Robin Class 2022

Video message from Mr Sweeney.MOV

Summer Termly Overviews

Y3&4 Summer Term Homework

Wb. Monday 10th July, 2023.

It has been a full on week, hasn't it Robins? I think you all need a good rest this weekend. Here are a few things we have done:

We completed our RSE unit and the children listened very carefully.
We enjoyed explorers and our usual swimming lesson on Thursday.
Stretham had their 'Transition Morning' which went really smoothly. All the children were very excited about their new classrooms and teachers.
We completed our Geography unit about Deserts.
Robin Class worked very hard to complete their DT book sleeves. They all managed to sew on a button!
We enjoyed trudging down the tractor trails for our sponsored walk.

Well done everyone! See you on Monday.

Wb. Monday 3rd July, 2023.

We have had a very busy week finishing off several different projects and units.

A very big 'well done' for your performance this week in our school production 'Pirates of a Curry Bean'! You were absolutely brilliant!
In RE, we wrote about the differences between churches using our knowledge from our school trip last Friday. You all worked really hard on this and it was evident that you learnt a lot!
In English, we wrote letters to our next teacher to support our transition to our new classes.
The Year 4s have been working hard on interpreting data and graphs, whilst the Year 3s have been learning about 2D shapes!
We have enjoyed our usual swimming lessons and we have moved on to developing our skills and techniques for front crawl.
We have also enjoyed some painting in Art and continued our unit on body percussion in Music.

Well done this week. It has been very busy indeed!

Wb. Monday 26th June, 2023.

WOW! What a busy week at school. Here is a summary of a few things we have done:

Over last weekend, our caterpillars undertook metamorphosis - they changed from caterpillars to butterflies! We released them and were able to get a few closer looks at the beautiful 'Painted Ladies'.
Tuesday we had our swimming as usual and the children have continued to work on their backstroke.
DT this week took a lot of resilience! They prepared their material and cut out their patterns ready to sew next week.
The children had an exciting visitor who arrive by helicopter to tell us all about WATER SAFETY. We hope they remember the important message about today.

We thoroughly enjoyed our school trip on Friday. The children learnt about the similarities and differences between churches around Ely. We went to the Countess Free Church, St Etheldreda's Church and of course, Ely Cathedral. We had a lovely day out!

Wb. 19th June, 2023.

Well done this week Robin Class! Here are a few things we have been doing:

Swimming - You worked hard on floating, gliding and building upon our backstroke technique.
English - All of you tried really hard with our writing. We used a picture stimulus to inspire some independent, creative writing and they all wrote up their stories in neat.
Maths - Year 3s have moved onto Shape and the Year 4s are working on telling the time.
PSHE - We had a very good discussion about 'Separation and Loss'. We used the word temporary and permanent to describe changes and loss.

We hope you have a lovely weekend!

Year 3 sing at Ely Arts Festival Concert at Ely Cathedral

Wb. 12th June, 2023.

Here are a few things we have learnt this week:

In Maths, we have continued to work through our unit on 'Time' in Year 3. We have been learning about duration by thinking about the start and end times of events. Year 4s have also been learning to tell the time.
We took a step into 'Animal Town' this week in English and have written short stories or descriptive paragraphs about our experiences. We also learnt how to write postcards.
Across Year 3 and 4 they have been doing programming using the block based software scratch.
We have also enjoyed another session in our swimming pool. They children are working hard on floating and gliding!

Well done this week. Some super work from all of you!

Wb. 5th June, 2023.

We have had a super week back after half term. Here is what we have been doing:

Sports Day! We have had great fun practising for Sports Day and then competing against each other in front of our friends and family! Well done to all the children for participating with such enthusiasm.
In English, we have been working hard with our learning and understanding of 'word class'. The children have been identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs/adverbials, prepositions, determiners and pronouns. They have then been working hard to think creatively with their word choices when writing.
In PSHE, we have started our topic about 'Managing Change' and have been thinking about changes in our own lives.
Time, Time and more Time! We have been consolidating our learning about Time and learning about the years, months and days.
We have had fuzzy, wiggly friends join our class... CATERPILLARS! We enjoyed naming them and we are excited to watch them grow.

Wb. 22nd May, 2023.

A big well done to all of you for this half term. You have done so much over the course of this week. Here are a few things we have learnt:

We did gods-eye weaving in Forest School and we cooked chips on the fire.
Year 3s thoroughly enjoyed their Arts Festival workshop making head-bands to wear at Ely Cathedral.
In English, we have finished writing our own play-scripts and had a go at performing Jack and the Beanstalk.
During Maths, we have continued our learning on money and time.
Our Geography lesson was all about the effects of earthquakes. We discussed how it affects the environment and the people that live where earthquakes happen.
We learnt about Fiona Rae in Art and completed our own patterns and shapes using her abstract style and colour choices.

I will see you after half term. Enjoy your break!

Wb. 15th May, 2023.

Another super week, with just one more to go until half term break. We have learnt so much this week - here is a little snapshot:

In Science, we have been dissecting flowers to look more closely at their parts and functions. We learnt how pollen is the key to seed production!
We have been learning about play-scripts this week in English and we had a go at being different characters and reading our lines! We are building up to writing our own play-script next week.
In Art this week, we recreated Pieter Bruegel's Children's Games painting by making a class collage of us playing lots of playground games ourselves! It was super fun.
The Year 4s also completed a project where they combined different images using 'select, copy and past' functions in Computing. Year 3s identified the different uses of layouts in Publisher.

Wb. 8th May, 2023.

Robins, you have worked so hard this week and I am impressed with how resilient you are being with your learning. You are beginning to think more carefully about your work. Keep working hard with your listening skills, thinking about what you are being taught and then applying it to your work! You are all making great progress.

Here are few things we have learnt and completed this week:

In English, we have focused on the different poetic devices. We finished our 'nature' inspired free verse poems and we are now planning our rhyming poems!
We have been planning a scientific experiment related to plants and growth. Our question is: How much water do plants need to grow?
Robins have created their animal related painting for our float! You will see them flapping in the wind at the feast.

Wb. 1st May, 2023.

Another super, (but short) week Robin Class! You are listening so well to everything we are learning and we have definitely settled into our own routines together now. Here is a snapshot of what we have been doing:

In Maths, Year 3s have been counting money! We have practised finding different amounts of money and converting between pound and pence. Year 4s have had their first lessons on shape!
We have been learning about poetic devices in English and we have enjoyed the sunny weather, gathering 'senses' vocabulary for our own nature poems.
In Art, we have continued to show our appreciation for different artwork by looking at a painting by Paula Rego. She enjoyed putting random objects/animals/people in her paintings to tell an interesting story. We were inspired by this and found three random items in the classroom and came up with weird and wonderful stories about them!

Enjoy your bank holiday weekend, celebrating the King's Coronation, and I will see Tuesday!

Wb. 24th April, 2023.

Well done for getting through the second week of term. You have all worked very hard. Please remember to keep reading (and making a note in your Guided Reading Book when you read, with a good comment), practise your spellings and log into TTRS to do some times tables work. Just a little note to say that I am so excited to see the homework you have produced - I just can't access my account at the moment. I will reply to you as soon as I can, so don't let it stop you submitting any work.

Here are a few things we have learned this week:

The children were introduced to the artist David Hockney and we created our own photo in the style of his painting 'My Parents'. We analysed this painting and demonstrated our art appreciation through our classroom discussion.
In Maths this week, Year 3s have been using their multiplication and division facts to find fractions of a quantity/set of objects. Year 4s have been consolidating their knowledge on tenths and hundredths.
We created a whole class plan for our writing this week on The Highway Rat and we inspired each other to include a variety of sentence starters and vocabulary. We will carry on writing next week!

Great job this week, Robins. See you on Tuesday 2nd April.

Wb. 17th April, 2023.

Wow Robins! What a fantastic first week back. You have all come back brilliantly, with so much energy and enthusiasm. I am looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you better over this term. You have already impressed me so much!

This week we have started our new topics. Here are a few things we have learnt!

In science, we have learnt about the different parts of plants and their functions. We planted our own sunflowers which we can watch grow over the coming weeks, created an information sheet about our learning and played a matching game too!
During PE, we learnt new vocabulary to do with rounders. We had a go at playing in every position and practised using their proper names throughout the lesson e.g. backstop, bowler and fielder! We all really enjoyed it.
We started our unit on 'Healthy Lifestyles' in PSHE and worked through different case studies to discuss the healthy and unhealthy choices that we can make!

Wb. 27^th March, 2023.

Well done Y3/4 for successfully completing Spring Term!

This week we have:

- Completed building our Roman Watch towers

- Finished studying 'Christianity in Three Empires' in History

- Shown off our Science knowledge in our end of block assessment on forces and magnets

- Discovered how Jesus' followers reacted when he appeared to them - alive!

- Completed blocks in Maths: Mass and Capacity (Y3) and Fractions (Y4)

- Written from the perspective of a member from the Gregg (now Egg) family

As well as:

- Watching and listening to drama, songs and stories linked to Easter in the GenR8 assembly

- Celebrating the learning of Rabbit Class through their class assembly

- Taking part in an Easter Egg Hunt

- Finding out the lucky winners of the Rainbow Raffle

What a tremendous week to finish the term!

This is my last week as Robin class teacher as Ms Johnson is back after Easter. It has been an amazing two terms and we have all learned a lot together. Very well done and enjoy your very well-earned Easter break.

Wb. 20^th March, 2023.

This week was Robin’s class assembly and they have worked hard all week on it. They prepared to share all of the exciting things they have been doing since Christmas including their DT and art projects, their history learning and also to sing two songs from music. The rehearsals went very well and the actual performance was at 2.30pm on Friday. The children had lots of friends and family to visit and did really well.

Apart from that, the children have done lots of other learning. In history, they continued to look at the early days of the Aksum empire. This led them to the amazing remote churches in Ethiopia that have been carved high up into the sides of mountains. They watched videos of pilgrims making the perilous ascent to worship at these sacred places. In RE, the children looked into the meaning of Easter and what Christians mean by the Resurrection of Christ.

In science, the children explored the north and south pole of bar magnets. They looked at which repel and which attract each other. They then used one to temporarily magnetize a paper clip, attached it to small sliver of cork and floated it in water to create their own compasses.

In maths, Year 3 have started the next unit and looked at using scales to measure masses in both grams and kilograms. They have also compared masses and learned to add and subtract masses. Year 4 have been working hard to add improper fractions and mixed numbers.

This has been a good week but a busy one. I hope you all have a restful weekend and come back refreshed on Monday. One week to the Easter break!

Wb. 13^th March, 2023.

This has been science week across the country and Robin class have marked this with a few activities. Earlier in the week, they used Data Loggers to take readings and measurements of light, temperature and noise levels around the school. They have also continued their learning about forces by conducting investigations into magnetism. They tried to predict which magnets would be able to maintain the longest chain of split pins and then tested them to see if they were right. Lastly, the children watched a sequence of videos called ‘A scientist just like me’. These had been made to introduce children to a diverse range of scientists and people who work in science-related jobs. Each treated the class to a demonstration of their working day, the types of equipment they use and the applications of their research. This was very inspirational and the children thoroughly enjoyed it.

Robin class continued with their DT project on Monday. They have now all constructed the second side of their Roman watch towers. All they need to do now is cut the wood to join them and then they will start to stand on their own!

History has started to move into broader territory as Robin class learned about the Christian Empire of Aksum in East Africa. They found out how they used very sophisticated agriculture to farm effectively and how their rich and diverse economy was integrated across Africa and the Mediterranean. In geography, the children looked at the changing patterns in tourism. They examined data from popular UK travel destinations (Spain, France, Italy and USA) and how the millions of visits to each changed over time. They used this to draw comparative graphs for 2009, 2015 and 2019.

In RE, Robin class have reached the events of Good Friday. They have heard the accounts in the Christian Bible and discussed the significance to Christians. They annotated a copy of the painting of the Crucifixion by Dutch artist Anthony van Dijk showing who and what was said to be there.

In maths, Year 3 have completed their revision on fractions and now started their work on using scales. Year 4 have been further developing their fractions and explored converting mixed numbers to fractions greater than one. Both year groups completed their spring term maths assessment this week too.

Enjoy the weekend and see you on Monday.

Wb. 6^th February, 2023.

The week kicked off with Robin class getting stuck into making their Roman watch towers. Having created their designs last week, they had to use saws and chopping blocks to cut wood accurately and start gluing them together. It is a slow process as there is a lot to do but everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. All pairs have made one side and will do the matching one next week.

In science, the children were introduced to the idea of magnets and magnetism. They did a scrapheap challenge on a large collection of items (seashells, sieves, weights, copper pipe, pencils, table legs, pinecones, springs, rocks etc) to see which responded to the magnets and which did not. They compiled a list to see any patterns.

In history, the children looked at the continued growth of the Eastern Roman Empire and how it celebrated its Christianity. They all wrote an article covering its geography, art, religion and laws.

In maths, Y3 have completed this term’s work on fractions. They have covered fraction on scales, fractions on a number line, equivalent fractions and applying bar models to fractions. Year 4 have also joined the fraction fun, working on partitioning mixed numbers.

In geography, the children have looked into the impact felt by local communities involved in mountain tourism. They expressed them as advantages and disadvantages. In RE, Robin class explored what happened when Jesus was arrested, condemned and punished.

English saw the children refining their plans for their new scene for Roald Dahl’s ‘The Magic Finger’ and then producing their final version. They reviewed all their previous learning and tried to apply it to produce their very best work.

Have a great weekend and see you all next week for more learning!

Wb. 27^th February, 2023.

Robin class have started an exciting new DT project this week. They used the knowledge of structures that they gained by working with marshmallows and toothpicks last week to start designing a Roman watch tower. The plans are all drawn up and we start construction next week!

This week in history, Robin class started by learning about the events that led to the Roman Emperor Constantine adopting Christianity as the official religion of the empire. This matched well with our learning in RE as the children learned about the importance of the Last Supper and Maundy Thursday to Christians. In geography, they also learned about the ways tourists and tourism impact the local economy.

In science, the children took part in an experiment to explore whether friction is different on different surfaces by pulling a 200g mass along with a Newton meter. They discovered that sandpaper produced the most friction and smooth wood much less.

In maths, Y3 have looked further into fractions, exploring unit fractions, multiple fractions and the tricky issue of how to order fractions!

The new spelling list has gone home tonight. Our new approach to combine handwriting practice with spelling practice is paying off and the scores have got a lot better recently. Keep it up everyone and remember: Look, Spell, Cover, Write, Check.

Take care and have a great weekend.

Wb. 20^th February, 2023.

Welcome back after half term.

Robin class have quickly got back into the swing of things this week and done some fantastic learning in our new topics!

The week started with a fun exploration of structures. The children were challenged to experiment at building structures using marshmallows and toothpicks. Some towers worked very well, some towers fell over but all the children had fun! Next week, they will begin to apply what they have learned to plan their own pavilion design.

This week in history they learned about the persecution of the early Christians in the Roman empire and in geography, we have started to learn about tourism by exploring why people are drawn to the seaside and what specifically people do there. Palm Sunday was the focus of our RE lessons this week. The children learned about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, how people acknowledged it and what happened when he reached the temple.

In English, the children have started a new book – The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl. They have read the first section and created a story framework for how the main character triggers the magic finger. They have then use this to adopt Dahl’s style and write their very own account of another occasion when she has used the talent. There will be more fun with the text next week.

In maths, Y3 completed their unit on multiplication and division by looking at maths problems with lots of solutions. They learnt how to use a system to find them all. They have now moved on to the next topic which is fractions. Meanwhile, Year 4 have been engaged in measuring perimeter of rectangular shapes.

Have a great weekend and see you on Monday.

Wb. 6^th February, 2023.

As has become usual, our Roman History has had a big hand at the start of the week. This time it was due to Robin class taking part in the school Roman day. A visitor came to share lots of Roman artefacts, games, weapons, training, food and ideas. The children dressed in Roman-style clothes and had lots of fun throughout. They even got to help build the floorplan of a Roman villa. It was great to see how much they had remembered from our Roman topic since September and they really impressed our visitor with their recall!

Next week is half-term so school will be closed.

I hope you all have a restful week and enjoy the time with friends and family.

Wb. 30^th January, 2023.

Once again, Roman history started our week as the children met the Roman town of Aquae Sulis which is known as Bath today. They encountered the regular Roman street layout and the buildings often encountered in Roman towns such as the library, forum, basilica, temples and the all-important baths! The children found out how Romans used the baths and how they kept themselves clean.

In geography, the children further developed their knowledge of coastal processes as we discovered how headlands are formed and how they can lead to caves, arches and stacks.

In science we looked at the six types of soil and the features of each. In RE, we learned about the Transfiguration of Jesus and what it means to Christians.

In English, the children had another detailed picture for ideas and wrote some fantastic description to practice using their vocabulary and quality sentences.

In art, the children brought in some items from home to create their very own still-life composition. We took photos of each and they used these to prepare sketches ready to paint next week. Hopefully, we will post the finished art here!

Don’t forget it is Roman day on Monday!

We shall look forward to seeing you then.

Wb. 23^rd January, 2023.

This week kicked off with some dramatic history as the children learned about the reasons for the Celtic revolt led by Boudica against the Roman rule. They found out why she was so upset and about the many battles and the wave of destruction she brought to Roman cities in the South East. They followed the story up to her final defeat at the Battle of Watling Street.

Geography was a slightly slower pace as the children learned about the creation of four important coastal landforms: beaches, bays, cliffs and headlands.

Year 4 spent a bit of time preparing their school concert to share the songs and memories they have from the Young Voices event last week. This took place on Friday afternoon to an audience including families and people from home.

While they prepared, Year 3 learned about the four processes that create soil: addition, losses, translocation and transformation. As a group, we made our own compost experiment to watch them in action. In RE, they listened to the story of the Good Samaritan and retold the parable using pictures and words.

In English, the children were given a dramatic picture and, after some planning together, were challenged to describe the scene using their most powerful words and creative sentences. The dictionary and thesaurus practice last week proved very helpful!

In maths, Y3 completed length and perimeter and have now moved on to multiples of ten and also using related multiplication and division facts. Year 4 have been using column multiplication both expanded and the short version.

Please don’t forget to reply to the letter about our Roman Day on Monday 6^th February. It should be a lot of fun.

New spellings went out today – keep that practice up!

See you all on Monday.

Wb. 16^th January, 2023.

This has been a very exciting and busy week for Robin class.

On Wednesday, the Year 4 children went to the O₂ arena to take part in Young Voices 2023. They have been practising the songs since September and were all keen to show their voices. It was a very long day but was a fantastic experience for everyone. Don’t forget, Year 4 parents and carers are welcome to attend the mini Young Voices Concert in the school hall on Friday 27^th Jan at 2.15pm for a full rendition of what they sang.

On Friday, the school celebrated Chinese New Year with a special hot lunch. Most of the children took part and enjoyed the specially prepared food for the occasion.

We have squeezed in a few lessons this week too!

In English, the children have been challenged to use dictionaries to look up meanings of unfamiliar words and a thesaurus to find alternatives. They also used a picture as a stimulus to practise writing some quality sentences. This will support us with the descriptive writing next week.

In science, Robin class have continued looked at fossils and the pioneering work of Mary Anning in their discovery.

In maths, Y3 have extended their measuring work and then used these skills to explore perimeter of regular and irregular shapes. Year 4 have been consolidating multiplication and quick recall of times tables.

In Religious Education, the children listened to stories from the Christian Bible about the miracles it says Jesus performed. After consideration, they selected one to retell through words and pictures.

Caratacus’ resistance of the Roman invasion has been the subject of History. The children learned about who he was and followed his progress across Britannia during the wars that he fought.

For geography, the children continued to look at coastlines, exploring transportation and deposition, as well as human built coastal defences against erosion.

I hope you all have a restful weekend.

Wb. 9^th January, 2023.

This has been the first full week for Robin class this year.

In English, the children have been learning about similes and metaphors and have written their own metaphor poem inspired by the season of winter. The results have been written up and will make our new display!

In science, Robin class have looked at how fossils are made and written the process into five stages.

In maths, Y3 have continued to measure lengths. This week using metres, centimetres and millimetres, working out when to use which unit and converting between them. Meanwhile, Year 4 have been multiplying by ten and a hundred.

In Religious Education, the children learned about the lessons Jesus began to teach to his disciples and the stories in the Christian Bible about the early days of his ministry.

History has seen us continue our work on the Romans, this time learning about the invasion of Britannia authorized by the Emperor Claudius in 43AD and what the legions encountered when they arrived.

For geography, the children started to look at coastlines and the processes that shape and form them. So far, they have met beaches, cliffs, sand dunes and salt marshes.

After the test this morning, another new set of spellings has gone home tonight. These will be tested on Friday 20^th January. Don’t forget to practise at home using Look Spell Cover Write Check.

See you all next week.

Wb. 2^nd January, 2023.

Happy New Year to you all and welcome back to school!

Term only restarted on Thursday 5^th January so the children have only just restarted their learning. However, they have already covered a lot.

In English, the children have been practising creating various types of sentences, including simple, compound and complex sentences. This is in preparation for our writing units this term.

In science, Robin class have begun to look at different types of rocks – igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic – and how to spot if they are in a natural state or have been worked on by humans.

In maths, Y3 have started a unit on measuring lengths using metres, centimetres and millimetres while Year 4 have been exploring factors and how they can be helpful in multiplication.

The new spelling list has gone home tonight so please have a practice. The first test will be on Friday 13^th January.

I hope you all have a restful weekend and see you all next week for more learning!

Wb. 12^th December, 2022.

This is the last full week of learning before the Christmas holiday.

In science, Robin class looked at how food labels can help us to make informed decisions about what we eat and help us to maintain a balanced diet. They also looked into a meal and identified what nutrients it provided and made suggestions about how to make it healthier and more balanced.

In maths, Y3 and 4 finished off their work of multiplication and division and completed the end of unit assessment.

In geography, they looked at how the people of Wales celebrate their national identity and how people can embrace more than one identity.

In history, they have looked at the emperors Claudius and Nero and their roles (good and bad!) in the empire. They also recapped the events leading up to and including the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii. Finally, they learnt about the revolt in the province of Judea in the first century AD.

There will be no spelling list sent home this week as we are finishing for Christmas next Wednesday. We have also sent PE kits home in case they need a wash for next year.

Have a great weekend and see you all next week!

Wb. 5^th December, 2022.

This week, Robin class completed their end of term assessments in reading and maths. It has been amazing to see them show off all their wonderful learning!

In science, they have been looking into nutrition and how plants and animals need to take in vital things to keep healthy and well. They organized food into the food groups of fruit and vegetables, cereals, protein, dairy and oils to arrange a plate demonstrating the relative quantities that all humans need.

In maths, Y3 have looked at more grouping and sharing and worked on multiplying and dividing by 4 and 8. Year 4 have also continued with multiplication and division, including exploring multiplying and dividing by 1 and 0.

In geography, we have looked at how the city of Cardiff celebrates all its fantastic diversity by focusing on the Cardiff Mela festival. The children designed posters to advertise the 2022 event.

In history, we have explored how Octavian manipulated events two thousand years ago to become Augustus, the first ever Roman emperor. The children discussed his strategies and why he adopted them.

The final spelling list of this year came home tonight. A lot of Robin class were away today so we will give this list out again next week if needed. Remember to practise using Look, Spell, Cover, Write, Check. The final spelling test of 2022 will be on Friday 16^th December.

I hope everyone is able to get well over the weekend and I look forward to seeing you all next week.

Wb. 28^th November, 2022.

This week, Robin class showed off their writing skills by writing a recount of their slingshot car project. It was quite interesting to see who had remembered all the details!

In science, we have moved on to examine how the bones and muscles work together to allow animals to move. The children made a working model of the human elbow joint to show this process.

In maths, Y3 have looked at grouping and sharing, worked on multiplying and dividing by 2 and 3 and also multiplying by 4. Year 4 have also worked on multiplication, division and associated number facts.

In geography, we have looked at the diversity of London and in history we have met the powerful character of Julius Caesar and examined his role in the end of the republic!

The new spelling list went home tonight. In the week, Robin class looked at the best ways to rehearse spelling lists and began to apply Look, Spell, Cover, Write, Check. They seemed to like it and found it easy to apply. The test will be on Friday 9^th December so there is a whole week to refine those skills!

Take care and have a great weekend.

Wb. 21^st November, 2022.

This week, Robin class put their new skills in science and writing explanation texts to the test. They all wrote an explanation about the three types of skeleton that animals have: endoskeletons, exoskeletons and hydrostatic skeletons.

They have also taken their science knowledge on further by conducting an experiment to see if the length of a person’s femur bone indicates how far they can do a standing long jump. Everybody had a go at jumping and the furthest leap was 1.62m!

On Tuesday, Robin class spent the afternoon in Explorers. It has been quite wet over the last few weeks which made it a muddy experience! However, they had lots of fun creating artwork using nature’s materials and their own dens.

In maths, both Year 3 and Year 4 have been working on multiplication and this will continue next week.

In history, Robin class have resumed work on the Romans by looking at how their army worked and what made it so effective.

On Friday, we welcomed people from home to take part in the Christmas decoration morning. The children made a variety of seasonal decorations. It was wonderful to see all our visitors having such fun and the creations look fantastic!

Don’t forget, the new spelling list has gone home tonight and the test will be on Friday 2^nd December. The Y3 list is shorter than usual but there is still plenty to practise! Don’t forget: Look Spell Cover Write Check

I hope you all have a safe and restful weekend.

Wb. 14^th November, 2022.

This week Robin class took part in Kindness week. They listened to stories about how children handled difficult situations and when other people could be unkind. They worked on strategies to keep their confidence, to be assertive and what to do if you are a witness to bullying.

Earlier in the week, Robins completed their slingshot powered cars. On Friday, they were all tested to see how far they could travel. All of the cars moved well and the furthest went over 5 metres! Photographs of their wonderful designs have been taken for their books so they were all able to take the cars home tonight.

In science, we have now examined the major bones in the human body. The children have labelled them and thought about how they help the body to move.

In maths, Y3 have revised their efficient column methods for addition and subtraction and completed an end of unit assessment this week to show off their skills. Year 4 have finished their unit on area very successfully and are now starting multiplication and division.

Sadly, the new spelling list didn’t get sent home tonight as we got distracted collecting our completed cars. However, they will be sent home on Monday. The test will be on Friday 25^th November so there is still plenty of time to practise.

On Tuesday afternoon next week, Robin class will access the forest school area for an Explorer session. The children are all looking forward to it - so don't forget your change of clothes, waterproofs and wellies that day!

Have a safe and restful weekend.

Wb. 7^th November, 2022.

This week Robin class prepared and delivered their class assembly. The topic was our history and English lessons on the origins of the city of Rome and how it changed into a successful republic. Our first run through was on Tuesday afternoon and we had proper rehearsals on Thursday and Friday too. The children all did amazingly well and seemed to have great fun!

At the start of the week, Robin class also made more progress with their slingshot powered cars. All the children now have a chassis with wheels and have started to create bodywork. Next week, we will attach these panels and then begin to test them for speed!

In science, we have continued to examine the role of skeletons for living things and put animals into three categories depending on whether they have an endoskeleton, an exoskeleton or a hydrostatic skeleton. The children have looked into the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

In maths, Y3 have finished their work on efficient column methods for addition and subtraction and can apply them to different sizes of number. Year 4 have moved on to look at calculating the area of 2D shapes.

A brand new spelling list has come home tonight. Please try to practise them when you get time. The next test will be on Friday 18^th November so there is plenty of time. There is also the weekly times tables challenge every Friday so have a go at Times Tables Rock Stars too.

On Monday, everyone is invited to wear odd socks to raise awareness for Children in Need and we have the start of our activities supporting anti-bullying week.

I hope you all have a safe and restful weekend.

Wb. 31^st October, 2022.

Welcome back after the half-term break. I hope you all had a restful time.

In science, we have begun to look at how the bodies of animals use different types of skeleton. The children have begun to sort them into vertebrates and invertebrates. This is the beginning of a new topic and one that will link well with our English....

This is because in English we have begun to investigate how explanation texts are written so they are easy to follow. In the weeks ahead, we will be researching things linked to our science and begin to write our own.

In maths, Year 3 have picked up where we left off and moved into bridging across tens and hundreds for addition and subtraction. Year 4 have now finished their work on efficient calculation methods and will be moving on to area next week.

In Design and Technology, Robin class have each made a chassis for a slingshot powered car. Most have started to attach the axels and wheels and it will be the bodywork next week.

The new spelling lists are out today, and the test will be on Friday 11^th November.

Next Friday is also Robin Class Assembly. All families are warmly invited to join us for a 2.30pm start on Friday 11th November. Rehearsals start after the weekend!

I hope you all have a restful weekend and stay safe if you are enjoying the fireworks.

Wb. 17^th October, 2022.

This week we had parent and carer consultation evenings. It was great to meet everyone and have a chance to catch up face to face about all the exciting things we have been doing.

This week the children have finished off their work on the Roman Republic by looking at some of the cultural rules they had. They have looked into how Roman society was divided into patricians, plebeians and slaves and the rights and restrictions that each group experienced.

They have also finished their RE unit on the family of Jesus and explored the meaning for Christians of Mary’s Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.

In maths, Y3 have begun to apply the column method to both addition and subtraction but not yet with any bridging. They will look further into this after the half-term holiday. Year 4 have also been investigating similar methods and are just starting to look at which are most efficient.

Spelling lists have come home today. The next test will not be until Friday 4^th November. Don’t forget to practise! If you get the chance, have a go at Times Tables Rock Stars too.

The children brought their PE kits home today in case they needed a wash over the holiday. It may also be a good idea to bring in any wellies they have when we return for playtime as the weather is now a lot wetter!

I hope you all have a great holiday and we look forward to seeing you all in a week’s time!

Wb. 10^th October, 2022.

Robins have nearly completed their work on Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius. This week they took on the role of a lucky survivor and wrote a message in a bottle explaining what had happened to them. These have been copied up into a neat version and will go on display next week!

Robins have also explored more Roman history and the role the wars against Carthage had in creating their empire. They re-enacted the battles of Trebia and Lake Trasimene to see how clever the general Hannibal was!

In maths, Year 3 have continued to work hard on addition and subtraction and been exploring how it works when you have to cross a tens boundary. Year 4 have also now started their explorations into the same calculations.

In music, Year 4 have continued to rehearse their singing for Young Voices and Year 3 have just started to learn how to play a bass line for Rock and Roll.

The next set of spellings was available today. The test for these will be on Friday 21^st October. Also, remember to aim for four entries in your Reading Record each week to earn those raffle tickets!

I hope you all have a restful weekend.

Wb. 3^rd October, 2022.

Early in the week, Robins took part in the Harvest Assembly we had been preparing last week. All the hard work was worth it. The children read the poem beautifully and it sounded great! Thanks for all the extra support with this at home!

In English, Robins began the week by editing their writing about Pompeii from last week. Later, they took part in a whole class shared writing activity to model a message found in bottle left by one of the survivors. Everyone contributed and the final piece of work will act as inspiration for their own messages we will write next week.

Robins also had fun creating their Christmas Cards designs. This might seem early but it is done now so they can be sent off to the printer and be back in time for December! This year’s theme is snow people.

Maths has now moved on to addition and subtraction for Year 3. The focus has been on looking at using these operations on ones, tens and hundreds separately. Year 4 have now completed their place value and completed an end of unit assessment.

Robins looked at ‘the Annunciation’ in RE and had fun creating a cartoon strip depicting the key events.

In History we have just started to look at how Ancient Rome fell out with Carthage and the wars that resulted.

The spellings that have come home today will be tested on Friday 14^th October. Also, don’t forget to add to your Reading Record!

I hope you all have a restful weekend!

Wb. 26^th September, 2022.

Robins continued to work hard on our English text ‘Escape from Pompeii’. They have been looking closely at the story and writing accounts of the eruption of Vesuvius from the point of view of some of the characters.

Year 3 have now finished their work on place value for now. They have reviewed what we have covered so far and will be putting it to good use when we start addition and subtraction next week.

Year 4 have some more work to cover on place value before moving on.

In science, we have looked into how shadows are created and the differences between transparent, translucent and opaque objects.

Robins began to practise their class poem for sharing in the Harvest Assembly next Tuesday. They have all worked hard to learn their lines and have brought a copy of them home. Please practise them!

New spellings have come home today too. They will be tested on Friday 7^th October. Also, keep filling in your Reading Record and having a go on TT Rockstars.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

WB 19^th September, 2022.

This week, we started a new text in English – ‘Escape from Pompeii’ by Christina Balit – and created character descriptions for the two main characters as well as building a 3D model of the city of Pompeii.

Both Year 3 and Year 4 have continued their work on place value in Maths; working with increasingly larger numbers.

In Science, pupils investigated reflection in the ‘under desk black room’; discovering which surfaces reflected light best as well as considering the dangers of direct sunlight.

Many pupils bravely took the opportunity to stand for the school council election. Congratulations to the successful candidates.

Pupils should have brought home their new spellings to practise ahead of the test on Friday 30^th. Don’t forget to keep filling in your reading record every time you have read (aiming for 4 reads a week) and logging into TTRockstars to practise times-tables.

Have a lovely weekend.

WB 12th September, 2022.

This week, your child should have taken home with them their:

TTRockstars log-in details
Library book
Book banded reading book
Reading record
Spelling list or little red spelling book

Please do let us know if any of these items have not managed to make it home.

We're 2 weeks into Autumn Term and it is great to see how well the pupils have adapted to their new routines.

We are getting so quick at copying down the DUMLUM/DUMTUM and having everything we need ready to help us in our learning.

We enjoyed using our sketch books in Art this week to make a 3D pencil drawing of ribbon of paper complete with shading and, at the end of the week, we considered how our 'rights' go hand in hand with 'responsibilities' in PSHE (see photos).

It was wonderful to see some homework submitted on Seesaw this past week. Please remember to submit homework online by 9am on Wednesday morning or bring your homework log in on a Wednesday morning to be checked by the teachers during their release time. Reading records (which should have come home this week) are also due to be checked on a Wednesday morning.

Hope you have a peaceful bank holiday weekend and we'll see you back at school on Tuesday 20th September.