Year 4 Shakespeare Superstars

 

Hello everyone,

One of the biggest week's in the year 4 calendar is now upon us - The Year 4 performance of Shakespeare's the Tempest. We are all so incredibly proud of all the hard work the children have put into this performance and we also thank you for your help and support behind the scenes. 

The children did their dress rehearsal today with an audience from years 1 , 2 and 3 and it was a roaring success, they should be very proud of themselves. 

If you are unsure of what to expect on the night, the Shakespeare Performance letter emailed to families on 24th January has all the important information you will need. 

Key pieces of information include:

• Details regarding the school start time on Wednesday 12th. 
• Children to come to school in (name labelled) school uniform. 
• Lunch will run as normal with hot or packed lunch provision
• Ensure children have a water bottle. 
• Provide children with an additional evening snack.
• Doors will open for ticket holders at 17:45. Curtain up at around 18:30. 
• We anticipate the event will finish between 20:30 and 20:45. Children to be collected by families after the performance. 

We can't wait for you to see the performance.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch.   

Year Four's Google Docs Fix-It Challenge!

 

Today in Year Four, we had a fun and productive session working with Google Docs. 

The goal was to learn how to format and edit a document, making it look neat and professional. We began by making a copy of a document and then followed step-by-step instructions to fix it up. Each pupil had to change the font to one of their choice, adjust the text size to 16, and remove any large spaces in the text. We also worked on formatting the text by removing any underlined, italicised, or bolded words and made sure the text was all black and easy to read.

One of the fun parts of the task was creating new paragraphs where it told us to and removing any highlighting. The pupils really enjoyed giving the document their personal touch!

To finish off the task, each pupil added an image to their document, bringing a little extra flair to their work. After completing all the steps, pupils shared their finished documents with me, ready to be turned in.

It was a great opportunity for the pupils to practise their computer skills while also having fun with a creative task. 

I’m proud of all the hard work they put in and I can’t wait to see what they do next!

Creating Characters

In English today, Year Four had a go at creating their own characters. This is ahead of us writing a story about a character that can shrink down to the size of a pea. 

Before we get to the action of them shrinking we needed to describe them as a character….

To bring our work to life, Mr Spracklen used Chat-GPT's image generator. 

This saw Sunny's description ->

'The character is a boy, their personality is adventurous, sporty and lucky. Their appearance is tall with golden hair, they wear hat and gloves!'

Become -> Micron Max -

And Edith's description ->

'Edward Lightly Salted - Ridge Cut Crisp - He is handsome with golden, floppy hair. He always has pineapple stains down his expensive shirt. He is forgetful, careless and lazy.'

Become ->

And finally, Evelyn's description -> 

'Georgia noodle. Black frizzy hair, pink cheeks and freckles. She loves sports. Black glasses. She is clever, brave and a normal girl that can shrink into a pea.' 

Become ->

All the children wanted a go at bringing their characters to life, but unfortunately, we ran out of time (and image generator credits!). 

If you’d like to have a go at home, just visit https://chatgpt.com/ and click ‘image generator’—we’d love to see what you come up with!

Wessex Music: Year 4 Singing Concert (Second Practice)

Today Year Four (and a special guest) had their second singing practice with Hanna Trevorrow from Wessex Music ahead of their upcoming Year 4 Singing Concert. 

This concert will take place at 6:30pm on Monday 17th March 2025 at The Thomas Hardye School Theatre.

Hanna was very impressed with Year Four today who showed great singing aptitude with the following (tricky) songs - 

Children should now practice these songs regularly at school (and home) to prepare for their upcoming #InspiredToLearn performance. 

Hello everyone,

The children have had a busy week and are working so incredibly hard, balancing their normal learning alongside rehearsals for our Shakespeare play.

New Morning Drop-Off Routines

We have noticed that the classroom has become very muddy and unpleasant in recent weeks. To help combat this, please drop your child off at the door next to the playground in the morning (the same door used in Year 3). This will allow children to properly wipe their feet as they come in. Children should not come around the side of the staffroom or access the boat before school, please.

After school, children should continue to be picked up next to the WW2 garden as normal.

Wellies for Gardening

On Monday afternoons, the children take part in a gardening activity. Please send your child to school with wellies or a pair of shoes other than their school shoes for this activity. 

Shakespeare

Things are really beginning to take shape, and it is exciting to see the children’s acting skills develop! If your child hasn’t yet learned their lines, it would be wonderful if you could support them with this at home. A letter detailing the plans for performance day will be emailed to families shortly.

For costumes, most children will need to wear black or dark-coloured leggings or tracksuit bottoms with black trainers or school plimsolls. If you have any difficulties, questions, or concerns about sourcing these items, please let a member of the team know as soon as possible. The only characters who do not need black leggings or trousers are:

Miranda (CJ); Ariel (EC); Caliban (TD); King’s servants (HT, BHo, & BHi); Prospero (RR)    

This week's Home Learning 

In our times tables fluency session, we have been revising square numbers and focusing on key multiplication facts: 3 x 4 and 5 x 9. Children have been reminded that 3 x 4 and 4 x 3 give the same product and can be learned together.

The children have all been sent home with a maths home learning sheet to complete. Please encourage your child to complete this and return it to school by Monday, 27th January. An electronic version can be accessed here. 

Spellings

We are currently a little out of sync with spellings. New spellings are available to view below. Paper copies will be given out on Tuesday, but Unit 6 spellings are already available on Spelling Shed. 

Upcoming Dates

Tuesday 4th Feb - Early parents' evening

Thursday 6th Feb - Late parents' evening

Wednesday 12th Feb - Shakespeare Performance Day

Friday 14th Feb - Last day of term

Monday 24th Feb - INSET

Tuesday 25th Feb - All children return to school

Thank you for your continued support!

Kind regards, 

The Year 4 team

Stampede By the Sea

 This week we will have an Stampede by the Sea Inspired to Learn Arts Week. Each child will create their own elephant which has been kindly donated by donated by Howards Motor Group.

The Children will be working with Artists from Poundbury Art to complete their design. Please can your child bring an old large t-shirt to put over their school uniform whilst they are painting. We will be using Acrylic paint which can stain clothing.

We can't wait to share updates with you as the week goes on.

Ms Evans

Art Lead

Week 2 in Year 4

 

What an incredible start to 2025 Year 4 have had!

The children had a fantastic visit to London on Wednesday, and all the staff were full of praise for their  behaviour throughout the day. I have been so impressed with how well they have continued to focus and work hard for the rest of the week, despite such a busy midweek adventure. I imagine there will be some very tired children this weekend!

Looking Ahead to Next Week

We have even more exciting visits and activities planned to educate and inspire the children:

🔹 Monday – Performance Day Orientation Visit
This trip will give the children an opportunity to prepare for their upcoming performance. If you haven’t yet given your consent, please do so as soon as possible. The children will travel by coach and return in time for lunch. Please ensure your child brings a water bottle and a small snack for the morning.

🔹 Wednesday – Planetarium Visit
We are thrilled to be welcoming a mobile planetarium to school, which promises to be an unforgettable, out-of-this-world experience!

🔹 Thursday – Singing with Mrs Trevorrow
Year 4 will begin learning songs in preparation for a singing concert in March, held at Thomas Hardy School alongside other local first schools. More details will be shared soon.

Home Learning

📜 Shakespeare Performance – Learning Lines
Please continue to support your child in learning their lines. I have been so impressed by those who have already memorised them—it makes a huge difference! From Week 3 of term, I would like the children to rehearse without holding their scripts.

📚 Times Tables Booklets
Please return all times tables booklets on Monday. The children will receive their Week 2 booklet on Monday (13th), and the expectation is that they will complete it over the week before we mark it together in class. This week, they will be focusing on the 12 times table, using their knowledge of the 10 and 2 times tables to support their learning. If your child’s booklet doesn’t make it home, let me know, and I’ll provide another.

📝 Spellings
We have assessed the children’s spellings this week and will update their personal spelling lists as soon as they have been marked and uploaded. This week’s spellings are listed below. The children will receive a paper copy on Tuesday and are encouraged to practise using Spelling Shed whenever possible.

Thank you for your continued support—I look forward to another brilliant week ahead!

Upcoming dates:

Monday 13th Jan - Performance Orientation visit

Wednesday 15th Jan - Planetarium experience

Thursday 16th Jan - Year 4 parent information session 9am - 9.20am

Thursday 6th Feb - Late parents' evening

Wednesday 12th Feb - Shakespeare Performance Day

Friday 14th Feb - Last day of term

Monday 24th Feb - INSET

Tuesday 25th Feb - All children return to school

 

Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year, everyone!

I hope you and your families had a joyful and restful holiday. The start of the spring term in Year 4 is always an exciting one, especially as we work towards the children's Shakespeare performance.

This year, the children also have the fantastic opportunity to visit London, where they will explore the Houses of Parliament and the Globe Theatre. This promises to be a memorable trip, rich in history and culture. The trip takes place this Wednesday, so if you haven’t yet completed the online trip confirmation form, please do so as soon as possible.

Home Learning

This term’s home learning will focus on Shakespeare and times tables. Each child will receive a Tempest script to keep at home. We encourage them to practise regularly to ensure they learn their lines thoroughly as part of their English home learning.

In addition, the children will be sent home with a times tables booklet every Monday, which should be returned the following Monday. These booklets will be marked in class during lesson time. Regular practice on Times Tables Rock Stars is also highly beneficial, as times tables will play a key role in the next seven maths units. Developing fluency in this area will significantly support their confidence and success in maths lessons.

PE and School Equipment

Children will need their full PE kits from Monday. We expect all children to change for PE. If you have any difficulties in providing a full kit, please speak to a member of the team—we’re happy to help.

From January, children may bring in their own pencil cases with pencils and writing pens. This is optional, as all necessary equipment will continue to be provided in class. If your child does bring personal stationery or clothing items, we strongly recommend that everything is clearly labelled to ensure lost items can be returned easily.

General Reminders

• Please ensure your child brings a healthy morning snack and a water bottle each day.
• As the weather remains cold, children should bring a labelled outer coat daily.
• If you have any of our spare emergency coats at home, we would be grateful if you could return them.

Wishing you all a happy, inspiring, and positively eventful 2025!

Kind regards,

The Year 4 Team