Year 3

Friday 20th September

It has been an intense week for the class with assessments in Maths, Grammar, spelling and reading. The children have worked really hard and whilst it has felt quite tiring, it will provide very helpful in showing us what the children know already and what they need to learn or go over. Ultimately, it informs our planning!

In Maths, we have managed to complete a few MNP lessons on adding. The children have tried using two methods to add numbers together: the numberline and expanded columns (using diennes). They have successfully managed to add ones and then add tens to a three digit number. Well done, Class 3.  

In English, the children have looked at using commas in a list. I must say they have done this very successfully! The children listed the different items in Stig's den and even used some interesting adjectives to captivate the reader.

In topic work, the children have enjoyed designing and then making pots out of clay. A great way to end a busy week of assessments. Photos to follow!

It was great to see some of you at the curriculum meeting on Wednesday afternoon - both in person and virtually. I have attached the curriculum handout for you but you should have also received one in your bag. 

Just to reiterate a few key points from that meeting:-

1. Please can you remember to check the classpage for updates. It helps keep you informed and saves several emails through the week.

2. In regards to a reading book, the children need to bring their reading book to school and from school every day. There will be pockets of time through the week that they can read their book so they do need it everyday. Please also remember to write in how they got on with the book.

3. Please can all children complete their Atom baseline assessment (WITHOUT ANY HELP) for both Maths and English at home this weekend. As I mentioned in the meeting, if you help them with an answer, the algorithms will be affected and their future homework will be too difficult. 

4. Anyone that would like to help with Guided Reading on either Tues, Thurs or Friday afternoons, please speak to either one of us or email via the office. Any help is hugely appreciated!

Dates this week:- 

Bookfair every day 3:30-4:00pm - please remember to visit it as the up to 60p in every £1 you spend is given back to our school in free books. For exmaple, we have a Y3 class set of Stig of the Dump due to the commission gained on previous book fairs.

Flute group on Tuesday  - those in the group, please remember your flute. Thank you.

Homework

- Thank you to those that sent in pictures (and the multiple optional homework of book reviews!) that are now up in our book corner. If you didn't get a chance to send one in, please can it be brought in on Monday. 

- Atom baseline tests for both Maths and English completed (as mentioned above) 

The class are a keen bunch to learn, which has been great, but have been very chatty this week. So our aim for next week will be to really listen carefully and not speak over the members of staff - perhaps you could reiterate this at home. 

Many thanks for your support and have a wonderful weekend, 

Mrs Ralph and Mrs Thompson 

Friday 13th September 

Well done everyone on another great week at school! 

In Maths, the children have enjoyed exploring number patterns, counting on in 1s and 100s as well as 4s and 8s. The children are doing really well with the faster pace of lessons. We have to fit more in during lessons and have more opportunity to explain their working out rather than just writing the correct answer. This is a big difference between KS1 and KS2 in maths. The children have yellow maths journals which allow then to answer big questions, such as, How did you know to put the 2 in the hundreds column? Which method worked best for you and why? Don't worry if your child finds this difficult at the moment, the more practice, the more confident they will become. 

In English, the children have enjoyed exploring the character Stig in our class text. We had good conversations about how we know he looks like a caveman and what the text says. Children have had to use their good inference skills in reading to find the answers in the book. The children also enjoyed using adjectives to describe him and I continue to be impressed with their writing. Well done, Year 3! In GPS lessons, the children enjoy doing 'Mrs Ralph's karate punctuation' each day to remind them of the different punctuation they need to know. Why not challenge your child to act it out to you....watch out for the punches!

In RE, we have started our learning of the people of God within Christianity and how God chose different people to help the world. First up is Noah and we enjoyed acting out the story of the Big Flood together - just sorry there are no photos! 

In topic, the children continue to learn about the Stone Age and the tools they used as well as their settlements. We look forward to our trip in a couple of weeks which will really help consolidate their learning. I now have enough parent volunteers, thank you to those that have offered. 

Flutes - as mentioned in my email, Year 3 pupils get the opportunity to learn a musical instrument for ten sessions as part of the MusicPlus funding from Kent Music. Please see photos of the first group enjoying their first session this week.  

Homework

The class will be set with regular homework on Atom learning but I will explain a bit more about this at the curriculum meeting. For now, please just keep hold of your logins. 

THIS WEEK - Please can you take a photo of your child reading a book/magazine in their favourite place. e.g. the garden, their bedroom, a teepee, a treehouse, the car, etc. It would be really helpful if you could print out this photo and bring in on Monday 16th September. It saves me getting 30 emails! No bigger than an A5 piece of paper please as it is for our book corner which is now looking really welcoming and cosy. Thank you! Extra (but optional!) homework is to write a short book review on their favourite book - this should be handwritten in pen and your child will gain some housepoints as well as points for their table team! I have attached a template to this classpage or the children can just write a paragraph if they prefer. 

Reading books - children will have come home with a reading book in the book corner. I will explain how this works at the curriculum meeting but for now, ensure they read this book to you (not all of it but a few pages here and there) and please write a comment in the yellow reading diaries. You only need to return this book once your child has finished it rather than each week. 

Dates to remember:- 

Year 3 curriculum meeting - Wednesday 18th, 2:30-3:00pm, in Class 3. Zoom details for those that can't come have been sent by email. 

Have a great weekend, 

Mrs Ralph and Mrs Thompson 

Friday 6th September, 2024. 

WELCOME TO YEAR 3!

It has been lovely to meet the children and teach them this week. They have done very well settling back into school life and adjusting to KS2 timings. I am sure they will sleep well tonight for you!

In Maths, we have recapped our understanding of place value, using manipulatives to help us with this. The children have explored large two digit numbers as well as three digit numbers. They have also looked at number patterns and put three digit numbers in order. 

In English, we have written postcards to the children at Bondeni school, Tanzania, all about ourselves. Not only has it been a good writing task, it has also been helpful for me in getting to know the children. These postcards are going to be hand delivered (!) to the children in Tanzania next week. We are hoping they will write back - watch this space! Our class book for this term is Stig of the Dump which fits perfectly with our topic, see below. The children will also be studying the book, The First Drawing by Mordicai Gerstein, which looks at the Stone Age and cave paintings so again, very in keeping with our topic. 

Our two topics for this term are Through the Ages and Prehistoric Pots. The children have got a fantastic trip booked on Wednesday 2nd October at Knole Park where the children will explore the Stone Age through fun hands-on workshops, including handling prehistoric tools and weapons as well as building dens. More details to follow but if any parents would like to help, please let the office know.  

Thank you to all the children (and parents!) for remembering to bring in PE kit on Wednesdays. It all went smoothly this week!

A reminder that further to Mrs Haysom's letter, Year 3 pupils can wear their PE kit for Forest school days. We would like them to come into school in their usual school uniform, bringing their PE kit with them, but change before they head off. The usual FS gear will be required too, especially with these autumnal showers!

Dates for the diary

Weekly timetable attached below

Year 3 curriculum meeting - Wednesday 18th September, 2:30-3:00pm

Harvest service - Tuesday 1st October, 9:15am

Year 3 class trip to Knole Park - Wednesday 2nd October (parent helpers will be required)

Homework and Reading 

There will be no homework or spellings/times tables to learn at home for the next couple of weeks. We will be assessing where the children are before we do this so for now, please just keep up any reading for pleasure at home. 

As per my recent email, erasable blue pens in a (named) pencil case for Monday please. Thank you for all being on board with this, the children seem very excited to all be able to write in pen from the start!   

Reading books will be sent home from next week and more details to follow on this.

Request

1. If you have any children's magazines that are finished with e.g. national geograpahic, junior week or Storytime/Aquilla. Then please could you pass them onto Year 3 for our book corner? Reading doesn't always have to be a book! 

 2. If anyone has any spare cushions or small rugs to spruce up our book corner, then we'd be so grateful. 
 

Have a super weekend, 

Mrs Ralph and Mrs Thompson