Welcome to Wheal Busy, the home of year 3 and 4. It is great to see everyone back at school. Hopefully you all had the best possible holiday. The autumn term is always a very busy and exciting one where we settle ourselves back into the routines of school life and get to grips with our new learning. Then we build towards Christmas.
The Wheal Busy Team.
Mrs Burton is the teacher in the class. Mrs Patel, Mrs Blake and Mrs Parker are the amazing teaching assistants working with us this year. If you need to contact us please email the office, catch us on the door in the morning or afternoon or ping us a message on Class Dojo. If you do message us please remember that we will be teaching and it might be a little few hours until we reply. We also don’t access messages after we have left school for the day.
- It is essential for all children to read regularly. As part of this we expect all children to read at home. In Key Stage 2 we use the Go Read app to record our reading. This will be introduced to the children in the next couple of weeks. At this point we will be expecting them to be recording the amount of reading that they are doing at home. As a guide we like to see them reading for 20 minutes a day, a minimum of 4 days a week.
In school children will be quizzing using Accelerated Reader. I would encourage them to quiz on books that they had read at home as well as books that they have been lent by the school. If you want to find out if a home book is on Accelerated Reader you can check via http://arbookfind.com/
Core learning.
In our maths this term we will be starting be focusing on fractions and decimals, we will then progress to money time and shape. There will also be regular times tables lessons which will prepare the children for the multiplication tables check at the end of Year 4.
English this term will see us pondering how we describe different characters before we delve into the world of prose and poetry. After half term we will navigate the world of narrative writing before finishing off ensure that we can write an outstanding explanation.
Along with this letter, there is an overview of the learning that we will do over the coming term. This will give you a great idea of what we will be doing during the term. If you have any further questions about it please talk to myself or one of the other class staff.
Home Learning.
Reading forms part of the home learning that is expected. Spellings for the first half term have also been sent home with each child. These spellings will be tested weekly. If you have not received them please let us know. These spellings will also be placed on Class DoJo. We will also be setting online tasks on Spelling Shed and TT RockStars. These will enhance the learning that the children have been completing in school.
There will be a home learning termly project. We will then display all of these items for parents to see after half term.
All the children in the school have various logins that they need for different programs and apps. We are currently in the process of streamlining these. We will let you know all the login details that you need as soon as we can.
P.E.
Our PE day is Friday. Children need to come into school dressed in their PE kits. As part of their PE kit, we strongly recommend children have trainers rather than plimsols. Trainers provide a high level of support for the foot and ankle that is essential for older children.
When children reach Key Stage 2 they start to wear shoes that are more likely have laces. If your child has lace up shoes or trainers for school or P.E. please can you ensure that they can tie their laces.
Outdoor learning and wet weather clothing.
At Blackwater we spend a lot of time outside. Children need fresh air and exercise every day in order to be ready to learn; therefore we go outside for break whatever the weather. It is essential for children to have a coat in school on wet and cold days. We also ask that children have a pair of wellies at school to allow playing on the field on wet days. These items will also allow children to fully participate in learning sessions that take place outside.
Naming clothing.
It is essential that your children’s clothes are named. Doing this makes it much easier to return clothes that have been scattered around the school. We recommend stitch in name labels as stick in labels can come out and most names written on clothes in pen wash out very quickly and become unreadable.
Breaktime snacks.
Children in Key Stage 2 are not provided with fruit snacks. It is a good idea to send your child in with a healthy snack for breaktimes. Please do not send in crisps or sweets for breaktime. Blackwater is also a nut free school, as such snacks must be nut free. A tuck shop will be available in school at break times, with items costing 50p.
School Lunches.
Only children in Key Stage 1 are eligible for universal free school meals. However, across the country approximately 30% of Key Stage 2 pupils remain eligible for free school meals. Please speak to the office for more information about this and to find out if your child may be eligible. Should you want to purchase school meals for your child, this can be done via Parent Pay.
Water bottles.
All children must have a named water bottle in school with them every day. We strongly encourage that these only contain water. If your children run out of water during the day, they will be able to refill their bottles.
Equipment from home / Toys from home / Show and tell.
Children are requested not to bring in pencil cases from home. All the children in the class have been given their own pencil case and all the equipment that they require for lessons.
Toys from home are not allowed unless previously agreed with staff. When children bring toys in they run the risk of becoming lost or broken.
We do not routinely have “Show and Tell” sessions in Wheal Busy. As such, please encourage your child not to bring items in that they want to show unless they directly relate to the topic that we are learning about.
Watches.
We encourage the wearing of watches to develop a good understanding of time.
Smart watches with cameras are not allowed.
Smart watches with games or apps that are used inappropriately will be removed from the child and returned to the collecting adult at the end of the day.
Becoming independent.
As children become older, they naturally need to become more independent and take greater levels of responsibility. We encourage parents to help their children on this journey. A couple of great ways of doing this are:
To make your children carry their own bags to and from school.
To get your children to pack their own bags (with a little gentle supervision) ready for the school day.
