St Patrick's Catholic Primary School
4P
Welcome to Year 4P
I hope that everyone has had a lovely half-term break and feels ready to continue with their learning for the remainder of this term. I am looking forward to continuing our learning journey together in Year 4 as we explore new topics across the curriculum. Please let me know if any details regarding your child's circumstances have changed, and I am available on the door if you have any brief queries or questions. Alternatively, if you would prefer to email me, my address is 4p@stpatricks.sefton.school. I will respond to any emails within 48 hours, in line with our school's communication policy.
Mrs Hosker
General Information
In English, we will be creating a newspaper report which encourages children's learning about structure and layout, language features, sentence structure and content structure. A range of immersive activities will aim to support children's learning of our Year 4 writing targets. In Maths, we will be learning about fractions and decimals, building upon key skills. This year, the children will be focusing on their ability to recall and understand their times tables knowledge in preparation for the Multiplication Tables Check in June. Please spend time supporting your child in learning their times tables as they can draw upon this fundamental knowledge in many areas of Maths.
In Science, we will begin a new topic as we explore how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating. During this half-term, children will continue to take part in various experiments and practical lessons which will empower them to think as scientists. They will make musical instruments from straws and use string to explore how sound travels.
This half-term, we will start our next Geography topic, which asks the big question –" Where does our food come from?" Children will consider the journey of food from field to fork, seasonality of food and the distance food travels from where it is grown to where it is consumed.
In French, children will use the familiar story of Goldilocks as the basis to learning how to tell the story using a range of French vocabulary. Remember that your child can log onto Language Angels, our electronic platform, where they can access a variety of games and interactive activities to support their learning of French.
Pupil login: Username la2023french Password: la2023french
If you wish to find out more information about our curriculum, please follow the provided link below.
https://www.stpatrickschurchtown.com/curriculum
Communication
Please let the school know if any of your contact details have changed (phone number, email, addresses) if we need to call home or contact you.
Homework
Homework will be set every Monday at 4.30pm. We will upload this on Purple Mash, to be completed by the following Monday at 4pm. The children will be tested on their spellings on Monday mornings and times tables during the week. We encourage the children to practise their times tables each night using the Times Tables Rockstars website. Please try to ensure your child completes their homework every week, as well as reading each night (approximately 20-30mins).
TTRS Times Tables: This term, we are asking children to carry out 10 minutes on the TT Rock Stars website at least five days a week, in preparation for the check in June. We will be asking children to record their homework as they come into class everyday. As parents, can you please support your child in completing this homework on a daily basis.
Reading
Reading is a key focus for us in school, and we work hard to promote the children's love of reading. Each week, the children will take part in a reading lesson and guided reading sessions based on a focus text. During these sessions, we focus on key reading skills, such as vocabulary, inference, prediction, explaining, retrieval and summary. We encourage all children to read for 20 minutes each night, at least times a week at home as part of their weekly homework. This can be done independently or with an adult. We follow the VIPERS approach to developing reading skills:
V - Vocabulary
I - Infer
P - Predict
E - Explain
R - Retrieve
S - Summarise
Times Tables Links
Making sure that the children can quickly recall all the tables facts will really help their learning in Year 4. It would be wonderful if you could support your child by recalling their tables facts. This will enable them to draw upon this fundamental knowledge in many areas of Maths. These websites help children do this at their own pace and in a fun way.
Home - Times Tables Rock Stars
Purple Mash by 2Simple (children can use their school login)
www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
PE
During this autumn half-term, our PE lessons will continue to take place on Thursday and Friday. This half-term, we will be playing tennis (outdoors) and learning how to play hockey. The children should wear their PE kits to school on Thursday and Friday. Please ensure your child has the correct PE kit – branded shorts etc are not part of school uniform. On cooler days, the children may wear jogging bottoms, but they must still wear their school cardigan or jumper – no hoodies. This half-term, children will be taking part in gymnastics and this will require them to remove their footwear in order to move safely as they carry out the different movements.
Uniform
Please ensure that school jumpers and cardigans are labelled with your child's name. If these are misplaced during the school day, it is easier to return this to the correct pupil if it is named.
Medical
If your child has a medical condition that staff need to know about, please inform the school as soon as possible. If your child requires an inhaler, or any other medicine, please ensure it has been handed into school and is not out of date.
Snack
As we are a ‘Healthy School’ we would like to remind parents that a healthy snack at playtime is encouraged. Please refrain from sending any chocolate or sweets into school as a snack or within your child's lunch box.