Year 3
It’s been a fantastic week of learning in Year 3. As reflected in the home learning theme, we got hands-on in science by carefully dissecting flowers to identify and understand their key parts and functions in plant reproduction. A gentle reminder was shared: any further explorations at home should only be carried out with adult permission - particularly when it comes to flower picking and not using sharp tools without supervision!
We would greatly appreciate your continued support in helping your child achieve the minimum five reads per week. Despite our best efforts, Booster the Bear has eluded us all year, and it’s going to take 6–7 reads to finally bring him to Year 3!
This week in English, we’ve been sharpening our grammatical awareness by identifying a wide range of word classes - nouns, adjectives, verbs, conjunctions, prepositions… the list goes on. The children have also been planning persuasive texts to encourage others to visit a location of their choice - with many enthusiastically choosing marvellous Moulton!
In maths, we wrapped up our fractions unit with consolidation activities and a mini-assessment, and I’m delighted to report that the children performed brilliantly. Their progress in times tables and maths targets continues to impress me - yesterday’s class review was a proud teacher moment.
In DT, we’ve been ‘threading our way’ through the art of sewing, learning cross-stitch techniques and mastering the start-and-finish method using multiple running stitches in the same spot - no small feat!
In PSHE, Miss Spinks led thoughtful discussions about healthy eating choices, while in RE, Mrs Chittock guided the class through Bible passages on 'Salt and Light' and explored the concept of 'Mission' in Christianity. The children sharpened their tennis skills in the sunshine with Mrs Crook in PE. Finally, in French, we re-told the story Le navet énorme and tested our vocabulary with a lively game of Morpion (noughts and crosses en français!).
Have a super weekend.
The Year 3 team (Miss Murphy, Mrs Troughton and Mrs Dobson)
Year 4
It's been a funny old week, having that extra day off throws everyone. We have soldiered on though. Not sure how we will cope with having to do 2 whole weeks! ??
Our learning this week:
Maths - The children have been working with decimals and fractions with Mrs Chittock and with Mrs Harper they were looking at polygons and looking at properties etc.
English - We have looked at the text map for the imitation of our focused text of Escape from Pompeii alongside some work with pronouns. With Mrs Harper, the children looked at a reading comprehension about VE Day.
Topic - We started to investigate who might be to blame for the Titanic sinking in such a tragic way, and we will continue this next week.
Music - The children were starting to plan a composition around the rainforest, thinking about sounds they might hear etc.
RE - Continuing with Christianity and looking at Mission, the children looked at the importance of salt and light to Christians.
Science - The children were describing how animals adapt to their environment, looking at animals from different habitats.
It is looking like the weather will improve again over the weekend, so enjoy yourselves,
Have a great weekend,
Mrs Chittock and the Year 4 team.
Year 5
This week in maths we have been looking at shape. Shape can be tricky because it has its own vocabulary which differs depending on if the shape is 2D or 3D. We've been recognising quadrilaterals and drawing 2D shapes precisely, marking on the parallel lines.
In English, we made inferences about 6 of the major characters in Oliver Twist, using photos of them from the musical and Dickens' own descriptions of them. We then spent 2 lessons acting out scenes where Oliver met the Artful Dodger and then Fagin. There were some great attempts at cockney accents, characterisation and movement. I am feeling optimistic about the Y5/6 play at the end of this term.
In science, we looked at the reproductive cycles of birds and reptiles. They're similar because they both lay eggs, but there are lots of differences in how the offspring are raised!
In History, we looked at what Britain was like when Victoria came to the throne. It's fair to say it was ripe for change! We held our 'Scratch Games' showcase on Wednesday lunchtime, which was really well attended. Several members of KS1 have asked if we'll be doing it again because they loved playing the game so much.
Next week will be a bit topsy-turvy for Year 5 because Year 6 will be sitting their SATs tests. To make sure everything is nice and quiet for Y6, Y5 will decamp to the hall for their morning lessons next week. I am involved in the administering of the SATs so Y5 will spend their mornings with Mrs Marsh and Mrs Nichols. We have talked about this as a class and the children have a note in their reading record book to remind them. We will still be swimming on Friday!
Our Star Reader numbers have dipped in recent weeks. We used to be regularly up in the high 90s, but we've been struggling to hit 80 for the past few weeks. We have lots of children who are reading 5 times - it would be great if they could squeeze an extra read in to give them star reader status.
Have a lovely weekend - the sun is back!
Miss Rutter, Mrs Marsh and Mrs Nichols
Year 6
This week, Year 6 have been hard at work across all subjects, showing great focus and enthusiasm as we move through our final term!
In maths, we’ve been revising our understanding of statistics. The children have been interpreting bar charts, line graphs, and pie charts, and have practised drawing their own too. They’ve shown increasing confidence in analysing data and answering reasoning questions with clarity.
In English reading lessons, we’ve focused on developing key comprehension skills. The class have been learning to infer meaning, explain vocabulary in context, and retrieve evidence from the text to support their answers. Their discussions have shown maturity and thoughtful interpretation. In writing, we stepped into the shoes of Adeline from Chinese Cinderella to write powerful diary entries. The children really impressed us with their ability to write with emotion and empathy, capturing Adeline’s feelings and voice with sensitivity and imagination.
In science, we carried out a fascinating chromatography experiment to explore how mixtures can be separated. The children were amazed to see the hidden colours in ink revealed on filter paper and loved acting like real scientists while drawing conclusions from their observations.
We are fully ready to embrace the challenges of next week. We are exceptionally proud of your children and how far the progress they have made this year.
There is no compulsory homework this weekend, but as some children have requested it, I have set some tasks on edshed which will give them some immediate feedback.
I am sending home a spelling rules revision booklet for the children to peruse at their leisure.
Well done, Year 6 – a fantastic week of learning!
Nuala Gilmore
