Firstly, I look forward to meeting parents and carers at this week’s consultations. If you haven’t yet booked, please go to Arbor and book a slot. If there are no suitable slots, please email on the class email and I will organise an alternative for you.

Last week’s performances in English were great fun! The children worked hard on their scripts and then gave really constructive feedback to each group – well done to all the children. The planning is almost finished, so this week the children will be editing their instructions and producing a neat copy.

In Whole Class reading this week we will be using an extract from the book, ‘Henry Pond the Poet’, by Dick King Smith. We will investigate the vocabulary and answer questions about the text, both as a class and individually.

In Maths this week we will be estimating numbers on a numberline, up to 1,000, comparing numbers to 1,000 and ordering numbers. Times tables will be an ongoing feature, with the children completing a times table challenge each week.

In science this week, we will continue looking at Animals, including humans, beginning to investigate the five senses (starting with sight). We will also continue the ‘Time and Place’ unit about Stone Age, this week, looking at grave goods and what they tell us about the past.

Mrs Banner will be teaching our RE on Friday, and will be finishing the unit, People of God and what it is like to follow God, making simple links regarding how some Christians choose to live their whole lives in their church community. Mrs Banner will also do a spelling test, computing and elements of the maths curriculum.

Swimming continues on Tuesday this week, and it was great to see so many children able to move into the main pool last week. The progress being made continues to surprise us all, with the children improving each week and gaining in confidence in the water. Maple class have PE on Mondays too and each week they will need a full PE kit, swimming costume/trunks, a towel, swimming cap - this is required by the swimming pool, and goggles (although these are optional). There will also be occasions when we do additional PE sessions, so please can the children have their PE kit in school all week.

Reading Records will generally be changed on a Monday and Thursday. We would still ask, however, that children bring their reading books and Reading Records in to school each day and that they aim to read daily, ideally with an adult – details of this can then be recorded in the Reading Record. Homework will be sent home on Tuesday, but will obviously not be due back in school until the Monday after half-term. In year three, the children do need to be more independent in their learning and this includes remembering to put their Reading Records and Home Learning books into the baskets! Obviously, we do remind them, but if you could remind them again too, that would be great.

I am always happy to answer any questions you may have, so please do contact me if you have any queries, using the class email address:

maple@st-barnabas.kent.sch.uk

Best wishes

Mrs Smallcombe and the Maple Team