​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have started learning about measurement. They have looked at how many centimetres there are in a metre as well as how many millimetres there are in a centimetre. They then used this knowledge to choose different equipment to measure items on the playground. In English, they wrote a diary entry based on the short film 'Taking Flight'. They travelled to far off lands and met a whole range of different characters and places, which enabled them to develop their setting descriptions. In Computing, they continued their exploration of spreadsheets and have begun to develop their understanding of how formulas are used in Excel. In Science, they discussed how light travels and why objects are different colours as well as what the difference is between reflection and refraction.
Year 4 – have become storytellers and are retelling Norse Myths. They have been telling the story of how Thor wanted to prove his strength but was tricked by the giants. They have been working really hard to include their SPaG features; paragraphs, using inverted commas and knowing when to use nouns or pronouns. In Maths, they have been busy learning how to solve area of a shape. In Art, they have started working on their final art drawing for their David Hockney topic. They are using what they have learnt about his style for creating landscapes and used it to create their own one-point perspective. In Music they continue to learn Lean on Me.
Year 5 – have written a narrative on a subject of their own choice. Year 5 have focused their attention on commas, using the past tense and using apostrophe's for contraction.
During the Maths lessons, they have completed the unit on fractions and started work on multiples and factors. They have continued their forces topic in Science this week and everyone enjoyed measuring forces using a force meter!  
Year 6 – have started a new piece of writing in English this week - a newspaper report.  This is again based on the class book, Rooftoppers.  It focuses on the two main characters who have run away to France.  In Maths the children have been learning about percentages and have been converting between percentages, fractions and decimals.  They have completed their Humanities topic on North America by working in groups to find out about a particular place in the continent and putting together a presentation comparing that place to Iver.  In Computing the children have also been working in groups to prepare a model for a charity event, using the spreadsheet skills they have learnt.

We use the SchoolCloud system for our Parent's Evenings at IVJS. You will need to login using your email and child's details. Should you have any problems logging in, or think that we might not have the correct email address for you, please email the school office for help.

​You can find the guide about how to book here:

​Once you have booked your appointment, you will use the same website to access the video call with the teachers, you will not need to log in to any other website/account. ​

If you are unable to attend any of the times that are available, please email your class teacher directly to arrange another time. Teachers emails all follow the format [email protected] eg [email protected] or [email protected]

Your appointment will appear on the website home screen when you are logged in and you  will be able to click the button to join the video call during your appointment time. All appointments are 10 minutes long and will display a timer at the top of the screen. Should you need longer to speak with a teacher, you are welcome to arrange a time with the teacher at the meeting.

Should you have any problems or queries, please email the class teacher or the school office. 

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been continuing to look at fractions in Maths. They have been finding non-unit amounts of a number, for example what 3/4 of 24 is. They have also been using this knowledge to answer word problems. In their English work, Year 3 have written a newspaper article about the new James Webb Telescope. They researched, planned and wrote some really informative newspaper articles as well as showcasing their understanding of capital letters, full stops and when to use 'a' and 'an'. In Humanities, Year 3 have been finishing their 'around the world' trip by looking at what natural disasters are and where they happen in the world. They also discussed what trade is and what the UK imports and exports. In Computing, Year 3 dived into the world of Excel spreadsheets. They were able to convert data into bar charts and explain what the data showed. Year 3 are looking forward to next week when they will look at diary writing, measurements and the start of their science topic- light!
Year 4 – have put themselves in the shoes of the unlikely hero, Arthur and written three diary entries based on adventures that he has been on during out story. In Maths, Year 4 have been working hard on learning how to solve division problems using the bus stop method. In Humanities, they have explored the different landscapes of Ghana, from the many mountains to the impressive Lake Volta that is the world's largest manmade lake. In French, they have been learning their vegetables.
Year 5 – have been busy again this week. In Maths, Year 5 have been multiplying fractions by an integer and finding fractions of amounts.  They used bar models and their reasoning skills when solving a variety of problems. In English this week, they have written a letter to Usain Bolt to find out more about his inspiration for running as part of the Year 5 work related to the book 'Running On Empty'.  They focused their attention on paragraphs, conjunctions and pronouns in their writing. Year 5 completed their topic work on The Ancient Greeks by writing a non-chronological report about what they have learnt during the topic.
Year 6 – have started a new piece of writing in English - a persuasive letter.  The children are writing it in character, focussing on one of the characters from our class book, Rooftoppers.  In order to get into role, they prepared by doing a few activities to help them feel empathy for the main characters in the story.  In Maths the children have been learning about decimals and converting between fractions and decimals.  For Humanities, they have continued learning about North America (particularly about the capital cities and time zones); and in Computing this week, the children have been using the skills they have learned so far to prepare spreadsheets to help them plan what they could spend pocket money on.

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been planning, writing and editing their stories about a haunted house in English. They have shown great imagination and thought carefully about their choice of vocabulary to engage the reader. In Maths, they have begun to understand fractions including ordering and comparing fractions as well as adding and subtracting them. In Humanities, they have been exploring different continents.
Year 4 – have been exploring Iceland in English (see below to find out more about their Iceland day). They have been writing a non-chronological report using the facts they learnt about the Land of Fire and Ice. In Maths, they have been continuing to work on their multiplication skills. In Art, they have explored the landscapes of David Hockney and have tried to create textures like he does. In Science, they have started learning about electricity and trying to make a light bulb light up in a complete circuit. In Music, they have enjoyed getting to know their new song, Lean On Me by Bill Withers. If you're lucky they might give you a little demonstration!
Year 5 – have been very busy in both Maths and English this week. In Maths, they have been subtracting and multiplying fractions. They have used different methods which require them to work out equivalent fractions and change mixed numbers into improper fractions to subtract. During their English lessons, Year 5 have written a newspaper report about a Sports Day.  This links in with the Year 5’s Greeks topic as they have spent time looking at how the Olympics were born from the Ancient Greeks. We have been impressed by how the children have settled back into school after the holidays.  Keep up the great work Year 5!
Year 6 – have started the new term well and settled quickly into their routines again.  This week in English, they have been working really hard writing a narrative about a ship sinking.  This is based on their new class book - Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell.  The children have tried to include lots of description to describe what characters can see and hear as the ship starts to sink.  They have started a new topic in Humanities - North America.  So far the children have learnt which countries make up North America; what some of the geographical features of the countries are; and about the climate in the different countries.  In Computing they are learning to use spreadsheets.

Home Learning in the event of self-isolation or other school absence:

​In order to ensure all pupils can access learning from home, lesson slides and learning tasks will be provided on Microsoft Teams this term.  
To access learning your child will need to:  

1. Log into Microsoft Teams using their personal login (paper copies have been sent home with children).  
2. Click on the ‘assignments’ tab in their class page.  
3. Open the documents relevant to the day(s) they are absent.  
4. Complete the tasks set and return through Microsoft Teams.  

 
Please note that there will be no live lessons available on Microsoft Teams at this point. 
​
If your child is not attending school because they are unwell, there is no expectation to complete tasks that are set. 
A detailed, step by step guide for using Microsoft Teams is available on the school website. Should you require further guidance or support related to home learning, please email Miss Couves – [email protected].  

For more information on how to use Microsoft Teams, please click the image below to download Mr Clifford's Teams user guide.

With the massive increase in COVID cases in the last 2 weeks, our main priorities are to keep the school open and everyone safe. To do this, we need to bring back some of our previous measures to keep our school as COVID free as possible:

• To limit the number of contacts our staff have, please remember to stay behind the white line when dropping off and collecting your child.
• If you need to speak to a member of staff, please call the school office or email the class teachers on their class emails to avoid as much face-to-face contact as possible.
• If you urgently need to speak to a member of staff at the beginning/end of the day, you must wear a face mask to keep our staff safe.
• We encourage all parents/carers to wear a face mask when dropping off/collecting children at school and to use the IN and OUT gate when entering and leaving the school site.
• We understand that stock of Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) can be limited however we are still asking for children to use a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) twice weekly. For children who are close contacts of positive cases, guidelines state that they should be using a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) EVERY DAY.
• Please remember, we still have windows and doors open for ventilation when the classroom air quality monitors show reduced air quality levels. Please send your child in with a number of layers in order to wear to keep warm. Children are allowed to wear their coats in the classroom and PE kits to school on non PE days if this is warmer than their uniforms.