1. Welcome to our Year 3 Loris Class Meet the Teacher Evening Monday 15th September, 2014 5:30pm

2. Curriculum letter Sent home last week Most information is contained in this Spare copies are on tables

3. The school day, etc. The school day is from 8:50am – 3:10pm Doors open at 8:40am – children have a daily morning task when they come into school Break is at 9:55am – toast is available priced 20p; children can bring their own healthy snacks We would encourage water bottles to be brought in daily Assembly is 11:15am (Mon – Thurs) and 2:30pm Fridays (Celebration Assembly) Lunch is 12:30 – 1:25pm, served in two sittings

4. Timetable - main points Generally, Maths and English take place in the morning These are in set groups, based on prior attainment (incl. Y2 SATs and teacher assessments) Lessons in both classes follow the same themes, but are carefully differentiated and aim to build on children’s strengths, and address their weaknesses May be some flexibility in groups as the year progresses – ie, children may move groups.

5. Timetable - main points PE is on Mondays for the first half-term – indoors, with a gymnastics coach working with the children. After half-term, PE switches to Tuesday afternoons, with Dance as the theme. Please could your child bring their PE kit in school on Mondays, taking it home on Fridays each week. Swimming – Wednesdays – a separate letter has already been sent out to you. Jewellery – earrings/studs have to be removed in order to participate. Please send a note if your child is unable to take part for any reason.

6. Curriculum themes Please refer to the curriculum letter for more detail, but briefly covers: English – “Superheroes” (Traction Man and Captain Underpants texts), writing stories and instructions, creating new characters; followed by Roald Dahl’s The Twits Spelling, handwriting, comprehension, guided reading also form part of our weekly teaching Maths - mental strategies, place value, x tables, + and -, shape, space and measures, problem-solving History – Ancient Greece Science – Forces and magnets; animals and the human body Geography – settlements, including our local area

7. Computing – a focus on programming. The children will explore concepts such as sprites, loops and iteration. After half term our focus will shift to creating digital images, using the well known package, Photoshop. Manga High (to support maths and homework) and Bug Club (interactive books with comprehension questions) Art and Design – Painting skills, focusing on the comic work of John Romita Jr; designing 3D photograph frames. PSHE – new beginnings and setting goals

8. Music – using the music of Bob Marley as a stimulus for composition; rhythm and metre; tuned and untuned percussion RE – stories from Christianity; looking at other faiths, including Islam French – greetings and replies; about ourselves

9. Staff in Year 3 In addition to me, Mrs. Parkinson supports our class each morning. Miss Lucas will teach our class on Thursday from 11:30.

10. Homework Set each Friday, returned by the following Thursday. Please support your child and encourage them to present work neatly in their homework book (writing in blue pen or a pencil) and signing their completed homework. Consists of: Daily reading of their school book banded reading book 15 minutes maths task (may be online – Manga High) Often but not every week, an English task in addition (may be comprehension, grammar or writing focused) Spellings to learn (tested in class fortnightly on Fridays) X tables to learn Occasionally, some theme-based homework/ research

11. Reading at home: We ask that you hear your child read for 10 -15 mins each night Children will have books appropriate to their age/ability (PM Benchmark assessed) Books can be changed any day of the week first thing in the morning or straight after lunch. Please sign and date your child’s reading record after hearing them read These are collected on Fridays by me to check their progress Encourage your child to read widely – comics, magazines, books, etc. Children can access Bug Club books online at home

12. Class blog Loris class page is frequently updated Contains examples of the work we do in class and around school Opportunity for parents to comment, providing feedback on what they see

13. That’s it! We are always happy to talk to you about any aspect of your child’s education – please just catch us at the beginning or end of the day or, if a longer appointment is necessary, let us know.