Welcome to Year 4

Who’s who? 4J – Mr Jardine. 4H – Miss Hearn. 4WS – Ms Waterman/Mrs Saunderson. Ms Waterman is also the SENCo for the junior department. Support staff: Mrs Rotheram, Mrs Jones, Mrs Taylor and Mrs McKenzie. Assistant Head – Miss Jackson.

Things to remember! Diaries and reading books come to school every day. PE kits will be needed for all of Year 4 on TUESDAYS. 4WS will be swimming this term on MONDAYS. 4J will also need their Games kit on THURSDAYS. 4H will also need their Games kit on THURSDAYS.

READING BOOKS In year 4 we use the same book banding system as in year 3. After your child has completed ‘lime’ books they will choose a library book. We have a well stocked library. Please sign your child’s diary with a brief comment when they have read at home. Reading books will only be changed when diaries have been signed by an adult.

English and Maths English and Maths are taught daily. Basic skills sessions are also covered three times a week. New Curriculum More challenging and expectations are greater.

Homework Homework will be in the form of basic skills Maths will be sent home on Fridays Returned on Tuesdays. English homework will be in the form of spellings which will be sent home weekly in preparation for a weekly spelling tes.t We also expect the children to read regularly at home The more your child reads the better!

Topic The topic for this half term is ‘The Minpins’ by Roald Dahl. We will be making houses for the minpins to live in. Please can you provide your child with a small, plastic, coloured bottle (such as a fruit shoot bottle) and a small box (shoe box size or smaller). We may ask for your help in this area! Keep an eye on the website. Next half term we will be studying the Romans and are in the process of booking a trip to Chester.

Specialist Teaching On Tuesdays Children will be taught by specialist Music, P.E. and Science Teachers. The children will be learning a woodwind instrument with the music teacher. The instruments will be kept in school. The P.E. teacher is teaching Gymnastics/Dance. The Science teacher (Mr Hughes) is working through a Sound Unit. On Wednesdays the class will rotate amongst the year 4 teachers in Art, French and ICT. This will allow the year 4 staff to get to know all of the children in the Year group and will make the best use of resources.

Marking Policy We have introduced a new Marking Policy that all year groups will use. This will ensure a consistent approach across both KS1 and KS2. Anything marked in green will be good! Marking in a pink pen will highlight areas for development or what needs to be done next to ensure progress is made.

Rewards We use a ‘smiley’ face system across the school. The aim is for every child to earn fifty smileys each half term in order to achieve an hour’s reward time. Children will be awarded smileys for: -particularly good work/effort -Displaying good manners -Displaying a caring attitude towards others When one hundred smileys have been achieved a bronze/silver/gold sticker and certificate will be awarded and children will gain a longer reward time. Stickers and certificates will also so awarded for positive behaviour.

Sanctions If a child does not keep class rules then a sanction may be necessary. This may mean missing part of lunch time play, being sent to another class or to the Assistant Head for the year depending on the severity. We have a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to any act of physical aggression. We are presently re-writing our behaviour policy and will update you accordingly.

Lunchtimes and snacks We would encourage all of our children to have a healthy packed lunch if they are not having a school dinner Fizzy drinks are not allowed. Hot Dinner Menu. Last year we sold our own healthy snacks at play times. Prices started at 15p for a fruit bar. We are hoping to carry this on. Water bottles are allowed in classrooms.

P4C PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN This is to be a priority across the school. We will focus on feelings, awareness of others, respect and kindness etc. PSHE lessons will also reflect learning in this area as well as life skills such as keeping safe and keeping healthy.

Communication We will be working hard to improve communication this year. You can contact your child’s class teacher by writing in their diary or making a phone call to school. You may not be able to speak to a teacher directly before or after school but we will try our best to speak to you as soon as possible. You can also speak to the Assistant Head of your child’s phase. SENCOs are available to speak to parents/carers when they are not teaching. Newsletters will come home every Wednesday. Newsletters can also be accessed via our new school website. School calendars are available to buy at the office. They contain school dates and cost £2.