Mr Street, Mrs Day and Mrs White are excited to be learning with you this year.
Our School Day
Our school day starts promptly at 8.30am, entering via the gate next to the car park, with spelling and reading activities and finishes at 3.30pm Monday – Thursday and 2pm Friday. Children will exit from the same gate as they entered in the morning: don’t worry if you’re picking up younger siblings, we will keep the children in the classroom.
Children will need to bring a water bottle, healthy snack (fruit, vegetables, cheese, etc. no nuts or sugary treats please), pack lunch (if they are not having a hot meal) as well as appropriate clothing for the weather - we will be making use of the outdoors, so a hat/sun lotion for those with skin like mine if it’s hot, and a coat/wellies if it’s cold/raining.
Please make sure that all personal items are clearly labelled, it means your child will get their belonging back quickly.
An example of our timetable:
Physical Education
Our PE days this term are Monday and Wednesday. Please arrive in school on these days in your PE kit. PE kits includes: plain black shorts/joggers, a plain white top/Gagle Brook PE top, trainers, a plain jumper.
Learning in Nature
We will be continuing our fortnightly Learning in Nature sessions, making use of both the school grounds and the Forest School setting within the community. Please ensure your child comes suitably dressed on these days and brings with them appropriate additional clothing for the weather – waterproofs, wellies, warm jacket, etc.
Our Learning this term
This term our big question is ‘Where will our future take us?’ and we will be thinking about possible future careers and what the planet might look and be like in the future.
In Geography we will be learning about Rivers from source to mouth, along with how they can change the landscape and why humans choose to live near them. Our art and writing will be linked into our rivers topic, while Science will be looking at Living Things and their Habitats and will touch on the impact rivers can have on changing habitats.
For further information on our curriculum offer in Year 4 this term please see our Topic Web – if you think you, or someone else in your family or workplace, could help with our offering in anyway, please get in contact.
In PHSE we use the Jigsaw scheme and our Jigsaw piece this year and we also have Jerrie Cat who helps us with our ‘paws for thought’ moments.
We place a high value on children’s reading and enjoyment of reading. Within our class we have daily reading and story time sessions where children are able to enjoy a wide variety of high-quality texts as a class.
Home Learning
We are often asked, ‘How can I help my child at home?’ and we recommend:
Reading for at least 15 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, as well as watching Newsround and much more!
In Year 4 there is a big emphasis on Multiplication Bonds in maths and we recommend just 5 minutes a day singing, chanting, testing - anything using times tables, please ask for ideas if you are stuck. We will be using these tunes in class https://blog.teacherspayteachers.com/the-easy-way-to-memorize-multiplication-tables-amazing-hack/
Home learning is set once a week and will be sent home with your child in their home learning book – this should take roughly 30 minutes. We also expect that spellings will be practiced at home each week.
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 here to help!
Best wishes,
The Year 4 Team