7.7.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Pinchas

We have had an exciting and busy last week in our Jewish studies lessons.

Hebrew reading – our reading focus for this week was the Mapik Hey rule. (When there is a dot in a hey at the end of a word, the hey is sounded). Please support your child with the last reading sheet of the year. It is on google classroom if additional copies are needed.

**Please ensure your child’s Hebrew reading folder is in their bag on Tuesday, as we will be collecting in all the Aleph champ books for the holidays. **

Please encourage your child to look at different Hebrew texts over the summer break to keep up their Hebrew reading level.

General knowledge – we learnt that it is the 3 weeks now. This began on the 17^th of Tamuz and ends on the 9^th of Av, when both the Bet Hamikdash were destroyed. This is the saddest time in the Jewish calendar and at this time, we are not allowed to do certain things – haircuts, weddings, live music and bar/bat mitzvahs.

We started a mini hands-on project on Kashrut. We learnt about the need to check fruit and vegetables for insects and learnt how to check lettuce and strawberries.

Parashat Pinchas – In this week’s Parsha portion we learnt that all men aged 20+ were counted. Moshe tells the Bnei Yisrael that Eretz Yisrael will be divided according to the size of each family and by a lottery. Hashem tells Moshe to appoint Yehoshua as the new leader of Bnei Yisrael.

Middah of the week: Being fair.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose

Friday 7th July 2023

Dear Parents, 

We cannot believe we have almost reached the end of the year and that we have just completed our last full week at school. It has been such a fantastic year and we are really going to miss this class. The children performed excellently at the end of year show and we are very proud of their performance, well done Year 3!

In English, the children read the book ‘The Tunnel’, by Anthony Browne. They discussed the pictures in the book and how there were elements of fairy tale stories to it. After reading the story, the children compared the actions and personalities of the two characters, Jack and Rose, based on the evidence from the text.

In maths, the children finished their topic on Time. They learnt how many days and months there are in a year, and which months follow on from each other. They also learnt which months have 30 or 31 days and that February only has 28 days, unless it is a leap year. We also discussed how many hours in a day and how many days in a week, and how the week is split up into the work week (school week) and the weekend. Lastly, they learnt how to work out the duration of events using analogue and digital clocks and used a number line to help them. 

In science, the children are learning about the muscular system, learning that there are smooth muscles, cardiac muscles and skeletal muscles. Each movement our bodies do, makes our muscles move and the more we move our muscles the stronger they get.

On Tuesday, a representative from Norwood came to visit our school, to discuss disability awareness. The children made a ‘feely’ card, with different materials in order to experience different sensory feelings. 

Reminders:

• Children will be bringing their books home next week so they should have a suitable bag to carry all their books. 
• Please can their reading record books and reading books be returned to school next week. 
• As we are finishing on Wednesday, there will be no homework this week.

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team 

Friday 30th June 2023

Dear Parents, 

This week in English, the children wrote letters to the current Year 2’s, sharing all their knowledge about Year 3, including what they have learnt, what trips they will go on and  any other important information they thought the children should know. 

In maths, the children started a new topic on Time. They recapped what the long hand and short hand on an analogue clock represent and decided where the long hand points to when it is ‘o-clock, half past, quarter to and quarter past. They were introduced to Roman numerals up to 12, and what they look like on a clock. They then learnt how to tell the time to 5 minutes and to 1 minute. Please, wherever possible, ask the children to tell you what the time is on an analogue clock. The children were also introduced to the concept of am and pm, looking at analogue and digital clocks at various times throughout the day, in order to compare what is the same and what is different. 

In geography, the children learnt about tsunamis. They learnt what causes tsunamis to occur and the level of damage that tsunamis can cause, as well as the safety rules to adhere to. 

In guided reading, we read the poem ‘The Dentist and the Crocodile’, written by Roahl Dahl. The children thought about the dentist's feelings and how they knew he was feeling scared, as well as the personality of the crocodile, using evidence from the text to justify their answer.

In art, the children started learning about Pop Art, and Andy Warhol, who was very influential in the Pop Art movement. They went on to choose their own design to draw, which they will turn into Pop Art next week. 

In science, the children learnt about the human skeleton. They learnt that the function of the skeleton is to support, protect and move the human body. They also learnt the names of the different bones in the skeleton, and that there are 206 bones in the adult body. 

Important reminders:

• Please make sure your child is bringing in a water bottle everyday. 
• Please send your child in with 50p so they can replace any stationery in their pencil pots. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team

23.6.23 Jewish Studies - Parashat Korach

Hebrew reading – rule of the week – shuruk vowel plus a yood.

Please support your child with the Hebrew reading sheet sent home. This should be in addition to their Aleph Champ reading.

Well done to the children who passed onto the next colour level! Keep up the great work!

Parasha – Korach - Korach is jealous that Moshe and Aharon have been chosen to be the leaders of Beneh Yisrael. He feels that he should have been a leader as well. Some people agree with Korach, and his followers cause a big argument and a quarrel among Beneh Yisrael. Hashem is angry with Korach and his followers for causing the argument. Moshe tries unsuccessfully to persuade Korach to call off his rebellion. He then goes to Datan and Aviram to try to make peace with them.  Moshe does not want such a quarrelsome situation to exist. We learn from Moshe’s actions how important it is to try to settle quarrels and make peace between people.  Hashem punishes Korach and his 250 followers by making the ground open and swallow them up.

The Beneh Yisrael continue to complain, Hashem is angry and puts them through a test to show that he has chosen Moshe and Aharon as leaders. The leader of each Shevet has to bring a stick. The one whose stick blossoms is the one who has been chosen to lead. Aharon’s stick is the one which blossom.

Middah of the week: Making peace.

General knowledge - We have been learning about the Hebrew months of the year, the festivals that take place during each of them and their Hebrew date.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,

1Ms Rose

Friday 23rd June 2023

Dear Parents, 

We cannot believe we are almost at the end of our time in Year 3. It has gone by so quickly! This week the children had their first transition session with their new Year 4 teacher and saw their new classroom. As a class we discussed how the children are feeling about moving up a year group and about Year 3 coming to an end. The children also had the opportunity to reflect on their achievements, in and out of school, over the past year.

In English, the children wrote a story titled ‘The Machine’, where two children built a machine, either a space machine, time machine or robot, and they wrote about what happened when the children went on the machine. The children focused on their beginning paragraph, ensuring they set the scene and included a detailed character description. 

In maths, the children learnt about volume and capacity, understanding that volume was how much liquid is in the container and capacity is how much liquid the container can hold. They measured the volume of liquid in litres and millilitres, for example, 5L and 500ml. They also added and subtracted capacities, applying their knowledge of the column methods and number lines. 

In science, the children continued their topic of ‘Animals including Humans’. They investigated the different foods that animals eat, discussing whether they are carnivores or herbivores.

In geography, the children continued learning about tornadoes. They identified and researched the scientific equipment used to investigate tornadoes. 

In art, the children used tissue paper to create one of the natural disasters they learnt about in geography, for example, tornadoes, tsunamis or a volcano. 

In guided reading the children read ‘A Seed is Sleepy’. They discussed the language the author used to portray what the seed is like, being introduced to the term ‘personification’. 

We are really pleased to invite you to hear about our exciting and innovative computing and coding curriculum. Please join us for an interactive showcase on Monday 26th,Tuesday 27th or Wednesday 28th June, in which Ms Vinokur will show you what the children have been doing in computing classes this year. You will have the opportunity to engage with some of the robots, programs and devices that we use to develop their computational thinking and technology skills. Please sign up using this link.   

In PE, the children completed their sponsored run, raising money for the Royal Free Hospital. They did really well running around the race track as many times as they could. Excellent persistence Year 3 and well done for raising money for charity!

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team

16.6.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Shelach Lecha

Parashat Shelach Lecha - A member of each tribe is chosen to go to Eretz Canaan to spy out the Land so that Bnei Yisrael can prepare to enter it. They return and report that the Land is very beautiful but the people are giants. They bring back huge fruit as proof. They also report that they live in strong castles. Ten of the Meraglim frighten Bnei Yisrael by saying that they will never be strong enough to conquer the Land. Yehoshua and Calev, the other two, say that with Hashem’s help they will be able to conquer it. Bnei Yisrael do not listen to Yehoshua and Calev because they do not have enough trust in Hashem. Bnei Yisrael are severely punished by not being allowed to enter Eretz Cana’an for another forty years.

We learn from this week’s Parasha the importance of trusting in Hashem and to not always ‘follow the crowd’, but do what we feel is right.

Chumash skills – we are continuing to work on our Chumash prefixes and this week looked at examples from the Chumash.

Hebrew reading rule of the week – vowels plus a yood.

Please ensure you are supporting your child with their Hebrew reading homework each day, to help them further progress and reinforce the work we are doing in school.

Please note: the additional reading sheet is due each Monday and a copy is always available on Google classroom, if needed.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose

Friday 16th June 2023

Dear Parents, 

This week has been a very exciting week with Sports Day on Tuesday! It was wonderful to see all the children participating and persevering in the various sporting activities. They showed excellent team spirit and it was lovely to see them cheer each other on. 

In English, the children learnt about Haiku poems, learning that they are always about a natural theme and they are three lines long. The first line is always 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables and the third line is 5 syllables. Please see some examples of Haiku poems below:

1. Winter is coming.

Snow will be arriving soon.

We should rake the leaves.
 

2. Holidays are here.

We can go to the seaside.

Hot sand and the sea.

The children then wrote their own excellent Haiku poems about different natural themes, for example, about the rainforest, animals or a season. 

In maths, the children continued their topic of Mass. They measured objects in both kilograms and grams, for example, a basket of pears weighs 1kg and 500g. They used weighing scales to explore the mass of different objects. They then compared the mass of different objects, identifying which objects were heavier or lighter, using their understanding that kilograms are used to weigh heavier objects. Lastly, the children learnt to add and subtract mass. They used a range of mental and written methods, choosing the most efficient one for each question. They learnt to add the kilograms and grams separately and then add them together. For example: 

2kg and 500g + 1kg and 400g 

2kg + 1kg = 3kg

500g + 400g = 900g

Total = 3kg and 900g

In art, the children used a mix of sponges and paint brushes to create different shapes. They explored mixing colours together and blending them using their sponges. 

In guided reading the children listened to the song ‘When I Grow Up’ from the musical Matilda. They discussed the meaning of the lyrics and how the singers feel about growing up, as well as how their feelings may change when they are older. 

In science, the children started a new topic ‘Animals including Humans’. They studied the different food groups and the nutrition that humans get from each food group, as well as the importance of a balanced diet. 

In geography, the children learnt about tornadoes. They learnt how tornadoes form, what causes them and how scientists collect data about them. 

Important reminders:

• Please make sure your child is bringing in a water bottle everyday. 
• Please send your child in with 50p so they can replace any stationery in their pencil pots. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team 

9.6.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Beha’alotcha

Hebrew reading – reading rule of the week: when there is a dotted letter ontop of a sh’va, the sh’va is loud.

Please support your child completing the additional reading sheet, signing where they reach each time. This should be completed a minimum of once a week, alongside their regular reading homework.

Parasha - Miriam, Moshe’s sister, gets tzara’at for speaking about him. Moshe prays to Hashem for her recovery. Even though his tefillah for Miriam contains only five words, he must have said it with a lot of kavanah, putting all his heart into it and saying it with deep feeling and concentration because although this Tefillah is the shortest one in the Torah, it worked to save Miriam.  When saying Tefillot, it is not how much we say that matters but how we say it. It is important to pray with feeling and devotion.

Middah of the week: Doing Tefillah with Kavannah, concentration.

Chumash skills – this week we learnt the Hebrew prefixes בּ - in/on, ו  - and, the -ה,  like-כּ,  to/for -ל,  from - מ.

We worked on putting the prefixes together with the words;

אֶרֶץ land

מַיִם water

שָׁמַיִם heaven

יוֹם day.

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom & a lovely weekend!

Ms Rose

Friday 9th June 2023

Dear Parents, 

In English, the children learnt about shape poems. They learnt that a shape poem, sometimes called calligrams, describes an object and is written in the shape of that object. The children started writing their own wonderful shape poems about Summer. They included alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes and adjectives to create lovely poems, some of which even rhymed!

In maths, the children continued the topic of Money. They learnt how to calculate change and used this knowledge when they went shopping. The children used the money resources to ‘buy’ different items. They had to work out what coins they would need to buy the items, how many items they could afford and what change they should receive. We then started a new topic, Mass. The children learnt how to measure the mass of different objects by reading weighing scales accurately and investigating whether the objects were being weighed in kilograms or grams. The children had the opportunity to weigh different objects around the classroom to find their mass.

In science, the children learnt about the lifecycle of a plant. They learnt about the 5 steps involved in the process, including germination, the plant growing due to photosynthesis, pollination, fertilisation and lastly speed dispersal. 

In geography the children learnt about earthquakes. They discovered why earthquakes occur and where they are more likely to occur in the world. They also learnt that a machine called a seismograph measures the power of an earthquake at its epicentre on a scale called the Richter scale. Another measure is the Mercalli scale, which is based on people’s observations during an earthquake. 

In guided reading, we read ‘Winnie the Pooh’, by AA Milne. The children discussed why the author included illustrations in the book and what they thought about Winnie the Pooh’s personality, using words from the text to justify their answers. 

In art, the children finished their amazing Stonehenge silhouettes. They created Stonehenge out of black card and stuck it over their beautiful sunsets to create the silhouette. 

Reminders:

• It is Sports Day on Tuesday. 
• Please send your child in with 50p so they can replace any stationery they need. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team

Thursday 25th May 2023 

Dear Parents, 

In English, the children planned and created their own narrative based on the story ‘Escape from Pompeii’. Following the structure of the story, the children wrote about their characters escaping the great Mount Vesuvius erupting, building up the tension using a range of powerful verbs and varying their sentence structure. They wrote excellent stories which were a real pleasure to read!

In maths, the children learnt about money. They learnt about the value of different coins and understood that you can make amounts of money in several different ways. They then moved onto adding and subtracting money, using a number line, as well as the money resources, to help them work out the answer. 

In art, the children started their lovely Stonehenge silhouettes. They blended the colours really well to create a beautiful sunset background, which will allow Stonehenge to stand out. 

In guided reading, the children read ‘The Day The Crayons Quit’. They thought about the personalities of the different crayons, using the text to justify their answers, as well as considering how the language presentation contributed to the meaning of the text.

It was also wonderful to see the parents learning with the children during the Annual pre-Shavuot parent-pupil learning session. 

The children have now learnt all the spelling rules for Year 3. Over the next half term, they will revisit and practise all the spelling rules they have learnt, as well as the common exception words for Year 3. 

Reminders:

• There is no homework this week as it is half term. 
• If your child needs any stationery for their pencil pot, please send them in with 50p. 

Wishing you a wonderful Shavuot and half term break. 

The Year 3 Team 

19.5.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Bamidbar.

This week we have been learning all about Shavuot, focusing on the Minhagim (customs) and their relevance.

In this week’s Parasha we learnt that Hashem tells Moshe to count the men of Beneh Yisrael who are twenty years and over, so that if they have to fight, they will know how many soldiers there are. Beneh Yisrael are counted according to their families and by name. This is an expression of Hashem’s love for them. Hashem tells Beneh Yisrael that when they camp around the Mishkan and go on their journeys, it must be in a special order. Each Shevet (tribe) has its own flag with a symbol on it to indicate its unique character. The flags indicate who each Shevet is, its place round the Mishkan and how they are organised for travelling and battle.

The children all enjoyed designing their own personal flag on their ipads.

Middah of the week: Every individual counts in the eyes of Hashem

Our reading focus for the week is; 'When there is י  ו ָ  at the end of the word, the yood is silent. It is read ‘av’.'

Please read and sign the extra reading sheet each time your child reads from it. Please note it is due for Tuesday.

Well done to all the children who passed their Aleph champ levels this week – keep up the great work!

Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose

Friday 19th May 2023

Dear Parents, 

This week in English, the children wrote a descriptive recount of Mount Vesuvius erupting. They focused on using a range of powerful verbs and creating a bad atmosphere which tells the reader that something ominous is going to happen. They went on to plan their own narrative based on the story ‘Escape from Pompeii’, focusing on how they were going to build tension using powerful descriptive language. Next week, they will go on to write their own narratives.  

In maths this week, the children learnt that a bar chart presents data in bars. A bar chart has a y-axis, and an x-axis, both of which are labelled. We discussed how they need to be careful when reading the intervals between the scales, as it will not always be going up in 1s. The children went on to draw bar charts representing different information, focusing on their scale and how to label their axis. They also learnt how to interpret information presented in a table, focusing on what is shown in each row and column. 

In science, the children dissected a flower and discovered the different parts of a flower. They learnt about the function of each of these parts and how flowers play an important role in the life cycle of a plant through the process of pollination.

In art, the children explored mixing paints, using white paint to make colours lighter. They will go on to use this technique to create a sunset background for their Stonehenge Silhouettes. 

Our spelling rule for this week is words that end with the suffix -sion. These words include collision, confusion, conclusion, decision, division, exclusion, explosion, extension, inclusion, invasion, occasion and persuasion.  

In geography, the children continued learning about volcanoes and focused on where volcanoes are found in the world. They learnt about active volcanoes, dormant volcanoes and extinct volcanoes. They held a great discussion about the risks and benefits of living near a volcano. They also had the opportunity to explode the volcanoes that they made, which they thoroughly enjoyed!

In Forest School, as it is World Bee Day on Shabbat, the children discussed the importance of bees and how best to keep them alive, so that they could continue to pollinate. They also had a challenge to complete, similar to last week, where they had to get to the other side as a team. They collaborated really well together and made sure to communicate with one another. They then had the opportunity to build dens, dig holes and find different bugs living in the grass. 

The children participated in a mini first aid course training on Tuesday, learning what to do in certain emergencies. They learnt how to perform CPR, as well as what to do if someone is choking.

Reminders:

• There is no Forest School next week. 
• A lot of the children need new glues, friction pens, sharpeners and whiteboard pens. Please send your child in with 50p to replace these items if they need. 

Wishing you all a Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team

12.5.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Behar Bechukotai

Hebrew reading – This week we learnt that when two sh’va are in the middle of a word, the first is silent and the second is sounded. Well done to the children who passed their Aleph Champ books this week – keep up the great work.

Please kindly support your child in completing the additional reading sheet over the week – this page should be reviewed at least twice. Please ensure it is signed and dated to show your child has completed this.

Please note, there will be no 1:1 reading support next week as Miss Goodkin will be on the residential trip, however your children will still have their regular reading lessons.

Chagim - Lag B’Omer – Lag B’Omer was on Monday night and Tuesday. It is a special day of friendship and celebration. We learnt about the story of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and how he supported the Jewish people learning Torah during the time of the Romans.

We all particularly enjoyed our ice cream treat on Tuesday!

Parasha – The land in Eretz Yisrael has a special rest year every seven years called Shemittah. Farmers are busy working on the land, growing food for us to eat. During the Shemittah year not only does the land have a rest but farmers have a rest so that they can spend more time with their families and learn Torah, just as we do every Shabbat. We learnt that we need to be careful to check that any foods originating from Israel are checked carefully to ensure they were not made during the Shemittah year (which was last year)

Middah of the week – Emunah – trusting in Hashem that He will provide for us.

Wishing you all a lovely Shabbat,

Ms Rose

Friday 12th May 2023

Dear Parents, 

In English, the children focused on using powerful verbs in their sentences, based on the book ‘Escape from Pompeii’. The children imagined they were in one of the place settings from the book, for example, the streets of Pompeii or the amphitheatre. They incorporated a list of powerful verbs into their sentences and described what happened in their setting at the time of the earthquake.

In maths this week, the children identified and described the properties of 3D shapes, including the number of faces, edges and vertices of different shapes. They also started a new topic, Data Handling. They learnt how pictograms give us a visual image to represent data and that the symbol on a pictogram may represent different values and it is important to always look at the key to find out the value. 

In Forest School, the children worked on their team building skills. They had to work together and communicate with each other to complete a challenge. They had to get their whole team across to the other side using a few lily pads, and they weren’t allowed to touch the floor. After much trial and error, they collaborated very well and managed to complete the task as a team. 

In science, the children investigated the structure of a leaf and compared the different shapes, colours and sizes of different leaves. They learnt about the different parts of a leaf, including the stalk, midrib and veins of a leaf. 

In guided reading we read ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ and the children discussed the personalities of each character and the relationship between them, using evidence from the text to justify their answers. 

Our spelling rule for this week is words that end in the suffix -ture. These words include picture, feature, adventure, miniature, temperature, capture, creature, figure, future, mixture and nature. 

In geography, the children created their own volcanoes and discussed why volcanoes erupt. Next week, they will have the opportunity to erupt their own volcanoes that they made!

Important information:

• Next week is the last Forest School session. 

Wishing you all a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

Friday 5th May 2023

Dear Parents, 

Year 3 have been very busy this week completing their English and maths assessments. They worked very hard on these assessments and demonstrated many Kerem Characteristics, including persistence, resilience and reflectiveness. Well done Year 3!

The children also learnt about the upcoming Coronation. We discussed the significance of the Coronation and the different ornaments that are used in the ceremony. The children also learnt about King Charles and his family. They really enjoyed making a poster about everything they have learnt and designing their own Coronation crowns!

In their World Religions Programme, the children learnt about the two special festivals celebrated in Hinduism, including Holi and Diwali. They learnt about the origins of these festivals, why they are celebrating and what the celebrations consist of. 

In geography, the children learnt about volcanoes. They learnt how volcanoes are formed from the tectonic plates moving, creating a gap in the Earth’s crust, which can cause magma to erupt through it. 

In Forest School, the children focused on different sounds created outdoors. They chose their own piece of nature and produced their own sound to represent it. They then had the opportunity to create shakers, explore and identify different bugs living in the grass and relax in the hammocks. 

We are pleased to inform you that on Wednesday 10th May the children will be participating in a fun and exciting environmental workshop where they will learn about renewable energy, environmental issues and biodiversity. Please could children bring materials for building bug houses on Tuesday or Wednesday. Ideally dried leaves, twigs, corks, string, pine cones or anything that is natural and small to create warm, dry spaces for wildlife. Thank you.

Important reminders:

• Please make sure your child is bringing in a water bottle everyday, especially as the weather is getting warmer. 
• Please send your child in with 50p so they can replace any stationery in their pencil pots. 

Wishing you a lovely bank holiday weekend. 

Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team

5.5.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Emor

We have had a really exciting week in Jewish Studies.

Coronation – We learnt that there is a special Tefillah said in Shul on Shabbat morning, especially for the Royal family.

We had an interesting debate how the Chief Rabbi was going to be able to attend a Church on a Shabbat to be able to participate in the coronation – the children had some very creative ideas of other ways he could have attended! (As well as the reason how and why he is able to participate.)

We learnt the importance of a Melech, king and that we as Jewish people are extremely lucky to have a king so respectful of the Jewish people and our traditions. So much so, the King invited The Chief Rabbi to stay with him over the coronation weekend! This was in order that The Chief Rabbi could walk to the local Shuls for Shabbat and then walk to Westminster Abbey to attend the Coronation in order that he would not break Shabbat.

Wishing a huge Mazal tov to King Charles on his upcoming coronation!

Hebrew reading – This week our reading was focused on the Tefillah for the Royal family said on Shabbat.

Further to my email, please keep reading over the sheet with your child and return it to school on Tuesday.

Parasha – Parashat Emor

In this week’s Parasha we learnt; When Beneh Yisrael bring any kind of animal Korban, they have to inspect the animal very carefully to make sure that it is absolutely perfect and free from any cut or blemish. This teaches us that we must always give of our best. When we give, or do, something for someone we must try to give the best we can, so that the person who receives it will be happy.

Middah of the week – Giving our best at all times.

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom and an enjoyable weekend,

Ms Rose

Friday 28th April 2023

Dear Parents, 

This week we celebrated Yom Haatzmaut on Wednesday! The children had a fantastic day, participating in several activities to celebrate Israel’s birthday. They took part in a brilliant Israeli dance class, as well as making delicious falafel with hummus and enjoyed listening to a very exciting and enthusiastic Israeli performance. 

In English this week, we continued reading our book, ‘Escape from Pompeii’. The children created their own performance poem about the ground shaking during the earthquake. They explored a range of synonyms for the word ‘shake’, using words from the text and a thesaurus. 

In maths, the children learnt that a horizontal line is a straight line that goes from left to right and a vertical line is a line that goes from up to down. Some shapes have vertical and horizontal lines of symmetry, e.g. a square. The children were also introduced to the terms perpendicular and parallel lines. Parallel lines are lines that go in the same direction and will never meet. Perpendicular lines are lines that meet at a right angle. They used all this knowledge to describe the properties of 2D shapes. 

In geography, the children studied the different layers of the Earth (the crust, the mantle, the outer core and the inner core) and they investigated what made up each layer. They then created their own drawing of the Earth, labelling the 4 different layers. 

In science, the children discussed how water is transported in a plant, moving up its roots and stem. In order to investigate this, they created an experiment using paper towels and food colouring and explored how long it took for the paper towel to absorb the food colouring and how it travelled up the paper towel. 

In Forest School, the children explored nature, choosing different plants, leaves and flowers and placing them onto sticky paper. They also had the opportunity to create a water painting using different shaped leaves and they loved building dens and relaxing in the hammocks. 

Our spelling rule this week is words that end with the suffix -sure. These words include measure, treasure, pleasure, composure, closure, disclosure, leisure, pressure, exposure and reassure.

The children have started their World Religions Programme and they are learning all about Hinduism. They learnt that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion and it believes in many gods. They also studied their different symbols and the meanings of each of these symbols. 

Important information:

• Please send your child in with 50p so they can replace any stationery items in their pencil pot. A lot of children need a new friction pen, whiteboard pen and pencil. 
• Next week is assessment week. The English and maths papers will be split up and carried out over the week so as to alleviate any pressure the children might feel. Please join us in reassuring the children that these assessments are helpful to give targeted teaching and support.

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

28.4.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim.

Hebrew reading/Yom Haatzmaut. - We have been learning to read and sing the Hatikvah and have been doing lots of reading activities surrounding it.

We looked at the Semel of Yerushalyim – the main feature which is a lion, and learnt about the story of Daniel and the lion.

The children all had a wonderful day on Wednesday celebrating Yom Haatzmaut.

Parasha:. Yom Kippur is the only day when we may fast on Shabbat. The laws of Yom Kippur always take precedence over the laws of Shabbat. Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shabbatton.

Middah of the week: Keeping Yom Kippur.

Well done to all the children who have passed onto their next Aleph Champ book! Keep up the great work!

Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose

21^st April 2023 Jewish Studies – Parashat Tazriah-Metzora

Chodesh Tov!

We had a lovely week sharing the exciting things we did over Pesach and at Seder night.

This week, we learnt about counting the Sefirat Ha’Omer from the second night of Pesach until Shavuot. We learnt about the things we cannot do during the Omer – no haircuts, music, weddings, big parties and some men don’t shave. There are exceptions to these days, including Rosh Chodesh and Lag Ba’Omer.

In this week’s Parashah we learnt about the importance of speaking nicely to one another. In the times of the Jewish people living in the desert. If someone spoke Lashon Hara (badly about someone else) they would get white patches on their skin called tzara’at. That person would then have to leave the camp until the tzara’at disappeared. This gave the person time to reflect and think about their actions.

Every child chose something nice to say to one of their classmates and we reflected upon how we felt after hearing such lovely things said about us.

Middah of the week- Not speaking Lashon Hara.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose

Friday 21st April 2023

Dear Parents, 

It has been lovely welcoming the children back to school after their holidays. We have thoroughly enjoyed hearing about all the exciting things they got up to over the break. 

In English this week, the children were introduced to our new book, ‘Escape from Pompeii’, written by Christina Balit. The children read through the text and discussed how this text is historical fiction, based on true events but written as a story. The children discussed what the atmosphere was like in the story and how the characters felt throughout the book. They then used the five senses to describe what it was like to live in Pompeii, gathering ideas from the first few pages.

In maths this week, the children started a new topic, Shape. First, they practised making a quarter turn, a half turn and a three-quarter turn from different starting points, in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. They learnt that an angle is created when two straight lines meet at a point and it is a measure of the amount of turn between two lines. A quarter turn is a right angle, 2 right angles make a half turn, 3 right angles make 3 quarters of a turn and 4 right angles make a complete turn. Next, they compared angles to see if angles are larger (obtuse angles) or smaller (acute angles) than right angles. 

In geography, the children were introduced to our new topic ‘Extreme Earth’. We created an exploding volcano and the children discussed why they think it exploded. They shared with the class any knowledge they have about volcanoes and discussed what they would like to learn about the Earth’s natural disasters.  

In science, the children started a new topic, Plants. They revised the key parts of a flower and then went on to research the different functions of each part. 

In guided reading, the children read the lyrics from the song ‘Count on me’. They discussed the importance of relationships with others and what constitutes a good relationship between friends. They thought about what message we can take away from the song, whilst also thinking about how the lyrics relate to themselves.  

Our spelling rule this week is words with the suffix -ous, where there is no obvious root word. These words include tremendous, enormous, jealous, fabulous, generous and ominous.

The children had a fantastic time at Forest School. They discussed how it is Earth Day on Shabbat and thought about different ways they can protect the environment. They also talked about how they can recycle their milk bottles, and had the opportunity to make them into colourful bird feeders and plant pots. 

Important information:

• Please make sure your child is bringing in a water bottle everyday, especially as the weather is getting warmer. 
• Please send your child in with 50p so they can replace any stationery in their pencil pots. 
• It is Yom Haatzmaut on Wednesday. Children should come into school wearing blue and white clothes. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

Wednesday 29th March 2023 

Dear Parents, 

We cannot believe that we have reached the end of our Spring term and will be heading into Summer term after the holidays! It has been a wonderful term with so many different activities and occasions for the children to participate in, all of which they have thoroughly enjoyed! 

This week, the children participated in their extremely joyous seder, singing along to all the songs, eating matzah, drinking grape juice and eating the marror and charoset. They had a wonderful time and loved every second!

The children really enjoyed going to The Barbican and listening to the beautiful orchestra. They had a lot of fun dancing and singing to the music and watching the orchestra perform their different instruments. 

We hope you all have a lovely holiday and wish you a wonderful Pesach!

Chag Sameach, 

The Year 3 Team

24.3.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Vayikra.

This week we have been learning all about Pesach and creating our Haggadot.

We have learnt about the stages of the Seder, what we do at each step and have been practising some of the songs surrounding the Seder night.

Please be in touch with me via email if your child will be leaving school earlier than Tuesday, as I will be sending them home with their Haggadot then.

I will be uploading to Google classroom some fun additional things you can print at home for your child to complete, should you wish.

Please continue reading with your child over the Pesach break.

Wishing you a Chag Sameach & Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose

Friday 24th March 2023

Dear Parents, 

In English this week, the children created and presented their own TV report, reporting on the events of chapter 4 of The Iron Man, where a space-bat-angel-dragon had suddenly and unexpectedly landed on Earth. The children reported on the events of this creature landing and how the people of the world felt. They really enjoyed acting as a TV presenter and filing their own TV report.

In maths, the children learnt how to add and subtract lengths. They learnt how they needed to convert the different units of measures to make it easier to add and subtract different lengths. For example, 13cm + 20mm = ?. This is the same as 13cm + 2 cm = 15cm. We then moved on to a new topic, Fractions. First, we recapped what a fraction is (a part of a whole) and look at some examples, such as ¼ , ½ , ⅓. We also discussed the meaning of the numerator and denominator. The children then went on to learn how to add and subtract fractions that have the same denominator, using pictorial representations to help them. 

In history, the children learnt about Roman baths. They learnt what the baths were used for, who used them and all the different areas and features of the baths. They then created their own information leaflet, which mapped out the Roman baths and included all the information they had learnt.

In science, the children learnt about what fossils are and how they are formed. They learnt that it is important to study fossils so that we can discover what the world was like millions of years ago. 

Our spelling rule for this week is words that end with the suffix -ous. These words include poisonous, dangerous, famous, marvellous, adventurous, nervous, ridiculous, miraculous and mischievous.

Important information:

• There is no swimming lesson next week. 
• On Tuesday, the children are going to watch a performance at The Barbican. 
• Next term, starting on the 20th April, Year 3 have Forest School on a Thursday. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

17.3.23 Parashat Vayakhel Pekudei

Chagim - This week we have been busy getting ready for Pesach.

We learnt that Pesach is one of the Shalosh Regalim. The Shalosh regalim are the “3 foot festivals” where the Jews would walk to Yerushalyim in the times of the Bet Hamikdash to serve Hashem.

They are Pesach, Shavuot and Succot.

We have been learning about the stages of the Seder in depth. We have also been learning a song to remember them and are excited to work on a mini Pesach Haggadah.

Parasha – All of Bnei Yisrael have had a share in building the Mishkan. They have given their treasured possessions and used their skills and talents to construct the building, shape the objects and weave and embroider the coverings. Bnei Yisrael bring all the parts to Moshe who checks them and sees that they have worked together to make everything exactly as Hashem commanded.

This week we complete Sefer Shemot – book 2 and in Shul on Shabbat we say Chazak Chazak V’nitchazek!

Script writing – we have been reviewing the formation of some of the trickier script letters. A great game you may wish to download to help your child with their script letters is: Aleph Bet Bullseye. You can purchase this on the app store.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom

Ms Rose

Friday 17th March 2023

Dear Parents, 

This week has been extremely busy in Year 3! The children had an amazing time at Celtic Harmony and enjoyed learning all about the Iron Age. They became Boudicca’s Warriors for the day, looking the part with their own handmade headbands and paint on their faces. They got to experience what life was like living as a Celt under Roman rule and eventually attacked the Romans…and won! They had an extremely fun time participating in archery and going on a quest, collecting clues and solving riddles.

We were also very proud to see how excellently they represented Kerem School at their football match on Wednesday. They collaborated well together and played together as a team. Keep up the great team work Year 3!

In English, the children learnt about the features of a newspaper article. They went on to write their own fantastic newspaper articles about the events which occur in Chapter 3 of ‘The Iron Man’. They focused on setting the scene, discussing the main event that happened, and interviewing an eye-witness account. 

In maths, the children learnt about equivalent lengths, for example, if 100cm = 1m then how many cm are there in 3m? We then built on this knowledge to work out that if the length is not a multiple of 100, they need to partition the measurement and convert it into metres and centimetres. For example, 235m = 2m and 35cm.

Our spelling rule for this week is words with the suffix –ly. If the root word ends with –le, the –le is changed to –ly. These words include gently, simply, humbly, nobly, comfortably, possibly and horribly.

In history, the children learnt about Hadrian’s wall. They learnt why the wall was built, as well as, exploring the different features of the wall, such as milecastles, turrets and forts, and how food was obtained and stored. 

In science, the children learnt about what soil is and why it is so important. They also studied the different types and layers of soil. 

Reminders:

• Next week is the children’s last swimming lesson.
• Next term, starting on the 20th April, Year 3 have Forest School on a Thursday. Please remember that your child may need waterproofs and wellies.

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

Friday 10th March 2023

Dear Parents, 

The children really enjoyed celebrating Purim on Tuesday! They looked wonderful in their really creative costumes and loved fulfilling the mitzvah of giving Mishloach Manot to their friends. Thank you for all the kind donations you gave to Gift and the Royal Free charities. 

In English this week, the children wrote incredibly creative stories. The idea for the story was ‘Through the Doorway’. They thought about where their story was set, who their characters were and what problem the characters were going to face. They also focused on writing in paragraphs, ensuring the first paragraph resolves the problem.

In maths, the children started a new topic, Length. This week they learnt how to measure in metres and centimetres. They used metre ruler sticks and cm rulers to practise measuring different objects around the classroom and worked out if the length of an object was longer or shorter than a metre. They learnt that they always start measuring from 0cm and always place their ruler at the edge of an object. 

In history, the children learnt about Boudicca’s rebellion and how the rebellion affected both the Celts and Romans. They took on the role of either a Celt or a Roman and discussed how the rebellion made them feel, whether or not they thought that the rebellion was a good idea and how it affected their livelihood. They will learn about this in more detail on Monday at Celtic Harmony, where they will go back in time to when the Romans controlled Britain and how they felt living under the Roman rule. 

In science, the children created a rocks fact file, researching where they would find different rocks, what they are made from and what they are used for.

Our spelling rule for this week is words that have the suffix –ly. However, if the root word ends in –y with a consonant letter before it, the y is changed to i. This is only if the root word has more than one syllable. These words include angrily, clumsily, easily, happily, heavily, lazily, luckily, noisily, readily, speedily and hungrily. 

Reminders:

• Year 3 are at Celtic Harmony on Monday. Please refer back to the letter sent earlier in term which outlines what they will need to bring and wear. As it is due to rain, please make sure your child is wearing appropriate footwear. Please also pack your child with an extra pair of socks.

Shabbat shalom,

The Year 3 Team

Friday 3rd March 2023

Dear Parents, 

It was lovely to see you at the pre-Purim learning activity. The children really enjoyed learning about Purim and creating their own beautiful crowns. 

In English we read Chapter 2 of ‘The Iron Man’ and the children listened out for all the similes, expanded noun phrases, alliteration and adverbs used in the text. The children discussed how the characters might be feeling throughout the chapter and why they might be feeling this way, using the text as evidence to justify their views. We were introduced to the character Hogarth, who discovered the Iron Man at the beginning of the chapter. The children then wrote a diary entry from his point of view, writing about how he noticed the Iron Man and what he was thinking and feeling during this time.

In maths this week, the children learnt to divide 2 digit numbers by 1 digit, when an exchange was and was not needed. The children used their place value counters to partition the 2 digit number into tens and ones and share them out equally into groups.

In history, the children continued learning about the Roman invasion and when the Romans invaded Britain. The children drew their own maps which showed how the Roman empire grew over the years. 

In science, the children learnt about the different types of rocks, including sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks and igneous rocks. They then studied a range of rocks and grouped them on their characteristics, e.g. were the rocks smooth or rough? Pale or dark?

Our spelling rule for this week is words that have the suffix ‘-ly’. The suffix –ly starts with a consonant letter, so it is added straight on to most root words. The words include wisely, bravely, kindly, lively, lonely, loudly, proudly, sadly, shyly, slowly, suddenly, sweetly, anxiously and nervously. 

In guided reading, we read the text ‘The BFG’, we discussed how the author built up suspense and tension with the language he used and the presentation of the words on the page. 

Reminders:

• There is no swimming next week as it is Purim. 
• Many children need to bring in 50p to replace stationery for their pencil pots. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

24.2.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Terumah.

Hebrew reading – each week in class we will be reviewing a reading rule in the lessons. Please continue reading with your child from their respective books – 5 minutes a day, every day.

Rule of the week – two sh’va in the middle of a word. The first is silent, the second is loud.

Script writing – we have been reviewing the formation of each of the script letters.

GK – We learnt the Bracha of Borei Minei Mezonot and the foods we would say this Bracha on. (cakes, crackers, pasta, cereal, biscuits etc.)

Parasha -The Mishkan was the place where Hashem's presence was felt the most.

Our home can also be a Mishkan - a place where we feel Hashem's presence. We bring Hashem into our homes by keeping His mitzvot.

Some of the ways we can bring H into our everyday lives is through Tefillah, benching, brachot, kissing mezuzah.

Middah of the week - Bringing Hashem into our everyday lives.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose

Friday 24th February 2023 

Dear Parents,

It was lovely to welcome the children back after half term and to hear about the wonderful things they got up to over the holiday. 

In English this week, the children started a new book called ‘The Iron Man’. They predicted what will happen in the story based on the front cover and the title. After reading the first chapter we discussed the Iron Man’s thoughts and feelings and some of the language that the author used to grab the reader’s attention. The children then learnt about what similes are, how we use them in our sentences and why we use them. They also wrote excellent character descriptions of the Iron Man that included very creative similes. 

In maths this week, the children learnt to multiply a 2 digit number by a 1 digit number, using calculations they already know to help them work out calculations they may not have known. For example, they know that 3 x 2 = 6, so 3 x 20 = 60, because the number they are multiplying by is ten times bigger, so their answer will also be ten times bigger. 

In history, we started a new topic, learning about Roman Britain. The children learnt about how the Romans invaded Britain and how, over time, the Romans gained control over more countries. 

In science the children investigated different types of rocks and identified the name of each rock as well as its properties. They felt the rocks to discover the differences in texture and discussed what each rock could be used for. 

Our spelling rule for this week is words that have the prefix ‘re’. These words include, refuse, replace, replay, return, revisit, redo, react, repeat, remove and recycle.  

In art, we continued our Pointillism project and the children had the opportunity to explore painting with the dots technique using cotton buds. They had a go at using different colours and blending them together using only dots. 

Reminders:

If your child needs any stationery from the shop, please send them in with 50p. A lot of children need new whiteboard pens, friction pens and rulers.

Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team

Friday 10th February 2023

Dear Parents, 

This week has been busy in Year 3! The children had an excellent day out in Kew Gardens on Monday. They loved exploring the different plants and were amazed by the range of colourful Orchids. For Children’s Mental Health Week, the children participated in a very calming activity of drawing their own happy place and they had a lovely music session with Mr Fingerhut, learning how to relax through music. 

In English this week, the children read a text about the Iron Age. They focused on the key skill of reading the question carefully and looking for the relevant information in the text before answering the question. They also practised answering the text in full sentences, using the key words in the question to form their answer. 

In maths, the children explored the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction, to check their answers, using part-whole models and bar models to help them. They then went on to apply the knowledge they have learnt over the topic and make a decision about which operation they needed to use to answer a word problem. Part-whole models were a great tool for them to see what information they already have and what they need to work out.

In history the children learnt about what village life was like during the Iron Age. They learnt about the types of clothing they used to wear and the food they ate. They also studied the different jobs that people did in a Celtic village before the Romans came. The children researched some of the different craftsmen and discussed why their role was important. 

Our spelling rule for this week are words that have the prefix ‘dis’, for example, disagree, discover, disease, disgrace, dislike, disadvantage, disappear, disappoint, disapprove. 

Reminders:

A lot of the children need new glues, friction pens, sharpeners and whiteboard pens. Please send your child in with 50p to replace these items if they need. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom and we hope you have a lovely half term!

The Year 3 Team

10.2.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Yitro

Chagim – We had a wonderful trip to Kew Gardens on Tu Bishvat and enjoyed walking around and appreciating all the wonderful nature Hashem has made for us, as well as all the wonderful things trees give us.

General Knowledge - we have been learning about the Brachot said before food. We focused on Hagafen and Hamotzi, learning the particular times we say these Brachot, as well as the order of importance. Ask your child why we cover our Challot on Shabbat! (Because Hamotzi is bracha 1, so we cover them when we say Hagafen to not 'upset' the Challot.)

Parasha – Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law sees how hard Moshe works. He suggests to Moshe that he should ‘restructure’ and appoint the elders of the community to support him in answering the Bnei Yisrael’s questions. If each of them were unable to answer a question, it went up the ‘ranks’ until reaching Moshe at the top.

The Bnei Yisrael receive the 10 commandments. We reviewed some of the commandments and played a Parasha game on our ipads. The children were particularly interested to know that Hashem healed any ailments the Bnei Yisrael had at the time of receiving the 10 commandments.

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbat and week ahead!
 

Ms Rose

3.2.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Beshalach

Hebrew reading - This week we have reviewed the ‘sh’va na’ (loud sh’va) and sh’va nach (silent sh’va). Over the coming weeks we will be spending time reviewing these complex reading rules.

Please encourage your child to read as often as possible from their Aleph Champ book – the school ask that every child reads 5 minutes a day every day.

General knowledge - This week we began a new GK project. We will be learning about the Brachot said before food items.

Parasha – Moshe keeps the promise made by Bnei Yisrael to Yosef that when they leave Mitzrayim they  would take his body with them and bury them when they reach Eretz Yisrael. (As per the promise made to Yaakov in Parashat Vayechi)

Bnei Yisrael reach the Yam Suf and are being chased by the Egyptians.Nachshon Ben Aminadav takes the plunge and walks into the sea. Hashem splits it and they walk across to safety. The Bnei Yisrael sing and dance to Hashem, praising Him for keeping them safe.

Middah of the week – Keeping promises and trusting in Hashem.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose 

Friday 3rd February 2023 

Dear Parents,

This week in English, the children explored and identified the key features of an instructional text. They then went on to plan and write their own instructional text on how to wash a woolly mammoth, remembering to include the skills we had been learning, for example, prepositions, imperative verbs and adverbs. In addition, in art, the children followed a set of instructions on how to make a model woolly mammoth. They made fantastic woolly mammoths with the equipment they had and followed the instructions well. 

In maths, the children estimated answers to different calculations. Estimating answers allows us to quickly and easily get an idea of what an answer should be near to, or if an already calculated answer is appropriate. 

In science, the children discussed how shadows change throughout the day depending on where the sun is shining. 

In history, the children began learning about the Iron Age. They learnt about a group called the Celts, who discovered how to make iron out of rocks. They also researched what the houses of the Celts looked like and how archaeologists discovered this from the remaining elements of the houses. 

The spelling rule for this week is words that have the prefix ‘dis’, for example, disagree, discover, disease, disgrace, dislike, disadvantage, disappear, disappoint, and disapprove. 

Important reminders:

• On Monday we will be going to Kew Gardens. Children should wear their school uniform and bring a Kerem cap. They should also bring a mezonot, nut-free packed lunch, a water bottle and some fruit. 
• Please can you send your child in with an extra fruit or vegetable snack on Tuesday, for them to have after swimming. 
• Please will you send in 50p with your child so they can purchase new equipment at the office. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom.

The Year 3 Team

Jewish Studies 27^th January -5^th Shevat

Year 3 have started to learn about tu b’shevat, considering all the different uses that we have for trees – we thought of so many different things that trees provide for us.  We created a gratitude tree, including many of our ideas. We watched a short video called Save Our Planet, learning of different ways we are harming our planet and how we can start to put it right. We each made a pledge card in which we came up with a way in which we personally could contribute to helping repair our world.

In our parasha lesson, we focused on the last three of the ten plagues, and discussed which of the ten we thought was the harshest.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hill

Friday 27th January 2023

Dear Parents, 

In English this week, we started reading a new text, called ‘How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth’. This is an instructional text and we have started learning about some of the features of this kind of text, including imperative verbs and prepositions. The children wrote fantastic sentences and included new words. in addition to incorporating other grammar they have just learnt, such as adverbs and expanded noun phrases. 

In maths, the children continued with our Addition and Subtraction topic. They subtracted two numbers, where the ones or the tens boundaries are crossed and an ‘exchange’ needs to be made. The children represented these calculations using Place Value counters, focusing on lining up their counters correctly. 

In science the children continued to create their puppet show with their shoeboxes, and discussed how and why the shadows were forming. 

Our spelling rule for this week continues on from last week and is words that have the prefix ‘un’. These words include unbelievable, unpleasant, uncomfortable, unachievable, unannounced, unappealing, unusual, unaware and unattractive. 

In art, we have begun a project called Pointillism, founded by Georges Seuret. The children learnt that Pointillism is a painting technique where tiny dots of pure colour are applied to a canvas and the patterns formed from the tiny dots blend together to create an image. They studied the painting ‘A Sunday on La Grande Jatte’ by Georges Seurat, which they then sketched in their art books. They also researched information on Georges Seuret, finding out about his early life and the paintings he created. 

This week in History the children learnt about the Bronze Age and how this period emerged after the Stone Age. They learnt how bronze was made and used and what life was like in Britain during this era.

Reminders:

• If your child needs any stationery from the shop, please send them in with 50p. A lot of children need new whiteboard pens, friction pens and rulers.
• Every week on Fridays, we will be collecting Tzedakah for the charities GIFT and The Royal Free Hospital. 
• Please can your child bring in with a 2 litre milk bottle for Thursday, so they can create their own woolly mammoths. Please can these be washed out thoroughly with soap.

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom.

The Year 3 Team

Friday 20th January 2023

Dear Parents, 

This week the children have really enjoyed celebrating Book Week. They loved dressing up as their favourite book character, listening to the children’s author Pippa Goodhart, and having the opportunity to read in small groups throughout the week. 

This week in English, the children imagined that they had travelled back to the Stone Age and envisioned the fantastic experiences they had, the people they met, the food they ate and the things they did. They went on to write terrific recounts of their time and experiences in the Stone Age and included adverbs and expanded noun phrases, which we have also been learning about in English. 

In maths, we continued our topic on Addition and Subtraction. The children were adding and subtracting a 2 digit and 3 digit number, where the ones or the tens boundaries were crossed and an ‘exchange’ needed to be made. The children represented this calculation using their place value counters. They focused on lining the counters up and setting the additions up clearly in the correct columns. This helped them see whether the hundreds, tens or ones column changes and what exchange needs to be made.

In history, the children learnt about Skara Brae. They learnt how Skara Brae was discovered and when it was built. They then went on to research this archeological site, using several pictures to discover what life was like during this time and how the people lived, slept and cooked. They created fantastic posters, which displayed their findings. 

For our spelling rule this week, the children learnt words that begin with the prefix ‘un’, for example, unwell, unkind, uncover, undo, unfair, unhappy, unable, unbeaten, unfit, unlucky and unpack.

Reminder:

• Please will you send in 50p with your child so they can purchase new equipment at the office. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom.

The Year 3 Team

Friday 13th January 2023

Dear Parents, 

This week has been busy in Year 3! They had their first swimming lesson which they thoroughly enjoyed and they are looking forward to continuing swimming this term. 

We started learning about a new book in English this week - Stone Age Boy, which is about a young boy who visits the Stone Age period and discovers what life was like during this time. First, the children explored how this book has elements of both a fiction and non-fiction text. They then went on to discuss the young boy’s thoughts and feelings whilst he was visiting the Stone Age. The children also learnt how to use a thesaurus to improve their writing and find synonyms for different words. Lastly, they learnt what an adverb is and how we use adverbs in our writing. 

In Maths this week we continued our topic on Place Value. The children compared different numbers, represented in numerical form and using place value counters, and decided which number was larger/ smaller. They used the terms, and signs, greater than, less than and equal to, to compare the numbers. The children built on this knowledge to order numbers from greatest to smallest. They learnt that they need to always look at the hundreds column first to compare the numbers. If the hundreds column has the same number then they look at the tens column. 

In history this week, the children studied the Neolithic period of the Stone Age. They learnt how following the introduction of agriculture and domesticated animals, people didn’t need to move from place to place anymore and could settle in one area, as they could grow their own crops. The children studied pictures of Stonehenge, which was built during this period, and they discussed what they thought the purpose of Stonehenge was. 

This week in Science the children created a puppet show with their shoeboxes and silhouettes, in order to investigate how shadows are created. 

Our spelling rule this week is words where the apostrophe is placed after the plural form of the word; –s is not added if the plural already ends in –s. For example, boys’, girls’, babies’, children’s, people’s, teachers’, women’s, men’s, lions’, dogs’ and countries’.

Reminders:

• Next week is Book Week. The children are to come to school on Monday dressed up as their favourite book character. 
• Please will you send in 50p with your child so they can purchase new equipment at the office. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom.

The Year 3 Team

6.1.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Vayechi

Welcome back to everyone from the holidays! It is so lovely seeing all the children back in school and to hear about the different ways (and places) they celebrated the festival of Chanukah.

Well done to all the children who kept up their Hebrew reading over the break! I am so proud of you!!

This week we learnt about the Parasha of Vayechi. The children learnt that this is the last Parashah in the Sefer (book) of Beraishit. We learnt the special words that are said in shul on Shabbat after completing Sefer Beraishit– ‘Chazak chazak v’nitchazek’.

Before Yaakov dies, he makes his sons promise to bury him in Mearat Hamachpelah (The cave of Machpelah) in the land of Cana’an. Yosef asks Paroh for permission to leave Egypt in order to fulfil his father's wishes and the promise he made to him. Paroh grants his request.

We enjoyed discussing why we think promises are bad/good and when it is and isn’t appropriate to make a promise, as well as when it is necessary to break a promise (to keep someone safe.)

Middah of the week – Keeping promises

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom!

Ms Rose

Friday 6th January 2023

Dear Parents,

Happy new year! We hope you had a lovely and restful holiday. 

It has been wonderful welcoming the children back after the winter holiday! It has been really lovely to hear all the exciting things the children did over the holiday.  

In maths, the children learnt about the place value of a 3-digit number. We recapped the value of each digit in a 3-digit number and whether the hundreds, tens or ones columns change when finding 1,10 or 100 more or less than a given number. We then went on to learn about number lines to 1000. The children learnt what number lines are and why we use them. 

In history, they learnt about the Starr Carr which is a very important Mesolithic archaeological site in Yorkshire. Artefacts discovered there show that the tools from this period were not just made of flint but also from bone, deer antler, amber and even tightly rolled pieces of bark. The children drew a picture to show what Star Carr might have looked like in the Mesolithic period based on information they had learnt. 

Our spelling rule for this week is words that have the ‘ay’ sound but are spelt ‘eigh’. For example, eight, neighbour, weigh, weight, sleigh, neigh.

In science, the children learnt the definitions of transparent, translucent and opaque. They explored different objects in the classroom and discussed whether these objects were  transparent, translucent or opaque. Please will you send your child in with the lid of a shoe box by Thursday as they will need this for next week’s science lesson.

Reminders:

Swimming starts on Tuesday 10th January. Please ensure that your child comes into school in their PE kit on this day and brings a labelled bag with all their swimming belongings. Please send an extra fruit or vegetable snack with you child as they will be hungry after swimming. 

PE will only take place on Thursdays. Your child will no longer need to wear their PE kit on Tuesdays. 

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

Friday 9th December 2022

Dear Parents, 

In English, the children used their imagination to create excellent, detailed setting descriptions about their ‘Special World’. They used the five senses to describe their setting, and wrote expanded noun phrases and a range of sentence openers to add further detail to their stories. 

In maths, the children are continuing the topic of Fractions. They learnt how fractions can be represented on a number line with intervals and that each interval represents the equal parts of a fraction. They then went on to label each interval with a fraction. For example, on a number line split into five equal parts, each interval is worth one fifth. The children understood that they can label the end point of a number line in two ways: as 1 or as a fraction where the numerator is equal to the denominator. They also learnt about equivalent fractions on a number line and using a bar model, focusing on the fact that an equivalent fraction is when two or more fractions are all equal even though they have different numerators and denominators.

Our spelling rule for this week is words that are spelt with an ‘ei’ but sound like they are spelt with the ‘ay’ sound. These words include vein, abseil, beige, rein, reign, surveillance, and veil.

In history, the children learnt about the Mesolithic period of the Stone Age. They then looked at the similarities and differences between the Mesolithic and Palaeolithic period and compared the two time periods, mainly focusing on where the people lived, what they ate and how they lived. 

In art, the children completed their own cave paintings. They used a mix of paint colours, including red, orange and yellow to produce their cave backgrounds, and then used charcoal to create their own drawings of animals or people fighting, following the ideas of real life cave drawings. 

Year 3 had their last Forest School lesson this term. They played lots of team building games and then had the opportunity to build their own dens and roast marshmallows! 

Please will you send in 50p with your child so they can purchase new equipment at the office. 

Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 3 Team

9.12.22 Jewish Studies – Parashat Vayishlach

This week we have been gearing up for Chanukah!

We reviewed the Chanukah story in detail, focusing on the 2 miracles. The children enjoyed sequencing the various parts of the Chanukah story.

We have started a very special Chanukah craft, which the children are excited to complete and bring home!

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom!
 

Ms Rose

2.12.22 Jewish Studies – Parashat Vayetze

Hebrew Reading – this week we reviewed that when there is a ָיו  at the end of a word, it makes the sound ‘av’ as the yood is silent.

Please encourage your child to read 5 minutes a day to encourage reading fluency.

General Knowledge – We learnt more about the stages of Havdalah and why we do each of the stages. We overflow the cup for the specialness of Shabbat to overflow into the week, we smell spices to sweeten the loss of the extra Shabbat neshama (soul) that has left us and we reflect the candle in our nails to look at how we have so much potential to grow and reflect on what we have achieved that week.

Parasha – Yaakov leaves home and goes to Charan to find himself a wife. On the journey he has a dream in which Malachim (angels) are going up and down a ladder. In his dream Hashem promises him that he will give him Eretz Yisrael and he will have lots of children. 

Yaakov marries Leah and then Rachel and their maids Bilhah and Zilpah. Yaakov now has a large family of four wives, eleven sons and a daughter.

We learnt that Yaakov and Leah’s daughter was called Dina.

Friday 2nd December 2022

Dear Parents, 

This week in English, the children finished writing their fantastic non-fiction reports on owls. They wrote about where barn owls live, what they look like and what they eat. From all the information they researched, they compiled an excellent report and used their technological skills to create their front cover on their iPad. 

In maths, the children learnt that a non-unit fraction is when the numerator is greater than 1, for example, ¾. The children understood that a non-unit fraction is made up of a quantity of unit fractions, for example ¾ is the same as three single quarters or ¼ + ¼ + ¼. A range of representations, including shaded shapes, number lines and bar models, were used to help the children identify fractions. The children also use diagrams to develop their understanding that when the numerator of a fraction is equal to its denominator, then the fraction is equivalent to 1 whole. They also compared and ordered non-unit fractions. They recognised that if the denominator is the same, then the greater the numerator, the greater the fraction or the smaller the numerator, the smaller the fraction.

Our spelling rule for this week is words that have the /s/ sound but are spelt with an ‘sc’. These words include scenario, scene, scenery, science, scientist, scissors, discipline, fascinate and ascend.

In science, the children started a new topic about light and shadows. They discussed the difference between dark and light. They also suggested different types of light and dark, for example, the sun.

In history, the children learnt all about the Paleolithic period in the Stone Age. They learnt about where the people in this period lived, the clothes they wore and the food they ate. They also researched their own facts about this time period.

In Forest School, the children continued playing the game where they had to pretend they were birds catching their food and they had to take their food back to the nests without getting caught. They had to think tactfully about where to build their nest in order to not get caught and protect their food. They also learnt lots of interesting facts about worms and asked excellent questions to further their knowledge. 

A number of children need new equipment for their pencil pots, including friction pens, whiteboard pens and rulers. Please will you send in 50p with your child so they can purchase new equipment at the office. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

25.11 Jewish Studies – Parashat Toldot

Hebrew reading – We learnt the shin/sin one dot rule.

Please try and read with your child 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Parasha - When Yaakov speaks to Yitzchak pretending to be Esav he is naturally polite and uses the word ‘na’-please. Yaakov’s naturally polite way of speaking is recognised by Yitzchak as being different from the way that Esav speaks.

Middah of week - Speaking politely

Chumash – We looked inside the Chumash, finding the Perek, Passuk and looking at the general layout of each page.

We spent time reviewing some of the Gematriot.

GK – We began learning about ‘Tzeit Hakochavim’. After Shabbat we have Havdala and a meal called ‘Melava malka’ to prolong the specialness of Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom

Ms Rose

Friday 25th November 2022

Dear Parents, 

This week has been a busy week in Year 3! The children had the most incredible time on their trip to Kidzania. They had the opportunity to act as firefighters, policemen, radio presenters, vets, flight attendants and spies. They learnt so much about each role and developed their problem solving skills, collaborative skills and persistence. It was an incredible experience and Year 3 were fantastic throughout the whole day.

They also really enjoyed watching England play in the World Cup on Monday and loved cheering for their home team. 

This week in English, the children started their non-fiction report on barn owls, using the information they had researched and turned it into detailed paragraphs. 

In maths, the children started a new topic, fractions. They learnt that a fraction is a part of a whole and that the denominator is the bottom number of a fraction and the numerator is the top number. They also learnt that the denominator tells us how many equal parts the whole is split up into.

In History, we recapped the timeline from the Stone Age period to life today, looking at how long each time period lasted. We then went on to learn about who archaeologists are and what they do. The children matched up cards with pictures of archaeologists exploring different areas and objects to the correct description. 

In Forest School, the children played a wonderful game where they had to pretend they were birds catching their food and they had to take their food back to the nests which they excellently built using twigs and leaves. They had to try not to get caught by other ‘predators’. They then had the opportunity to explore nature, build gnomes from clay and make lovely string bracelets.  

Or spelling rule for this week is words that sound like they are spelt with the ‘k’ sound but are spelt with a ‘que’. These words include technique, cheque, unique, critique, antique, plaque, physique, opaque and boutique. 

A number of children need new equipment for their pencil pots, including friction pens, whiteboard pens and rulers. Please will you send in 50p with your child so they can purchase new equipment at the office. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

18^th November – Parashat Chayei Sara

Hebrew reading – it is excellent seeing how the children are progressing with their reading. Please encourage your child to read as often as possible over the week in order to increase their reading accuracy.

Script writing – Reviewed samech and ayin.

Gematriah – Reviewed all the numbers and how to accurately write and transfer numbers to letters.

Parasha: The death of Sarah in Kiriat Arba in Chevron.

Avraham insists on buying, not only Mearat Hamachpelah, but also the field in which it stands even though the owner, Ephron, says he can have it for nothing. Avraham eventually pays for it over and above its true value.

Middah - Say a little and do a lot.

Chumash – we have been practising finding the Sefer, Perek and Passuk in our Chumashim.

Friday 18th November 2022

Dear Parents, 

This week was anti-bullying week. As a class, we discussed how people can be different but they are still a person and we treat everyone with the same respect. The children also learnt about being an upstander, not a bystander and took part in a workshop, which allowed them to act out different scenarios and discuss the most appropriate way to react in those situations.

In English, the children continued to research facts about owls for their non-fiction report. The children are using key skills, including choosing which information is the most important and relevant to their subheadings, as well as learning how to take their notes and turn that into a detailed, well structured paragraph.

In maths we continued learning about the 4 and 8 times table. The children learnt how to share objects/counters into equal groups of 4 or 8 and into 4 or 8 groups. When learning the 4 times tables, we looked at what other times tables can help us (the 2 times table as a multiple of 4 is double its equivalent multiple of 2). The children transferred this knowledge when learning the 8 times table, as each multiple of 8 is double its equivalent multiple of 4. 

Our spelling rule this week is words that sound like they are spelt with a ‘g’ at the end, but are spelt with a ‘gue’ at the end, for example, league, colleague, dialogue, monologue, analogue, catalogue, plague and fatigue. 

This week in History we moved on to our new topic ‘Stone Age Britain’. The children were introduced to the terms BCE and CE and how they are used. They looked at a timeline of prehistoric Britain and created their own timeline highlighting the different time periods, including the Paleolithic period (earliest), the Mesolithic period (middle), Neolithic (the ‘new’ Stone Age), the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. In conjunction with this, we started a new Art topic - all about cave art. They studied different photos showing a range of different cave art, exploring the different colours that are used and what the art was trying to convey. We discussed the tools which the artists used to create their paintings and what their motivations were for their drawings. 

In Forest School, the children learnt to tie different rope knots around a tree. They then used this knowledge to create dens and shelters, making sure they were tightly secured around the tree and in ground. 

A number of children need new equipment for their pencil pots, including friction pens, whiteboard pens and rulers. Please will you send in 50p with your child so they can purchase new equipment at the office. 

Just a reminder that Year 3 are going to Kidzania on Wednesday. They should wear their school uniform and bring a Kerem cap. They should also bring a mezonot, nut-free packed lunch, a water bottle and some fruit. Please see the email sent earlier this week for more information. 

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom.

The Year 3 Team

Dear Parents,

This week has been a very busy week in Year 3! On Monday, the children took part in an extremely fun and interactive drama workshop. They had the opportunity to act out different scenarios and get into character.  

In English this week, the children learnt about the features of a non-fiction text, as they are going to move onto writing their own non-fiction report about owls. They learnt about the contents page, sub-headings, the use of factual language, a glossary and writing reports in the present tense. They began researching facts about owls, for example, what they eat, where they live, what sounds they make and any special features they have.

In maths, the children began to learn the 3 and 4 times tables. They used counters to show how multiples of 3 can be divided into 3 equal groups and multiples of 4 can be split into 4 equal groups. They also continued to understand the difference between ‘sharing’ and ‘grouping’. When learning the 4 times tables they looked at what other times tables can help them, for example, the 2 times table as a multiple of 4 is double its equivalent multiple of 2. If you would like your child to do extra times table practice at home, Doodle Times Tables is a great way for them to practise. 

In geography, the children learnt all about different time zones around the world. They researched and calculated the time in different locations around the world and compared those times to London time. 

In science, the children explored the different uses for magnets, including everyday uses and magnets being used in MRI machines and for maglev trains. 

Our spelling rule this week is words that have the ‘sh’ sound, but are spelt with a ‘ch’. These words include: chef, chalet, machine, brochure, parachute and moustache.

In Forest School, the children discussed Remembrance Day and worked together as a team to create their own poppy, made of sticks and leaves. 

Reminders:

• A number of children need new equipment for their pencil pots, including friction pens, whiteboard pens and rulers. Please will you send in 50p with your child so they can purchase new equipment at the office. 
• Monday is Odd Socks Day. The children can come into school wearing odd socks that day. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team

11.11.22 – Jewish Studies, Parashat Vayera

Hebrew Reading – This week we focused on the ‘Patach Genuva’ reading rule - הַּ  חַ, when either of these are at the end of the word they make the sound חַ ‘ach’ or הַּ  ‘ahh’

General Knowledge – we learnt all about the Shabbat candles. The children learnt that we light 2 candles because the Torah says to “Remember Shabbat” and “Keep Shabbat”, some families have a custom to light an extra candle for each child.
We light candles 18 minutes before sundown and it is customary for the female of the house to light the candles, in the case there is no female in the house, the male of the house needs to light them.

We light candles where we are going to eat.

Parasha - Avraham runs to help prepare a meal for the Malachim. He is eager to carry out the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim (inviting and looking after guests). He does this mitzvah with great enthusiasm. 

We enjoyed playing some online games about the Parasha and made invitation cards and menus for a friend.

Middah - Hachnasat Orchim.

4.11.22 Jewish Studies – Parashat Lech Lecha

In our JS lessons this week we have learnt:

Hebrew Reading – We learnt the sound changes when the letter ‘Yood’ is added to the vowels; וּ  וֹ  ִ and found examples of each of these from our Siddur.

Parasha - Focus: The quarrel between the shepherds of Avraham and the shepherds of Lot. Avraham suggests a way of stopping the quarrel by giving Lot the choice of where to settle. Lot chooses to go to Sedom, because it has rich land for his animals, even though he knows that the people there are wicked.

The class identified a time when they made the right choice to make peace, in whatever way that may have been – for example walking away, apologising or owning up to something they did wrong.

Middah of the week – Finding our own way to keep the peace.

General knowledge – We started a book on bookcreator for our JS project on Shabbat. We began writing about Lechem Mishne, the two loaves of bread we have on Shabbat.

The children also enjoyed learning a new Iranian tune for Lecha Dodi as part of our Faces of Israel week.

Friday 4th November 2022

Dear Parents, 

This week was ‘Face of Israel’ week and the children learnt all about how the Iranian Jews had to quickly flee Iran, leaving most of their family, friends and belongings behind them. The children wrote excellent emotive diary entries, imagining they had to leave home. They thought about how they felt leaving and moving to a whole new country.  

This week in English, the children learnt about speech marks - why we use them and how we use them. They learnt the rules that come along with using speech marks. See if your child can tell you all the rules they learnt when using speech marks.

In maths, the children started a new topic - Multiplication and Division. They learnt how to make equal groups using concrete resources, and what these equal groups represent. For example, 2 equal groups of 6 is the same as 2 x 6, which is also the same as 6 + 6. They also learnt how to use arrays to enhance their knowledge of the link between repeated addition and multiplication and to explore commutativity. For example, they recognise that 3 lots of 5 is equal to 5 lots of 3. Lastly, they recapped and practised their 2, 5 and 10 times tables.  

In science, the children continued learning about magnets and learnt which materials were magnetic. They investigated this by using magnets to see which materials were attracted to the magnets. 

In guided reading, the children read an extract about Sir Isaac Newton, as we learnt about him in science. They analysed different aspects of his life and which words or phrases in the text tell us about his personality.  

Our spelling rule for this week is words that are spelt with a ‘ch’ but sound like they are spelt with a ‘k’. The words the children learnt include: scheme, chorus, chemist, echo, character, stomach ache, schedule, mechanic, chaos, choir.

In geography, the children learnt all about the Prime Meridian - what it is, why we need it and where it is. The children then researched countries that lie on the Meridian.

Year 3 had their first Forest School session this week. They discussed different emotions and feelings we have and thought about which emotion they were feeling in the moment. They also had the opportunity to create dens, dig holes and discover different creatures in the soil, which they thoroughly enjoyed. 

Wishing you all a Shabbat shalom.

The Year 3 Team

28.10.22 Jewish Studies – Parashat Noach.

Parashat Noach - Noach is a tzaddik in his generation. The people around him are wicked yet he is able to remain a tzaddik and is not influenced by their evil behaviour. He follows in the ways of Hashem and obeys His commandments.

We discussed various times we acted like Noach and made good choices when others were not. The children came up with some interesting examples!

Middah of the week - Doing what is right.

General Knowledge – We have begun our Shabbat project. We learnt about the items on the Shabbat table, focusing on the 2 Challot called ‘Lechem Mishne’. We learnt why we have 2 challot and the children enjoyed making their own Lechem Mishne for Shabbat.

Hebrew Reading – our reading rule focus this week is – vowel sound changes with a yood.

Script  - We have reviewed letters up until Chet.

Gematriah – Numbers 11-30

Friday 28th October 2022

Dear Parents,

We hope you have had a good week. 

In English this week, we continued with our book ‘The Owl Who is Afraid of the Dark’. We focused on chapter 3, titled ‘Dark is fun’. The children made a prediction about what happens in the chapter, for example, who Plop meets, why the character thinks the dark is fun and if Plop is still afraid of the dark at the end of the chapter. 

In maths, the children subtracted a 1-digit number or a 2-digit number from a 3-digit number, where an exchange is required. They used partitioning and a number line to help them. They also used place value counters and charts to visualise the calculation they were doing. For example, 353 - 8 =? When using their place value counters, they first needed to look at the ones column and saw that they only had 3 ones to takeaway, therefore they needed to do an exchange from the tens column.

In science, the children learnt about magnets. They learnt that magnetism is a force which doesn't require contact, and investigated this using bar magnets. They learnt that the north pole and south pole on magnets attract each other, whilst the same poles on the magnets repel each other. 

In geography, the children learnt about the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and how the weather differs in both these areas, whilst also comparing this to the UK weather. 

Due to assessment week this week, the children have not learnt a new spelling rule. However, it is always helpful for them to recap the spelling rules we have learnt so far. 

Reminders:

1. We start Forest School next week - on Thursday 3rd November. Please can children bring in their wellies and waterproof clothes. Please can children also bring a spare pair of socks in case it rains. 
2. Please can your child bring in 50p to replace any stationery items they need. 
    
3. Please can we remind parents to make sure that their child and any others that they are collecting have told the teacher that is dismissing them that they are leaving. This will ensure that we know who has left and who is still in the teacher's care.

    

   Please may we also ask that you let the class teacher know if your child is being taken by someone who is not the person who collects them on a regular basis. Even if it is another parent from the school we need to know that they have permission to go with them. 

    

   Many thanks for your support with this.

Shabbat shalom,

The Year 3 Team

Jewish Studies - 21st October, 26th Tishrei.

This week we learnt about the weekly Parasha of Beraishit.

The Torah describes each day of Creation as ‘ki tov’ (that it was good), but refers to Yom Hashishi (6th day) as ‘v’hinei tov me’od’ (and behold it was very good).

When Hashem completed the Creation, He saw how everything worked perfectly together. This was not just ‘good’ but ‘very good’.

We learnt that it is very good to work together as we can achieve so much more.

Shabbat Shalom!
Ms Rose

Friday 21st October 2022

Dear Parents, 

We hope you had a wonderful Succot holiday. It has been lovely welcoming the children back to school and seeing how excited they are in their new classroom!

In maths this week the children learnt to add and subtract a 3-digit number and a 1 and 2-digit number when a tens or hundreds boundary is crossed and an ‘exchange’ is needed. This might be more familiar to you as ‘carrying’, but please use the term ‘exchange’ as we do in school so the children become more familiar with the word. They used a number line and their place value charts and counters to help them answer the questions. 

In geography, the children learnt about the Arctic circle and Antarctica. They learnt that the Arctic circle is in the North pole and Antarctica is in the South pole. They created a poster with all the information they learnt including, the temperatures, population and geography of each place. 

As it was a short week, we have not learnt a new spelling rule. Therefore, for homework the children will be recapping the rule they learnt before we broke up. The spelling rule are words that have the ‘u’ sound but are spelt with ‘ou’. Some of the words the children learnt are: young, touch, double, trouble, country, enough, couple, cousin, rough, tough, southern, courage. The more they practise these spelling words, the more they will learn the rule. 

Next week is assessment week for English and maths. The papers will be split over the week in order to allow the children time to complete the papers. We will explain that these assessments are to help us see what areas the children need further teaching and support, therefore they should not feel any pressure. 

Reminder:

• Children should bring in 50p to replace any stationery they need. 

Shabbat shalom

The Year 3 Team

Dear Parents and Children,

We wish you all the best for your holidays and hope you have a wonderful Succot. We are looking forward to seeing you all back in school on Thursday 20th.

The Year 3 Team. 

Jewish Studies 30th September - 5th Tishrei 5783

In Jewish Studies this week we have been reviewing our script letters (aleph to chet). We have been learning Gematriah and have started learning numbers 10-16.

We have been getting ready for the upcoming Chagim and have learnt the Hebrew dates of each of the upcoming Chagim, when we need to light Yom Tov candles and that we sit in a Sukkah and shake the Lulav and Etrog for the 7days of Sukkot, except for Shabbat, where we do not shake the Lulav and Etrog.
 

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom and well over the fast,

Ms Rose

Friday 30th September 2022

Dear Parents, 

In maths this week the children learnt to add and subtract multiples of 10 and 100 to a 3-digit number, where no exchange is required. They used the knowledge they had already learnt to help them work out the answers. For example, 2 + 3 = 5, so 20 + 30 = 50, so 200 + 300 = 500. They also used the Place Value counters and charts to visualise the calculation they were completing. 

In English, the children wrote very creative stories. They focused on describing a storm in great detail, allowing the reader to visualise what they were writing. 

The spelling rule for this week are words that have the ‘u’ sound but are spelt with ‘ou’. Please see the words the children will be learning: young, touch, double, trouble, country, enough, couple, cousin, rough, tough, southern, courage. The more they practise these spelling words, the more they will learn the rule. 

In geography, the children recapped what they had learnt last week about the Northern hemisphere and Southern hemisphere. The children then developed their understanding about lines of longitude and latitude and how we can use coordinates to locate different countries and towns on the map. They learnt that lines of latitude circle the Earth from east to west and lines of longitude run from north to south. 

Reminders: 

• There is a remote learning day on Tuesday 4th October. Please see the timetable below. 
• Please send in 50ps so the children can replace any stationery. 
• There will be no homework set over the chaggim but please read with your child as much as possible.
• For science on Monday, if you have any toy cars at home, please can your child bring one in for their investigation on forces. 

G’mar chatimah tova. 

The Year 3 Team

Jewish Studies 27^th Elul – 23^rd September

In JS this week we have been learning about the extra special prayers we say when we eat special foods on Rosh Hashana. The children created stunning placemats for them to use on Rosh Hashana when having these foods.

The children had a brilliant time at the Shofar workshop and enjoyed watching the process of how a Shofar is made. Some children even managed to blow and make a noise from a real Shofar!

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom & Shana Tovah!

Ms Rose

Friday 23rd October 2022

Dear Parents,

It was lovely meeting you all at the ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening. If you have any questions following on from the evening, please feel free to email us. 

In English this week the children continued to study the book ‘The Owl Who is Afraid of the Dark’. As the first chapter discusses fireworks in the dark, the children wrote a fireworks sense poem. They wrote excellent descriptive poems describing what they could see, hear, smell, taste and touch at a fireworks party. They then read chapter two and discussed the role of the characters and how they helped Plop overcome his fear of the dark. 

In maths, the children were finding 1, 10 and 100 more and less than any given number. For example: what is 1 more than 432? What is 10 more than 432? What is 100 more than 432? They learnt which column they needed to focus on when adding 1, 10 and 100, for example, do they need to look at the ones column, tens column or hundreds column?

They then moved onto learning about number lines to 1000. Children read and interpreted exact values positioned along the number line. They were exposed to a variety of number lines, both to and within 1,000 and with different start and end point values. 

In geography, the children continued to research key information about countries in the northern and southern hemisphere, collecting information about the countries population, language and temperature. 

On Thursday the children took part in an amazing Shofar workshop. They learnt about the different types of shofars and the sounds they make. The children were given tips on how to blow the shofar and had the opportunity to practice with their own shofar!

As we are about to enter the chaggim period, there will be no homework set until we get back from half term. 

Reminder:

Please can the children bring in 50p, so they have money in case they need to replace any stationery. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom and Shana Tova. We hope you have a wonderful Yom Tov and a happy and sweet new year!

The Year 3 Team.

Jewish Studies  20^th Elul – 16^th September

In Jewish Studies this week we have looked at the things we wish for ourselves, our family, and the State of Israel in the coming year.

We have been learning all about the Shofar – when we do and don’t hear it (Erev Rosh Hashana and Shabbat), how many times we must hear it (30) and how many times it is blown each day of Rosh Hashana (100).

We have begun looking at the Hebrew calendar of Tishrei and started creating a calendar to help us remember all the dates of the Chagim and when we light candles for each Chag.

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom!

Friday 16th September 2022

Dear Parents, 

This week has been a very busy week in Year 3. On Friday, the children participated in a zoom session called ‘Live from the Hive’, in preparation for Rosh Hashana. They had the opportunity to see the bees up close and learnt some very interesting facts about bees. 

This week in English we started reading a new book, called ‘The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark’, by Jill Tomlinson. The children studied the illustrations on the front cover along with the title and predicted what they thought was going to happen in the story. After exploring the pictures and thinking about what colours were used, they came up with very creative predictions. We then discussed the children’s own fears of the dark and why Plop might be afraid of the dark. They also learnt about alliteration, when the initial sound of words in a phrase is repeated, and wrote their own sentences describing Plop using some examples of this, such as ‘fluffy feathers’. 

In maths, the children learnt to count in hundreds and represent hundreds using Base 10. They learnt what each digit represents in a three-digit number, for example, how many hundreds, tens and ones there are. They also used part-whole models to partition three-digit numbers. 

In science, the children started their new topic, Forces and Magnets. They learnt that a force is a push or a pull on an object and that a force needs two objects where one pushes or pulls the other to make it move.

In art the children drew and decorated their own owl, which links to our new book ‘The Owl Who is Afraid of the Dark’. 

In geography we started our new topic, ‘All around the World’. We learnt about the Northern & Southern Hemispheres, as well as the equator, and which countries were in each. Then the children researched key information about those countries and placed them on a map template. 

The children had their first spelling lesson this week. They learnt the spelling rule for words with the ‘i’ sound but are spelt with a ‘y’. The words the children learnt include, gym, Egypt, pyramid, mystery, lyric, oxygen, physics, symbol, system, symptom, syrup. 

In guided reading, the children read ‘The Gingerbread Star’ by Anne Fine. They discussed the character’s thoughts and feelings, as well as looking at how certain words in the text contributed to its meaning. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom. 

The Year 3 Team.

Jewish Studies 13^th Elul, 9^th September.

In Jewish Studies this week we have been learning about how we prepare for Rosh Hashana in the month of Elul. We learnt that in this month we should be doing extra Teshuva (repentance), Tefilla (Prayers) and Tzedaka (giving charity) as through this we hope and pray that Hashem will make the coming year a good one for us all. The children came up with beautiful examples of how they intend to do these things in the lead up to Rosh Hashana.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom!

Ms Rose

Friday 9th September 2022

Dear Parents, 

Welcome back! 

Wow, what a fantastic start to the term! Year 3 have settled into school really well this week and have had a very exciting first week back. The children were extremely happy to see each other after the holidays and could not wait to share their wonderful holiday news. 

As a class we came up with our class rules and expectations in order to achieve success and build an excellent learning environment, as well as continuing to build lovely friendships. We also discussed how Year 3 are the oldest of the lower school and what this means in terms of their responsibilities to the younger years.

In English, the children completed an ‘all about me’ activity, as well as writing what their personal goals are for Year 3, so that we can get to know the children and understand their likes, dislikes and what they would like to achieve throughout the year. They also wrote about their holidays, focusing on writing their capital letters and full stops. 

In Maths, the children learnt to represent numbers up to 100 using Base 10, and went on to partition 2-digit numbers into tens and ones. They also explored a variety of number lines, including number lines that do not start from zero and number lines with increments other than 1 or 10. They identified or estimated the position of a given number on a number line. 

Year 3 were given their iPads this week and they were explained the expectations and responsibilities which accompany this. They had the opportunity to explore their iPads and they learnt how to create posters and access Google Classroom. 

Each child was given their reading record book on Friday. Please ensure that their reading books are kept in their bag daily so that we can hear them read throughout the week. 

Homework has been set on Google Classroom. There is one English and one maths homework which are to be completed in their homework books. All the instructions for their homework is on Google Classroom.

We have really enjoyed our first few days with the children, getting to know them and setting off with them on their learning journey. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead. 

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom. 

The Year 3 Team