June 2024 - Summer Term 2

The last term before Red Kites flee the Year 3 nest to become fully fledged Owls... I’m not sure that’s how metamorphosis usually works, but we will go with it!
  

Year 3 will continue to have Mr Parsons as their teacher on Tuesdays this term along with Miss Spraggs and Miss Painton, with Mrs Laws taking our budding conservationists out to explore forest school during the afternoon.  

Your Red Kite will be stuck with Miss Redgrave for the rest of the week… but don’t worry; I will make sure that they are in capable and crazy hands as we cram in the last of our lessons. I dread to think of all the anecdotes that come home about our bonkers -yet brilliant- learning. Oh, how we have made some wonderful memories this year!

It has been a joy to see everyone’s confidence flourishing in swimming and their skillset improving in the water. As we begin to see hotter days, it is imperative that we are all aware of how to be safe in and around water. If you need any tips, then check out some helpful ideas from Red Cross here:

Water Safety for Kids | Red Cross

This half term, we will be exploring ‘Species Survival’ and learning all about Sir David Attenborough, how we can protect our precious planet and endangered animals. We will be furthering this in art, where we will be creating Andy Goldsworthy inspired sculptures out of nature and replicating patterns and textures from the great outdoors with clay.

As the days get longer, why not head out on a creative exploration to collect fallen leaves, flowers and stick to repurpose into artwork with your families? Make sure to take photos and send them to the office- I would love to see!

I also must apologise if your Red Kite is being slightly more persuasive than usual… we have been looking at AFOREST techniques in writing and they are certainly getting to grips with mastering rhetorical questions and using emotive language… they even managed to get a 5 minute extra break out of me with their skills!

Here are our topics for other areas of the curriculum:

SPaG –Prefixes, Suffixes and Word Families

Science – Plants

RE – The Environment

PSHE – Changing Me

PE – Forest School and Swimming

Art – Nature

Spanish – The Seasons

Music – Developing Technique

DT- Construction

ICT- Media Making

I couldn’t finish the last blog of this year without saying how incredibly honoured I have felt to have been your teacher this year. What a brilliant year we have had, and certainly a very special start to my primary teaching journey at Drayton. Whilst I may have taught you a lot; I think that I have learned even more from you all.

Thank you for being resilient, inquisitive, kind, curious and determined. But most importantly; thank you for always being you. Your best is, and always will be, good enough.

Sending infinite sunshine,

Miss Redgrave, Miss Spraggs and Miss Painton

April 2024 - Summer Term 1

My goodness, how is it term FIVE?!

We are officially into the summer term and the last stretch of the year. It seems to have happened in the blink of an eye and, selfishly, I am not ready for the academic year to be nearing it’s end!
 

A little bit from me;

Year 3 will continue to have Miss Bradburn on Tuesdays this term along with Miss Spraggs and Miss Painton. We always love it when we can work with familiar faces and get to know each other better, which also helps our consistency of routines.

I am sure your Red Kites are eager to make a SPLASH and start school swimming lessons this term. These will take place every Friday morning until we break up for summer. Students will need to come into school in their PE kits, with swimming costumes underneath clothes and bring with them a waterproof bag complete with…

• A towel
• Swimming goggles
• A spare pair of underwear and socks
• A swimming hat

If your child wears earrings, they will need to either remove these or be securely taped over with waterproof tape.

It has been an absolute delight to see the learning we are doing within class overflowing into your homes. Please continue to share with me what you are up to that has been inspired by our lessons via the office email or, even better, bring it in to show! There are great studies that show the impact of extending our learning outside of school and, as a teacher, knowing that what we are teaching is sparking excitement in little brains is simply magic.

This half term, we will be exploring ‘The Space Race’ and learning all about our solar system, surrounding planets and the race to the moon. We will have a go at making abstract galaxy inspired artwork in our art lessons. And yes, the space kind of galaxy, not the chocolate bar…

I know that I am particularly excited to start our new whole class reading book, Stig of the Dump. Especially since author, Clive King, would have been celebrating his 100^th birthday on the 29^th of April- what a coincidence!

Here are our topics for other areas of the curriculum:

SPaG –Nouns, paragraphs and word phrases

Science – Scientists and Inventors

RE – Christianity

PSHE – Relationships

PE – Athletics and swimming

Art – Abstract art

Spanish – Ancient Britain

Music – Jazz

DT- Pneumatic toys

ICT- Data handling

We are all very excited to have longer and lighter days with warmer weather, filled with lots more learning and adventures!

PS: sorry if your Red Kites have come home scared of potatoes… we explored the idea of plants and vegetables growing and sprouting and found that potatoes, if left for too long, will produce some very interesting looking sprouts! Like this one, who looks rather familiar!

Best wishes,

Miss Redgrave, Miss Spraggs and Miss Painton