Welcome to Year 3!
We are writing to share some reminders about life in year 3.
Our two classes are Hares class with Mrs Davies/Mrs Paxton and Rabbits class with Miss Ball/Miss Hedgecock. Our teaching assistants are Mrs Harwood, Ms Wilde, Mrs Upton and Mrs Bulla.
Curriculum and key dates
This term our project question is ‘How does it feel to experience change?’ We will be reading a variety of non-fiction texts about Romans and volcanoes and some exciting stories such as ‘Escape from Pompeii’. In science we will be exploring forces and magnets. We will be locating where in the world volcanoes and earthquakes are found and understanding how different types of volcanoes are formed. In Art we will be looking at Roman Mosaics and creating our own. In RE, during the first half term, we will try to answer the question ‘How have Christians changed the world?’ In the second half term we will be thinking about ‘Why do Christians call the day Jesus dies good?’
An overview of the curriculum can be found on the website at St Wilfrid's C of E Primary - Year Three (stwilfrids-hh.school)
Forest School sessions for Year 3 are on a Tuesday. The second group for Hares class have their final session this week on the 10th January, and the first Rabbits class group will start on the 17th January for six sessions, followed by the second group. A letter will go out to Rabbits class giving more information about this shortly. Mrs Davies will be running these sessions. If there are any adults who are keen to support with this, please let us know as we would be grateful for at least one more volunteer.
Here are a couple of key events for Spring term:
- Parents’ consultations – Tuesday 28 February & Thursday 2 March from 3:30-7:00pm.
- Roman Day – date to be confirmed.
KS2 celebration worship takes place on Friday afternoons, where one member of each class is chosen to receive a certificate for their work that week. The work of these children is shared and the rest of the key stage has a chance to hear about their achievements. You can view the celebration video on the school website.
Reading at home
Even when your child enjoys reading and reads well on their own, they still need to read aloud all the way through their Key Stage Two years. Books can be borrowed from the school library– and each year group has a selection of books that your child can borrow and read at home.
Every time you read at home, you (or your child) should fill in the page numbers/chapters read in their home school reading record. Children will be awarded value points for every occasion on which they read at home. When children have finished a book, they need to record the title of the book at the back of the reading diary so we have a record of the types of book they are reading.
Reading Rewards
Children can earn ‘Reading Reward’ time for reading at home and recording it in the reading diary. To receive this reward time, children need to read at home on at least five occasions during the week and log these.
Homework
English homework is set each month and is usually a written task, based on a prompt, such as a story opening or illustration. In addition, children will be set spellings on spelling shed to practise. These will be tested on a Thursday. They will be a mixture of words from the statutory ‘word lists’ and those with particular spelling patterns.
Maths homework is set every week on a Friday and needs to be completed by the following Thursday. This homework will be an activity on the website MyMaths based on what the children have been learning that week, revision of a prior concept or an introduction to a future concept. Children have been given their log-in details for MyMaths, but if these have been misplaced, please inform the class teacher.
Times tables and related division facts should be practised on an on-going basis, ideally a few minutes daily. ‘Times Tables Rockstars’ - Times Tables Rock Stars: Play (ttrockstars.com) - is an excellent website to use to practise these and children have been provided with logins to access this at home.This half term we will focus on the three times table and move on to the four times table after half term. By the end of Year 3 children are expected to know their 2, 5, 10, 3, 4- and 8-times tables with related division facts. These are also in the home school diaries.
All children are expected to complete and hand their homework in on time. If children are finding it difficult to complete their homework at home, they can choose to attend ‘Learning Links’ (homework club) for part of their lunchtime where they can receive support with their homework.
PE
PE in both classes is on a Monday (new day this term) and a Wednesday so please ensure your child comes into school in PE kits on those days each week. If there is any reason why your child cannot participate in a PE session, please let the class teacher know through the year three email address. As an alternative, or in addition to plimsolls, sports trainers are allowed in the Juniors. These are particularly useful during the winter months as it allows the field to be used for outside PE. PE is only cancelled in the event of heavy rain, icy or extremely cold conditions, therefore children can wear a pair of jogging bottoms (ideally navy). Children should wear school sweatshirts for PE. Children with pierced ears must be able to remove their own earrings or cover these with tape.
Water bottles and snacks
Please remember to bring in a named water bottle and a healthy fruit or savoury snack (for example, fresh fruit, a bagel, raisins) for break time. Just a reminder that a snack is no longer provided at breaktime for Key Stage 2 pupils. Please ensure any snacks and packed lunches are both nut and egg free.
Uniform
Please ensure your child has a waterproof coat in school every day. All clothing, including PE kit, should be labelled with your child’s surname. Children are expected to wear sensible, black shoes or trainers as part of the uniform. Lost property is located in the first aid area.
We are looking forward to a great Spring term. If at any point you have a message for your child’s teacher, please send us an email to year3@stwilfrids-hh.school as we check emails daily.
Please do contact us if you have any questions.
Best Wishes
Mrs Paxton, Mrs Davies and Miss Ball
