Happy 2025!

I hope that you all had a wonderful break with families and friends.

I have loved welcoming the children back into school for this Spring Term - I have lots of exciting learning in store!

Please do look at the documents below as they contain important information with regard to the Spring Term. The KIRFS (Key Instant Recall Facts) are very useful for keeping basic maths skills ticking over at home.

*Please be advised that the P.E. days have stayed the same this term, being on a Monday and a Tuesday.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

Mrs Ryker 

Please note that the above timetable may vary on any day for various reasons.

P.E., however, will always take place on a Monday and a Tuesday.

Dear Nightingales and Parents

First of all, may I say an enormous thank you for the lovely gifts, both collective and individual, that you and the children have so kindly given me. The children had a lovely chilled day, enjoying a movie with popcorn!

What an absolutely wonderful term it has been! The fantastic children in Nightingale Class have all worked so hard, so happily and with such amazing commitment. They sing along with me too, which gives me great joy!  I have not set any formal homework over the holiday in terms of Spelling and Times Tables but the children may find a sheet detailing some essential tasks for the break in their Christmas gift bag from me! 

I hope that you all have a fantastic break with some real downtime and here's to a healthy and Happy New Year. Merry Christmas to you all!

With Love and Best Wishes 

Mrs Ryker 

Christmas 2024!

We've all had such a busy time in the run-up to Christmas, with some children performing beautifully at The Savill Garden and St. Michael's Church with Singing Club and then in our Carol Concert, also at the Church.

The children looked amazingly festive in their Christmas jumpers - they also really enjoyed their Christmas lunch!

Mrs Ryker 

Iron Age Crimewatch AD50!

Who killed the 52 bodies at Maiden Castle?

December 2024

As a culmination to their fabulous History topic this term, the Nightingales became archaeological detectives to solve the above Iron Age mystery. They were given just the briefest of background information before being let loose to explore the evidence. 

The children worked really well, collaborating and discussing the evidence before deciding on which was the most likely theory!

Christmas Card Competition Winner!

Our class entered a competition to design a Christmas card for our recently-elected MP, Jack Rankin.

One of our talented class members was among the lucky winners! Mr Rankin visited the Year 3 class to present him with a certificate, a card and a big box of cards with his winning design to give to family and friends. What an achievement - well done!

Mrs Ryker 

History - Autumn 2024

The children have loved learning about the fascinating period in prehistory - The Stone Age to the Iron Age.

In this session, the children explored artefacts found buried in the grave of 'The Amesbury Archer' and thought about what they thought the objects were, what they were used for, what they were made from and what they could tell us about the man himself!

Mrs Ryker

Forest School Sessions - Autumn Term 2024

The children have hugely enjoyed enjoying the delights of our wonderful outdoor space this term, with team-building activities and also a DT session building a home for a Stone-Age person, linked to this term's topic. Enjoy the photos!

Marvellous Music! - Autumn Term 2024

This term, the children have been exploring the sounds of fireworks and recreating them with musical instruments! Each pair chose a firework, created music to represent it and the rest of the class had to guess which firework it was. They did brilliantly!

Mrs Ryker 

Scintillating Science Investigations - Autumn Term 2024!

The children had fun with their science investigation this topic! In our 'Light and Dark' topic, we have been looking at whether objects or materials are transparent, translucent or opaque.  We've also investigated how and why we have Day and Night, with the help of a globe and a torch!

We've also learned how shadows are formed and we investigated whether different translucent, opaque and transparent materials and objects cast dark or light shadows or no shadows at all.  In addition, investigations were launched to determine how shadows change throughout the day and how the distance of a light source affects the size of a shadow. Enjoy the photos from our dynamic sessions!

Mrs Ryker 

Year 3 Hallowe'en themed Cake Sale - October 2024

A massive thanks to all Year 3 parents for their phenomenal effort and time in putting together this most excellent cake sale!

As you can see, the quantity and variety of the cakes on offer was stunning and raised a wonderful amount of funds for the class!

Mrs Ryker 

Surprise Diwali Festival Celebration!

In Year 3, we have been learning all about Diwali, which coincides with the time that Hindus across the world celebrate this colourful Festival of Light - a triumph of Good over Evil and Light over Darkness. The word 'diwali' means 'row of lit lamps'. The key question for the topic is: 'Would celebrating Diwali at home or in the temple bring a feeling of community to a Hindu child?' 

The children were then surprised with a Diwali celebration in class, which was an immersive experience to support them in understanding how a Hindu child might feel during this celebration. Strings of lights lit up the classroom and authentic clay candle holders (diwas or diyas) were placed around the classroom and on the children's tables. Each with their own candle (non-flame of course!), the children took part in some Indian dancing, performing a fantastic Diwali dance.  We then watched a spectacular laser light show and fireworks display online and listened to traditional and more modern Indian music. During this, the children were treated to a Diwali feast of cake, chocolate, poppadom snacks, crisps and squash. 

Hopefully, the children will now feel confident when thinking about how a Hindu child might feel during this celebration. It was delightful to see their joyful faces - it was a wonderful afternoon! Enjoy the photos.

Mrs Ryker 

Our Enterprising Pupil!

Last weekend, one of our lovely Year 3 children very kindly decided to raise some money for the school. She held a loom band sale in front of her home and raised £13.09 for the school!

Well done and thank you so much 

Roald Dahl Day - 12th September 2024

What a fantastic day we had! The children started with Roald Dahl colouring and word searches, before moving on to learning all about the life of Roald Dahl himself. We then talked about the different types of characters in his stories and the children created their own 'Dahl-esque' hero or villain. A large part of Roald Dahl's style is, of course, captured in his humour and the children enjoyed watching animations of 'The Enormous Crocodile' and some 'Revolting Rhymes'.

A highlight of the day was sketching an image of Willy Wonka along with Roald Dahl's famous illustrator, Quentin Blake himself.  The children could see how anyone can be a fabulous artist by drawing this way!

Then it was onto 'Gobblefunk' - the ridiculous and often hilarious words created by Roald Dahl. The Nightingales used the 'Gobblefunk Generator' to create their own words and also created their own Roald Dahl names! Throughout the day, the children also enjoyed listening to the wonderful music of the iconic film 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Matilda'.

It was all great fun and much enjoyed by all. The children - a collection of Matildas, Willie Wonkas, Sophies, BFGs, Charlies, a Miss Trunchbull and even a Wonka Bar to name but a few - all looked incredible in their costumes! Thank you so much to all parents and children for your wonderful efforts - the dressing up really enhanced the day.

Please see below for a slideshow of the photographs taken on the day - enjoy!

Mrs Ryker 

Welcome to new Nightingales and Parents!

I'd like to welcome all parents, carers and children to the Nightingale Class Page and also to the brand new school year! 

On this page you will find lots of relevant information, documentation, as well as news and photos of what the children have been doing in class, so please do pop by regularly! Please see below some really useful documents to give you lots of information about different aspects of your child's learning in Year 3, including our daily timetable and the Autumn Topic Overview.

It's fantastic to get started and to get to know all of you! We look forward to a very happy and successful year. 

Mrs Ryker 

Maths

I have provided the Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFS) for Year 3 below. Daily practice of these will help to improve your child's mental calculation skills.  Your child has also brought home a hard copy of these.  I will post new KIRFS every half term, so please do pop back!

Times Tables

Next week, your child will be allocated with a Times Table sheet to practise on during the week. This sheet is not for handing in, just to use for practice. Times Tables tests will be held each Monday, starting with Monday 18th September. Please note that this may sometimes be subject to change, depending on events in class. If your child has two mistakes or fewer, they will move on to the next Times Table. Otherwise, they will stay on the same sheet until they demonstrate that they are secure before moving on. I would like to stress that it is not a race or a competition to move through the times tables as quickly as possible. It is vital that the children are secure in both the multiplication and the corresponding division facts before they move on. 

The order that times tables are allocated is:

2, 10, 5, 3, 4, 6, 8, 7, 9, 11, 12

This is in line with the order they are taught in the curriculum.  6 and 8 come before 7 and 9 because we teach the children that they are double the 3 and 4 times tables.

A fantastic way for your child to practise their times tables in on the online resource ‘Times Tables Rock Stars’ (TTRS), which you may already be familiar with. Each week, I allocate your child their specific times table on TTRS and we would ask that you encourage your child to only work on the times tables that have been set in the Garage Section. 

As you are aware, each child has their own individual login for TTRS, which they can access from home on a suitable device (computer, phone or tablet). I am sending home another copy of these (along with a reminder of their Purple Mash login.)

Reading

In Year 3, it is our expectation that children should please be reading every day as part of their homework.  Wherever possible, this should involve reading to/with an adult and, although this may only be for a short time, it is vital for your child's progress. In addition to supporting word reading and comprehension of the books being read, we would love you to encourage your child to develop a real passion for reading.  To support the choosing of appropriate books, please find some recommended texts for Year 3 children below.

Spelling

Each week, (starting next week), your child will bring home a sheet with the week's spellings. The idea is that they practise these spellings daily please. This work does not need to be handed in. We will also practise these spellings daily in school as one of our morning tasks. The children will then have a spelling test every Tuesday, commencing Tuesday 17th September.

Please see below for lists of the Years 1&2 and Years 3&4 Common Exception Words, as well as some useful tips for supporting your child when practising spelling.