Staveley Community Primary

Welcome, everyone, to Class 3 (also known as Sycamore). This year, Class 3 is comprised of pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6. 

This year, in addition to the website and the Class 3 email address, communication will predominantly take place on Class Dojo, where class updates, information and work will be shared. Every pupil has a Class Dojo account and a portfolio where they are able to upload any set homework or independently directed work for the teachers to see. 

Please see below for information related to upcoming events, homework and the curriculum. Each term there will be and updated curriculum newsletter which can be found below.

Monday - Spellings, reading and maths with Mrs. Roberts (Mrs. Roberts' spelling homework due in). Swimming in the afternoon.

Tuesday - Art and DT with Mrs. Gill in the afternoon.

Wednesday - Times tables recap quiz based on all times table and inverse division facts up to 12x12. PE also takes place on a Friday afternoon. Pupils will therefore be required to come into school in PE kit for the day. It is vital that pupils check and practise these in order to maintain fluency as a basis to access other areas of the maths curriculum. Support resources are given weekly and are available as extra at any time. Can you beat your best score and qualify for a shootout for one of our Class 3 Quiz Championship belts? Also, Forest Learning takes place in the morning!

Thursday - PE with Sporting Influence in the afternoon. Appropriate attire for both sessions will be required. If you have any questions, don't hesistate to ask on Class Dojo.  ALSO, weekly number bonds check-ups. Support resources are given out weekly and extra are available at any time for children to take home and practise. As with times tables, if you are able to beat your personal best, you may qualify for one of our famous Sycamore Class Championship Matches! 

Friday -  The Sycamore Class Reading Championship is also decided weekly every Friday - if you have read at least 4 times with a signature from an adult, you qualify for our Reading Championship Shootout Quiz for the coveted and beatiful Reading Championship belt! Homework is also handed in and given out on a Friday. 

Keep up to date with what is happening in Sycamore Class each term.

Below are links to Times Table Rockstars, Doodle learning and various other sites to support learning. Can you get into the green zone on Doodle and become this week's Doodle Champion?

https://www.doodlelearning.com/

Times Table Rockstars

SPAG.com

Topmarks

Weekly homework is allocated, consisting of spellings, reading with an adult and Numeracy  or work they have needed to build upon during numeracy sessions. Sometimes, homework will take the form of work on SPaG.com to consolidate, improve or assess grammar work. We encourage regular and honest communication with parents and carers, often by writing in the children's planners. Homework is set on a Friday and due in the following Friday where it is discussed and marked in class with the teacher and peers to address any misconceptions. Numeracy homework and spelling homework will be set on Class Dojo where all parents and children have an account:

www.classdojo.com

Times table rockstars, spellings and reading circles/guided reading take place on a Monday with Mrs. Roberts. 

Children are encouraged to read as much as possible, both out loud to another person or alone. Children are encouraged to update me on their reading by recording it in portfolio updates on Classdojo (at least 4 times per week - including weekends if necessary), including any particular words which were tricky or unfamiliar. When reading or selecting an appropriate book for reading fluency and comprehension, it is advised to follow the 'Five Finger Rule': https://www.readingrockets.org/article/selecting-books-your-child-finding-just-right-books#:~:text=Five%20finger%20rule&text=Choose%20a%20book%20that%20you,should%20choose%20an%20easier%20book.

Teaching of spelling, punctuation and grammar is throughout the week, both explicitly and embedded into literacy sessions.

Reading skills will be taught in both a guided environment by Mrs. Roberts and also woven through  English teaching and the rest of the curriculum.

In Numeracy, focus is placed on mental recall and KIRFs (Key Instant Instant Recall Facts), as well as the main calculation strategies. To ensure these skills are able to be applied with meaning, questions are asked within the classroom environment, often with a 'real life' context, to build upon developing the children's thinking and problem solving skills, especially at mastery level. To ensure progress to suit the pupils' needs, activities in all numeracy lessons are differentiated. Teaching of maths follows the White Rose Maths planning.