Welcome to Year 3 Welcome to Year 3

Welcome to Year 3

Welcome to Year 3 We are very lucky to be supported by Mrs Basu at the moment who is with us every day. Year 3 is the first year of Key Stage 2 and we hope that the children have an easy a time as possible in the transition. It is a topic led curriculum and as much as possible we endeavour to link the topic to a text or texts so that the children have a wide and varied exposure to different types of texts. In Year 3 the children are given opportunities to explore and develop into more independent learners.

A little about me…. I am originally from the North East of England (north of Newcastle upon Tyne) I have a Law Degree from the University of Sunderland. Worked in Banking and Retail in North East England Scotland. Retrained as a teacher at University of Northumbria. Played rugby at club, university and county level Retired due to injury and trained as level 1 & level 2 coach.

Classroom routines Children should have a bag with them each day. These are kept in the cloakroom and it means that all letters, homework diary, reading books, spelling books etc. can be kept safely. The children bring everything they need into the classroom with them. Children need to bring water bottles into school each day and these are situated at their tables. Children may have a drink whenever necessary but they are encouraged to take a drink regularly. Water bottles will also be taken out for PE. Water bottles should not be transported in book bags as this can lead to soggy books! Similarly, children are encouraged to use the toilet before school, and at break and lunchtime. It is a long afternoon so a toilet break at some point is to be expected. Naturally if a child is desperate to use the toilet at any time, they will not be stopped from doing so. Please let us know if your child has a medical issue and needs to use the toilet more frequently and we can accommodate this.

Class Dojo We will be continuing to use Class Dojo this year in Year 3 and the children have really responded well to its use. Children will be able to cash their Dojo points in for a variety of rewards or bank them together and earn a class treat.

Forest School and PE will take place on Tuesdays & Thursdays Forest school will be on Wednesdays for half of the class, the other half will be doing Music with Mr Lee and RE with Mrs Bowdon. Competitive sport will continue every 3 rd Friday, Please remember that the timetable is flexible and the weather is unpredictable, so it is worth keeping both indoor and outdoor kits in school at all times. Please ensure that the children have outdoor training gear that will keep them warm during the winter. Outdoor learning will run on Wednesday afternoons. The will not be permitted to go home in PE or outdoor learning kit.

Spellings Children will sometimes come home (not every week) with a list of words that exemplify a spelling rule. It is theory behind how each word is spelt that is important, not necessarily learning the list of words by rote. We will be visiting spelling little and often in class. The children will also be working on statutory key words. These do need to be learnt! Sometimes the children will be assessed on the spelling rule, however this is dictated by the spelling scheme. We are focusing on those from Yr 2, which the children will be familiar with from last year. I will be looking at these words with children to discuss a range of strategies the children can use to ensure that these words become embedded.

Spellings continued The Year 3/4 spelling words are a list of words that children are expected by the government to be able to spell by the end of Year 4. Spellings in school are taught 3 sessions a week. There are opportunities for the children to practice and explore the word rule we are learning. We will be looking at the Year 2 spelling words up till Christmas and then taking a closer look at the Year 3/4 words in January. Practicing at home (even for 5 minutes) is very beneficial to improving spelling skills.

Year 2 spelling words

Statutory spellings

Reading In class we endeavour to hear your child read once a week to an adult. This is done either 1 -1, in a small group or in a whole class reading session. Reading at home is very beneficial (even just 5 minutes reading out loud) Children have reading journals and if they could be signed by an adult when they have read it would be most appreciated. There are Dojo points for children that read at least 3 times a week and more. Children have access to a wide range of different types of books in class Children will be given regular access to change their books so it is beneficial if they have them in school every day.

What we are studying this half term…

Homework I am preparing a homework grid for the children to complete tasks over the course of this half term, this will be sent home in hard copy and on Parentmail on Monday. At the moment we are trying to reduce the amount of items coming in to school from home and so we cannot be taking homework in to mark etc. with an adequate quarantining time which is needed. With this in mind the children can have the grid at home and carry out their activities as they wish but they do not need to bring it back into school. If they have something they really want to share then please feel free to take a picture We will be training the children up to use Google Classroom as a way of doing homework and in case of any need for online learning (should the situation arise) over this half term so that they are familiar and comfortable with how to use it. We are hopeful that this will be all ready by the October half term holidays.

Extra information

Extra information I am keen that the children become much more independent as the year goes on and hope that they will be able to come to me with any issue that needs resolving, or questions that need answering. Please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail, or via the school office if there is something that your child is unable to communicate to me. Please remember to look in the school newsletters and on the school website for details of forthcoming events. I will also be using the parent mail system to contact you directly about things that you may need to know to ensure the smooth running of the class.

I really hope this information helps but if there is anything I haven’t mentioned please feel free to contact me. snolan@longcrendon. bucks. sch. uk