Autumn 1 Week 3

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English – We’ve planned the introductions to first person narratives this week and are looking forward to starting these stories next week.

Science – We have learnt to use classification keys to identify and group different animals.

Art – As part of our Art unit (exploring pattern) we have created sensory pictures and designed our own rules for pattern making.

Geography – We’ve learnt that megacities are cities around the world with a high population density.

Thank you to everyone who attended the “Meet the Teacher” meeting last week! If you couldn’t make it, the PowerPoint presentation will be available on the class page soon.

Quick reminders: PE is on Tuesday and Wednesday. Home learning packs and reading records must be in on Friday.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Miss Pringle

Home learning 

Using the password card in your child’s bag,please log on and complete the Mathletic and EdShed (spelling) activities set.

 

 

Autumn 1 Week 2

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We have partitioned and placed numbers to a 1,000 on number lines this week in Maths.

In English, we have been using expanded noun phrases in our writing and have published our free verse poems.

On Thursday we took part in a (road safety) Pedestrian Skills session, where we learnt about the road environment and understanding the importance of being seen as well as being able to see. We also  practised road crossing techniques in a number of live scenarios.

  

In Science, we have been learning about vertebrates and invertebrates. To consolidate our Science learning we enjoyed using online quizzes, which were a lot of fun.

Our P.E. focus has been on team work and co-ordination. I have been very impressed with skills both so far and look forward to building on these next week.

As part of our Year of the Apostle learning, we have reflected on a time that we have shown courage and set ourselves missions for this term – please ask you child about their mission. We also looked at how God reveals Himself to us through nature.

We have completed our Art projects, inspired by Mexican Textile Artist Victoria Villasana. I’m sure you’ll agree they are spectacular!

Home learning will start next Friday but here is our spelling list for next week. There is a spelling sheet and book in your child’s bag too.

Words with the prefix ‘in-‘ meaning ‘not’
inactive
incorrect
invisible
insecure
inflexible
indefinite
incurable
inability
inadequate
Have a lovely weekend
Miss Pringle

 

 

 

Autumn 1 Week 1 – Welcome back

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It has been a great to spend time with Year 4 this week and hear all about their summer break. I am pleased with how hard they have worked and how kind they have been to each other.

We are revising place value in Maths at the moment and making numbers to 1,000.

In English, we have read ‘We’re are all wonders’ by R. J. Palacio. This book tells the story of Auggie, a boy with only one eye, from his own point of view. Auggie knows he is different – he doesn’t explain how, but the illustrations fill us in.  He also knows that he likes to do a lot of the same things as many other children, and his interests are very similar. We have been thinking about what makes us unique and will be writing free verse poem based on this.

In Science, we have been grouping animals.

We have started to create Art, inspired by Victoria Villasana, a Mexican Textile artist. Make sure you check the blog next week to see our creations.

Our PE days this term are Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Please ensure the reading book(s) sent home today are returned on Monday.

Have a restful weekend

Miss Pringle

Friday, 12th July 2024

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Summer fun day was the absolute highlight of this week where we came together as a school to spend time outside and enjoy a variety of activities. The children had a fantastic time which was a well deserved treat for their hard work this year. Thank you to all the parent helpers; without your efforts, these events wouldn’t come to life!

 

Please bring a strong plastic bag to school for books as we are sending them home throughout next week and remember that school finishes Friday 19th July  at 1pm.

Have a lovely weekend

Ms Varga

 

 

Friday, 5th July 2024

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This week in Year 4, the children planned for their final big writing piece, an alternative ending to our class book Stitch Head. In Maths, they learnt how to read, write and plot coordinates in the first quadrant whilst in RE they reflected on their beliefs about Discipleship and recorded their understanding in the form of an acrostic poem.

We also listened to some of our very talented guitar players performing in their end of year concert! Well done everyone!

Thank you so much for those of you who came to see me this week. It has been lovely to share the children’s reports with you and celebrate their achievements in Year 4! A truly remarkable class who worked hard all year!

Please check Thursday’s blog for learning set on coordinates and the weekly spellings (revision words). Please also take time to complete the Olympic profile learning (unless you are already finished), so that you are ready to share in class!

Have a lovely weekend,

Ms Varga

 

 

Learning for Thursday, 4th July 2024

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Dear Year 4,

Please see the activities set for you:

Spelling Revision words-brochure, famous, tension, penniless, hideous, different, astronaut, completion, admission,
mathematician

 

https://www.edshed.com/en-gb
Mathletics https://login.mathletics.com/

Complete activities, all based on coordinates
Research See information below.

Take this time to research an athlete of your choice who is going to the Paris Olympics. Find out where they are from, what their sport is, if they have won any medals before, what it takes to be an Olympic athlete and any other interesting facts about them. We will be writing about this in class next week.

Have a nice day,

Ms Varga

Friday, 28th June 2024

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This week in Year 4, the children revised their arithmetic learning focusing on number and the 4 calculations, whilst in English, we centered our learning around character description and inference when looking at further chapters from our class book, Stitch Head.

In RE, the class identified characteristics and qualities of Jesus using Gospel Stories from the Bible before reflecting on their own qualities as disciples. In PE, they carried on with their unit of tennis with Mr Mills, whilst in Science they looked at habitats and made connections between diets and vertebrate groups.

In D&T, the children painted their main structures before cutting and adding any other parts to their torches. Next week, we will focus on putting our simple series circuits together.

I am looking forward to seeing you all next week for our last parent consultation sessions; please make sure to book an appointment for Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. Thursday’s meetings will be held in class due to the school being used as a polling station.

Friday, 5th July is whole school photos!

I wish you a lovely weekend,

Ms Varga

Home Learning Due back on Tuesday, 2nd  July 2024
Spelling Revision words

https://www.edshed.com/en-gb

Next week’s words: brochure, famous, tension, penniless, hideous, different, astronaut, completion, admission, mathematician
Reading https://readtheory.org/
English The children have been learning about the ‘Mad Professor Erasmus’ in class, who is one of the main characters in our class book, Stitch Head.

This week, I would like the children to come up with a ‘design’ for a monster that would fit into the already large group of monsters living in Castle Grotteskew. The Professor is famous for using ‘spare’ parts and putting them together often quite ‘crudely’.

Create an A4 poster using any media to draw your monster, then add a vocabulary bank around it that you will be able to use.

Think about the structure we use in class. First choose 8-10 good nouns. Add an adjective to each of them, as a second step. Sort out the prepositional phrase to elevate them to an expanded noun phrase, telling the reader where these parts are or what is special about them. Then think about how you could add a few examples of personification, metaphor or simile.

This home learning is a plan for a later writing piece. I am not expecting paragraphs. Only a detailed picture, with bullet points of words/phrases to use in class.

 

Friday, 21st June 2024

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We launched our whole school Other Faith Week with a visit to The Twelve Apostles Church ( a beautiful Greek Orthodox church in Brookmans Park) on Monday. During our visit, we learned  about the saints artwork decorating the walls and stained glass windows from Fr Demitrianos, that were designed to make us feel like we are in heaven. We also looked at the icons around the church as well as some of the beautifully ornamented items in the Sanctuary. Thank you to Mrs Martides for organising the trip!

On Tuesday, the class participated in the KS2 Sports Day where they demonstrated true team spirit and excellent sportsmanship! Thank you for coming along and supporting us, I know it meant a lot for the children.

In class, we calculated the perimeter and area of rectilinear shapes in Maths, whilst in English we wrote paragraphs with expanded noun phrases, similes and personification to describe our main setting, Castle Grotteskew. In RE, we reflected on our Catholic beliefs based on Mark’s Calling Stories, whilst in Science, the children classified animals according to their vertebrate groups in their new unit of learning, Living things and their habitat.

We also added a second layer of paper mache to strengthen the outer shell of our torches as we continued our Electricity themed D&T project.

A few children in class struggled with hay fever last week. Just a reminder that in KS2, children can self administer Piriton (supervised) as long as the bottle is clearly labelled with their name, it includes the appropriate measuring spoon/cup, and it contains a note with clear instructions on how much/how often of the medication is needed.

Have a lovely weekend,

Ms Varga

Home Learning Due back on Tuesday, 25th June 2024
Spelling Revision Words

https://www.edshed.com/en-gb

Next week’s words: incorrect, illegible, subject, international, believe, wildly, preparation, coronation, bravely, thoughtfully
Reading https://readtheory.org/auth/login
Mathletics https://login.mathletics.com/

Complete assigned activities based around area.

 

Friday, 14th June 2024

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This week in Year 4, our focus has been on ‘Healthy Eating Week: Give it a Go!’ and completed learning activities based around the themes of:

  • Get at least 5 A DAY
  • Stay hydrated
  • Move more
  • Focus on fibre
  • Reduce food waste

We tasted exotic fruits and scored the experience on a 0-5 scale. After calculating the mean averages for each fruit, we plotted our results on a graph. We also infused water with different fruits and vegetables before looking at nutrients. We gained understanding of how protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals and fat contribute to a balanced diet and rated food items based on different criteria looking at the amount of nutrients they contain.

On Monday, we also went to our Tudor themed class trip to St Albans Cathedral. We first took part in a food workshop where we learnt about the diet of people living in Tudor times before looking at cooking tools and making our own cheese and salad.

Our second workshop was themed around clothing in Tudor times. Children had the opportunity to try outfits from the time period; looking at fabrics and reflecting on how different outfits represented different social classes.

We carried on with our activities by listening to Tudor music and learning a ‘Pavane’- a Tudor court dance before participating in a lively ‘Snail’ and ‘Needle’- country dances popular in Henry VIII’s time.

We finished our day by learning about Tudor musical instruments such as the clarinet, oboe, recorder and drum.

We also used this opportunity to learn a little bit more about St Alban himself and visiting his shrine, where we spent some time in prayer.

On Monday, 17th June 2024, Year 3 and 4 classes are going on a trip to the Twelve Apostle Greek Orthodox Church as part of our ‘Other Faith Week’ learning. Children will have lunch in school as normal but will need to wear school uniform instead of a PE kit. Please make sure you give consent on School Comms.

Tuesday, 18th June is Sports Day. Children will need sun hats, water bottles and PE kits for the afternoon. Please come and support if you can.

Have a lovely weekend,

Ms Varga

Home Learning Due back on Tuesday, 18th  June 2024
Spelling Words that are plurals with possessive apostrophes

https://www.edshed.com/en-gb

Next week’s words: expression, musician, reluctantly, group, scene, circle, solve,
supermarket, bicycle, except
Reading https://readtheory.org/auth/login
Mathletics https://login.mathletics.com/

Please complete assigned tasks based around perimeter.

Friday, 7th Friday 2024

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It has been lovely to welcome the children back to class after their well deserved break.

This week, in Maths we carried on focusing on Multiplication before moving on to our final term of revisions. In English, we started our last unit of work- a narrative unit- based on Guy Bass’ wonderful book called, Stitch Head. The children thoroughly enjoyed listening to the first chapters of this humorously spooky story and wrote setting descriptions using expanded noun phrases, prepositions, similes and personification.

In Science, the class looked at Explorify puzzles about electricity and reasoned about circuits and conductivity using concept cartoons. In RE, we learnt about St Clare of Assisi- one of the Eucharistic saints- as a preparation for today’s Blessed Sacrament procession. We looked at her life and work before reflecting on how adoration as a prayer form impacted her life.

In PE, we started our unit of tennis with Mr Mills and practiced short rallies to gain confidence.

From next week, our PE days will be Mondays and Tuesdays, so children need to come in PE kits on those days.

However, Monday, 10th June 2024 is our class trip to St Albans Cathedral, therefore the children need to come in their normal summer uniforms. NO PE kits for that day, please! Check that you have given permission and clicked the school pack lunch option if needed. We won’t be able to provide that on the day! Packed lunches must not have nuts or chocolates, please due to allergies.

Tuesday, 11th June 2024 is Sports Day. Children will need their PE kits, sun hats and water bottles! Ks2 events start in the afternoon and finish shortly before the end of the day @ 3.15pm.

Next week is also Healthy Eating week, so the children will participate in food tasting and will learn about the 5 ways of keeping healthy. Contributions towards that can be made via School Comms, please.

 

Home Learning Due back on Tuesday, 11th  Tuesday 2024
Spelling Challenge words

https://www.edshed.com/en-gb

Next week’s words: girls’, boys’, babies’, children’s,
men’s, mice’s, ladies’, cats’,
women’s, geese’s
Reading https://readtheory.org/auth/login
Mathletics https://login.mathletics.com/

Complete assigned revision activities.