Friday 5th December
Newcastle Reform Synagogue Visit
We had a very exciting start to our week this week! On Monday morning, we got on a coach and went to Newcastle Reform Synagogue. When we walked in the door, the boys were immediately asked to put a hat on their heads. This is a special hat called a Kippah. We learned that these were worn by Jewish people in Synagogues, but sometimes people chose to wear them all the time! These are worn as a sign of respect.
As we listened to what makes a Synagogue special, we were able to see some of these things with our own eyes. We learned about how the Torah, the Jewish holy text, is written in a language called Hebrew which is read from right to left! We learned some little pieces of Hebrew, like ‘shalom’ which means peace. The Torah stays dressed in cloth, or in wood depending on where it is from, until it needs to be read from. It is a handwritten text and they can be very old, so Jewish people have a ‘Yad’ to point at the words as they read to make sure it does not get damaged. They also have a shawl to put on as they read from the Torah called a Tallit.
We learned so many other things from this trip to Newcastle Reform Synagogue about Jewish people and how they worship. We learned about Chanukah, the meaning of the menorah and why candles are so important, why they have the Shabbat (sabbath) day on a Saturday and how Jewish people would have a mezuzah in every room in their home (except one).
Thursday 27th November
Science – Light
This week in Science, we explored shadows as part of our topic on Light. We learned what a shadow is and made predictions using cause and effect.
The children discovered that a shadow is made when light from a source is blocked by an opaque object, creating a dark shape behind it.
We had lots of fun investigating!
Everyone really enjoyed the learning. Here are some of their comments:
It was great fun! We made shadows with our hands onto our whiteboards using a torch. Maisie
It was a lot of fun because we were making shadow puppets using our hands. We made butterflies, birds and dinosaurs. Joshua
We went outside and looked at shadows of trees and we also looked at our own shadows. We could make cool movements with our shadows. Skyla
We learnt that shadows always follow you wherever you go, unless you go into the darkness. You need a torch or some other light source to make a shadow. James
Friday 21st November
It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas!
Our classroom has been full of festive cheer this week as we’ve been practising our Christmas carols and getting into the Christmas spirit. The children have been working incredibly hard to learn all the words, and their enthusiasm has been wonderful to see.
To make things even more magical, we’ve even had some snow — perfect timing for our first joint rehearsal with our friends in Southern Europe this afternoon! The children sang beautifully and put so much effort into every song.
At the end of our practice, the class voted for their favourite Christmas carol to sing again, and “Sparkle and Shine” was the clear winner!
Parents — you are truly in for a treat on 11th December. We can’t wait to share all our hard work with you!
Children in Need – Bake Sale
What a lovely day we had today raising money for Children in Need!
The children came to school in non-uniform and this morning, took part in a live online Activate session with Joe Wicks.
Later we had a Bake Sale to raise money for Children in Need. There were so many delicious cakes, biscuits, and treats on offer — all beautifully baked and decorated. The children (and staff!) thoroughly enjoyed choosing their favourites!
A big thank you goes to all the parents and carers who baked and donated such an amazing variety of cakes and goodies. Your support made this event possible and helped us raise money for Children in Need.
Well done to everyone who took part — what a fantastic way to show that together, we can make a difference!
In Maths we have been learning how to measure objects accurately, choosing the appropriate unit of measure for different objects and converting between metres and centimetres. The children made predictions and investigated items around the classroom that were greater or less than a metre in length, and even found some that were precisely one metre. The also estimated the length of the classroom and used multiple metre sticks to measure it to the nearest centimetre.
Friday 17th October
MFL – French
Today, we started our new French topic called “J’apprends le français”, which means “I’m learning French”! We’re going to be learning lots about France, other French-speaking countries, and some important French words too.
First, we looked at France on a world map and found the eight countries that share a border with it. Then, we looked at the French flag and practised saying the colours in French – bleu, blanc, rouge!
Did you know that French is spoken in 29 countries and by around 450 million people around the world? We played a fun matching game to link some of these countries with their flags – it was quite a challenge!
Next, we looked at a picture of Paris to see if we could spot any famous landmarks. We learned all about the Eiffel Tower, and now we all want to visit it one day!
We also found out about some tasty French snacks, like croissant, croque-monsieur, and brioche. We practised saying the names, and we were surprised to learn that croissant means crescent!
Later, we met some famous French people, past and present. These included Coco Chanel, Zinedine Zidane, Claude Monet, and even Roger Federer!
Then, we learned about some cool French inventions – like the hot air balloon, the metric system, mayonnaise, and braille! We were so interested in braille that we watched a video of children who use it, and they explained how it helps them read.
It was such a fun afternoon – we learned so much and can’t wait for our next French lesson!
As part of our Talk for Writing in English this week, we have been learning about instructional texts. Our model text is a Revolting Recipe. It included some disgusting ingredients including 20ml of sweat from a gorilla’s armpit and some grated toe nails! Yuck!
Over the week, we have created our text map and learnt to recite the text with actions. We have used dictionaries to find the definition of unknown words to help us understand the text better and to widen our vocabulary. Working collaboratively, we have found the features of instructional texts and co-created a tool kit.
Today, we have created a list of ingredients for a good friend. Here are a couple of examples:
Phoebe’s - Ingredients For A Good Friend
Rhiley’s Ingredients For A Good Friend
Thursday 2nd October
DT – Improving Our Stone Age Dwelling Designs
This term in Design and Technology, we've been learning all about Stone Age dwellings — how they were built and what materials were used. After exploring their features, we designed our own versions and even recreated them using digital software.
Today was an especially exciting day, as we began bringing our designs to life using clay and sticks! It was our first hands-on construction lesson, and the children couldn’t wait to get started. As they worked, they experimented with different ways to build, layer, join and fix their models. There was plenty of problem-solving along the way, and we were so proud to see everyone using their growth mindsets, remembering that “mistakes help us grow.”
Miss Holmes and I were incredibly impressed by the children’s enthusiasm, focus, and creativity. They showed brilliant teamwork and resilience, and the results were fantastic!
We’re already looking forward to next week, when we’ll evaluate our work, make improvements, and strengthen any wobbly bits! Well done, everyone. What a great start to the construction part of our project!
Friday 29th September
Computing
This half term in Computing, we’ve been learning all about Networks. The children have been introduced to how computer networks work and how different devices communicate with one another. They’ve begun to explore key components such as servers, switches, and access points, and have been learning how data moves between devices across both wired and wireless connections.
Last week, we focused on recognising what a network is and why networks are important in the digital world. The children began identifying the different parts of a network and discussing how these components connect and share information.
This week, we brought our learning to life through a hands-on activity where the children acted out how information travels through a network. Working in groups, they took on the role of a different device. Wool was used to show wired connections between devices, while wireless connections were represented without any physical link. One child acted as a "file" and physically moved through the network—from one device, through the switch, to the server, and finally to the destination device—sometimes passing through a wireless access point along the way.
It was brilliant to see the children so engaged, and they really deepened their understanding of how data travels across a network in the real world!
Friday 19th September
Music Workshop
We had a wonderful time on Wednesday morning at the music workshop. We listened to and joined in with ‘Music from the Movies’ including songs from: James Bond, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Rocky and Sing.
I liked listening to music from the movie Sing because I have watched a dance performance from that musical before. Phoebe
My favourite was the song from Rocky. It was one of my favourite songs from the movie. Joshua
I liked watching the other kids play the instruments because I like listening to them. Amber
I loved watching my brother sing along to the Sing 2 song. Leo
I liked listening to the music because I like musicals. James
My favourite was Jurassic Park because I liked how we had to match the names to the dinosaurs before the music stopped. Lucie
There was a real buzz of excitement in Year 3 yesterday as the children had their very first penny whistle lesson! Each whistle had been carefully labelled with the children’s names, and they waited with bated breath for theirs to be handed out. The room was filled with gasps and exclamations of delight as they discovered which colour they’d received: “Wow…gold!”, “Yes…red!”, and “Ooo…blue!”.
The children unwrapped their whistles with great care – it felt just like Christmas morning! Along with their instruments, they were also given a special penny whistle book to borrow for the year. We talked about how to look after both the book and the whistle, as well as the basic rules for our lessons together.
Now, there’s a wonderful sense of anticipation for next week, when we’ll begin learning the very first steps of playing the penny whistle. It’s such a joy to teach something that the children are so enthusiastic about!
What a Fantastic First Week!
Mr. Darbyshire, Miss Holmes, Mrs. Di Pietro, and I have absolutely loved getting to know our wonderful new class this week! The children have been incredibly kind to one another, shown fantastic listening skills, and worked extremely hard; we couldn’t be prouder of them.
In Geography, we explored Northern Europe, using atlases to locate countries, their capital cities, and national flags. To bring our learning to life, we even enjoyed a tasting session featuring delicious foods from the region, including Dutch Maasdam cheese, German pretzels and salami, Belgian waffles, and – the clear class favourite – Belgian chocolate!
During PSHE, we discussed how our actions have consequences and how the choices we make can affect both ourselves and those around us. The children imagined what a “nightmare school” and a “dream school” might be like, thinking about how each environment would impact learning. Together, we then created our very own Class Charter, with rules chosen by the children to help make our classroom a happy, respectful, and supportive place to learn.
It’s been a fantastic first week full of fun, teamwork, and learning. Well done to everyone; we can’t wait to see what next week brings!
Mrs Hamilton