Super skippers!
What an amazing afternoon year 3 and 4 had today!
This afternoon, year 3 and 4 visited Temple Learning Academy to participate in a skipping competition against 4 other schools. The children behaved impeccably and made us very proud.
The children participated in 15 different events and we came away with 10 different certificates, including a few golds! We learnt a skip dance to “Let’s get ready to rumble” where we came 2nd! Certificates will be handed out during our achievement assembly on Friday.
Here are a few photos of us competing:
The new, national multiplication tables check
The government is introducing a new, statutory multiplication tables ‘check’ (MTC) for the first time, in June this year. Children in Year 4 will take this check.
The purpose of the check is to determine whether pupils can fluently recall their times tables up to 12, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will also help your child’s school to identify pupils who may need additional support.
Read more about the check in this leaflet from the Standards and Testing Agency.
Living and Learning: I can show forgiveness
This week, our living and learning statement was “I can show forgiveness.”
During our living and learning session, we completed one of our reflection area challenges. We wrote on our whiteboards something that we were sorry for – something that we needed forgiveness for. Then after we’d said sorry for it, we wiped it away. We wiped away the thing we were sorry for.
Is your child in Year 4?
The government is introducing a new assessment for Year 4 pupils. In June, each child in Year 4 is set to complete an online multiplication tables check (MTC). Read more about this new assessment.
There will be 25 questions covering the full range of facts children are expected to know, which means questions going up to 12 x 12. However, there’s slightly more weighting towards multiplication facts involving 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 due to these being the most difficult to learn. For example, there will be between 2 and 4 questions involving multiplying by 6.
For each question, children are presented with a multiplication fact and an empty box. This may be written as __ x 6 or as 6 x __ .
If you’d like to practise at home, our own website has lots of spreadsheets you can download.
There are also lots of websites that you can use. This one is very similar to the MTC. It’s possible to alter the settings on this website to focus on particular times tables.
Another exciting way to practise times tables is through the ‘Times Tables Rockstars’ website. Every child has their own individual login details that enables them to access their account at school and at home. Feedback so far is that this is proving an enjoyable way to practise times tables facts at home!
Living and Learning: I know how to seek help
During this week’s living and learning session, you learnt some mindfulness techniques. These are great techniques to help yourself.
Mindfulness gives your brain a moment of pause to assess any situation without responding irrationally and full of emotions. Here are some of the mindfulness activities that we learnt:
Here are some pictures of us practising these techniques.
Skipping Superstars
Today, Leanne, from the Skipping School, visited to teach us some new skipping skills.
We learnt a variety of jumps; the double jump, the speed bounce, the crossover and the pretzel to name a few.
We played two group games and we also learnt a dance routine which we will add skipping to ready for a competition in March.
Living and Learning: I know what a drug is.
This week, our Living and Learning statement was ‘I know what a drug is’. As part of our learning, Dave from D:side came in to talk to each class about drugs. With the younger children, he spoke to them about medicines and how we can keep our bodies healthy. In KS2, he delivered workshops on smoking, alcohol and drugs.
Following on from this, each class discussed the issues and dangers around passive smoking and what they could do if they felt uncomfortable about it. The NHS website has some excellent information about passive smoking and the risks for children.
Orienteering
As part of our ‘Where in the World’ topic, we need to be able to identify map symbols as well as be able to use maps. Last week, we did just that by orienteering around the school grounds. We had to find 10 control points dotted around the area. To do this we had to use a map of the school and know what all the symbols meant in order to find our way around.
Once we had visited all of the control point we had to unscramble the letters we found to make a piece of our topic vocabulary. It was – Ordnance Survey – the company who make maps.
Lilly said, ‘I was so out of breath running round trying to find the places as fast as possible’
Harley commented, ‘I really had to think hard when using the map and persevere!’
Living and Learning: I know how to stop bullying
This week Living and Learning statement has been linked to anti-bullying week. This year’s theme is ‘Change starts with us’. As a class we discussed what this meant. We had some good suggestions
‘We can all do something to stop bullying’ – Daisy-Mae
‘Even if you aren’t being bullied you can help somebody who is’ – Nicholas
We all then reminded ourselves what the definition of Bullying was :
Several Times On Purpose
If we are going to make a change and it starts with us then we have to remember the points that Daisy-Mae and Nicholas made. We have to
Start Telling Other People
‘If ever I see bullying I will tell an adult’ – Isobel
Living and Learning: democracy
On the last day of half term, the school councillors for this year were elected. The children read aloud and listened to speeches in their own class. Then the children went into the hall to vote for their class representatives; this was a very fair and democratic process. Congratulations to all the children who will be school council representatives for 2019-2020.