Welcome to Year 3! 

I hope you have all had a lovely summer holidays! I am so excited to welcome you all back to school. This term we have some really interesting topics to be covered, especially in History and art that I am sure the children will love. If there is ever anything you need or any support we can provide please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We are very fortunate to  have Mrs. Barlow working with us to help us learn and grow this term. 

Reading.

As children move into KS2, it remains important that they read regularly with an adult to build fluency and comprehension. In school, we will support this with weekly guided reading, daily whole-class reading, and by encouraging a love of books.

Please update your child’s reading record with comments as often as possible—this communication is very valuable to us. We have a wide range of books at different levels, and we encourage children to finish books to deepen their understanding.

This term, children will have:

• A free-read book of their choice

• A guided reading book with weekly pages set

• An RWI book if applicable, to support phonics and fluency

You will also find a PDF of recommended Year 3/4 books in the files, many of which we have in school.

For our whole school ‘Read Around the World’ challenge, children should read with an adult at least 3 times a week, with comments recorded to support progress.

Forest school

We will try our best to get out into the forest for a full day at least twice per half term. These dates will be shared via spider and the weekly newsletter.  

When we go into forest please ensure your child has appropriate footwear, waterproof coats and suncream if appropriate. 

Our dates for the Autumn term will be communicated via school spider. 

PE.

P.E. will be Tuesday afternoons with Mrs. William’s. Please ensure your child has a full PE kit in school. PE kit should include appropriate footwear (pumps for indoor activities and trainers for outdoor activities), a jumper (weather dependent) and, for girls, spare socks if they tend to wear tights. Long hair should always be tied back but this is especially important for PE and earrings must be removed. If your child cannot do this independently, please ensure this is done before school. If prefered you are welcome to leave PE kit in school until half term. 

Spellings/ Timetables. 

Many of the children are already using TimesTables rock stars and it is excellent to see the enthusiasm in the class. This year we will set weekly ‘tournaments’ for the children in teams, we would love to see everyone get involved and will designate some time in school on the ipads to use TimesTables Rock Stars too. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if there are any log in/ connection issues. I have limited access to 20 minutes a day to reduce screen time. Little and often is recommended on this app and will help the children build fluency in number knowledge. If you prefer an alternative way to practise timestables please feel free to do this instead. 

For spellings we will be using the pathways to spell framework to support children in understanding spelling patterns and word definitions to ensure they feel confident in applying new vocabulary in their writing and general communication. Spelling tests will be held every Monday this term (or as close to this as possible). The spelling list will be sent out half termly in the back of the children's reading diary (back pages), these will have the date of testing above the spelling list to help the children learn them on time. 

Homework. 

Homework will be set every Friday and returned the following Wednesday. We would like to ask for prompt and punctual hand-ins to help us mark and provide productive feedback before the next set is handed out. We will also be setting weekly reading homework to support our in class guided reading which will be recorded in the children’s reading diary and it is important this comes into school everyday. On the occasion a creative homework is set this will be the only peice given. Whilst the children have formal pieces of homework, it is also expected that all children engage in TimesTable's Rockstars, this is part of their weekly homework and we would really appreicate your support and involvement. Research suggests that children best learn their Timestables through 'little and often' recall and the app alongside flashcards, verbal recall and number games will prepare the children well for the statutory TimesTables check in Year 4. 

Water bottles

Please can all children ensure they are bringing in a labelled water bottle daily, we have baskets at the front of class for these to be kept in and children are able to get a drink when needed as well as multiple opportunities to fill bottles up throughout the day.

Stationary

All equipment needed will be provided by school and should stay in school. If needed we will send out notice in advance for bringing in stationary from home. 

I look forward to working with you all, as always, any queries feel free to email the school office or pop in after school for a quick catch up.

Dates will be shared over the coming weeks. 

Class worship - 24th October, 9.05am, School Hall. 

Here is to an amazing Autumn term! 

Miss. Kelly