PE

Sparrows: Tuesday PM, Starlings: Wednesday PM, Swifts: Wednesday PM

This half term we will be doing football and netball during our PE lessons

Please ensure your child is wearing their full PE kit into school on the correct day:

White polo top or t shirt with their usual school jumper or cardigan

Navy blue shorts or skirt (jogging bottoms for winter)

Black plimsolls or trainers.

Home Learning and Supporting the Curriculum at home

We have attached a selection of Knowledge Organisers, for you to use to support your child’s learning at home. These set out clearly what we expect children to learn and remember in that subject. Please use these at home as conversation starters to reinforce and help embed your child’s learning.

Please encourage your child to log into TT Rockstars as often as possible. This will help alongside the dedicated sessions we do in school to boost their fluency at times table recall. Children should be fluent in tables up to 12x12 by the end of Year 4.

You have also received log ins for Sumdog and Spelling and Maths Shed. We are now using a new spelling scheme of work that is built on progression of sounds and builds on children’s prior knowledge. Please continue to use Spelling Shed for practice.  

Reading

In school, children are encouraged to read daily. They take quizzes on Accelerated Reader about the books they have read and earn points for this. At the end of the half term, we will be giving certificates to every child who reaches their own individual target for points earned. To support passion and progression, we expect children to read daily at home for at least 15 minutes. Please support and encourage your child in this by listening to them read aloud often and talking about what they have read to help develop comprehension skills and develop an inquisitive nature about books.

School Value

This half term, we are focusing on Independence. The children will be encouraged to have a go at things they find difficult and try to solve problems in their own different unique ways.

British Value  

This half term, in our Class Assemblies and PSHE lessons, we are learning about the British Value of Individual Liberty, reflecting upon the choices we make.

Our Curriculum

Children in Key Stage 1 and 2 will enjoy a long and short enquiry each half term.

Long Enquiries

A long enquiry typically lasts five weeks and allows us to teach a subject, such as history, in depth. Clear expectations of what will be learned is shared with parents and pupils through a Knowledge Organiser.  At the end of the work, we plan to use Enquiry Quizzes on our iPads to see how much each child has remembered.

Short Enquiries

A short enquiry can last anything from 1 – 3 days and adds breadth to our curriculum.

In our long Learning Enquiry this half term, we are learning about electrical circuits and creating circuits that work. We will be designing lighthouses with specific briefs and ensuring our designs meet the design criteria. The Knowledge Organiser is attached.

The short Learning Enquiry will focus on the economic activity of Livermead. How far do people travel to use our shops? Why do they travel?

Maths

We are continuing to use our knowledge of place value to learn the skills of addition and subtraction for 3 digit numbers (Year 3) and 4 digit numbers (Year 4). This will involve renaming in the ones, tens and hundreds column and children will develop a deep understanding of what is happening to the number when this happens. Children will continue to use a range of manipulative objects to support their understanding. We will also be focusing on multiplication fluency in readiness for the Year 4 assessment in the summer term.

Literacy

We will be writing biographies based on the text ‘I am not a label’ by Cerrie Burnell, which looks at incredible things achieved by different people with various challenges in their lives. We will also write a narrative story based on ‘Cinderella of the Nile’ by Beverley Naidoo.

Dates to remember

26th and 28th January—Bikeability (YEAR 3 ONLY. Please check correspondence from school and contact office if you are unsure if your child has a space).

Monday 21st February—Half term holiday begins.

Monday 28th February—Return to school.

Messages

Please continue to contact the school office by email admin@preston.torbay.sch.uk or phone 01803 607075 with any questions or queries. There is also lots of useful information, as well as event dates and term dates, on our school website  https://www.preston.torbay.sch.uk/

School App

Our school app is the best way to get information about dates and events going on in the school. Search for ‘School News’ in your app store.