Year 3 have had a busy month with lots of new and exciting learning opportunities, including Book Week with a workshop with the Bookman, a trip to Marwell Zoo, and our Walking Training to help us keep safe when we are walking.  What a busy month!

In Science, the children have been carrying out investigations to test the best growing conditions for cress seeds.  They chose whether they wanted to put them in the dark cupboard or in the cold fridge.  They predicted what they thought would happen and why and were excited to check on their seeds after a week to see if their predictions were correct.  We have also dissected flowers to identify all the parts to involved in pollination and fertilisation.

In Computing, the children are thoroughly enjoying our Creating media – Photo editing unit.  They have learnt how to crop, clone, rotate and retouch images.

In DT, the children have been working towards making their own rainforest animal out of felt.  They created their own rainforest animal design and sewed the felt together, before adding the stuffing and final details.  They all look incredible and so unique!

In PE, the children are enjoying Tag Rugby and Gymnastics.  They have learnt to pass the ball backwards, defend, attack and score a try in rugby.  They have worked with a partner to create symmetrical and asymmetrical balances in gymnastics. 

In our Literacy lessons, the children have been crafting stories set in diverse cultures, utilising a wonderful array of adjectives. I am thrilled to see how their writing skills have developed, particularly in their use of punctuation. They have shown great improvement in applying commas after fronted adverbials and using inverted commas accurately. Some adventurous pupils even experimented with brackets and semi-colons, which is commendable!

In Science, our focus has been on living things and their habitats. The students have examined classification keys to distinguish between vertebrates and invertebrates, and they’ve used this knowledge to create their own classification keys. We also enjoyed an enlightening trip to Boundary Park, where we discussed the dangers affecting local habitats. It was a fantastic way for the children to connect their learning to real-world issues.

Our Design and Technology (DT) sessions have been particularly delightful this half term, as we explored the world of savoury pastries. The children began by tasting various ingredients and then moved on to learn different cutting techniques. After planning their own pastry creations, they produced some truly impressive results that looked and smelled delicious! The positive feedback from staff members has been overwhelming, and I can certainly see some future chefs emerging from Angelfish class!

In our music lessons, we have been delving into gamelan music, learning about the slendro scale and the construction of 8-note melodies. The children have been developing their understanding of semibreves and minims, which has allowed them to create their own unique melodies.

Lastly, our gymnastics lessons have seen us working on balancing techniques in pairs. The students have been using various equipment, such as gym tables and benches, to develop more dynamic balances. We have also practiced rolls and are exploring how to sequence these movements effectively.

Some of Angelfish class recently participated in some enjoyable Bikeability sessions right here in the playground! The children had a fantastic time learning essential cycling skills and, most importantly, how to ride safely.

During these sessions, the children were introduced to various aspects of cycling. They learned how to control their bikes effectively and develop confidence in their riding abilities. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and determination as they applied what they learned in practical exercises.

Sea Turtles have had a busy March! We enjoyed practising and performing our class assembly which was based on our History topic: ‘The Tudors’- thanks to all of the parents who turned up to watch. The children loved showcasing their drama skills in our re-telling of the Battle of Bosworth which led to the start of the Tudor era.

Sea Turtles also had a wonderful time at Halstead St Andrews School where we attended their football and hockey festival. The girls had fun playing mini football matches whilst the boys played hockey.

In Literacy, the children have been writing newspaper reports based on the book ‘Tuesday’ which is about flying frogs terrorising a town. They enjoyed writing their own about flying pigs and the destruction they caused! We have now moved on to our poetry unit where the children have begun learning all about reverse poetry. They have read reverse poems, performed verses from their favourite one, and are now onto writing their own which they will recite and perform.

In Maths, the children have been learning how to find the perimeter and area of rectilinear and compound shapes. They have had to use their knowledge of properties of shape as well as their times tables and repeated addition to solve problems.

In PE the children have been enjoying their mini 4v4 tag rugby games where they have developed past skills and learnt new ones. They have also enjoyed creating counter balance routines in gymnastics with Miss Young – there are certainly some budding gymnasts in the class!

In DT and Computing, the children have been using computer programmes to learn how to create vector drawings and have used TinkerCAD to design a room using 3D modelling. The children have thoroughly enjoyed these units with some logging into TinkerCAD at home to create some interesting designs.

Another highlight for the children from this half term was building their parachutes in Science as we have been learning about air resistance and other forces. The children had to make 3 different sized parachutes and time how long they took to reach the ground- they had great fun undergoing this experiment!

As you know, next week will be our Wellbeing Week which we are very excited for as there will be lots of workshops for the children to enjoy, use of the VR headsets and mufti days! After this we will be breaking up for the Easter holidays – so here’s wishing you all a safe and relaxed term break.

We need to start by saying a HUGE well done to Dolphins this half term for showing resilience during their Mock SATs week! You all worked so hard and really persevered, you should be very proud of yourselves!

This month, we went on an amazing trip to Milestones Museum linking to our History topic. We took part in workshops and learnt all about life during WW2. We found out what an ARP warden was and what their job entailed. It sounded very scary, but the children recalled lots of facts from our Mr Dilly workshop and listened carefully to what life was like during The Blitz. The children got to dress up and had a go at spotting enemy planes. We also learnt about rationing, during the war and used our ration books to buy our own sweets to take home.

March is also the month of World Book day! We were lucky enough to have a visit from Bookman. He was very engaging and played lots of games with us to help with creativity! It was a lot of fun. We had some great costumes in our classroom including some new characters we haven’t seen before so thank you for your help creating these!

In P.E, we have become Gymnasts, we have been learning to balance, mirror and match. It has been wonderful to see our balance getting better each week. During our final lesson we watched our apparatus mirroring and matching pieces and then evaluated each other according to the skills we have been learning each week.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that lunches are currently free for Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 students under the government's Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme. For children in Years 3 to 6, the cost of a school lunch is £2.95 per day / £14.75 per week. We would appreciate it if you could ensure that your child has sufficient funds in their lunch account. Please can we remind parents that school dinners should be paid for in advance. Please ensure that payment for the week ahead is made by the Monday morning.

Please click here to view the menus via our school website - School Meals

If your child would like to change from a packed lunch to a school dinner or vice versa, please contact the school office to advise of the change.  Please note changes can only be made at the beginning of a term.

Please be reminded that we are a nut free school.  Please do not send your child to school with any food containing nuts, for example Nutella / nut chocolate spread, Peanut butter, Peanut chocolate bars (Snickers) or nut cereal bars etc.  If you are unsure please visit the school office to pick up a healthy lunch leaflet.

If your child has recently borrowed spare clothing from school, in particular children in Reception class, year 1 and year 2 please can we ask that these are returned.  We have a washing machine onsite so you can be assured that any items returned are washed as needed.  

We are also looking for donations of spare clothing such as underwear, leggings, jogging bottoms in small sizes such as ages 4 - 8.  Please either hand into the office or to the class teacher.  Thank you for your support. 

Please see below for PE days for the Spring Term

The children will need to wear their correct PE kit on their PE day. Correct PE kit consists of:

·        Sky blue Maybury t-shirt

·        Navy blue or black hooded jacket

·        Navy blue or black jogging bottoms

Trainers (only lace up if your child can tie their own laces please) 

If you consider that there are exceptional circumstances relating to your request, please let the school have full details. Each application for a leave of absence will be considered on a case by case basis.

Penalty Notices to Address Poor Attendance at School

A Penalty Notice may be issued as an alternative to the prosecution of a parent/carer for their child’s unauthorised absence from school (absence without the agreement of the school or not covered by a medical note) and willbe used by Surrey County Council in the following circumstances :-

1. Pupils identified by police and Attendance Advice Officers (formerly Education Welfare Officers) engaged on Truancy Patrols and who have incurred unauthorised absences.

2. Leave of absence in term time (5 days or 10 sessions or more).

• Please be aware that The Education (Pupil Registration)(England)(Amendment)  Regulations 2013, which became law on 01 September 2013 state that Headteachers may  not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

• The Headteacher is also required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.

• In such cases the Headteacher/Governing Body must decide whether there are exceptional circumstances.  They may request that Surrey County Council issue Penalty Notices when the absence is not authorised.

Warnings will not be given where it can be shown that parents have been notified that such absences will not be authorised.

3. Finally, the issuing of a Penalty Notice will also be considered where it is judged that a parent is failing to ensure their child's regular school attendance.

This will be considered when a pupil has incurred 10 or more unauthorised sessions in the previous 10 school weeks, which may include a pupil arriving late after close of registration.

If you believe at any stage that your child’s absence from school may leave you liable to receive a Penalty Notice, it is extremely important that you act without delay to secure their regular attendance. 

If you have any questions or require further support to achieve an improvement in your child’s attendance, please contact your child’s school or the Attendance Advice Officer.

Penalty Notice relating to Exclusions

If a child is excluded from school, Section 103 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on parents/carers to ensure that their child is not in a public place without justifiable cause during school hours. 

This duty applies to the first five days of each exclusion.  Failure to do so will render the parent/carer liable to a Penalty Notice. (Alternative education provision will be made available from the sixth day of any exclusion.)

Amount Payable for a Penalty Notice and Consequences for repeat uauthorised absences

1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.

Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.

Advice and support is available from an Attendance Advice Officer by contacting Surrey Attendance Service as follows:-

North West - Tel: 01483 518130 South West   - Tel: 01483 517179

North East - Tel: 01372 833588 South East   -       Tel: 01737 737777

Please bear in mind that all of these dates are subject to change