Class 3 Archive - Autumn 1 2020

Well, what another fantastic half term this has been. We are so proud of every single child in Class 3 and their amazing efforts. They have made amazing progress and always try their very best.

The children are still so excited about our Winter Wonderland last week -Iit was the best day to end 2020.

This week our festivities have continued with an exciting class party and delicious Christmas dinner. As you can see from the photos there were smiles all round.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas enjoying lots of time with your gorgeous children and families.

Sending you all our love, prayers and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.

This week has been our first full week of Advent. The children have been reflecting on the real meaning of Christmas. They have enjoyed this reflection by using our class Advent calendars given to us by Father Des. Please remember to use these at home with your families too.

RE
In RE this week we have made a ‘Jesse tree’, a big thank you to Mr Watts for his handy work yet again. The children researched the Old Testament to find their favourite stories that lead to Jesus’ birth. They have then made decorative ornaments to represent this story and for every new day during Advent we will chose an ornament and read the story together.

This week we have also started our travelling crib. As we are not able to send these home this year the children are taking it in turns to have the travelling cribs on their desks. We look forward to sharing with you some of the children’s prayers they have written.

PE
Unfortunately for Thursday’s PE lesson it was raining but thanks to Mrs Burgin the children still had such a fun, energetic lesson learning dance routines, there were lots of very red, smiling faces. A big well done to Molly for ALWAYS standing out in PE lessons as a shining example.

Literacy
We have just started a new book this week called ‘Coming Home’ by Michael Morpurgo. It is a poetry book about a Robin’s journey back to spend Christmas with his loved one. You can search for this on you tube. So far the children have only read the first few pages on the book but performed such amazing drama using intonation and expression when reading aloud. A special mention to our class expert, Christopher.

Maths
This week we have learnt all about fractions. The children have enjoyed hands on lessons such as making fractions strips and using multilink cubes to compare amounts.

Santa Dash
Well we could not believe it. The magic of Christmas well and truly made an appearance for our ‘Santa Dash’ at St Gerard’s when it started to snow. This made it all the more special. Well done to every child for running their socks off, even in the snow and making it such an enjoyable day.

Literacy
This week we have been spending a lot of time writing a newspaper report about the Big Dig.

It has been a wonderful reminder of a fabulous day and has inspired some beautiful writing. Please remember to have a look at the special Big Dig Day page for more photographs.

Maths
We have been challenging ourselves with formal calculation methods this week, starting with expanded column addition.

It has been a little tricky but we love a challenge in Class 3 and we are all starting to understand what we need to do. If you would like some more details about calculation methods please send an email to class3@stgerardsprimary.org

Science
This week we have been analysing and experimenting with different soils. We have looked at how soil separates in to small particles, seeds, plant matter and sand.

The children have made really detailed, careful observations. It has been interesting comparing soils from different places and we all look forward to more interesting experiments as we move onto our next topic- all about the human body.

PE
PE is starting to get a little cold as we continue to work on our “High Five” (netball) and fitness skills. Please remember to send your child in a warm PE on Mondays and Thursdays.

This week we have also relaunched mile a day. It is good to see the children really challenging themselves to achieve more each day. The children should have also brought home their application forms for playground leaders ready for interviews next week. Please encourage them to think about why they might want to help other children play different games on the playground.

RE
We have been reflecting on how the sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation make God’s love visible for us all. We have thought about how important it is to say and to use your mistakes to be even better in the future, always remembering the God loves us and will forgive us.

Freddie was a wonderful example to us all of how to show God’s love through prayer and even won a Headteacher award for leading a beautiful prayer in assembly this morning.

Awards
This week’s Jasmine is our Golden Star for always working enthusiastically and inspiring others to do the same and Conor has won our Achievement Award for a huge improvement in his writing.

This week has seen our first ever Sport Superstar Award has gone to Oliver P who has really shown determination to improve in PE and again has helped others to do the same. Well done everyone – we are all so proud of you.

Thank you Class 3 for all your hard work, don’t worry we will make sure that Father Des and Santa know!

Keep up the good work.

Mrs Hudson, Miss Mountain and Mrs Wood.

This week has been all about the Big Dig. I will never forget the atmosphere in the classroom on Thursday morning as the children arrived with bags of spare clothes and muddy wellies... as well as the biggest smiles I have ever seen!

Throughout the day the children took part in lots of exciting activities such as: making shields, creating mosaics, making their own ‘knucklebones’ game and lots more.

The main event for everyone was going out onto the field with Mr Watts to take part in an archaeological dig. This definitely didn’t disappoint! We found some amazing little treasures, which we cannot wait to find out more about. After our digging we were warmed up by Mrs Jenkinson’s hot chocolate and cookies - such a treat to warm us up!

In the afternoon the children were welcomed back to class with more surprises. Mrs Hudson had managed to get in contact with the School Library Service to loan us some very special replica Roman memorabilia! The children loved trying on the helmet and carrying the VERY large shield. We struggled to see some children hiding behind this… Florence (hehe)!

We finished our day with a delicious Roman feast organised by Mrs Wood. Along with the children, she had made some traditional Roman bread to eat - as well as olives, olive oil and grapes.

It was such a fantastic day in Class 3 and hearing the children leave school saying they had had the "best day ever” made it even more special.

Click the button below to visit our SPECIAL GALLERY!

Well what a short but fantastic first week back that was! The children have (yet again) blown us away... They are so happy and enthusiastic about coming to school. Even at break times the children have been wanting to stay and chat to us about what they have been up to at home during half term.

Literacy:
This week the children have been amazing. We have started reading ‘Escape from Pompeii’ which is a really exciting story about a boy called Tranio and what he did when Mount Vesuvias erupted in AD 79.

All the children have given 100% and are really keen to learn more and more every day. They have particularly enjoyed our drama - acting out the busy, bustling streets of Pompeii and also ‘hot seating’ as main characters. We will continue with this next week to write a diary.

I know, from speaking with lots of you today, that you would like more advice and ideas for you to help your child at home with their writing. I would suggest taking a look at the Oak Academy Trust website and try some of the short grammar lessons.

https://classroom.thenational.academy/subjects-by-year/year-3

Maths:
In our Maths this week we have been using our number bonds up to 10 to find two numbers that add to 100.

For example:

We know that 4 + 6 = 10, So 40 + 60 = 100, and then 41 + 59 = 100.

See if your child can show you this method at home too.

Science:
In our science this week we started our experiments using rocks. We worked in groups to sort the rocks from softest to hardest.

RE:
We have come to the end of our second topic now for RE, and it has been such a lovely topic. I have learnt so much about your children as they have been comparing the promises and commitments they make to the promises made at a Baptism.

The children also loved choreographing a dance to ‘This little light of mine’ and the girls and boys even battled it out for the best dance group!

We finished with a reflection led by the children. They were responsible for choosing the scripture, our response, the mission and setting the scene. Mrs Wood was particularly impressed with this and how mature the children acted.

Parents Meetings
We would just like to say a massive thank you to you all for such wonderful parents ‘video’ meetings. It was so nice to catch up with you all and share what we love about your children and how they are progressing at school. We really do appreciate the support from you all.

BIG DIG
It’s finally here… Big Dig day! The children (and us) are bursting with excitement about our big dig on Thursday 12th November- who knows what we might find?

The children will need to come to school dressed appropriately for the outdoors, so wellies or old trainers and coats please.

Could the children please bring in spare clothes to change into to as we will probably get a bit muddy.

We’ve made it, the last day of the first half term! The children have worked so hard every single day in school so its no wonder they are all feeling pretty tired. Please make sure you all get a good rest and enjoy lots of family time this week.

RE
During our RE lessons this week we have continued our work on ‘Promises’ with a focus on the sacrament of Baptism.

The children learnt about the responsibilities of a child’s Parents and Godparents during a Baptism and how they are to prepare for their special role in a child’s life.

The children compared this to their own promises they have made, for example, Molly talked about the promises she has made to her Martial Arts club and the same with Oliver P and Conor with their football clubs.

Literacy
We have linked our topic work on the Romans and our Literacy together this week to write a non chronological report. The children have researched all about the Romans and we have used that information to produce some really impressive writing. At home you could continue your child’s learning about the Romans, BBC bitesize have some really fab short videos to watch.

Maths
This week we have learnt all about 3D shapes and their properties. The children loved the fun, practical lessons building shapes and describing them. The children produced that many shapes that our classroom was taken over by shapes everywhere!

Again, at home you could explore everyday objects and encourage your child to take about the sides, edges and vertices. We have also updated some lessons onto ‘My Maths’ and we have checked that everyone can log into this now.

Fun Run
Thursday was such a fantastic day. We have definitely finished this half term on a high. In Freddie’s own words “it’s been the best day ever in school!” We were all super impressed by the children, their behaviour, sportsmanship and their fitness, a big well done to all Class 3 for this. Keep this up!

Black History
A while ago in Class 3 we talked about Black History and the children decided themselves that they would research a famous black person at home. Some of these have come back and they are amazing. Well done to Florence, Jasmine, Ffion and Oliver P. these are now on display in school for everyone to see.

Parents meetings
Please remember to send in your parents meeting slips back and add Class 3’s Facebook messenger to enable us to do your video call.

Stay safe and happy and enjoy a good rest.

God Bless.

Class 3 Team.

This week has been assessment week for us in Class 3. The children have worked tremendously hard and have demonstrated to us just how resilient they are. They definitely deserve a BIG rest this weekend.

RE
The highlight of our week has been Our Child-led Collective Worship. This is where the children are responsible for leading our worship in class. The children were amazing and I am sure their skills will continue to improve. It was so delightful and the children have proven once again what amazing St Gerard’s children they are, following in Jesus’ footsteps.

We are now learning about Promises with a focus on ‘Baptism’. As we have asked with our last topic we would love to involve you at home. If the children have anything special that they can bring in to share with us from their Baptism or anyone else in your family we would really appreciate it. The children love to share their own special experiences and we love to hear them too!

We are extremely proud to announce our new GIFT (Growing In Faith Together) member Freddie; he will be joining the dedicated Ffion and we really value how hard they work throughout the year.

Literacy & Topic
As part of our Romans topic we have been researching what life was really like for the Romans. We are beginning to turn our research into non-chronological reports. The children are so engaged with this topic, they seem to love anything pretty disgusting like how the Romans went to the toilet! You could ask them to share with you at home what they have already found out and find out new information together. Here is the link to BBC Bitesize, where you can watch short videos together. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/search?q=the+romans

Maths
In our Maths lessons this week as well as completing assessments we have been working on our Maths Mats. We are going to send a copy home with the children for half term. These are targets for children to work on - quick refreshers that children can continue to recap and practice.

Please don’t forget to help your children log into ‘My Maths’, we have updated this with new activities for your child to complete at home, if you are having trouble getting started with this please let us know.

Well, what another wonderful week in our class.

I really can’t believe how fast these weeks are flying by and how much the children are managing to achieve. This week we have really noticed how much effort is being put in by every child - especially in writing...We have done so much of it!

Maths
This week in Maths we have been learning how to tell the time.

This is a really tricky area but the children have given it 100%.

First, we looked at different ways to tell the time focusing on analogue and digital clocks. Then we went onto using the correct vocabulary involved in telling the time such as quarter to, twenty five past etc and even written these as matching times. You can do lots and lots of this practically at home which will really help your child.

A really big well done and special mention to Conor and Alex. You have really stood out for being fantastic mathematicians this week.

Literacy
In Literacy this week we have worked so hard writing our instructions for making a ‘Monster Pizza’- Gosh these were disgusting.

The children worked really well, especially on using ‘wow’ vocabulary including nauseating, rancid and inedible. We are now continuing the monster theme where we are starting to plan our own monster stories.

To get our imaginations going we have watched a short clip of a monster film, as you can imagine the children were so engrossed and this got their sparks flying.

This is the link for you to watch it with your child at home too, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoLAoOkG5gY. You can use short films like this at home to help your children make up and write their own stories. We would love to see this so please send us a picture on Class 3’s email.

RE
We had a lovely afternoon learning about God’s commandment ‘Love one another as I have loved you’. We used this to make our own recipes for a ‘Happy Family’.

French
Mrs Wood has started to teach the children French, what a brilliant life skill. The children can now say some phrases such as; my name is… how are you? Maybe they could teach you at home and it would be lovely to learn some of your first languages too as these are so important. You could even send us a little video to show the children.

Shoe Box Appeal

Friday was extremely exciting but also quite emotional. Today we learnt about how much our shoe boxes really mean for the children all around the world who are in desperate need of toys, toiletries and most of all our love and prayers. Your children have shown what amazingly kind hearts they have and you should all be so proud.

We hope you have a lovely weekend.

Well done on another delightful week Class 3. We have been blown away by your excellent behaviour and attitudes to learning again this week. It was so lovely coming into school on Wednesday and seeing your learning come to life in the hall on such a wonderful display.

Maths
This week children have been continuing to learn their times table, with a mixture of 3 times, 4 times and 6 times tables. Some children can confidently stand up alone and share these to the class which is fantastic!

At home keep getting your child logging in onto TT Rockstars to continue this learning at home.

Please remember that your child still has access to Abacus through www.activelearnprimary.co.uk where we have added games to practise our learning. We will remind the children in school how to log in school next week but please let us know if you are having any problems.

Literacy
This weeks Literacy has been focusing on instructions to make a ‘Monster Pizza’ with interesting adverbs, verbs and adjectives. The children have been so creative thinking disgusting ingredients- it was enough to put us off our lunch! We will continue this through next week where we aim to write instructions and even an invitation for a ‘Monster Pizza Party’. This unit of work is on the Oak Academy website so if you are at home you can follow these lessons.

Science
Today we have started our topic on ‘Rocks’. We have been exploring different types of rocks and talking about their properties. The children had lots to say, and were particularly good at talking about the different types of rocks they have seen on holidays with family and friend. Liam was very excited telling us about the rocks he has found at Scarborough.

Reading
We have just finished our first class novel, ‘The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark’, it is such a lovely and calm time of the day where all the children are sat completely engrossed in the same story. Please make time together at home to enjoy reading with your child as it really does encourage your child to flourish.

And just a reminder that all children need to bring their reading books into school everyday.

Let’s celebrate…
As I am sure you will have read on the newsletter, Christopher won the Certificate of Acheivement for his wonderful leaflet about how to Look after our Planet and Oliver was our Golden Star of the week for always being a wonderful example of a St Gerard’s Boy.

Welll done Christopher and Oliver – keep up the good work.

Hello Class 3

Thank you to all the class for another wonderful week in school. The children have enjoyed working in their table groups and have really settled well into our school routines. Just a little reminder that the children will need to bring their reading books to and from school everyday - This is so that we can read with your child at every opportunity.

LITERACY

In Literacy we have finished our work about the book ‘Here We Are’. Mrs. Hudson and I have loved teaching this unit and the children have achieved so much. We will post a photograph of our display in the hall as soon as it’s finished too. We have been so impressed with the persuasive leaflets about the positive effects of lockdown that the children have produced. The realy do show just how caring this class really are and how much concern they have for our world.

MATHS

In Maths we began our unit of work on times tables. This week we have focussed on the 4 times tables, and next week we will be beginning work on our 3’s and 6’s.

All children have been giiven their "TT Rockstars" login details - this is an ideal way to help children learn their multiplications and we know that the children LOVE it!

We currently have a challenge set up against Class 4 and I am really eager to win. Come on everyone, we can do this!

In RE we looked at the Millais’ Carpenter’s Shop picture. The children were great at drama and acting the different people from the photo. From this we discovered how we can follow Mary’s example of living as a happy, caring family.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and we will see you all next week.

Miss Mountain, Mrs Hudson & Mrs Wood

A Wonderful Week

This week, Mrs Hudson, Mrs Wood, I and all children have been extremely busy. We are so proud of all the children for working hard and showing exceptional behaviour. We have started our class reward ‘Gem Jar’ which already has quite a few gems in.

Literacy

In literacy this week we have continued reading ‘Here We Are’, which is all about the world we live in. We have reinvented the song ‘What a Wonderful World’ creating our own powerful poems. We have also begun created leaflets about looking after our environment. I was so impressed with how the children discussed the positive impacts that lockdown had on our environment. I definitely recommend watching some of the news reports on YouTube with your children.

Maths

We have really looked at two areas this week. The first was place value, where we read and solved problems 3-digit numbers. The next thing was adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers. We taught this using hundred squares, where we counted in 10’s and used our prior knowledge of number facts.

The children love TT Rockstars and now have their login and passwords. Log them in at home and get them doing their times tables.

Our RE focus is ‘Family’. Thank you to those children that have brought in photographs from home, they will look lovely displayed in our classroom- If anyone else can send a photograph in from home that would be great. This week the children have been writing rules for home showing love and respect for one another, following in God’s footsteps. We would love to hear of anyone at home been extra caring, loving and respectful to their families.

Spellings

We will be starting to give out spellings on Monday so please make sure your child brings them home. If you could spend 10 minutes each night practising them it will be really beneficial. Spelling tests will be on a Friday.

We are pleased to announce our new Sports Leaders. These are Molly and Charlie.

We Hope you all have a lovely weekend and enjoy some family time.

Welcome Back Class 3

Welcome to Class 3’s blog, here we will be sharing some of our highlights from our week at school.

First of all, we want to say a massive well done to all the children for starting back to school full of beans and hungry to learn.

In Math’s this week we have been learning about Number Bonds. You can challenge your children at home and see who is the fastest at reciting these- good luck!

Our Literacy this week has been based around a book called “Here We Are” -it’s a really lovely story and is so fitting to settling back at school now after having such a long time away. We look forward to doing lots more work with this next week.

As you know we are asking that children come to school in their PE kits on the days they are having PE. Our PE days are Mondays and Thursdays.

We have started our RE topic on ‘Homes’ this week. We enjoyed reflecting about our own families in the prayer garden and talked about God’s relationship with us as our Father. It would be lovely if you could send in a family photograph for us to display so each family is present is our class.

A wonderful first week back!

If you have anything you would like to talk to us about please see us on the playground before and after school or phone the school office and we will get back to you.

Thank you for your support.

To all our children and families,

Welcome back to school! We are so excited and cannot wait to see you all and catch up with how you and your families are doing. This year has been crazy, to say the least, but we hope you have had an enjoyable summer and are keen and ready to start back, just like us. Please don’t be nervous, we are in this together and will always be here for you. We have been working hard to put new things in place to keep us all safe and happy.

This year will be amazing; we definitely have lots of making up to do.

Mrs Hudson, Miss Mountain and Mrs Wood