Hello and welcome to Lemur Class! We are really looking forward to the year ahead and have lots of exciting learning planned.
Look at our new classroom…
Our team is made up of Mrs McDonald, Mrs Holloway and Mrs White.
Our School Day
Our school day begins promptly at 8:30am when we begin our morning activities.
Please arrive at school for 8.25am for our 8:30 start when we will begin our morning activities. You will need to bring a water bottle each day as well as appropriate clothing for the weather. (If it’s hot, make sure you have a hat, if it’s not then bring a coat.) Please make sure that all personal items are clearly labelled.
At break times children will need to bring a healthy snack (e.g. fruit, vegetables, cheese). Children will also need to bring a packed lunch if they are not having a hot school meal. (Hot meals must be ordered and paid for through Parent Pay). Please remember that we are a healthy and nut-free school which means that nuts, chocolate and sweets are not permitted.
The school day finishes at 3:15pm Monday-Thursday and 2pm on Fridays.
Here is our timetable to give you an idea of our school day:
Physical Education
Our P.E lessons will be on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
P.E. kit will need to be worn on P.E days, which consists of plain black jogging bottoms or shorts, a plain white top or Gagle Brook P.E. top, black pumps/trainers and a black jumper.
We will also be swimming on a Monday later on in the year. More information will come out nearer the time.
Learning in Nature
We will be having 3 Learning in Nature sessions on a Thursday afternoon in weeks 2, 4 and 6 this term.
If you don’t want your child’s uniform to get dirty, please can they bring in a weather-appropriate change of clothes for these afternoons. Wellies will also be needed if the ground is wet.
Our Learning this Term
At Gagle Brook we pride ourselves on providing a rich varied curriculum for the children and this is led by a big question each term. The big question this term is ‘Where will out future take us?’ The children participate in a hook day to excite them about their new learning, and we provide a variety of cross curriculum learning opportunities. For further information on our curriculum offered in Year 3 this term please see our Topic Maps and termly newsletters.
In PHSE we use the Jigsaw scheme and our Jigsaw piece this year is Jigsaw Jo, and we also have Jerrie Cat who helps us with our ‘paws for thought’ moments.
We use a three-phase approach in English where contextual knowledge is acquired by pupils through access to a variety of linked texts, and writing is driven by a core text each term. (Please see our topic web for further information). We use Can Do Maths to support our Maths curriculum.
We place a high value on children’s reading and enjoyment of reading. Within our class we have daily ‘Drop everything and read’ sessions where children are able to enjoy a wide variety of high-quality texts as a class. Our English curriculum is driven by high quality texts, both for writing and reading.
Home Learning
We are often asked, ‘How can I help my child at home?’ and we recommend reading for at least 20 minutes daily, which you should record in your child’s reading record. ‘Chatter Time’ is also a great way of developing your child’s oracy skills, and much more!
Home learning is set once a week and recorded in your child’s Home Learning book. There will also be tasks set on Purple Mash throughout the term. Home Learning should take roughly 20 minutes. We also expect that spellings will be practiced at home each week. Home Learning will be handed out on a Friday and collected in on a Wednesday.
Parent helpers are very welcome to support with afternoon reading, or anyone with a particular skill who would like to volunteer once a week - let one of the team know!
We operate an open-door policy- please come and see us if you have a worry or a concern- we are always here to help!
Best wishes,
The Year 3 Team