Year 4 - Week 4

 We have had another busy and exciting week in Year 4, with lots of fantastic learning taking place!

We have officially started our ukulele lessons, and the children absolutely loved their first session! 🎵 They were so excited to have the opportunity to learn a new instrument and had lots of fun learning how to hold and play the ukulele. It was lovely to see everyone having a go and supporting each other as they began learning some of the basics. We are looking forward to seeing how their skills develop over the coming weeks.

In Maths, we have continued our learning about place value. The children have been working hard to understand what happens to numbers when we add or subtract 10, 100 and 1,000. We have explored 10 more and less, 100 more and less and 1,000 more and less, using our understanding of place value to help us. We have also started looking at Roman numerals, which the children have enjoyed getting to grips with.

In English, we finished reading The Lion and the Unicorn. The children have really enjoyed getting to know the characters and exploring the historical setting of the story. To finish our unit, the children wrote their own historical narratives, using the skills they have developed throughout our learning. There were some fantastic ideas, and it has been lovely to see the children becoming more confident in their writing.

In Science, we have continued our work on states of matter. We explored the three states – solids, liquids and gases – and looked closely at how the particles are arranged and how they move in each state. The children have been developing their scientific vocabulary and using what they know about particles to explain the differences between solids, liquids and gases.

Have a lovely weekend, and we will see you all tomorrow !

💛Miss White, Mrs Burgess and Mrs Thomas💛

Year 4 - Week 3

Another super week in Year 4! 

We have had another really busy and enjoyable week in Year 4, with lots of exciting learning taking place across the curriculum.

In Maths, we have continued our work on place value, building our understanding of 4-digit numbers and thinking carefully about the value of each digit. The children have been working hard and becoming more confident when explaining their mathematical thinking.

In English, we have continued our work around our class book The Lion and the Unicorn. We have been exploring different types of sentences, looking at plurals and beginning to use personification in our writing. It has been lovely to see the children becoming more confident with experimenting with language and using ideas from our text in their own work.

Our Science lessons have been particularly exciting this week as we have continued learning about states of matter. We carried out an investigation using raisins and lemonade and observed what happened to the raisins. The children really enjoyed watching the changes and discussing what they thought was happening and how this linked to our learning about liquids and gases. 

We also had lots of fun in DT, where the children enjoyed making their own biscuits. They had to follow instructions carefully, measure their ingredients and think about the different stages involved in making their biscuits. There were certainly some very tasty results!

In History, we have now started our new topic on World War II. The children have begun finding out about this important period in history and are already showing lots of curiosity and interest. I am looking forward to seeing where their questions and learning take us over the coming weeks.

And finally… ukulele lessons start tomorrow! 🎶 The whole class will be taking part, and we are all very excited to begin learning something completely new together. I am sure there will be lots of enthusiasm, and hopefully some budding musicians in Year 4!

Another lovely week of learning, creativity and fun. Well done Year 4, for all your hard work! 

We are excited for another week together and can't wait to see what we get up to next.

Miss White, Mrs Burgess, Mrs Thomas and Mrs Hounsome

What a great first full week back in Year 4

We have had such a lovely week, and it has been wonderful to see the children settling into their new routines and getting stuck into their learning. They have worked really hard and it has been a great start to the year!

🔢 Maths: We have been exploring place value, focusing on 4-digit numbers. The children have been learning to recognise the value of each digit and have been using different representations to help them understand how numbers are made up. We have had lots of great discussions and the children have shown some brilliant mathematical thinking.

📚 English: We have started our new text, The Lion and the Unicorn. The children began by looking at the story and making predictions about what they thought it might be about. We have also been exploring the different characters and thinking carefully about their feelings, thoughts and actions. The children then had the opportunity to write in the role of the main character, Lenny, which produced some fantastic writing and ideas!

🔬 Science: We have started our new Science topic, States of Matter. We completed a cold task to find out what the children already know about solids, liquids and gases. It was great to see how much prior knowledge they could remember, and we are looking forward to building on this throughout the topic.

🏊 Swimming: Swimming has been a great success this week! The children have been fantastic and have really enjoyed getting into the pool. They have shown great enthusiasm and have been listening carefully to instructions.

Overall, it has been a brilliant first full week. The children have been kind, enthusiastic and hardworking, and we are so pleased with how they have settled into Year 4.

Well done, Year 4! 💛 

We are already looking forward to another great week of learning, fun and lots more exciting things to come! 🌟

Miss White, Mrs Burgess, Mrs Thomas and Miss Hounsome

Great start to Year 4!

What a fantastic first two days back we have had! It has been so lovely to welcome everyone back to Year 4, and the children have settled straight back into school life brilliantly. We are already so proud of how well they have adapted to being back in the classroom.

Over the last couple of days, we have spent time getting to know each other again, taking part in lots of fun settling activities and creating our Year 4 Class Charter. The children worked together to think about how we want our classroom to feel and how we can support, respect and look after one another throughout the year. 

Formal Learning Begins!

From tomorrow, we will be starting our formal learning and getting stuck into our exciting new topics!

🔢 Maths: We will begin with Place Value, exploring the value of digits within numbers and developing our understanding of numbers.

📖 English: Our first book will be The Lion and the Unicorn, which will provide lots of opportunities for reading, discussion and writing.

🔬 Science: We will begin our new Science unit on States of Matter, learning about solids, liquids and gases and how they differ.

We are really looking forward to getting started!

Swimming Forms

A little reminder to please complete your child's swimming form on Arbor if you haven't already done so. This is really important so that we have all the information we need before swimming begins.

PE Kits

PE is on Wednesday this term.

This year, children will need to come into school wearing their PE kit on PE days rather than changing at school.

If your child currently has their PE kit in school, we will encourage them to take it home tomorrow so that they have it ready for Wednesday.

Thank you for your continued support. We are so excited for the year ahead and can't wait to see what Year 4 achieve.

Here’s to a brilliant year together! 

Miss White, Mrs Burgess, Mrs Thomas and Miss Hounsome

Welcome to Year 4!

Welcome back, Year 4 families! 

We hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer and enjoyed some well-deserved time together. We are so excited to welcome the children back and begin another fantastic year of learning, laughter and lots of exciting experiences!

We can’t wait to see them back in the classroom, catching up with their friends and getting stuck into everything Year 4 has to offer.

What are we getting up to?

We have lots of exciting learning planned this year! The children will be challenged to become even more independent learners, build their confidence and develop their knowledge and skills across the curriculum.

Reading will continue to be a big focus, and we want to encourage all of our children to develop a real love of reading. We’ll be enjoying lots of fantastic books and sharing our recommendations with one another.

We’ll also be continuing to develop our handwriting, writing and vocabulary, with plenty of opportunities for the children to show off their amazing ideas!

Becoming more independent

Year 4 is an important year for developing independence and responsibility. We’ll be encouraging the children to take pride in their work, look after their belongings, manage their equipment and become increasingly responsible for their own learning.

There may be a few reminders along the way (we are only human! 😂), but we know they will rise to the challenge.

Swimming

Swimming will begin on Thursday 10th September. Letters with all of the information you need about swimming will be coming home this week, so please keep an eye out for these.

A few reminders

Please remember to label absolutely everything! Coats, jumpers, water bottles, lunch boxes and PE kits can very easily go missing when they all look the same, so a name makes a huge difference!

PE kits need to be in school and ready for our PE sessions.

We do have fruit available for snack in school. If your child prefers to bring their own snack, please make sure that this is a healthy snack. A little reminder that we are a nut-free school, so please do not send in any snacks containing nuts.

Our Year 4 family

Most importantly, we want Year 4 to be a happy, safe and supportive place where every child feels valued and confident to be themselves.

We’ll be celebrating successes, learning from our mistakes and encouraging one another every step of the way. We are looking forward to seeing the children grow not only academically, but also personally, throughout the year.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We really value the partnership between home and school and know that working together makes such a difference to the children.

Here’s to an amazing Year 4! 🌈✨

We’re so happy to have you back!

Miss White, Mrs Burgess, Mrs Thomas and Miss Hounsome

One final Year 4 blog

Dear Year 4 families,

Take a moment this week to reflect on all the special memories you've made throughout your child's school journey so far.

From walking them into school or waving them off on those first few days, to the plays and performances, sports days, school trips, and the little crafts they proudly brought home, these years have been filled with moments to treasure.

As you walk or wave them off to school one more time as a Year 4 pupil, take a second to remember just how little they once were, and how tiny their hand felt in yours.

It's okay to feel emotional. Celebrate the memories you've made together and be proud of how far they've come. But try not to be too sad, because as one chapter closes, another begins. They are about to embark on an exciting new adventure, full of new opportunities, friendships, and experiences.

And to you, their families, well done. You've supported, encouraged, comforted, and cheered them on every step of the way. You've helped them grow into the amazing young people they are today.

Here's to the next chapter. We can't wait to see all they achieve. Have a wonderful summer, and thank you for being such an important part of our Year 4 family.

Miss White, Mrs Bernard and Mrs Thomas

xxxx

Year 4 - Start of inclusive sports fortnight

 Another great week in Year 4! The children who were in school coped brilliantly with the heatwave, and we know those learning from home managed the warm weather just as well. We have been so impressed with everyone's resilience and positive attitude.

Tomorrow marks the start of our Inclusive Sports Fortnight, and we have an exciting programme of activities planned for the children to enjoy:

• Monday: Bikeathon and Mr Spracklen's final ride
• Wednesday: KS2 Sports Festival, led by our Sports Leaders
• Thursday: Sporty Stars Inflatable Fun, Skateboarding Workshop and Painting the Roundhouse
• Friday: PHActive Sports Sessions

We know the children are going to have a fantastic time taking part in these activities!

As part of Inclusive Sports Fortnight, PE kits will be needed in school every day from Monday. Please ensure your child brings a named PE kit to school, which can remain in school all week, as there will be many opportunities to take part in physical activities throughout the week.

With the warm weather set to continue and many of the sessions taking place outdoors, please also ensure your child comes to school each day with:

• Sun cream already applied before school
• A named water bottle
• A named sun hat

Finally, Friday will be Miss Lawless' last day with us. She has been an amazing trainee teacher and has made such a positive impact on the children during her time in Year 4. We know the class will miss her, and we would like to thank her for all of her hard work and wish her every success for the future.

Thank you for your continued support. We hope you all had a lovely weekend, and we look forward to an exciting and active week ahead!

Any questions, please email. 

Miss White, Miss Lawless, Mrs Bernard and Mrs Thomas

Another great week in Year 4

We have had another fantastic week in Year 4, full of exciting learning and memorable experiences.

In Maths, we have continued our work on decimals, developing our understanding and confidence with place value and number operations. In English, we have carried on exploring The Iron Man, focusing on writing for suspense and using descriptive language to keep our readers engaged and eager to find out what happens next.

In Science, we began our new learning about habitats and continued our work on classification, thinking carefully about how living things can be grouped according to their characteristics.

One of the highlights of the week was our amazing trip to Bryanston. The children took part in a range of exciting activities, including kayaking, blindfolded orienteering, tunnelling and climbing. It was truly one of the best trips ever! The children demonstrated excellent teamwork, resilience and enthusiasm throughout the day, and they represented the school brilliantly. We were incredibly proud of them all.

We also enjoyed a very informative CAABU workshop, where the children learnt more about Arabic culture and even had the opportunity to learn how to write their names in Arabic.

Some children also helped to paint the roundhouse on Thursday!

Reminders:

• Friday: Non-school uniform day.
• Friday 26th June: Year 4 Aspirations Day. We would love the children to come to school dressed as what they would like to be when they are older. We look forward to seeing their future ambitions on display!

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Miss White, Miss Lawless, Mrs Bernard and Mrs Thomas

Year 4 - Week 1 - Summer 2

Welcome back to the final term of Year 4! We have had a fantastic first week and the children have settled back into school life brilliantly.

In Maths, we continued our learning on decimals, developing our understanding of place value and applying our skills to a range of problems.

In English, we began an exciting new class book, The Iron Man. To spark our curiosity, the children made a surprising discovery in our WW2 garden – a mysterious robot head! This led to lots of discussion, prediction and imaginative thinking as we started our new topic.

In Science, we started our new unit on Animals Including Humans. We began by exploring and classifying different groups of animals, using their characteristics to help us identify similarities and differences.

Looking ahead to next week, we have some exciting events planned. We will be welcoming a visitor to observe our PSHE lesson, and on Tuesday we will be taking part in a Caabu Workshop.

A reminder that class photographs will take place on Friday, so please ensure children come to school looking smart and ready to smile!

Also on Friday, children are invited to bring a teddy bear or soft toy to school and make a £1 donation to charity. Please help us reinforce that children should bring a soft toy or teddy only, rather than a plastic toy, gadget or other item.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to another exciting week of learning!

Miss White, Miss Lawless, Mrs Bernard and Mrs Thomas

Help us find our missing RWI books! 📚

Dear Families,

We need your help! We are currently missing a large number of our Read Write Inc. (RWI) books, and we would be very grateful if you could have a look around at home for any school reading books that may have been forgotten or tucked away on a shelf.

Our RWI books are an important resource that help all children develop their reading skills. When books are not returned, it can mean that other children are unable to access the texts they need for their reading groups.

Please take a few minutes to check:

• Bookshelves and bedrooms
• Book bags and backpacks
• Under beds, sofas, or in the car
• Any places where reading books may have been put for safekeeping

If you find any RWI books, please send them back to school as soon as possible. There is no need to worry about how long they have been at home—we would simply love to have them returned so they can be enjoyed by other children.

Thank you for your support and cooperation. Together, we can help keep our reading resources available for everyone.

Happy reading!

Welcome Back to Our Final Term in Year 4!

We hope you have all had a wonderful half-term break and enjoyed some quality time with your families.

We can hardly believe that we are about to begin our final term in Year 4 before the children move on to their next exciting adventure. We are looking forward to making the most of these last few weeks together and have lots of exciting learning planned.

A few reminders for this term:

• PE lessons will now take place on Mondays (Mini Ballers) and Thursdays.
• Please ensure that children bring their PE kits into school tomorrow.
• As the weather becomes warmer, children should bring a sun hat to school each day.
• Please apply sun cream before your child comes to school in the morning.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing everyone in the morning!

The Year 4 Team ☀️

Year 4 - Week 5

Hello everyone, we hope you have had a good weekend. 

This week in Year 4, we have continued our learning about fractions in Maths. The children have worked really hard developing their understanding, and next we will be moving onto our new unit on decimals.

In English, we have been focusing on sentence work linked to our class text Weslandia. From tomorrow, the children will begin writing their own stories using the fantastic plans they have already created. We are very excited to see their creativity shine through in their writing.

In Science, we are coming to the end of our Electricity unit. The children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring different circuits and investigating which materials are the best conductors of electricity. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and curiosity throughout the topic.

We also had an amazing trip to Wagamama’s! The children loved the experience of cooking and eating their own food, and they represented the school brilliantly throughout the visit.

It is hard to believe that next week is already the last week before half term. We only have one more term left before the children leave POW and begin the next stage of their journey. We are so proud of all they have achieved so far and are looking forward to making the most of the final term together.

Miss White, Miss Lawless, Mrs Bernard and Mrs Thomas

Week 4 - Year 4

 Another amazing week in Year 4! We can’t believe how quickly the weeks are flying by. It brings us many emotions knowing that the children do not have long left at POW before they move on to their next adventure. We are so proud of all they continue to achieve each week.

In Maths, we continued our learning on fractions, focusing on adding and subtracting fractions confidently. The children worked hard to apply their understanding and explain their reasoning clearly.

In English, we began our exciting new text, Weslandia. The children used their creativity to build shelters, describing their functions carefully and making thoughtful predictions about what might happen in the story based on the illustrations.

In Science, we investigated which materials would be the best conductors for electrical circuits. The children enjoyed testing different materials and discussing their findings like real scientists.

We also celebrated Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday with a very special visit from a visitor who had worked alongside a range of monkeys. The children were fascinated by the stories and experiences shared. To mark the occasion, we worked in groups to create a giant “100” using natural resources collected from around the school grounds.

We are looking forward to another fantastic week in Year 4!

Miss White, Miss Lawless, Mrs Bernard and Mrs Thomas

Year 4 - Week 3

Hi everyone, we hope you have had a lovely bank holiday weekend and we look forward to welcoming you back tomorrow.

What an amazing week it has been in Year 4! The children never fail to amaze us with their enthusiasm, curiosity, and hard work across all areas of learning.

In Maths, we have been exploring fractions, developing our understanding step by step. The children have shown great determination, and we will be continuing this topic next week to build on their confidence and skills.

In English, we completed our Big Write—a fantastic newspaper report all about Tutankhamun. The children worked incredibly hard to apply their knowledge and writing techniques. Next week, we are excited to begin a new book called Weslandia, which we know will spark lots of creativity and discussion.

Science has been full of hands-on learning as we explored electricity. The children thoroughly enjoyed creating their own electrical circuits and investigating how they work.

We also had a very informative assembly from the RNLI, where the children learned how to stay safe at the beach and in the sea—an important message as we head towards warmer months.

Looking ahead to next week, don’t forget our David Attenborough Day on Friday! Children are invited to come dressed up, and we can’t wait to see their wonderful outfits.

A quick reminder: we are still missing PE kits and appropriate clothing for Forest School for some children. Please ensure these are sent in as soon as possible.

For some reason the iPad hasn't backed up so there is a lack of pictures on this blog, apologies!!

Thank you for your continued support.

Miss White, Miss Lawless, Mrs Bernard and Mrs Thomas