'Whoever is happy will make others happy too' Anne Frank

This week the children have been real Sadie Spiders, showing great resilience in their learning, particularly in Maths where they have come across a new strategy to help them bridge over to the tens column when adding, in preparing for adding two digit numbers. In English, the children have been exploring descriptive language and how we can use adjectives, nouns, verbs and adverbs to describe snowy settings, like the ones found in the ‘Ice Cat’ novel. Some of their setting descriptions are truly beautiful and reflect just how much they have learnt from out book study over the last few weeks.

Towards the end of the week we have been immersed in our Science learning. The children have developed their co-operative skills by working in small groups to research and find out more about the bones in the human skeleton. The classroom has been buzzing with focus and enthusiasm, as new facts have been uncovered. On Friday our detective hats came on as we discovered a very large handprint. Many questions were asked and we became pretty certain that the handprint belonged to a giant! This led us towards an investigation…“Do taller people have longer handprints taller?”

Let’s Celebrate!

A Co-operative and Enthusiastic learner : Erin

What a bundle of joy you are Erin. Alongside your enthusiasm you are such a caring member of our class family. You work with others with such love and compassion, always supporting your partner and encouraging them to keep trying. Thank you Erin, for always being the kind and caring girl that you are. We appreciate this kindness every day and as we watch you and listen to your words of encouragement… our hearts are full of joy and love.

An Creative learner :Benjamin

Thank you for always taking such care and attention with your work Benjamin, you always put 100% effort and this never goes unnoticed. Every single day, in every discussion we have, you think so deeply and share your creative ideas, which we always love to hear! Thank you for your enthusiasm, your creativity and your focus, you are an absolute delight to teach. Keep reaching for the stars…. You are already shining so brightly.

Notices…

• Homework is given out on a Friday and due in again on a Thursday- there are a number of children who are not completing this, please could you encourage this at home, many thanks.

Year 3 21.1.22 - "Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning" - William Arthur Ward

It’s been a jam-packed week for us in Year 3! Today we finished our class novel as we read and unpicked the final chapter together. We have had drama and debates as we have come to learn more about Tom and how he learnt to handle his emotions. The children have had to think deeply to understand the reasons for Tom’s actions, something which proved to be a bit of a challenge to begin with. I have been so impressed with their creative minds when constructing their sentences, we really do have many super writers!

We have continued to be curious and active learners, this week with the help of our wonderful parish priest, Father Peter. He joined us for a special virtual call and the children asked him different questions that they have been curious to wonder about. The children loved seeing Father Peter and listened with such interest to his wise words.

Let’s Celebrate!

A Focused and Enthusiastic learner : Gabriella

You have had a super week! It has been so nice to hear others in our class notice your kind actions throughout the week. During our class council one of your class friends shared how you had made them feel special by smiling at them during lunch time and playing so nicely with them. You have also been trying SO hard to focus during our lessons and we have really noticed this, particularly in your writing!

An Enthusiastic learner : Ola

What can we say Ola?! You are such an enthusiastic learner. Watching you during your music lesson this week was just wonderful, your enthusiasm was shining so brightly! You have shown this same excitement towards your writing by listening carefully, participating during our discussions and getting fully immersed in our drama, acting out scenes from our novel. Well done Ola, keep up the great work!

Notices…

• We are starting to get a collection of water bottles in class with no name on. Please could you make sure all bottles and snack pots that children bring in have their names on, it really does help to send them home if they get left.

• Homework is given out on a Friday and due in again on a Thursday- there are a number of children who are not completing this, please could you encourage this at home, many thanks.

Finally, once again in music the children have been so enthusiastic (our little Bobby bees!) and are desperate to share with you another piece of music, this time they have had to focus carefully listening to the beat of the music.

Year 3 blog 12.11.21 - '95% of what a child learns is through direct experience'

Wow what a week we have had in Year 3! We started the week in the woods, where we learnt so much about the Stone Age way of life, learning through play and experience, giving the children a broader approach to their History topic. We were all so impressed with the way they all worked together to build their shelters, communicating, planning and reflecting on how they can make their shelters strong enough. Just a few of our favourite pictures below …

Year 3 Learning this week …

We really don’t think we could have fit any more learning in to one week… the children have been so engaged and focused, that we have been able to fill our timetable of exciting learning! In History this week, we have been finishing off our History topic before we move on to our Geography topic of the Arctic. This week the children have studied evidence that was found at an Iron Age settlement in Danebury in Hampshire and have been detectives on a mission to find out and report who and why 52 bodies were found at an Iron Age Fort, Maiden Castle. The children worked in groups to study evidence carefully placed around the room, where they had to fill in a report and come up with their own theories…

In Maths this week we have been using representatives and models to make 1, 10 and 100 less or more than a three digit number. In English we have started looking at Non-fiction texts in preparation for our non-chronological report writing. The children have analysed texts, looking at their purpose, audience, language and structure. Year 3 are loving their music lessons with our music specialist Mrs Mallinson, last half term they were learning about how to hold a pulse and beat, take a look at the videos below to get a sneaky peak of what they have been learning in class …

Let’s Celebrate!

A reflective and focused learner Jacob :

You are such a beautifully behaved member of our class Jacob. Alongside this you are also so incredibly focused, and we are loving hearing you wonderful ideas more during our discussions. Keep focusing carefully and reflecting on your learning… you are going to continue to go from strength to strength. Well done Jacob!

A determined learner Ola :

A huge well done for always showing such determination and focus during your learning. You have been determined to master cursive handwriting, showing  such care towards the presentation of your work, your cursive handwriting in now beautiful!  Well done Ola, we are so proud of you!

Notices…

• WELLIES… we are trying to use our outdoor space more, which means that some playtimes we might be using the field. Could children please bring in a pair of wellies that they can keep in school? Could all wellies be clearly labelled with their names and in a plastic bag that is also labelled with their name, that they can hang on their pegs.

• You may remember that a month or so ago, we placed a letter on the blog explaining all about our HRSE curriculum in school and stated that Year 3 will be starting the Kidsafe HRSE programme after the Christmas holidays. However, due to having such a great impact on the children in Year 5 who started it this term, we have decided as a school that each class will deliver the sessions in Autumn 2. Year 3 will be starting this next week, so please take time to read the information in the attached letter if you haven’t done so already, many thanks.

Our Stone Age Trip to Brockholes ...

Year 3 had a wonderful school trip yesterday, where we really experienced what life was like in Stone Age times. I think you can tell by all of the smiley faces what a fantastic day we all had! We worked as a team to build a shelter, made fires using flint and steel, tried out our hunting techniques using wooden stars and did our very own cave paintings on rocks.

Mrs Harrison’s group …

Miss Bassett’s group …

Miss Woodrow’s group …

Mrs Russell and Mrs Carr’s group …

Our School trip is nearly here...

Just in case you wanted to have another look at blog from a few weeks ago to remind you of our school trip next week, I have reposted it below.

If your child usually has a school meal on Mondays then they will get a packed lunch provided for them. If for some reason you do not want this, rather than wasting a meal, please email us and let us know.

Year 3 will be going on a trip on Monday 8th November, as part of our Stone Age History topic. It is going to be a fun, jam-packed day, of shelter building, fire lighting and much more! This trip is an amazing day out, that really helps the children to see what life was like during the Stone Age period and how people survived. The day will be spent at Brockholes, Preston and the entire day will be spent outdoors, which we know the children will love. Obviously, with the trip taking place in November (we are being brave!), this will mean the children will have to wear suitable clothing, dressed for the weather and the outdoors. Children, on this day, may wear their own clothes, that they are not bothered about getting dirty. They will need to wear warm, waterproof clothing and boots or wellies. We will be leaving 9am and arriving back at school at 3pm, which means children will need a packed lunch for the day. If your child usually has a hot dinner on this day, then a packed lunch will be provided by Jackie, but we would need to know the choice of filling for the sandwiches the week before. The total cost of the school trip is £15, which covers the cost of the trip itself and the transport. Please can this be paid before half term, via Parent Pay.

Many thanks.

What a lovely half term we have had!

Thank you so much for all of your support throughout the term and a big thank you for meeting with us today, albeit virtually, to share your child’s wonderful learning. We have had such a lovely half term with your children.

The children really wanted to share with you what they have been learning in RE this half term. Miss Woodrow has very kindly put together this video for you all to enjoy…

Have a relaxing half term. We look forward to seeing you all on Monday 1st November!

God bless!

Year 3 08.10.21 - 'Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again' Nelson Mandela

It’s been all about the writing this week and wow what resilience and pure determination Year 3 have shown this week! Lots of mistakes were made, however, the children each day listened to their feedback, reflected on their errors and got straight back to their learning to improve and with great success! True learners know they have to make mistakes, learn from them and try again- this is, of course, when we learn the most! We have had another great week in class, with lots of hard work, reflective minds and positive attitudes!

Year 3 Learning this week …

The children have worked so hard on their writing this week in English. We have taken the fable ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’ and well and truly made it our own, with the animal characters we chose for homework last week. The children helped me to write me fable of ‘The Cheetah and the Elephant’ and then innovated this to create their own and what an excellent job they did too! Marking their work each night to give them feedback the next day was a pure delight! They even worked hard to include our adverbs of time in their sentence work, which I was very proud of! Next week the children will be writing their own fable independently, and we can’t wait to see their work!

This week the children have been using arrow cards and counters to represent numbers up to 1,000 in class. Partitioning these numbers and looking at their place value in more depth. They have also been working in partners to spot right angles in 2D shapes

Children are really enjoying learning all about the Stone Age period. This week, we have looked at the main changes throughout this time, reflecting on what these changes meant to these people and the quality of their life. We also started to look at the stone built Neolithic settlement on Skara Brae, and next week we will take a closer look in to one of the dwellings and interpret how they might have lived based on the evidence they find- we can’t wait!

Finally, in science we have started to look at teeth, we have looked at our own teeth and how teeth can vary depending on age and how we care for our teeth. We have also looked at the type of teeth we have and compared human teeth with animals. We are finding it very interesting!

Let’s Celebrate!

An enthusiastic Bobby bee Archie: This week your wonderful attitude towards learning has shone brightly Archie. Your enthusiasm is just infectious! You play such an active role within the class, focusing always and joining in with every discussion! You are just a delight to have in Year 3 and a super role model for others around you. Keep working hard, managing distractions and showing great determination. All of these skills will help you to reach your goals. Well done Archie!

A brave Tommy turtle Riley: What an improvement Riley! In just a few weeks you have become so much braver in your learning. You have changed your mind set and are no longer saying you can’t do something. Instead we are seeing you have a go and we could not be more proud! Keep this going Riley, remember to have a go and you will keep surprising yourself with your capabilities! Well done on your super week Riley, you should be feeling so proud of yourself.

Notices…

• A kind reminder that homework does need to be completed for Thursday please.

• School Trip alert … please could all payments be made, where possible, before half term.

• Look smart …Tempest photographs for individual children next Wednesday!

• Don’t forget to book your parents day appointment, you will find the link on Miss Hornby’s newsletter.

• PE- Please remember that shorts must be in school every Thursday for indoor PE. We have a rising number of children without shorts and we do not have enough spares for everybody.

Exciting News!

Year 3 will be going on a trip on Monday 8th November, as part of our Stone Age History topic. It is going to be a fun, jam-packed day, of shelter building, fire lighting and much more! This trip is an amazing day out, that really helps the children to see what life was like during the Stone Age period and how people survived. The day will be spent at Brockholes, Preston and the entire day will be spent outdoors, which we know the children will love. Obviously, with the trip taking place in November (we are being brave!), this will mean the children will have to wear suitable clothing, dressed for the weather and the outdoors. Children, on this day, may wear their own clothes, that they are not bothered about getting dirty. They will need to wear warm, waterproof clothing and boots or wellies. We will be leaving 9am and arriving back at school at 3pm, which means children will need a packed lunch for the day. If your child usually has a hot dinner on this day, then a packed lunch will be provided by Jackie, but we would need to know the choice of filling for the sandwiches the week before. The total cost of the school trip is £15, which covers the cost of the trip itself and the transport. Please can this be paid before half term, via Parent Pay.

Many thanks.

Year 3 17.09.21 'They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel'

Year 3 have not stopped this week, they have immersed themselves in all of their learning and have shown just how eager they are to grow their brains! They have really impressed us this week with how much they love their reading, coming in on Monday with many of them so eager to quiz, it was truly wonderful to see. We had a long discussion this day on how it is not the amount of times that we quiz that counts, but whether we are challenging ourselves with the books we read, whether we enjoy what we are reading and of course how well we understood what we have read. The children have really took this on board and we are seeing much more suitable choices in regards to books.

We started off the week with such a pleasant surprise- our first assembly in the hall. Although the infants did not join us, it was so lovely to celebrate all of the Year 6 jobs as a key stage and Year 3 listened and sat so beautifully.

On Wednesday, the children shared their Class Council speeches and what a job they did too! From poems, to posters, motivational speeches and even videos with guest appearances! They all did a fantastic job, speaking out so confidently and bravely in front of their class. What we were most proud of, was the support and encouragement they all gave to one another, hence the quote title today. Thank you Year 3 for being supportive of one another.

It was a very close vote, but the two children with the most votes were:

Ella and Liam

Congratulations to you both, I am sure you will represent Year 3 incredibly well.

On Thursday we continued our coding work in computing, by learning how to create a ticking clock, by creating ‘Code blocks’. We had to create a sequence of instructions to make our clocks tick  and ring a bell. All of the children showed their resilience, tweaking and problem solving their work until they had successfully completed the task.

In RE we continued to think about God’s world. We thought about some of our favourite things about the world and shared these together. We have also been thinking about our families, reflecting on our happy memories and thinking about what we can do to help one another.

We ended the week with our first spelling quiz were we focused on the spelling rule: ’dropping the ’e’ when adding the ’y’. We had lots of 100% which has set the bar very high! Keep up the great work Year 3, I wonder if we could get everybody to beat or maintain (those of you who got 100%) your score next week…

Year 3 Learning this week …

In English this week, we have continued our fables work, focusing on the morals and sequencing of the stories. There were some wonderful sentences created when we sequenced ‘the Lion and the Mouse’.

The Maths focus continues to be place value, this week we have looked at drawings to represent numbers up to 1,000 and looking at the value of each digit.

Let’s Celebrate!

Millie for being focused and brave:

You pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone by sharing a wonderful speech in front of your peers. We have also been impressed by your wonderful focus during each and every lesson! You set yourself goals and you stay focused to make sure you achieve them. This is fantastic to see Millie. We cannot wait to watch you grow and achieve your goals this year! Well done Millie!

Bella for being focused:

We have been so impressed by your focus this week! During our gymnastics lesson you concentrated carefully, managed your distractions and created a beautiful sequence! Not only have we seen your focus this week, we have also spotted your kindness. You are always one of the first to offer their help, making you a great learning partner! Well done Bella, we are so proud of you!

Notices…

• Still outstanding forms need to be competed.

• Please see the Home Learning section of the Year 3 page to see your child’s home learning this week