This Week In School…
Year 3 – have created some fantastic diary entries in English, all about the Stone Age. They have slept in caves, searched for fire wood and even gone hunting! In Maths, they have been learning about mass, weighing in grams and kilograms. In RE they have been exploring symbols of different faiths, the focus this week was symbols within Hinduism. They have begun their new Science topic learning about animals, including humans. They have been investigating the role of producers and consumers and learnt the names of bones in the human body.
Year 4 – have written fantastic setting descriptions in English. They have used adjectives, the five senses and figurative language to describe a snowy scene that really resonated in the readers’ minds! In Maths, they focused on subtracting factions and will be moving on to decimals in the upcoming weeks. In Music, they practised playing the African drums to Bastille’s ‘Pompeii’ and had a go at singing the lyrics with Ms Carrera. They did a great job! In Science, they discussed the function of teeth and moved on to comparing teeth found in carnivores and herbivores. They are looking forward to their swimming lessons next week and eventually building their electric loop games in DT.  Lots to look forward to before the holidays! As part of Humanities this week, Year 4 took part in a Now Press Play drama activity. They got to take on the role of a child who had travelled to Pompeii on a school trip and ended up falling back through time to the day before Mt Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii, covering it in 7 meters of ash.
Year 5 – have been working exceptionally hard in English to write a very persuasive letter to somebody in school. They began by conducting some excellent research, in order to have lots of evidence to back up their arguments. They are excited to complete these letters at the beginning of next week and get them sent straight over to their recipient. In Maths, they have been practising perimeter and area of lots of different shapes. The children have even completed some trickier problems within this topic, where certain shapes have had missing lengths for them to solve as an additional step. In Humanities, Year 5 were introduced to the longest serving king of the Maya times, Pakal. Both classes enjoyed creating quiz questions to test that everyone in the class knew all of the fun facts that there was to learn about this great king. They were also very lucky to have a visit from the local church this week, who gave them loads of information about the origins of Christianity.
Year 6 – have been enjoying their swimming sessions as well as working hard in class.  In English, they have been planning and starting to write a narrative based on a film clip called 'The Lighthouse'.  The children have been looking in particular at writing character and setting descriptions and have made some great suggestions for this descriptive writing.  They have finished their topic on the Tudors in Humanities by looking at plays written by Shakespeare; and started their new topic, Electricity, in Science where they have been experimenting with circuits to investigate the brightness of bulbs.

​Dear Parents/Guardians,
 
Lower School swimming will start week commencing 27th March:
Year 3 will be swimming on Monday 27th AND Tuesday 28th March
Year 4 will be swimming on Wednesday 29th, Thursday 30th AND Friday 31st March.
 
Your child will need to bring:

• swimming costume (Boys must wear swimming trunks (not shorts) and girls must wear a one-piece costume)
• 2 towels (one to stand on whilst changing)
• A swim hat
• Goggles (if the goggles consent form (below) has been signed)
• Flip flops (shoes to wear to and from the pool from the changing area)
• Dressing gown to put on after swimming to walk to the changing rooms

 
Parents should be aware that the pool forbids the wearing of earrings. If your child has a verruca, they will still be expected to attend swimming but they must wear a verruca sock.
 
Goggles
Whilst they are not considered to be essential, we recognise that children who swim frequently or whose eyes are susceptible to irritation may prefer to use goggles for swimming. They may help maintain the required body position and improve vision through the water.  Therefore, parents may request that their child uses goggles during the lessons by filling in the form below.
I should inform you that it is your responsibility, as parent, to teach your child to put on and take off goggles in the correct and safe fashion. Our advice would be to read the manufacturer’s instructions for putting them on and taking them off. This is important to ensure protection of eyes from impact damage through stretching the eyepieces away from the face with wet fingers.
Please ensure that goggles are of a good quality. Goggles should be British Standard Institution (BSI) Goggles which includes makes such as Speedo or Zoggs, which will include instruction on the package for the correct way to put them on and take them off. You should be aware that on occasions your child will be asked to remove their goggles in order to safely perform certain aquatic activities.
If you would like your child to wear goggles during swimming lessons in school, please complete the form on the paper copy of this form given to your child or email office@ivjs.school with the following:  

• Your child's name and your name
• If you would like to request that your child wears goggles during their swimming lesson at school.
• That you understand that it is your responsibility to ensure the goggles are in good condition and that your child knows how to take them on and off safely. You also recognise that there will be occasions when they may be asked to remove their goggles.

On Wednesday 22nd March, some of our Years 5 and 6 children will be taking part in a water safety swimming lesson. The lesson is designed to give children a feel for swimming with clothes on in case they ever fell into water.

​Please send your child into school with their full swimming kit PLUS a set of clothes with long sleeves and full trousers for example, pyjamas or leggings. They will still need to wear their swimming kit underneath their clothes. Please make sure the clothes are not baggy and no onesies or tracksuits.

Thank you.

​Miss Digweed

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been writing a letter to a child refugee. They included a lot of emotive language and have begun to understand a few of the challenges that a child refugee faces. In Maths, they have continued to explore the world of fractions. This week, they have looked at using a number line to help understand fractions and have begun to find equivalent fractions. In Humanities, they have finished their topic on prehistoric Britain. They presented their learning in the form of an information text. They were able to research and recall facts about the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. In French, they have continued to learn the names of different fruits in French.
Year 4 – have been inspired by the World Book Day costumes that the teachers wore last week, they have been creating their own character descriptions for a Little Miss or Mr Man character of their own design. We have had some brilliant designs including, Little Miss Duck, Little Miss Storybook, Mr Sporty and even a Mr Goat! In Maths, they have been working really hard to understand the link between improper fractions and mixed number fractions. In Humanities, they have looked at Roman mosaics and created their own designs. In Science, they investigated the digestive system by making their own from everyday items! Some found it intriguing and exciting others were a little squeamish - but overall, they had fun. In DT, they got to meet an exciting pair of robots called Dash and Dot. With the little help of some technology, they were able to program Dash to move around, play music on a xylophone and even speak.
Year 5 – have started their brand new topic in Maths. They have even been finding percentages using a hundred square and have worked out some equivalent fractions to certain percentages. In English, the children have completed their independent narratives. They have impressed us with their creativity and wealth of ideas to create a compelling storyline. They have also had some interesting afternoon activities, where they have begun to plan an expert talk on the planets and considered how they would use emergency first aid. Year 5 also had a fantastic day on Thursday, having really enjoyed their adventure activities. 
Year 6 – have been researching owls so that they can write a non-chronological report about these amazing creatures.  They are focusing on owls after reading about them in their class book, Skellig.  In Humanities, the children have been finding out more about the Tudors, specifically about King Henry VIII; his six wives and what happened to them; and King Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic church.  They have used their knowledge to discuss whether they think King Henry VIII was a good or bad king.  The children had a great day on Thursday, taking part in some fantastic activities: Archery, Aeroball, Skateboarding and Construction.  They showed great teamwork and we were very impressed with some of their skills.

We have updated our Home/School Agreement. You can find the link to the updated agreement here:

Please let us know you have received and read the new agreement by completing the form below. Please click the link at the bottom of the page if the form below does not work with your device.

This Week In School…
Year 3 – have continued to read 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' this week and have used the text to write a letter. They have included some very thoughtful questions in their writing. In Maths, they have continued to learn about fractions, including reading fractions on a scale. In Humanities, they have been using their investigation skills to look at artefacts from the Bronze age and made predictions about how the items may have been used. In PSHE, they have been looking at food packaging and learning about the amount of sugar in different foods. Everyone has enjoyed dressing up for World book day and experiencing different stories and authors.
Year 4 – have been learning about life in ancient Rome, researching information about the food that Romans typically ate, their clothing, living conditions and education. In Science, they recalled key facts about the digestive system and tried to explain the different stages independently. In Maths, they started looking at fractions on a number line and mixed fractions. In English, they have finished writing their newspaper reports about the missing cats from Varjak Paw! They had a great time during World Book Day and their costumes were great to see!
Year 5 – have been working hard to come up with their own narratives, planning an exciting and engaging plot to entertain their reader. So far, the children have mapped their ideas onto a story mountain and have begun describing their settings and main characters. In Maths, Year 5 have been building on their knowledge of decimals and have been successfully rounding decimal numbers to their nearest whole number. In Science, they have been discussing how the planets are arranged in our solar system and how they move. The children have impressed us with their knowledge of planet rotation and orbits, and have now shown an excellent understanding of how the knowledge of our solar system has changed from a geocentric view in the past, to knowing now that our solar system is heliocentric. 
Year 6 – have been very creative!  In Art, the children have finished making their sculptures based on art by Wayne Thiebaud (food), Yayoi Kusama (polka dot pumpkins) and Jeff Koons (balloon dog).  They planned, sculpted and then painted their creations which are looking very impressive.  In English the children have finished writing poems about spring at IVJS and have been using a range of figurative language.  They have now started their new English topic - writing a non-chronological report about owls.  This week they have also started their new Humanities topic - Tudors and monarchs.