Uncategorised

09 December 2011

The homework this week is talk time and is due in on Wednesday 14th December.

I know what Christmas means to different people.

I want you to have a discussion at home about what Christmas means to different people. Try to think of lots of different people but if you’re struggling, here are some suggestions:

• Christians
• other faiths
• people who don’t have a particular faith

09 December 2011

Spelling Rule:

This week’s spellings include all the spellings the children have done on suffixes over the past 3 weeks. The children will be tested on spellings they have been set from the previous lists (suffix al, ary and ic).

This week’s phonemes and ‘Tricky Words’

The last phonemes in Phase 2 are f, l, b, h. This week we will be assessing the children to see who is ready for the next phase. Children should know all the sounds (phonemes) of the letters learnt so far and be able to blend (read) and segment (spell) a word like s-a-t. We call these ‘cvc’ (consonant, vowel, consonant) words.

Don’t worry if your child is not able to blend and segment yet. We will continue to practise these phonemes and skills and remember it does take some children a little longer to be able to do this.

This week, the ‘tricky words’ to learn are I, no, go. A fun way to learn these is to play ‘pairs’. Write each word out twice and take  turns to turn over two words at a time trying to find a matching pair.

Don’t worry if they get some wrong! These are hard to remember – they need plenty of practice.

02 December 2012

To spell words with the ‘sh’ sound.

These words will be tested on Friday 9th December.

02 December 2011

This week’s homework is Practice Makes Perfect – to complete an addition worksheet.

You will find the worksheet in your child’s homework book.

This homework is due on Wednesday 7th December.

Another big well done to…

…everyone in Year 3.

I was so proud of the class during our recent Ofsted inspection. They weren’t bothered by our visitors at all. They showed off what fantastic learners they are and the inspectors were very impressed by their enthusiasm for learning. Special praise must go to Madison, Amie and Abigail who amazed the inspectors with their mature and articulate answers to the inspectors’ questions.

A massive well done to…

Holly Stevenson!

Holly recently took part in a gymnastics competition. It was only her second ever competition but she still managed to scoop four medals and five certificates. Well done, Holly. We’ll be looking out for you in the Olympics in a few years!

02 December 2011

The homework this week is creative and is due in on Wednesday 07 December.

I can show what I have learnt about fractions.

We’ve been learning about fractions in maths this week. We’ve mainly focussed on finding fractions of shapes. The children’s task is to show off what they have learnt. They could:

• Create and solve some fraction problems.
• Show what they know in a series of pictures or drawings.
• Write some fraction word problems.
• Make a poster giving information about fractions.
• Compose a fraction song or poem.

02 December

We’re looking at plurals this week. Some of the spellings are made into a plural by just adding s. The others you have to add es to make into a plural. You add es if you hear an extra syllable.

The spellings will be tested on Friday 09 December.

You could earn our school an extra £488!

Did you know for every child registered as entitled to Free School Meals, our school will get extra money from the Government? Claim now to make sure we don’t miss out!

The Government is giving money to schools to help children from lower income families do their very best. This funding is called a ‘Pupil Premium’. For every child registered, Moortown Primary School gets £488 this year. With this money we could, for example…

• give extra tuition after school for certain pupils
• help fund the purchase of extra sports equipment
• support parents at difficult times.

If you are registered for Free School Meals you could also get help with the cost of school trips or music tuition. Please get a claim in before Christmas to make sure your child and others in their class don’t miss out.

How do I claim?

1. Check if you’re entitled – you don’t have to be unemployed to qualify. Students and people working less than 16 hours a week can also get Free School Meals. Take a look through the list below.
2. You may not need to fill in a full claim form. Everyone in Leeds already getting help with their rent or Council Tax will automatically be considered for Free School Meals. If you’re already getting help and think you might qualify for Free School Meals but haven’t heard, simply ring the Benefits Helpline on 0113 222 4404 and they’ll tell you what you need to do.
3. If you haven’t claimed in Leeds before, phone the Benefits Helpline for an application form. Alternatively call in and get one from any Council One Stop Centre. One Stop Centre staff can also help you fill the form in.
4. The claim form can also be downloaded from www.direct.gov.uk.

What are the benefits?

• Your child can have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime, saving you more than £350 a year in dinner money or saving you the hassle of preparing a packed lunch everyday.
• Once you’ve been told you qualify for Free School Meals, the Council will also consider you for a School Clothing Grant of up to £37.50 per child, even if you don’t want your child to take the meals.
• Getting Free School Meals will not affect any other benefits you are receiving and you can claim in confidence.
• Most importantly, the school gets an extra £488 to spend for every child that has a Free School Meal award in place, regardless of whether they take it up.

We understand the reasons why some parents may not like to claim. Often people see claiming their entitlement to Free School Meals as “charity” and would prefer to provide sandwiches etc. However, we can only claim the ‘Pupil Premium’ on behalf of pupils who have a Free School Meal award in place.

Please contact Paula O’Malley or Nicky Russell in our School Office or Julie Wilson, our Learning Support Mentor, if you’d like to discuss Free School Meals.

Do I qualify?

• Your child will qualify for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits:
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
• Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit