Year 3
Between the ever-changing weather, settling back into a routine and beginning exciting new topics, the children have shown plenty of enthusiasm and curiosity. We have also been reminding them of the importance of careful listening and following instructions – key skills we sometimes forget!
You may have noticed an additional task on the reverse of the spelling sheet. Our spelling test will take place next Wednesday. The optional task introduces the Year 3/4 statutory spellings, which are assessed in Year 4. Beginning to read, understand and spell them now will help the children grow in confidence and accuracy. Completed sheets may be brought in next Wednesday - not before - and children will earn raffle tickets for tackling these new words.
Our learning this week has included:
In English, we began with an assessment on how to be a model Year 3 pupil; something the children should be experts in by now! We also completed our persuasive writing topic with texts encouraging readers to visit Newmarket. In grammar, we explored main and subordinate clauses.
In maths, we finally reached the end of our work on time. We looked at duration, and explored different units of time.
In science, we launched our new forces topic, learning about push and pull contact forces and how they can make objects move, change shape, slow down or change direction. The children designed toys with push and pull features.
In history, we stepped back into Ancient Greece and discussed its lasting legacy, from architecture, language and sport to politics, sculpture and medicine.
In PSHE, Miss Spinks and the children discussed drugs that children may be familiar with, considering how some can be helpful while others can be harmful.
In PE, the summer season has begun aptly, with a session on throwing and catching skills in cricket.
In computing, we began “tinkering” in Scratch, exploring coding tools.
In French, the children translated and created sentences describing animals and giving opinions, such as: “Voici un serpent bleu et jaune. Je déteste ça.” (Here is a blue and yellow snake. I hate that). They were fantastic at placing the adjective after the noun and showed confidence in speaking.
In RE with Mrs Chittock, the children considered whether rules help us make good decisions. They explored the word “morality” and drew pictures of their conscience, including their “good angel” and “bad angel”.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Murphy and the Year 3 team
Year 4
Hello and welcome back to the last half-term for Year 4. It hardly seems like yesterday that we were all starting. This half-term is always a very busy one with Sports Day and transitions. What with he level of work the children have and the heat (maybe), they always find this half-term hard and tiring. Please be gentle with them after school and at weekends. May I also remind you that the stickers for recording reads are for school use only. Please do not write on them or tick them. May I also remind you that when writing reads in the reading record we need how many pages are read each day, not a blanket 'read lots'.
In our learning this week;-
Maths – We have learnt how to use the bus stop method for division. They have really enjoyed learning this. If you practice this at home, please do not choose numbers that you need to carry using the decimal point. On Wednesday, they were converting time from words to 24hr clock to 12 hour clock to an analogue clock.
English – We have written up our invention text for our 'Escape from Pompeii' text, we are now ready to move on to the next text. On Wednesday they had a reading comprehension session about making a pizza.
Topic – We looked at whether Pompeii should be a tourist attraction or not. We discussed and then debated the ethics of visiting Pompeii. The children enjoyed the debate and by the end, some of them changed their minds. They were very briefly introduced to their new topic – TITANIC.
RE - We looked at whether we need a rule to be able to make a good decision, then we looked more deeply at the word Morality. The children then drew pictures of their conscience (their good angel and their bad angel).
Science – Still looking at states of matter, the children started an experiment about evaporation. It is set up in the classroom and the children will be checking it daily.
Dates for the Diary;-
Monday 15th June - Nature talk
Wednesday 17th June – Sports Day
Have a great weekend
Mrs Chittock and the Year 4 team
Year 5
This week in maths we have been calculating percentages. For this, we use something called the bubble method to help us organise our thinking. There has been lots of dividing by 2, 10 and 100, which has given us a chance to practice these skills. The children have been so good with this method and have been able to calculate some tricky percentages using it.
In English, we have been looking at formal letters of complaint. We read a letter I wrote about a faulty car, analysed the features, 'talked about the text map' and planned their own letter about a faulty bike. We've tried hard to keep our complaints rational and with the right level of emotion.
In History, we started our new topic – how the Victorians revolutionised medicine. We started by thinking about what the Victorians knew about illness and disease and learnt about the 2 most prominent theories.
In Science, we have started looking at forces. We thought about what forces do and which ones we experience day-to-day. We then labelled some pictures of activities with the appropriate forces.
In Computing, we thought about how to be accurate when using a search engine. We watched a rather extraordinary video by Ruff Ruffman about this. They do have lots of other videos about e-safety, AI, safe texting etc if you'd like to have a look. I've linked to their website above.
World Cup fever has hit Y5! We have a class sweepstake, with everyone having a team to support. Having 48 teams in the initial competition means we were able to involve lots of other school adults in our sweepstake.
Lots of children have updated their TTR avatars with their team's football kits. Miss Murphy was much happier with her team (France) than Mrs Crook was with hers (Uzbekistan)! It has been funny to see children discuss their upcoming matches and chances of winning. We will have some 'keepers of the chart' who will be responsible for updated the rather complicated wall chart.
Have a great weekend. Remember, we are meeting at Newmarket Academy between 8:35 and 8:45 on Monday morning for our session there.
Miss Rutter, Mrs Grosvenor and Mrs Marsh.
Year 6
It has been another busy and productive week in Year 6, with the children continuing to embrace new challenges and opportunities as we move towards the end of their primary school journey.
One of the highlights of the week has undoubtedly been the start of rehearsals for our production of The Wind in the Willows. The children have approached their roles with enthusiasm and commitment, and it has been wonderful to see their confidence growing as they begin bringing the characters to life. We are already looking forward to seeing the production develop over the coming weeks.
In Geography, we have been exploring climate and weather patterns by creating and interpreting climate graphs. The children compared the climates of Brazil and the United Kingdom, analysing similarities and differences in temperature and rainfall throughout the year.
Our RE lessons have focused on Humanism. The children have been learning about the key beliefs and principles that underpin a humanist worldview, exploring how Humanists make moral decisions and what they believe gives meaning and purpose to life.
In PSHE, we have been considering how to manage emotions during periods of change and transition. With secondary school now firmly on the horizon, the children reflected on the feelings that change can bring and discussed practical strategies for managing worries, building resilience and maintaining a positive outlook.
Science saw the children investigating paper helicopters. Through careful observation and testing, they explored how changing different variables affected the helicopters' descent. The children worked scientifically by making predictions, conducting fair tests and drawing conclusions from the evidence they collected.
Computing was another highlight this week. The children have been creating their own animations, demonstrating impressive creativity alongside growing technical skills. It has been fantastic to see them experimenting with different techniques and taking pride in producing engaging and imaginative digital projects.
We have also begun our transition meetings and it has been a pleasure to welcome staff from several of the secondary schools our pupils will be attending in September. These meetings provide a valuable opportunity to ensure that every child is supported as they prepare for the next stage of their education, and the children have represented themselves brilliantly throughout the process.
A reminder, please, to return your child's signed permission slip for the forthcoming Crucial Crew visit. It is a truly worthwhile experience that provides children with valuable knowledge and practical skills to help them navigate a range of real-life situations safely and confidently.
Finally, please continue to keep us informed about any transition visits or changes to transition arrangements. The diary for the next few weeks is exceptionally full and, organising everything has felt rather like a game of Jenga!
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Nuala Gilmore
