Dear Parents/Carers, 

Maple Class have truly had a lovely start to the year and it has been heart- warming to see the children catch up with their friends and gently get back into the groove of being in the classroom again. The children have already shown promise in living up to the expectations of being in Year 3, with excellent learning attitudes being set down in our first week that I hope to further nurture and develop across the academic year. We have quickly got stuck into lots of our exciting topics this term with ‘The Blue Umbrella’ in English, place value and Sikhism to name a few.

As your child has now moved up to their new age phase of Key Stage 2, I feel it is important to encourage them to be as independent as possible, however on occasion, support from home (and school) will naturally be required. Gradually transitioning the children to take more accountability for themselves will allow development not only in their academic work, but in them becoming a well- rounded individual too. Due to it being the beginning of the academic year, I thought it would be helpful for you to be aware of the following: 

This year we will continue to complete homework online, Doodle Maths still being our homework of choice, (www.doodlelearning.com). Ideally, I would like children to spend at least 15 minutes per week on either Doodle Maths or Doodle Tables, this can be completed all at once or over the course of the week. The platform will set personal maths targets for your child to work towards throughout the year. 

Furthermore, each week your child will be sent home with a personal spelling list (no more than six words) that they will need to practice at home in readiness for their weekly spelling test. Spelling tests will be carried out on a Friday. 

I also expect your child to read at home, AT LEAST 3 times a week. Ideally, with a minimum of one of those times being them reading to an adult. Your child will come home with a Reading Record, just like last year, where there is an expectation that reading at home is logged and at the end of each week, I will check whether or not your child has read. 

As well as a Reading Record, your child will also bring home a Reading Journal, where they will need to complete one entry per week based on the book they are currently reading or have just read. Preferably, the entry should differ week upon week. Initially, I will place a weekly prompt onto a sticker into your child’s reading journal, however, this will be removed after Christmas to encourage more independence and creativity. In addition to this, we will engage in Book Talk, a time used to discuss the book your child is reading. From this discussion I will be able to gauge whether your child is reading at home and their comprehension of this. This will also contribute to your child’s developing oracy of which an oracy question can also be found on the homework slides each week. This will aid a bridge of building oracy skill between home and school.

At the end of Year 4, your child will sit their Multiplication Timetables Check. While this may seem far off, it is vital that your child gets a head start on the practice now not only to better their completion of this, but to develop their foundations of mathematical knowledge for the years to come. It is my hope that a focus on this now will help to relieve children’s anxieties and secure any gaps in knowledge through building that skill and confidence in preparation for this. Your child should practice their timetables (x2, x3, x4, x5 ,x8, x10) as much as possible when at home. We will practice in school daily, however, your continued support with this would be greatly appreciated. Your child will have a DoodleTables login (same as DoodleMaths), which I would like every child to use at home, for at least 15 minutes per week. More information on the Multiplication Check will be given to you nearer the time. 

All login details for your child will be stuck into their Reading Record in due course, if they are misplaced, or do not seem to be working, please do let me know so I am able to rectify the problem as quickly as possible. 

P.E. will be on a Friday this term. Please could children come into school wearing the correct kit (Longvernal P.E. t-shirt, black shorts or sports trousers and trainers). PE will be outside for the first term, so black Longvernal fleeces or green Longvernal jumpers can also be worn. 

Forest school will be on a Tuesday. Forest school will take place regardless of the weather (unless extreme) so please can you ensure your child is wearing appropriate clothing (long sleeve tops and trousers) as well as bringing their wellies and waterproofs in a separate labelled bag to change in and out of, if necessary. Extra socks are always helpful, if a pair could be popped into their bags too, that would be great! Wellies can stay at school if preferred. 

Please could you email the office an up to date ‘approved pick up list’ for your child, so we are able to update your child’s records. This should include anyone who may be likely to pick your child up at the end of the day. You can share a password with me/the office if you require. For safety reasons, I will not let your child go home with anyone who is not on the list or has not been discussed with either myself or the office prior to pick-up regardless of whether your child knows the person or not. Thank you in advance for your co-operation with this. 

As ever, please do not hesitate to contact me before or after school with any questions or queries and please remember to check the Longvernal school website and Facebook Page for updates on Maple Class. 

I am thoroughly looking forward to the year and cannot wait to see the children continue to achieve goals in their journeys.

Kind regards, 

Becca Cleaves