We hope that you had a lovely and relaxing summer break. Welcome to Year 4 and the autumn term where we look forward to the continuing partnerships between home and school.
Reading
Our goal is to create confident, fluent, independent readers. We prioritise reading at Latchmere School and have very carefully chosen the texts your child will study this term. We focus on word reading to develop fluency and encourage the whole class to join in through strategies such as choral reading (the whole class read together) and echo reading (the teacher models the reading and the class echo back). We also have the Latchmere Reading skills. These are based on comprehension skills such as retrieval, inference, summarising, making links, prediction and vocabulary.
In Year 4 this term, we will be studying:
Mouse, Bird, Snake, Wolf by David Almond; The Wild Robot by Peter Brown; The Grendel by Anthony Horowitz and The Lost Happy Endings by Carol Ann Duffy.
Maths
Our curriculum is based on the White Rose Maths programme. This research-based initiative ensures that the skills and concepts children taught are fully embedded before moving on. The children are taught strategies such as bar modelling and have plenty of opportunities to use ‘manipulatives’ such as counters and dienes all the way through the school.
This term, we will be focusing on place value, addition and subtraction, area and multiplication and division.
Children should also use the TimesTables Rockstars program to increase their quick recall of multiplication and related division facts.
Children should also use the TimesTables Rockstars program to increase their quick recall of multiplication and related division facts.
Spelling
Spellings will be handed out every Monday and children will be tested on a Thursday.Curriculum Highlights
This term, we will be learning about:
Science – Electricity and Living things and their habitats
History – Anglo Saxons and Vikings
Geography – The World Around Us
RE - Hinduism
PE – Fitness and Tennis
PSHE – Family & Relationships and Health & Wellbeing
You can find out more information about the autumn term learning by looking at the overviews and programmes of study on the website.
Thank you in advance for all of your support in the year ahead,
Kind regards,
The Year 4 Team
Kieran Maguire, Helen Luck, Hannah Haffejee and Jagoda Skawinska
Updates and reminders
Morning Routine – The school gates will open at 8:45 every day. Your child will stay on the playground and be taken inside by the class teacher at 8:50.
Snacks – Please ensure your child comes with a snack for morning break. This should be a healthy snack such as fruit and not contain any nuts or seeds.
PE Kits – The same as last year, children will be required to come to school wearing their PE kits. For Year 4, your children will be required to wear their PE kits on:
Mandela (Mr Maguire) – Wednesday and Friday
Pankhurst (Miss Haffejee) – Tuesday and Wednesday
Parks (Miss Luck) – Thursday and Wednesday
Gandhi (Miss Skawinska) – Tuesday and Wednesday
This should be a Latchmere blue t-shirt, school jumper and blue shorts in line with the school uniform expectations.
Pencil Cases – If you wish, you can send your child to school with a small pencil case. You may want to include:
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2 HB Pencils
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A ruler
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A pencil sharpener with the capacity for the collection of shavings
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An eraser
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A whiteboard pen
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A red pen
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Child-friendly scissors
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A glue stick (Pritt Sticks are much better for long term use)
If you are unable to acquire the above item, they will be available in your child’s classroom.
Medication – Any medication your child should need should be handed to the school office where it can be administered by a first aider. Please let the office know of any updates on your child’s medical needs.
Parent Reps – As in previous years, each class should have 2 parent representatives to help forward any information throughout the year and help organise events such as Cake Sales. If you are interested in becoming a parent rep, please email the office or speak to your child’s teacher.
Key dates
Swimming
Swimming sessions are due to start the week beginning 9th of September. The days the classes will be swimming are:
Monday – Gandhi (Miss Skawinska)
Tuesday – Pankhurst (Miss Hafejee)
Wednesday – Mandela (Mr Maguire)
Thursday – Parks (Miss Luck)
You will receive a further email about swimming kits, parent helpers and timings.
Get To Know You Meeting
Get To Know You meeting with the year 4 team will be held on Wednesday 18th September at 10.00am.