Author: Hollie Gilliland

Today,  the 11th day of the 11th month, is Armistice Day. Year 3, discovered that the word Armistice comes from Latin and means still. Many of us agreed that we call it Armistice (still) Day because it is a day to stop and be still to remember those who served and sacrificed in war.

We worked out how it has been 111 years since the First World War began, which means it is now out of living memory. Many children proudly shared stories of family members who have served in wars, both past and present.

We were fascinated to learn how the news that the war had ended first reached the UK. A Morse code message was sent from France to the town of Enniskillen in Northern Ireland and church bells rang out there first, before any of the major UK cities knew.

Link to Morse code transcript: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/46159217#:~:text=%22They%20didn’t%20know%20the,had%20the%20news%20hours%20before.%22&text=Men%20ran%20from%20the%20barracks,announced%20in%20London%20or%20elsewhere.%22&text=The%20Fermanagh%20Times%20printer%20went,Battle’s%20Over%20%2D%20A%20Nation’s%20Tribute.

The children were full of thoughtful questions and showed wonderful curiosity and respect throughout our discussions. We ended our discussion with a one minute silence, which Year 3 observed beautifully.

Lest we forget.

Today, Year 3 took part in Anti-Bullying Day. We started by talking about what bullying actually means and how it is different from being rude or mean. We learned that:

• Being rude is when someone says or does something hurtful, as a one-off and is unintentional.

• Being mean is when someone hurts another on purpose, as a one-off and is intentional.

• Bullying is when someone hurts someone, intentionally several times on purpose.

We discussed what we should do if we ever see someone being bullied, including telling a trusted adult, standing up for others safely, and being kind to everyone. The children shared excellent ideas about how they can help make our school a safe and welcoming place for all.

We also talked about cyberbullying, how it can happen online, and the importance of keeping ourselves safe, being respectful and telling an adult if something doesn’t feel right.

Year 3 showed wonderful empathy and maturity during our discussions, showing that they truly understand that kindness and respect matter everywhere, in person and online.

Help at home: Discuss what is bullying and what might your child do if they’re being bullied or think someone else is.

This week in Year 3, we’ve been learning all about money through our Me and My Money Week!

So far, we’ve been thinking about decision-making with money and how our choices can link to our Christian values. For example, when we choose to donate money to charity, we show compassion by helping others in need.

Today, we explored the idea of saving. Saving is putting money aside instead of spending it straight away. To help us understand this, we took on the Penny Challenge! Using one penny at a time, we carefully stacked coins to build the tallest tower we could. This activity showed perseverance, just like saving money does over time and little by little, the tower (and our savings) grow and become more valuable.

Year 3 showed amazing determination, especially when a few towers were knocked over (sometimes by me shaking the table!). Even when they had to start again, they didn’t give up. This is a great reminder that saving takes patience and persistence.

We’re really enjoying our Me and My Money Week so far and can’t wait to keep learning more about making wise and thoughtful choices with money.

Help at home: Talk together about decisions we make with money and link them to a Christian value such as perseverance, compassion, forgiveness, honesty, peace or courage.

This week, our class was deeply inspired by the amazing work and message of Dr. Jane Goodall, who sadly passed away recently. We watched a video of her final words to the world, where she reminded everyone that we must never lose hope because if we lose hope, we have already lost.

Jane spoke about how every action matters, no matter how small it might seem. Even the tiniest act of kindness towards our planet can make a difference. We discussed how, although there are many sad things happening in the world, we can all be part of the change.

Feeling inspired, we decided to take action in our own school community. Together, we are replanting and rebuilding our flowerbeds and plantpots, creating a happy home for our mini-beasts and a calm, peaceful space for us to enjoy.

When we dug up our garden bed, we discovered some interesting surprises, including an old brick and a large twisted root that looked just like antlers.

Jane Goodall taught us that hope starts with action, and we’re proud to be following in her footsteps, one small act at a time.

Watch this space as we take on this gardening challenge to create something beautiful, all thanks to Jane’s inspiring words.

 

Help at home: Discuss what actions you can do at home to carry on Jane’s legacy.

This week in Writing, we’ve been busy planning our independent journalistic writing! Our purpose is to tell the news , just like real reporters.

We started by planning our reports in the style of a comic strip. We drew out our headlines, organised our sections, and summarised our pictures to show what’s happening in each part.

 

Our story is a twisted tale of The Three Little Pigs but this time, they’re the Three Bad Pigs. They’re out for revenge on the Big Bad Wolf after he blew down their houses… but, no more spoilers! You’ll have to wait for the full report.

Help at Home:
Ask your child about their news plan. Who are they reporting on and what headline did they choose?

This week, Year 3 were inspired by our reading text all about Sophia, a young girl who won an art competition and had her painting displayed next to the famous artist L.S. Lowry!

Throughout the week, we explored the writer’s choices in the text and discussed how these choices help us, as readers, to picture the story and feel inspired.

One pupil in particular was so moved by Sophia’s story that he decided to recreate one of L.S. Lowry’s iconic “Matchstick Men” paintings. His artwork truly captures Lowry’s unique style and we all think he’s done an amazing job!

Well done for showing such creativity and enthusiasm and well done to all of Year 3 for another fantastic week of reading, discussion, and imagination!

Help at home: Ask your child to retell the news report.