​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been writing a newspaper report about an event from their class text ‘The Stone Age Boy’. They have investigated the features of a newspaper report and have been able to replicate them for their own article. In Maths, they have been looking at the multiplication facts of the 2,4 and 8-times tables and have begun to use their knowledge to work out reasoning problems. In Geography, they have researched different landmarks and presented their findings to the rest of the class. In P.S.H.E, they have looked at different scenarios and have discussed whether or not bullying occurred. To help them to decide, they looked at the acronym S.T.O.P (Several Times on Purpose). In French, they have started to look at the seasons of the year and describing how each one feels.
Year 4 – have been writing amazing poems, exploring the adventure that Arthur has been on. The children have been coming up with some creative rhyming words to use in their poems. In Maths, Year 4 have been continuing to look at multiplication and division facts. In Science, the children started to plan their enquiry based on the scientific question - How does the distance from the sound source affect the volume of the sound? In History, Year 4 have been learning about the impact of the ancient Greek civilisation on the modern world, including the first Olympic Games.
Year 5 – have finished writing and publishing the newspaper article based on Salim's (a main character in the class text) disappearance and in Maths, the young mathematicians used their skills to compare and order fractions. In Science, the children also worked hard learning about separating techniques and in PE the children have been honing their flexibility, performing gymnastics. The children also contributed valuable discussion points in RE lesson which was focused on Islamic rites of passage and in French, they have learnt to say and write dates!
Year 6 – have finished writing the narrative based on the short film clip 'Origins'.  They have impressed us with their fantastic setting and character descriptions and have demonstrated their progress in applying the Year 6 writing success criteria features in their writing.  In Maths, the children have finished the topic on fractions by focussing on multiplying and dividing fractions.  In DT, Year 6 used the skills they previously learnt to create their own topping for a pizza base.  In History, the children have enjoyed exploring entertainment in the Elizabethan times and creating their own performances.  In groups, the children re-enacted a scene from one of William Shakespeare's plays (The Tempest, Macbeth and A Mid-Summer's Night Dream) and performed it to their class.  Year 6 have proved that there are some very impressive thespians in the making!  

Dear Parents and Carers,

The online world poses its own risks to children and it is important that schools, parents and carers work together to teach children about online dangers. Teaching children how to use the internet safely is a vital part of safeguarding our children.

We are delighted to announce that Iver Village Junior School has shown our commitment to protecting pupils by working with National Online Safety- providing resources for all parents and carers.

The resources include Parents & Carers courses (presented by Myleene Klass), online video resources and weekly guides covering a huge range of topics, including:

• Online Relationships                                      
• Fake Profiles and Social Bots
• Online Bullying
• Online Grooming
• Child Sexual Exploitation
• Sexual Harassment & Violence
• Sexting
• Live Streaming
• Online Identity
• Screen Addiction
• Online Challenges
• Overspending
• Social Media Platforms
• Fake News
• Games and Trends
• Age Inappropriate Content
• Hacking
• Pornography
• Online Reputation
• Personal Data

​
To create your account, please follow https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/The-Iver-Village-Junior-School and complete your details. When you’re set up, you’ll be able to set ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type.

You can access National Online Safety online via any device and answers to frequently asked questions can be accessed at https://helpdesk.thenationalcollege.co.uk/helpcentre.
If you have any questions, please see either myself, Mr Clifford or Mrs Punny.

Yours sincerely,
Miss Digweed

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been travelling in time in English so that they could write a set of instructions to make a Stone Aged Stew. They have used ancient techniques to make the warm meal as well as including time prepositions and adverbs to ensure that people can easily follow the steps. In Maths, they have been developing their knowledge of the 4 times table. They have looked at multiples of 4, dividing by 4 as well as completing word problems that require them to use the 4 times table. In History, they have been investigating Stonehenge. They have researched when it was built, who built it and have been theorising over the reasons why it was built. In PSHE, they have looked at the important steps to take if they witness bullying at any point. They developed good strategies and will hopefully know exactly what to do if they witness bullying of any kind. 
Year 4 – have been using many features of the success criteria to write a Norse Myth about the Viking Gods. In Maths, they have become more familiar with their 3, 6 and 9 times tables and how they are related. In Geography, Year 4 identified volcanoes in Africa and named their key parts. In Computing, the children began to understand that copying the work of others and presenting it as their own is called 'plagiarism' and to considered the consequences of plagiarism. In Science, they explored volume and discovered what pitch is. In PSHE, the children explained what influences them. 
Year 5 – have begun to write a newspaper article on the disappearance of Salim - a main character in our class book 'The London Eye Mystery' - and in Maths, the young mathematicians used their skills to compare and order fractions. The children also carried out an investigation on dissolving - the budding scientists applied their scientific skills to experiment insoluble and soluble substances. In history, the children learnt all about the end of Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, their contributions were exceptional, and in RE they learnt about Christian traditions. It was a busy but fun week in Year 5!
Year 6 – have started a new piece of writing in English.  They have started to re-tell the story of a small robot who finds himself alone in a forest and is trying to find out where he comes from.  They watched a short film clip called Origins which tells the story and started the week by making some great vocabulary suggestions for the setting and character descriptions.  In Science the children have been learning about taxonomy and have looked at the scientific classification of various living organisms.  In Computing, the children have continued to learn how to keep themselves safe online. They have continued learning about the Tudors in History and about South America, focussing on the Amazon river and features of rivers.

This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been completing their narratives based around the 'Marshmallow' video clip. They have been focusing on including speech in their work. In Maths, they have been focusing on multiples of numbers, counting backwards and forwards and making equal groups. In Design and Technology, they have been designing their glove puppets; thinking carefully about the detail of their characters, the equipment they will need and which type of stitch they will use to join the fabric. During Geography, they have been finding out about mountains in the United Kingdom, looking at their location and heights. All of Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed the New Mozart concert on Wednesday afternoon. They were able to learn about a range of instruments from the orchestra and listen to some new and familiar music. 
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 PSHE, Year 4 were learning that sometimes we make assumptions based on what other people look like. In Science, the children were investigating sound and understanding what volume is. They created a bar chart of the different sounds around the school during the day. In DT, Year 4 worked in groups to plan what seasonal vegetables they want in their soup. 
Year 5 – have written fantastic character description of Odysseus and they were exceptional - they have managed to include powerful adjectives and adverbs to make the character come to life. In Maths, the children started a new unit - fractions. The budding mathematicians have learnt about equivalent fractions and have applied their skills to reasoning questions too! In Science, the children also explored burning, they learnt about the difference between burning and heating. The children explored what commitment is in RE and in Humanities, they learnt how and when England became a unified country. The highlight of the week was the New Mozart orchestra, who played very skilfully and the children enjoyed their inspiring performance. It has been a busy but fun week in Year 5!
Year 6 – have had a busy week and have been very fortunate to be able to be participate in a New Mozart Orchestra workshop. They enjoyed learning all about the different orchestral instruments and also got the opportunity to try a few! In English, the children completed their PGL and Non-PGL recounts - they included lots of details about the activities they carried out whilst also remembering to include many of the Year 6 writing success criteria features.  In Maths, Year 6 have continued working and solving problems involving fractions.  This week they have focussed on multiplying fractions by integers and multiplying fractions by fractions.  In Science, the children are exploring organisms and living things and this week they concentrated on the different kingdoms and how to classify animals based on characteristics.

The School Nurse Team will be in school on Thursday 12th December.

For information for parents about ways to keep children safe online, head to ​https://parentsafe.lgfl.net/ 

Dear Parent / Carer,

On Friday 13th December, the children have the option of completing a Sponsored Santa Dash in the morning prior to School beginning. This date is Christmas Jumper Day, so the children may come to school in their Christmas Jumper and non-uniform. For the Santa Dash, they may also wish to accessorize with any other festive add-ons. Children will need to be in the playground by 8.15am to participate in the sponsored run.
All money raised in sponsorship will continue to help us to raise funds for FISA, enhancing the learning opportunities for all our children in the Village Schools. Sponsor forms will be sent soon.
Family are welcome to watch and support from underneath the shelter in the centre of the playground. We would like to ask family to leave promptly once the race is complete to allow the students to register on time.
We have mapped out a route around our school playground which is 1km long when 5 laps have been completed. We are challenging the children to ‘dash’ the 1km, however we know some children will feel more comfortable doing this at a slower pace, perhaps walking / jogging with their friends. For children who wish to challenge themselves, we have included an option on the sponsor form where they may wish to get sponsored for a ‘bonus amount’ if they can achieve the 5 laps within 10 minutes. This is for you to discuss with your child and decide on an amount should you wish to take part in this extra challenge. We kindly ask that any money from the sponsored event be collected by yourselves and brought into school by Friday 13th December. If you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Let’s encourage our children to fundraise along with us by asking family, friends and neighbours to sponsor them.
 
Kind regards,
FISA
Facebook page- ‘Friends of Iver Schools Association’

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been diving into their story writing skills by transforming the short film 'Marshmallows' into a magnificent narrative. They have looked at adjectives, expanded noun phrases, paragraphs and other grammar skills to ensure that their writing is the best it can possibly be. In Maths, they have begun the topic of multiplication and division by using arrays to help represent their calculations. They have used arrays to make both repeated addition calculations and multiplication calculations. In History, they have explored the ancient Neolithic site of Skara Brae and investigated the reasons why humans stopped being nomads and decided to start making settlements. In Science, they have looked at animals, including humans. 
Year 4 – have been enjoying planning and writing a twisted fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood. The children came up with some amazing adjectives and similes to describe the physical looks and personalities of the characters. In Maths, they have been learning what area is and how they can effectively count the squares within a shape to work out the area. In Geography, the children were exploring the similarities and differences between mountain ranges, using photos, facts and figures. In Guided Reading, Year 4 have been making predictions about what the new book is going to be about, looking at clues from the front cover and blurb. In Science, the children explored what sound is and identified different parts of the ear.
Year 5 – have settled well in to classroom routines. They learnt all about dividing by multiples of 10 and applied their knowledge to problem-solving. In English, the children have gathered ideas to write a character description about Odysseus - they have brainstormed ambitious vocabulary and descriptive phrases about Odysseus's characters and they have been remarkable! The children have also begun reading a new class book (The London Eye Mystery) and they shared sensible predictions and insights about the characters. In Geography, the children worked in groups to create amazing posters on meanders and in RE they learnt all about milestones in life. The budding artists also started to plan futuristic images to use on a special background that they have printed using their own print plates! It has been a busy first week back!
Year 6 – have started the new half term off by recalling their week away at Windmill Hill for their PGL activity week by writing a recount of their visit.  Those children who stayed at school for the week have also been writing a recount of their activity week in school.  In Maths, the children have started looking at fractions and have been comparing and ordering fractions; and adding and subtracting them.  They have continued to study the Tudors in History and have started a piece of work in Art which uses symbols and imagery to represent a message important to them.