Presentation Evening 16th September 2015

Year 3 aka Skylarks and Kestrels Year 3 staff: Teachers – Mrs Lamberth, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Lelliott Teaching Assistants – Mrs Powney, Mrs Cruickshanks, Miss Harrison Music teacher - Mrs Steer French teacher – Mme Marron

Our Day… Morning sessions are the most structured part of the day, with literacy and numeracy taking up the majority of the time. Dance or indoor PE is on Friday afternoon. Need P.E. kit and hair bands! Outdoor P.E is on Thursday afternoon. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit in school at all times. As the weather gets colder, a tracksuit should be included. If a child is unable to do PE please inform either the office or the teacher directly. On Thursday mornings the children have music with Mrs Steer and French with Mme Marron. Afternoon sessions consist of other subjects such as the Learning Adventure, Science, Humanities, Art, DT, PSHE.

Learning Adventures Learning Adventures link different parts of the curriculum in relevant and creative ways. Our Learning Adventures this year are: Smugglers Ahoy! - Local area, teeth and nutrition Shadows Superheroes – forces, rocks Groovy Greeks Flow and Grow – animals, plants and habitats by the river Postcard from the Caribbean – Geography study Science topics – Shadows, Magnets (North and South Pole), Nutrition, Teeth, Habitats, animals and plant growth

Home/School Bags Children need to bring them in every day Parents/carers to check every evening. Book bags should only contain: A reading book Reading Record book Reply Slips No food items or toys in the bags, please. If a child has a note s/he should show this to the teacher at the start of the day Letters will be sent out via Parentmail or given to children to put in their book bags Book bags should be kept in the classroom in the boxes provided…NOT in the cloakroom or stuffed into small backpacks.

Learning Adventures Start with an exciting stimulus. Almost all was brand new last year! Will be shorter. The final outcome will be a Learning Adventure book packed with a variety of the children’s work across the curriculum. We are trying to get the children to take a more pro-active role in their learning and want them to be proud of their work. Trips or visitors – may be different to last year

Homework Homework is carefully selected to support your child’s learning in school. However, children are encouraged to take responsibility for informing the class teacher if they are in difficulties well before the due date. Homework is given out on a Friday and is due back on the following Wednesday. Spellings – different to last year Literacy – mostly linked to Learning Adventure but also dedicated grammar lessons Numeracy - changes Reading – Accelerated Reading, Lexia (for some), Guided Reading, Support groups, volunteers! Homework is useful in encouraging children’s self-organisation. It is of tremendous help to your child to be supported by you. Children should read at home with an adult on a regular basis. They are able to change their books as they need to from the library or book boxes.

Expectations in Year 3 Children will begin to become more independent and are expected to organise themselves: homework home/school bags lunch money clubs payment for trips messages from/to parents/teachers school uniform and PE kit personal hygiene They are also expected to uphold the school ethos as laid out in the Golden Rules and be good role models for the younger children.

Expectations in Year 3 Children are expected to read at home every day with an adult. This is vital for their progress. Children are expected to make their best effort in their class performance. This includes presentation of work. All children are aware of the Year 3 Presentation Code. Behaviour- underpinning the school’s PSHE policy are the Golden Rules. These are designed to promote the attitude of care and respect within the school community which children need later to apply within society.

Communication Three-way process (staff/children/parents) Lining up time at the beginning of the school day is good for quick messages. Please stand behind the line of children in the playground. After school is better for a longer chat. If possible, try to arrange this in advance Staff meetings are on Tuesday evenings We appreciate your support in upholding the school’s principles Parent helpers- We will sometimes need your help for school trips, craft activities etc. If you would like to be a helper, negotiate this with your child’s teacher. For reading, we welcome your help. Because of possible disruption to the children’s learning in class, we have had to establish some ground rules for parent helpers – times, places, confidentiality…

In-school snacks and drinks. Children are allowed only fresh fruit or vegetables as snacks Only water is allowed as a drink in class. We have children in the school with severe allergies. Please ensure that your children do not bring in any food containing nuts. It is now school policy not to distribute any food birthday treats (or party invitations). You are welcome to give these out in the playground after school, however.

Finally… Please pass on this information to any parents you know who were unable to come A big ‘thank you’ for coming and for your support.