules are stricter in Key Stage 2. If children do not get at least 5 spellings correct then they will have to practise them again during playtime one day. Children will receive spellings suitable to their ability to this is achievable.

 Your child will not have received any spellings this week so there will be no test on Monday. Their first lot of spellings will be given out next Wednesday.

I am however sending home a copy of the words that children need to be able to spell correctly in Years 3 & 4.  Some of these will be sent home for the spelling tests but you may want to work through them with your child over the year as they will be tested on them in July. 

Parent Helpers
We are always looking for volunteers to hear readers in our class so children are given as many opportunities to read as possible.  We would also be grateful if anyone would be able to test pupils on their times tables – we will give you a sheet with the answers on so don’t worry if you’re rusty!  Even 20 minutes would be appreciated so please get in touch. 

Dates for the Diary

• Wednesday 26^th September: Swimming Starts
• Thursday 25^th October: Class assembly
• Friday 12^th October: INSET Day

Other Information:

• Children are encouraged to bring drinks bottles to school with water so they can have a drink in class.
• There is no longer free fruit available to your child. This is a Key Stage 1 initiative only. if children require a snack at playtimes they are allowed to bring their own fruit or dried fruit. Please note: children will need to bring their snack into the classroom ready for playtime.
• Lunch boxes, PE kits & coats are now kept in children’s own lockers.
• During the year all children in Year 3 will be given the opportunity to take part in swimming lessons. Swimming lessons will take place on Wednesday afternoons, during school time. Look out for the swimming letter that will be coming home soon!
• This half term PE will be on a Thursday afternoon. Please ensure your child has appropriate kit in school on these days (including suitable footwear) or they will not be permitted to take part. Long hair must be tied back and jewellery (including earrings) should be removed or tape should be provided so children can tape them up themselves.

I aim to make the transition from KS1 to KS2 as smooth as possible for your child however if you have any concerns / worries about your child then please don’t hesitate to come and see me. 

Miss Gee