Welcome back!
As most of you already know, I taught the current Year 4 two years ago in Key Stage 1. They were a wonderful group of children then and it’s great to see that Mr Wilks has had such a positive impact.
In literacy, Year 4 are currently story-writing in literacy. Further into the term, they will be learning about promotional writing (advertisements, leaflets) as well as writing reports (information texts – often a website or factual book). Encourage your child to read these different types of text when you’re out and about or if you spot an interesting report in a newspaper or magazine.
In maths we’re investigating place value (this is all about knowing the value of digits in a number, such as knowing 357 has three hundreds, five tens and seven units) as well as the four basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and divide). By the end of the year, your child has to know all times table facts up to 10 x 10. It is imperative that they practise their times tables every day for a few minutes until they can recall any times table within five seconds.
Parents’ evening will be towards the end of October; in the meantime, please feel free to drop in if you have any queries. Finally, I’d like to welcome Luca to our class. He’s slotted perfectly into our learning community and has already made excellent contributions– especially in art!
I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Fruit tuckshop returns!
Our fruit tuckshop, to be run by the Year 5 class this year, returns next week on a new day – Tuesday.
The tuckshop is open to all Key Stage 2 children during playtime. Reception and Key Stage 1 children receive free fruit at playtime.
Each item costs 20p and the fruit can be a snack for playtime or used to top up their packed lunch box – all contributing to their 5 a day!
As stated in our Food Policy, fruit is the only snack allowed at playtimes for Key Stage 2.
SEAL statement 07 September
This week we begin our new SEAL theme, New Beginnings, and the weekly statement is ‘I can make someone feel welcome.‘
Over this half term, as the children are experiencing new beginnings, each class will be looking at how they can all contribute to establishing a welcoming and safe environment for learning.
Farewell, Year 4!
What a privilege it has been to teach Year 4 this year. I will miss them all, even though I will probably still be able to hear Arjun from Year 5! I have been so impressed with the exemplary attitude to learning from almost all of the class – I’m sure they will continue to succeed next year.
Highlights for me are many, but here’s a few:
- Holly’s improvement in her writing this year has been nothing short of exemplary. Sami’s writing this year has also been brilliant; he has produced writing this term that would not look out of place in Year 6.
- The Rai Master’s (Hari Rai) times tables speed has been phenomenal. Additionally, Tom has the highest average times table score in the class.
- Pavanpal and Bethany W’s reading has gone from strength to strength: they were both one mark short of a maximum score on their end of year reading test.
- Bethany G scored maximum marks for all her end of year assessments.
- The Lion King production showcased some terrific acting talent. In my opinion, Maeve’s Simba was better than the one on Broadway!
- Finally, Loraine has excelled in every aspect of the curriculum this year and has been an asset the class as well her school.
Parents, it has been a delight getting to know you all. A big thank you for your support at home. It has certainly made a difference. A thank you also to Mrs Bald, who has been instrumental in ensuring children achieve their goals this year.
Health questionnaire
There will be no further homework this term. However, please support your child to complete the health questionnaire sent home today in order to find out their views on some of our key health issues at school.
Emotional health and obesity are the two targets we are working on in school to further our healthy schools status and the questions, devised last year by the school council, are linked to these areas. These include:
- Are you happy at school?
- What do you enjoy most about playtimes and lunchtimes?
Completed questionnaires to be returned by Monday 16 July.
Dance Showcase
Well done to the children who took part in the Dance Showcase at Allerton Grange. Thank you to Tracey for choreographing a fantastic routine which involved lifts and the children making use of the whole stage.
Jubilee Day
Oui, bien sûr!
An exciting new French project for Year 4 children will be starting this week.
A teacher of English from a school in the Champagne region of northern France contacted Moortown Primary to see if we could write back to the 30 children in one of their classes so they could practise their English writing skills.
We replied, “Oui, bien sûr!”
We have received 30 wonderful postcards from the children from their village school in Grauves, and Year 4 will be individually responding to each child. We’ll reply first of all to their questions in English and then, to put our skills to the test, we’ll be replying with one or two of our own.
As-tu des frères ou des soeurs? par exemple.
It’s a great way to bring our French learning to life and the teacher, Monsieur Jérôme Eyffred, has sent us some pictures of their beautiful setting, library, classroom and even classwork so we can compare notes! Already we know the school has 130 pupils, five classes (Year 2 to Year 6) and only one interactive whiteboard – it’s a relatively new concept in France, says Jérôme.
We’ll keep up the correspondence until the end of this term and provide any further updates on this new partnership between Moortown and Grauves.
Abandon Ship
A few days ago, Year 3 and Year 4 received this letter:
Dear Year 3 & 4,
I be writing this here diary whilst I be gettin’ attacked from the east by those scallywags, employed by the ‘onourable Queen Elizabeth to do away with us. I don’t ‘ave much time left and I be worrying ’bout me treasure y’see. I thinks I can swim ashore but I won’t be able to carry me treasure which weighs a massive 1kg. I as got sum wood, stone and other bits and pieces but don’t have a clue what to do. ‘Elp us if ye can and make me something that help float me treasure back to shore.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be coming up with some ideas and building a device that can float the treasure back to shore. Hopefully, this pirate will let us share some of his booty if we manage to help him!
Strictly Year 4 Dancing
Year 4 have choreographed some of their own dance routines in PE.
httpv://youtu.be/QmVe-xeFb4U
