After their first week as Uptonians, our Year 3s have settled in beautifully, quickly adjusting to their new routines and embracing the exciting journey ahead.

From day one, it was clear how engaged and enthusiastic they are about their learning. The children have been eager to dive into new topics, ask questions, and explore new ideas- their energy and curiosity have been truly inspiring to see.

Not only have they adapted to the academic challenges, but they have also shown great maturity in how they interact with one another. It’s been wonderful to see them forge new relationships both with their peers and with adults, helping to create a positive and supportive atmosphere in the classroom. This sense of community is something we’re incredibly proud of, and it’s clear that our youngest learners in the school, are already well on their way to achieving great things this year.

Personal Development Week

This week, we have been exploring Personal Development, and as such, learning has focused on Health and Well-being. As part of our curriculum, they’ve been learning about how to look after their minds, with a special focus on self-regulating their emotions.

Through a range of engaging activities, the children have been exploring what it means to recognise and manage their feelings. From discussing different emotions to learning calming techniques, they’re developing essential skills to help them navigate challenges both inside and outside the classroom. It’s been wonderful to see them embracing this learning with such openness and enthusiasm.

As a school, we recognise the importance of emotional well-being in supporting both academic and personal growth. By learning how to self-regulate, our Year 3s are building resilience and becoming more self-aware: a vital foundation for lifelong success.

Children have also learnt:

• What our Core Values are and what they mean

• About our British Values and how they help us

• How to protect themselves online

In the coming weeks, we will continue to introduce new tools and activities aimed at helping children to manage their emotions, build resilience, and develop positive coping strategies. These skills will not only support their learning but also empower them to navigate everyday challenges with confidence and calmness.

 

   

Maths

In Maths this week, children have been diving into the world of Place Value through practical Maths lessons. To help develop children’s understanding of number, we’ve been using a variety of manipulatives, including Dienes, bead strings, and Cuisenaire rods. These hands-on tools have been a fantastic way for the children to explore the concept of place value in a tangible way. By physically building and breaking apart numbers, students are gaining a stronger grasp of how numbers work: how tens, ones, and hundreds fit together, and how numbers can be represented in different forms. The use of manipulatives has made place value not just a topic to learn, but a concept to explore, experiment with, and truly understand.

Next week, we will continue to develop children’s understanding of Place Value further, by exploring different representations of number and will likewise be exploring partitioning. As we continue, we’re excited to build on this foundation and explore even more ways to make Maths fun, accessible, and meaningful for all our children.

English

This week in English, our Year 3 children have been enjoying reading the works of renowned author and illustrator Anthony Browne, with a particular focus on his book Gorilla. Children have been introduced to key reading skills that will support their understanding and engagement with literature throughout the year. In our lessons, we’ve explored two core reading skills: clarifying and summarising. When working with Gorilla, the children have been practising how to clarify unfamiliar words or ideas by using clues and discussing meanings as a class. They’ve also learnt how to summarise key parts of the story, identifying the main events and ideas while developing their ability to retell the story in their own words. Using their understanding, children were then invited to write their own descriptions, using adjectives and imaginative description.

Next week, children will be introduced to the text: Voices in the Park, where they will be writing from the perspective of a character. We can’t wait to get stuck in!

Home Learning

Attached below, is the overarching Thematic Curriculum homework ideas. Please refer to the homework menu which gives a variety of creative tasks for the children to choose from. Children only need to complete one task as a minimum, but can choose to complete more if they wish. Children have been given a Home Learning book to complete their Home Learning tasks. Children will be bringing their Home Learning books home on Monday.  

Home Learning is due in on Friday 25^th October 2024

Spellings

Spellings will be issued each week and will invite children to complete tasks online. Tasks will follow the spellings being taught for the term and are designed to be engaging and fun. Further details will follow in next week’s blog, so keep your eyes peeled!

Times Tables Rock Stars

• Tasks to be completed online, with new tasks set every week.

• Children’s logins will be stuck into their Reading journal.

• Further details will follow in next week’s blog, so keep your eyes peeled!

Mathletics

• Once a week

• Tasks will always follow the learning that week.

• Children’s logins will be stuck into their Reading journal.

• Further details will follow in next week’s blog, so keep your eyes peeled!

We are in the process of setting up logins for Times Tables Rock Stars, Mathletics and Accelerated Reader. By the beginning of next week, all children should have a reading record and a book to share at home whilst we set up systems.

Reminders:

• Year 3 have PE on Tuesdays and should come to school dressed in the correct school PE kit.

• 3B and 3G will swim on Mondays this term- children will need to come dressed in their PE kit to school on this day, and bring with them their swimming costumes to change into. 

• Swimming kit reminder: full swimming costume/swim shorts and swimming hat.

• To find out how your child is settling into life at Upton, teachers will be hosting meetings for parents on Monday 16^th September from 1pm until 4pm. Should you wish to meet with your child's class teacher, you will be able to book a 5-minute appointment from Monday 9^th September-you will receive details as to how to book on Monday.

Key messages:

• Please can children ensure they bring a healthy snack to school for breaktimes.

• Children are provided with a school pencil case and do not need to bring in pencil cases from home.

As children continue to settle into the year ahead, we’re confident that their enthusiasm and commitment will only grow. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the term has in store for our fantastic Year 3 Uptonians!