Happy new year Jaguars! I hope you have all had a fantastic Christmas holiday and welcome back to Year 4. After an impressive first term, I’m really looking forward to working with you all this Spring term. Roll on 2022!

English
To begin the year, we will be focusing on poetry, specifically looking at a selection of kenning poems. In lessons, we will be looking at a variety of poems; incorporating grammar, punctuation and spelling. Furthermore, our class reader will be ‘Journey to the River Sea’ by Eva Ibbotson; this is a brilliant read that I think the children will enjoy!

Maths
To begin this term, we will be focusing on multiplication and division, therefore ensuring that children are practicing their times tables is key for our maths topic this term! There will also be various times tables tests throughout the year and children need to be prepare for these as much as possible.

Enquiry
Our enquiry this term will be focused on Rivers, answering the question: What is more precious: Gold or Water? We will be learning about different rivers in the UK. We will also be looking at the physical and human features of our environment. We will also have a high focus on water pollution and the importance of our rivers.

PE
PE will now take place on Thursdays and Fridays. It is important that children bring warm outdoor kit, in case PE is outdoors – this is dependent on the weather. If there are any issues with PE, please let me know.

Homework
Homework will be posted on Class DOJO weekly and will consist of a range of Maths, English and Enquiry activities. I will also be sending spellings home to be practised, followed by a weekly test. I also encourage the use of Times Table Rockstars at home, as it is crucial that in Year 4 children become fluent with their times tables. If there are any issues with any homework or logging into TTRS, please do not hesitate to let me know, I am happy to support and help any children that may struggle in homework club.

Reading
All children are now familiar to our fantastic library system and are therefore encouraged to read in school and at home. Children are expected to read at least 3 times a week and record this in their link up diaries; this is something children should be doing more independently.  

Other Information:
Water bottles: children are encouraged to drink water throughout the day therefore children have the option to bring in a full water bottle to be kept in the classroom all day. Juices and other drinks can only be consumed at lunchtimes.  
Coats and extra layers: please make sure your child has a coat in school with them as the weather is unfortunately getting wetter and colder. Don’t forget to wear an additional layer of clothing under your school uniform as windows will be open due to ventilation.
Earrings: a small pair of stud earrings can be worn in school. Any other earrings including small hoops must be removed and replaced with studs. All earrings must be removed before every PE session by your child, if your child struggles to remove them independently, please ensure they are not wearing earrings on Thursday and Fridays.

Please feel free to let me know any concerns or questions you may have.

Warm Regards
Miss Jumbu