Parents’ evening
Many thanks to all the parents who recently attended parents’ evening. It was a pleasure to meet so many of you. The children are all working hard at the moment and are demonstrating a positive learning attitude – as noticed by all the staff around school.
School council elections
Our current school councillors held their final meeting recently as we prepare to elect our new school council.
Children from every class, including Reception, are encouraged to prepare a speech to present to their class as part of the election process. Our whole school homework before the election date will give children the chance to plan their speech.
Thank you to our existing school council who have been involved with many decisions and discussions throughout the year. Most recently they have selected books for our library and pupil prizes as rewards in class.
Work on our plague masks begins.
Continuing on with our topic of Medicine Through The Ages, we have started making our very own plague masks. Plague doctors wore masks with a bird-like beak to protect them from being infected by the disease. We’ll be working on these over the next few weeks. Looking forward to the finished masks.
Thackray Medical Museum
Check out how we got on learning about medicine from the past and how our bodies work…
Fantastic Samba Homework
Some fantastic, creative homework from Year 3 today.
Here are a few samples:
We’re learning about history.
We enjoyed a visit from Time Striders today and learnt lots about the history of Britain.
Swimming
Unfortunately, until further notice, there will be no swimming due to roof damage at Scott Hall Leisure Centre caused by severe weather.
Topic
Samba is our current mini-topic (mini-topics usually last just two weeks). It was great to see so many children have such good rhythm and timing whilst learning about Samba music. The children enjoyed making their own music as part of a Samba band, although I think Mrs O’Malley will be pleased when the noise is over!
The whole-school Big Topic starts Monday 19 January: Time Travel. We’re learning all about medicine through the ages. To kick start our journey through time, we’ll embark on a history workshop followed by a visit to the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds. From early medical breakthroughs to scientific advancements, this topic will have your child exploring the life of a patient in 1861 to present day and beyond. Beware…things could get a little gory!
Encourage your child to talk about and research topic subjects at home. Talk to grandparents and others about what they know. Take a trip to the local library, or research on the internet.
Maths
Some of the areas we will be covering in Maths this half-term are, with an example of how to support for each:
- place value – practise saying a larger number for your child to write using digits
- multiplication – make sure your child has rapid recall of their 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 times tables (this means being able to say the answer straight away, rather than counting up to the answer
- division – and make sure they can recall the corresponding division facts, too
- measurement – do lots of measuring at home when ever an adult is using measures, whether length (compare journey distances in kilometres and miles); mass (weigh everyone in the family in kilograms each week); capacity (look at how much cartons of juice, bottles of milk etc hold)
- money – keep receipts and talk about the prices of things you’ve bought so your child has an idea of the value of things
In Year 3 the children are expected to know their 2, 3, 4 and 8 times tables. Therefore, we will continue to focus on one of these each week.
Don’t forget: your child has a log in to access Mathletics. I frequently monitor their usage and progress whilst also assigning certain tasks. Have a go at some of the activities to ensure your child is getting the best from this with your support!
Writing
Writing is key to our English lessons. We’ve already written reports about Samba and we’re soon to write promotions linked to our Time Travel topic.
Spellings this term will follow a similar structure to last term: ten spellings will be given but only eight will be tested. The words are set in line with the 2013 National Curriculum with a focus on the spelling patterns and root words.
How can you help?
- Little but often spelling practice is the best way to support your child. Try spelling the words aloud, writing the words, spotting the words in the books you read with your child etc.