Author: Maddie Hopper

Our Community – Happy and Healthy

This week, we have been taking part in our themed ‘Me and My Community’ week, with our statement: ‘I respect my community and other communities.’ We have been learning about what makes a community special, from learning about the history of our school and our local villages to thinking about the different people and places that bring our communities together. We have also been thinking about what makes a positive community, discussing the importance of respect, kindness, friendships and inclusion and how we can help everyone feel welcome and valued.

Later in the week, we explored what it means to be part of a happy and healthy community. We thought about how looking after our bodies and minds can help us feel happy, confident and ready to learn. The children shared fantastic ideas, from eating a balanced diet and staying active to spending time with friends and family, talking about our feelings and being kind to ourselves. We also thought about how showing kindness, supporting others and encouraging one another can help create a community where everyone feels happy, healthy and able to achieve their best

Help at Home: Can you choose one healthy habit to try as a family this week? This could be going for a walk together, trying a new healthy meal or spending more time outdoors. Think about how small, positive choices can help us look after ourselves, support others and make our local community an even happier and healthier place to be!

Year 3 had a very exciting morning yesterday as we welcomed some high school students for a wonderful drama workshop!

The children watched the high school students bravely perform in front of an audience, showing confidence, creativity and courage. They then had the opportunity to get involved themselves, taking part in a variety of fun and interactive drama games.

There were lots of smiles, laughter and enthusiasm as the children explored drama, expressed themselves and built their confidence. It was lovely to see everyone getting involved and having such a fantastic time!

A huge thank you to the high school students for inspiring our Year 3 learners and making the morning so memorable.

 

This week’s spelling rule is:

Drop the y for an i 

This week, Year 3 explored the statement: “I understand some characteristics are protected by law.” 

We learned about identity, protected characteristics and why it is important to show respect towards ourselves and others. The children discovered that there are nine protected characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010.

We discussed the meaning of discrimination, which is when someone is treated unfairly because of their identity. The children thought about why discrimination is wrong and why it is important that everyone is treated with kindness, fairness and respect.

We also discussed how we can be positive peer educators and demonstrate respect towards people whose identities, experiences or characteristics may be different from our own.

As a class, we created our own commitment to respecting everyone’s unique identities:

“Treat everyone and everything the same way we would like to be treated.” 

The children also completed personal reflections about how they can show respect towards others  and what they should do if they see or hear someone being treated unfairly.

Help at home: Ask your child to explain what they learned about protected characteristics and discrimination. Talk about why it is important to treat everyone with kindness, fairness and respect and encourage your child to think about how they can help others feel included, valued and welcomed.

This week our Living and Learning statement was: I know rights come with responsibilities.

As a class, we discussed what rights and responsibilities are and thought about the different rights we have as individuals. The children came up with lots of great ideas, including the right to be loved, to feel safe, to have a voice, to be listened to and to learn.

We then talked about how rights come with responsibilities and matched different responsibilities to the rights we have. The children enjoyed discussing different scenarios with their talk partners and sharing their ideas.

We also reminded ourselves that being responsible is one of our 8Rs for Learning and thought about how we can show responsibility in school and at home.

 

Help at home: Ask your child to tell you about one right they have and the responsibility that comes with it. Can they give you an example?

This week in RE, we’ve been exploring the Bible story of Noah’s Ark and thinking carefully about what Christians can learn from Noah’s relationship with God.

We’ve had a fantastic start to Year 3. The children have settled brilliantly into their new routines.

• In Maths, we’ve been learning how to add three numbers together and discussing the most efficient ways to solve calculations.
• In Reading, we’ve enjoyed exploring Pandora’s Box, using retrieval, inference and choice skills to deepen our understanding of the text.
• In Science, we’ve started our new topic, Skeletons. The children have been learning about different bones in the human body and their functions through songs and interactive games.
• In our Topic lessons, we’ve begun learning about Ancient Greece, using atlases and identifying physical and human features.
• We also enjoyed our PE lessons as part of our Outdoor Adventurous Activities unit. The children worked together to solve challenges, showing excellent teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills.

Help at home: Ask your child to tell you about our new topics this term. Can they explain what happened in Pandora’s Box, name a bone in the human body, or tell you something they have learned about Ancient Greece?

What a brilliant first week we’ve had in Year 3!

I’m Miss Hopper and I’m so excited to be starting this year with our wonderful Year 3 children. It’s been lovely getting to know them already. I’m really looking forward to seeing them grow in confidence, independence and resilience throughout the year. There’s lots to look forward to as we begin our journey through Key Stage 2!

This week, we’ve been getting used to new routines, talking about the exciting changes that come with being in Key Stage 2, and working together to make our classroom a happy and healthy place to achieve and believe.

Our Living and Learning statement this week is I follow the school rules. We’ve explored our three school rules:

• We’re ready
• We’re respectful
• We’re safe

We’ve thought about what these rules look like, sound like and feel like in different parts of our school day, from lining up and moving around school safely to listening carefully, being kind and working hard in lessons. The children have shared some fantastic ideas and shown a great understanding of how our rules help everyone to feel happy, safe and ready to learn.

I’ve been so proud of the positive start the children have made to Year 3. Well done, Year 3 – you’ve made a fantastic start!

Help at home: Talk to your child about our three school rules. Can they explain what being ready, respectful and safe looks like at home or when you’re out and about? Can they think of an example of each?