​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been creating instructions to build a stone age shelter. They have used imperative verbs, time prepositions and adverbs in their writing to make sure the reader understands what to do. In Maths, Year 3 have been continuing to investigate their times tables and have explored how knowing one times table can aid them in working out others. They are explored their 2,3,4,6 and even their 8 times table. In Science, they created multiple experiments! The first experiment involved sending toy cars down ramps to observe how different surface create different frictions. In the second experiment, they made parachutes to observe the effect of the size of the parachutes on how fast the object fell.
Year 4 – have had a very exciting week! They took part in an Iceland Day. On Tuesday, they arrived at school to find out that they would be spending the day learning about Iceland in preparation to writing a travel brochure in English. During the day they discovered facts about Iceland, put their map reading skills to the test to answer questions about locations in Iceland. They prepared a comprehensive budget for their trip – including flights, travel insurance, accommodation, food and activities and spent the afternoon gathering information about volcanos, ice cave, hot springs, Icelandic food, the wildlife of Iceland and the Northern Lights. Both classes had a lovely day even though it has made us all want to on a trip to Iceland! In DT, they have decided on the soup that they are going to make and started to plan their own cooking vlog. In Science, they have completed a sound experiment to find the best insulator of noise. 
Year 5 – have continued their work on fractions, converting and comparing them using their knowledge of equivalent fractions. They have also begun to think about how they can convert improper fractions into mixed number fractions. In English, the children have been really enthusiastic when planning and writing the starts of their newspaper articles all about the world cup. They have learnt some really interesting facts about the tournament and its history and have discussed what everyone knows about Qatar and how the world cup is being hosted. In Humanities, they have been learning about Alfred the Great and thinking about why he is in fact great!
Year 6 – have spent their English lessons planning a narrative related to the short film, 'Glued'. They have worked hard to write effective character and setting descriptions which they will incorporate into their narratives next week. In Maths, they have learnt about comparing, adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators by finding equivalent fractions with like denominators. They have also continued their topic about Brazil and have been applying their understanding of the location of Brazil in relation to the equator and tropics of Cancer and Capricorn to predict the climate and weather of different regions.

​Dear Parents/Guardians,

National Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (MTC)

As many of you will be aware, the National Curriculum states that all children should be confident with all times tables up to 12x12 by the end of Y4. In Year 4, all pupils’ times table knowledge will be assessed by the National Multiplication Check (MTC). The purpose of the MTC is to determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will help schools to identify pupils who have not yet mastered their times tables, so that additional support can be provided. Rapid recall of these times tables really gives all children an excellent foundation on which they can build a wide variety of mathematical skills.

The pupils currently in Year 4 will do the multiplication check in school in small groups on iPads during the national testing window and will take about five minutes to do. The national testing window runs between Monday 5th June and Friday 23rd June 2023. As a school, we aim to give pupils the best possible opportunity to be successful in the multiplication check and will choose the most appropriate time for them to sit the check during this window. The outcome of the check should inform both us as a school and you as parents as to where each child is in terms of times tables. We can then celebrate their successes and work together to identify and address any gaps. You will be informed of the outcome for your child alongside their end of year report.

As it is a key part of the Year 4 curriculum, your child’s class teacher is already supporting them in developing their times table fluency at school and ensuring they will feel prepared for the multiplication check when the time comes. However, we ask that you encourage your child to use their online TTRockstars account as regularly as possible – it has an excellent track record for improving times table recall and is great fun! Children can earn coins and create an online Rockstar avatar by battling one another and taking part in arena tours. One of the excellent features of TTRockstars is the ‘Sound Check’. This is an online game set up in the same way as the MTC. Practising via ‘Sound Check’ will help children to prepare for the MTC.

Below is the downloadable pdf guidance/information for parents about the multiplication check. If you have any further questions about the MTC or how best to support your child, please contact their class teacher.

Yours sincerely,
 
Miss Couves
IVJS Maths Lead

Dear Parents, 

Re: Christmas Presents 

Over the last few years, we have appreciated the support you have shown the school despite the challenges that have arisen. Previously at Christmas time, many of you have been incredibly generous by sending presents in to staff to show your gratitude. 

We are very aware of the current situation regarding the cost of living and the impact it is having upon us all. This year, we would ask that you did not send gifts in to staff and spent the money on your family during this difficult time. If your child wishes to show their gratitude or wish their teacher a Merry Christmas, they would appreciate a hand drawn card or letter from your child. 

If you need any support in light of the cost-of-living crisis, please speak to your child's class teacher who will be able to help you, particularly with food parcels or warm clothing for your family. 

Kindest regards,

​Miss Digweed​

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been writing a persuasive letter in English in reaction to the King's decision in the book 'The King Who banned the Dark'. They came up with creative and imaginative reasons to keep the dark that really impressed their teachers. In Maths, they have continued their learning about times tables. They have used number lines to solve problems involving the 2, 3, 5, and 10 times tables. In Humanities, they have concluded their topic on The Stone Age by learning about Stonehenge. They were able to explore the prehistoric site using Google Earth and made their predictions about how the monument may have looked when it was first built. On Tuesday, Year 3 had an exciting Zoom call with Farmer Nicola. The children were thrilled to be introduced to her sheep dog puppy, Pip, who is only 8 weeks old! Pip will be trained to work on the farm and will be kept very busy looking after the hundreds of sheep. The children were able to ask Nicola questions about how she cares for her animals and her role as a farmer.
Year 4 – have been continuing to work on times tables in Maths, focusing on their 9s and 7s. In English, they have been writing a set of instructions for Thor. Last week, they wrote about how the giants outwitted him so this week they have been writing instructions, advising Thor how to become stronger and smarter so that he can beat the giants when they next meet. In Science, they have explored pitch and how it changes on different instruments. In DT, they have been exploring the advantages and disadvantages of eating seasonally.
Year 5 – have been working hard in Maths to consolidate what they have learnt about fractions so far. They have successfully matched equivalent fractions and have impressed us with how well they have applied their knowledge of equivalent fractions to converting and comparing fractions. In English, both classes have completed their narratives based upon a time travel adventure and they are such a joy to read. All children thought of a totally unique and creative way to find their way back home to end their stories, some even brought back a new friend from the past or future to meet their family. In Science, the children witnessed an exciting experiment that showed an example of an irreversible change. We conducted the Coke and Mentos experiment on the playground and watched the reaction unfold. In Humanities, children have wowed us with how much they had remembered about the Anglo-Saxons from last week and built on this knowledge by considering how the Viking invasion would have impacted them.
Year 6 – have finished writing to persuade the president of the moon to release the baboon. They have worked really hard to use features of persuasive writing and we are certain the baboon should be released shortly! In maths, they have begun a new topic about fractions, focusing on finding equivalent fractions using diagrams and multiplication and division facts and applying their understanding to a range of problems.

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been developing their descriptive language and their use of speech in a narrative piece of writing. They have taken their book, 'The King Who Banned the Dark' and rewritten it in their own way, implementing their own character and setting descriptions and highlighting their knowledge of adjectives and similes. In Maths, they have started to investigate multiplication. They have used arrays to visualise the multiplication and used different calculations to explain the arrays. In Humanities, they have continued their time travel into the prehistoric ages. They have used artefacts as primary sources and developed questions that they independently found the answers to.
Year 4 – have been practising their times tables and trying to challenge themselves by doing lots of different questions! In English, they have written a Norse myth about Thor and how he fell victim to the giants’ trickery! In Science, they have been learning about the parts of the ear and how sounds travels. They even got to look at their partner’s ear and study how it looks from the outside! In History, they created their own comic strips presenting the story of ‘The battle of Marathon’ and ‘The Trojan War’. In DT, the children have been learning about seasonal foods and created their own allotment using all the information they learnt. What a great, busy week! Year 5 – have begun their fractions unit. They have worked hard to find equivalent fractions for both unit and non-unit fractions. In English, the children were excited to plan a narrative involving a time travel adventure. They have been trying to include parenthesis and questions into their writing. In Science, the children have been looking at how they can separate soluble and insoluble mixtures using different methods and were fascinated by the separation of sand and water using filter paper and the decanting of oil and water. In Humanities, Year 5 explored the Viking invasion of Britain and have written some fantastic diary entries as a Viking about their journey across the North Sea on Longships. Year 6 – have worked hard in Maths to solve problems involving multiplication and division, including those with multiple steps. In English, they have watched a video about the 'baboon on the moon' and begun to write persuasive letters to help free the baboon! They have continued their art topic looking at the key elements of art focusing on shape, form and texture.

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have started to explore how to write a narrative in English. They have developed their descriptive language by practicing character and setting description. In Maths, they have finished their last week on addition and subtraction. They have consolidated their learning and seem to have really retained what they learnt last term. This means that they will be moving onto multiplication next week. In Humanities, they have travelled into the past and started to explore the prehistoric world. They used 'Now Press Play' to immerse themselves in a different time and start to think about the similarities and differences between current and prehistoric times. They have had a great first week back and have impressed all of their teachers.
Year 4 – have travelled to a deep dark forest in a land far, far away during English. Year 4 have been writing a twist on the classic fairy tale 'Little Red Riding Hood'. What would happen if the story was told from the Wolf's point of view? London and Lisbon have told this very story. In Maths, they have been learning all about area and using squares to help them calculate the area of different shapes. In Science, they have started their new topic 'Sound' and have had to travel around the school taking part in their own soundscape surveys. In DT, they have started to explore seasonality and look at different seasonal foods and where foods come from.
Year 5 – have been settling back into school really well, despite the shock of the early alarm in the morning. In Maths, they have been focusing on square and cube numbers. They have impressed us with how well they have applied their times table knowledge to solve these problems. In English, they have been working on a selection of diary entries from the perspective of Odysseus. They have been able to explore how Odysseus would have been feeling at King Aeolus' castle and have included some interesting ideas for what they would have done during their time there. In Humanities, Year 5 have started their brand-new topic, Anglo-Saxons. They have begun to learn who the Anglo-Saxons were and where they came from. The children then put themselves in the shoes of an Anglo-Saxon and made a passport for travelling to Britain. In French, they have been introduced to the days of the week and will continue to build on how they write the date in French across the term. Finally, they have had an exciting start to their Science lessons this term by dissolving different materials into water to make a solution. The children made observations of what happened to each mixture and recorded these on their results tables.
Year 6 – have worked hard to write detailed recounts of their exciting activity week before half term. In Maths, they have been focussing on division and have begun using and applying the written method for long division. Year 6 have also worked hard in Art this week, learning about the key elements of art, particularly line and colour.