Class 4 Information

Class Teacher: Mrs Pellet-Ward

• Mrs Vicki Lovegrove - TA
• Mrs Benjamin - Music Teacher
• Mrs Campbell - PE Teacher
• Mrs Chapman - Forest School Leader

Homework will be set on a regular basis and as a rule, will be as follows:

• ✓ Monday – reading/ maths / times-tables.
• ✓ Tuesday – reading/ maths / times-tables.
• ✓ Wednesday – ‘I Can Do Maths’ marking day. Reading/ maths / times-tables.
• ✓ Thursday - reading/ maths / times-tables.
• ✓ Topic homework will be set once every half term and will be based upon learning from across the curriculum.

Children have a mental arithmetic homework book. A page is set on Wednesday and should be completed by the following Wednesday morning when it will be marked by the children as the teacher relays the answers. Children will have the opportunity to address misunderstandings at this point, but also at ‘maths club’ which is offered on Friday lunchtimes. We advise that each section of the page is gradually completed during the week.

Children also have access to My Maths, an on-line homework and support programme, for which they each have a log-in and password.

To support arithmetical agility and the learning of times tables, Times Tables Rock Stars (TT Rock Stars) is a sequenced programme of daily times tables practice that concentrates on a different times table weekly, with a recommended consolidation week for rehearsing the tables that have recently been practised every third week or so.

There will be times when your children may need to discuss a piece of writing we are working on in class; such informal discussions serve to provide them with an opportunity to try out their own ideas and gather some new ones.

Topic homework: this will give the children opportunities to present their research and learning in a number of different ways over the course of the year. In Class 4, we will also incorporate opportunities for the children to present their learning to their peers, building their confidence in the area of public speaking and oracy.

Reading
We have a structured library of reading books in school, all of which are part of the Accelerated Reading programme. Following assessment, each child will be guided to the correct level, as a starting point. Each band within the structure offers a wide range of genres and interest areas for the children to choose from, at an appropriate level. Books brought from home are equally acceptable and can be brought to school daily, as their personal reader; if they are not AR titles, that is not a problem as long as I can see them and judge their suitability. Opportunities for your child to read with an adult at home will prove to be of real benefit to them. Their reading and quizzes are reviewed on a regular basis.

P.E.
The set lessons are:

• ❖ Monday and Wednesday (football/netball/multi-skills kit/gym kit – t-shirt, shorts, pumps, trainers, track-suit for cold weather).
• ❖ We request that joggers and sweatshirts for outdoor sport should be either blue or black, plain and with no logos. Thank you.

Daily Mile
The Daily Mile is now well-established. Children may run in either their school shoes or change into their trainers.

Heart of England Learning in the Woods - We will have the opportunity to spend one day each term accessing our curriculum in the Heart of England Forest, at Spernal Ash and/or in our own forest school. The children will need to wear long-sleeved tops and trousers, waterproofs (if needed) and footwear appropriate for the conditions. All these items are essential for the safety and comfort of all. Dates for the day will be posted on the school’s newsletter.

Equipment
We provide the following equipment: handwriting pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, rubbers, rulers, glue sticks, calculators, protractors/ circular protractor, colouring pencils and felt tips.

If the children wish to do so, they may bring to class a small pencil-case containing colouring pencils, felt-tips, etc. (items to be named please). They may also wish to bring a small snack box. (KS2 children are not eligible for free fruit or milk.)

We would ask for your child’s water bottle to be named and filled at home each morning. They will be replenished when needed.

‘Fidgets’ – To help a small number of children calm down and self-regulate, an item to ‘fidget’ with can be useful. This is a need rather than a want. For those who need such an item, they should bring in only one which is no bigger than their palm. To avoid distraction, it cannot make a noise when used nor be shared or passed around.

Bag Jewellery – due to the risk of items being knocked off, damaged or lost, please could the children avoid attaching items, such as keyrings, to their school bags.

Accentuating the Positive
We believe in rewarding effort and success and so the children can collect ‘merit points’ in both work outcomes and independent thinking skills.

• Each tally of merits earns a ‘distinction dot’. Children collect their dots on a card and when they achieve 20, they will receive their first reward. They will continue to accumulate dots, earning rewards at intervals of 40, 80 and 100.
• The Golden Wall, present in each classroom, provides an opportunity for children to gain ‘golden bricks’ for following our Golden Rules! At the close of each term, we place all the bricks in a hat and draw a winner. The draw ensures that all children will continue to be motivated throughout the term.
• Each week a pupil will be chosen as ‘Star of the Week’ in recognition of positive behaviour across all aspects of school life. They will receive their certificate in Celebration Assembly, to which parents are specifically invited.
• Building Learning Power (BLP) encourages us all to be resilient, resourceful and reflective learners; when the children display these characteristics, it will be acknowledged by teachers and peers alike.
• Class Collaboration – this initiative runs right across school and is designed to ‘recognise’ positive learning behaviours that work to support the whole class and not just the individual. As such, all members of the class will work together to achieve the particular focus on that day or week. The foci will range from listening well to perfect presentation and beyond. The children will be encouraged to identify targets that will help us all and serve to accentuate the positive. By working together, we will ensure that everyone’s name appears on the board by the close of each day/ week.

Year 6 Managers
All Year 6 children have the opportunity to hold a management position within the school; these roles are significant in terms of the responsibility they carry and are important to the smooth-running of the whole school. Year 5 children will also be given duties within the classroom, helping to prepare them for the management roles they will step into next year.

This year we have chosen ‘Believe’ by Fearless Soul as our class song: it encourages us all to let our ‘dreams take flight’ and believe that ‘everything is possible’; I know you will continue to help and encourage us all to believe we can achieve to the highest standard possible and have fun whilst doing it!

If you have any queries about any aspect of life in Class 4, please come and see me or drop me an e-mail if that is easier.

Many thanks.

Natalie Pellet-Ward
Pellet-ward.n@welearn365.com