Year 3
Despite the sizzling summer sunshine, Year 3 remained cool (-ish), calm and productive this week - helped, of course, by the blissful air conditioning in our classroom.
Although I was unable to attend Sports Day myself, Mrs Shipp brought glowing reports. From speedy races to team spirit, both the children and adults of Year 3 were absolutely brilliant. A huge well done to all involved.
As we inch closer to the end of term, it’s clear Year 3 are shaping up for their next big adventure: Year 4! Let’s keep that momentum going with regular reading, times tables practice, and a final push on maths targets. The progress so far has been fantastic, and we’re aiming to finish the year on a high note.
This week, imagination took flight as the children invented their own mythical creatures and practised writing direct speech inspired by the Greek myths. They explored new ways to replace “said” and punctuated dialogue with increasing precision. They also tackled a reading comprehension based on Sports Day.
We’ve finally reached the end of time (mathematically speaking!). The children explored duration, converted units of time, and tackled a range of word problems in our end-of-unit quiz.
In history, we met Hippocrates, the ancient Greek “Father of Medicine”. The children explored his legacy - from believing in natural causes of illness to laying the ethical foundations still followed by doctors today. They recorded his achievements in writing.
In the world of computing, Year 3 discovered the power of loops in Scratch. By using repeating code blocks, they created looping sound patterns (we’ll generously call it “music”!) and began to think like real programmers - efficient and logical.
Our Ancient Greek art unit saw the children complete pencil designs for traditional Athenian pots, using authentic patterns and thoughtful colour schemes. The attention to detail has been impressive.
The children composed melodies with special guest Mrs Grosvenor using the pentatonic rhythm, drawing inspiration from the vibrant music of traditional Chinese dragon dances.
Mrs Chittock and the children continued their exploration of Sikhism, building a deeper understanding of the beliefs, traditions, and values that shape this faith.
With Aladdin’s magical wishes as our guide, we explored the difference between using “a” (un/une) and “the” (le/la/les) in French. A linguistic adventure with a genie twist!
A fun PE session led by Mrs Crook was well-earned and thoroughly enjoyed by all.
As always, thank you for your continued support at home. We’re looking forward to a strong finish to what has been a brilliant year!
The Year 3 team (Miss Murphy, Mrs Troughton and Mrs Dobson)
Year 4
Sports Day
Wow, didn't they do well, and on such a hot day! I know the staff are proud of all the children. I hope you feel proud of your child/ren too. A big thank you too to Miss Rutter and Mrs Crook for the organisation of the day, and to you the parents for coming and supporting your child/ren.
With this heatwave the children are finding things more tiring. There are more niggles and things are less bearable generally, I am reminding the children to show patience 'it's the heat' and maybe you could help with this message at home.
In our learning this week;-
Maths - We continued with looking at Money, working out change and problem solving. With Mrs Harper the children converted analogue times to digital.
English - The children planned and wrote a story in the style of 'Escape from Pompeii' but about another historical event they have learnt about.
DT - We have started to make a slingshot car. Lots of glueing!
Titanic - The children looked more at the classes aboard the Titanic and where they were on board the ship. They then considered how this may have affected their survival chances.
Science - the children made posters to share their knowledge of solids, liquids and gases.
PHSE - The children were talking about feelings and emotions.
French - The children recapped words for family members, learnt the different words for ‘my’ (mon, ma, mes) and when to use them correctly.
RE - The children have started a new unit about Sikhism. It is a unit we started earlier in the year and are now revisiting, 'How do Sikhs put their beliefs about equality into practice?'
Please, please could you double-check before your child leaves you that they have a hat. We still, even in this heat, have children coming to school without a hat. We play on the field. If you came to Sports Day, you will see there is no shade on the field. I don't want anyone becoming poorly getting sun stroke. I had it a few years ago and it is really unpleasant.
Have a lovely weekend, keeping as cool as you can,
Mrs Chittock and the year 4 team.
Year 5
Play rehearsals have started with great enthusiasm and gusto! Children are busy learning lines, cues, dances. We would like all Y5 children to be 'off book' by the end of next week! Costume information will be sent out shortly.
It was wonderful to see so many of you enjoying Sports Day - despite the heat! I was so proud of how the children conducted themselves in all the different events.
Congratulations to our Challenger team members on their team win. In Swimming this week, the children took part in 'Drowning Prevention' week, an initiative led by the RLSS. The session was lots of fun. They recapped what to do if they fell in cold water, how to float, how to form a huddle with friends and practised swimming through choppy water.
We've focused on maths this week. We've been learning about different types of angles and how to calculate missing angles on straight lines and in triangles. The 'magic number' for both angles on a straight line and angles in a triangle is 180, which made our calculations simpler. In History, we learnt about the first medical development that helped revolutionised medicine. Louis Pasteur's discovery of 'Germ Theory' helped doctors understand what was really causing illness so they could create better cures.
In Science, we looked at some concept cartoons and used our scientific understanding to discuss who was right and which scientific ideas they were misunderstanding. We had a really interesting discussion in RE today about what people believe happens after death. We shared some different religious and non-religious views. We discussed how people's views are very individual and members of the same family can have very different views. We also talked about how sometimes your views aren't logical; you just believe what you believe.
Have a great weekend,
Miss Rutter, Mrs Marsh, Mrs Nichols
Year 6
It’s been another busy and exciting week in Year 6!
In Science, the children thoroughly enjoyed conducting the Skittles experiment, exploring how different liquids affect the colour patterns. There was lots of curiosity and scientific thinking as they made predictions and observed the fascinating results.
In Computing, the children have been getting creative by designing and developing their own animations. It’s been brilliant to see their ideas come to life through coding and digital design.
In RE, we have been taking time to reflect on our hopes, wishes, and dreams—for ourselves and for others. The children have shown great empathy and thoughtfulness during these discussions.
In English, we have continued to focus on writing balanced arguments. Children are becoming more confident in presenting different viewpoints and justifying their opinions clearly and persuasively.
In Maths, we’ve been exploring different methods for multiplication and applying our learning in a creative spirals project, combining mathematical thinking with art.
In PSHE, our focus has been on learning about puberty. We were incredibly impressed with the children’s mature behaviour, thoughtful questions, and respectful discussions throughout these important lessons.
We are also hard at work rehearsing for our end-of-year performance—the excitement is building, and we can’t wait to share it with you soon!
Finally, a huge well done to all the children for their fantastic attitude, effort, and behaviour on Sports Day. If you were able to join us, we hope you had a wonderful time celebrating their achievements.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Mrs Gilmore & the year 6 team
