Year 3- English-Sparking Ideas for The Iron Man
Before starting our writing unit on The Iron Man in English, Year 3 carried out a practical activity to spark creativity. Each group was given a selection of objects and asked to carefully examine them, thinking about where they might have come from and what they had in common. Working together, they sorted the objects into three categories using adjectives such as shiny, flexible, or symmetrical. The adjectives were recorded on a flipchart to build a shared word bank. Next, the children were challenged to use their objects to construct a standing structure or a flat design allowing them to be imaginative, even if their creation wasn’t functional. Some of the creations included: A Victorian Castle in the schoolyard, a Tower Made of Lego Bricks or a Mysterious Robot Afterwards, we discussed key questions before setting the main task: writing an opening paragraph for a story inspired by their creation. This activity helped them generate ideas and descriptive language before diving into The Iron Man.
Worship with Rev. Ben
Today, we had worship with Rev. Ben, which began with a fun yet challenging relay-style game where we had to balance ping pong balls on a paper plate while moving carefully across the hall. Rev. Ben explained that, just like in the game, life can sometimes feel unsteady or difficult, especially when we are upset or facing challenges. To help us reflect on this, Rev. Ben showed a clip about what Jesus did when he was feeling deeply sad the night before his death. The video illustrated how Jesus turned to God in prayer, seeking strength and comfort during his time of sorrow. Rev. Ben explained that, just like Jesus, we can share our worries and struggles with God, knowing that He listens and understands, and can help us through even the toughest times. He reminded us that no matter how we feel, we are never alone—God is always there to support and guide us.
Year 3- R.E-Understanding the Rich Young Man: Lessons on Wealth, Faith, and Modern Perspectives
In today's R.E. lesson, the children explored the story of The Rich Young Man (Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30), from 'The Children's Bible'. We began by reminding ourselves of the Ten Commandments and reflecting on their meaning. The children discussed why Jesus’ response saddened the rich young man and whether they believed he tried to change. They also considered the challenges of wealth and why it can be difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. As part of our discussion, we examined Jesus’ metaphor of a camel passing through the eye of a needle, debating whether it is still a relevant example today. Working in pairs, the children devised modern phrases to express a similar idea, such as: Trying to fit an elephant through a doorway, fitting all your holiday clothes into a tiny backpack or putting a football through a keyhole. They all worked incredibly well in small groups and pairs.
Year 3- Presentation of Learning- History- Past and Present
Over the past three weeks, Year 3 have been learning about how children's lives have changed over time, comparing the past and present. Today, we shared our findings with the whole school in History and Guided Reading. We discovered that childhood and adulthood were defined differently in various historical periods—Roman children were considered adults at 12 or 14, Tudor children started working as young as 7 or 8 and became adults at 15, while in Victorian times, adulthood was reached at 21. Today, the legal age of adulthood is 18. We also explored how daily life has evolved, from clothing differences in Roman and Tudor times to changes in communication, transport, and technology. In the 1930s, toys were homemade from wood, and before Sat Navs, people relied on paper maps to plan their journeys. Seatbelts and airbags were only introduced in 1959, and television was only available in black and white until the 1970s. In the 1990s, Sat Navs were invented, and home computers connected to the internet using phone lines. The children have been great historians, asking thoughtful questions and making insightful connections, and they are thoroughly enjoying this unit as they continue to explore how the past has shaped the world they live in today.
Year 3- PSHE- Lyfta- Know Yourself, Grow Yourself: Exploring Mental Health and Aspirations Through Malahat’s Story
Today in class, our Year 3 students joined hundreds of other schools in a live Lyfta session, exploring the theme "Know Yourself, Grow Yourself" and the importance of children's mental health through the inspiring story world Dancing in the Land of Fire. During this engaging 45-minute session, our students, alongside thousands of their peers, reflected on self-awareness and well-being, inspired by the journey of 11-year-old Malahat, who dreams of becoming a world-famous dancer and building a new home for her family in Baku. The children were fascinated to learn about Azerbaijan, particularly its vibrant capital, Baku. Through this experience, they gained a deeper understanding of mental health, resilience, and self-growth. The session encouraged them to think about their own dreams, emotions, and personal strengths, helping to build their confidence and empathy. It was a valuable opportunity for them to develop a global perspective while also reflecting on their own well-being and aspirations.
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Year 3- Class Worship- Know Yourself, Grow Yourself
Year 3 participated in class worship today by joining the live assemblies for Children's Mental Health Week. This year’s theme, "Know Yourself, Grow Yourself," focused on helping children understand their emotions and develop resilience. As part of the session, the children made different facial expressions to show emotions such as anger, shock, and happiness, helping them recognise and understand their feelings to face challenges with courage and hope. Daniel, an 11-year-old refugee from Ukraine, shared his experiences of overcoming trauma and what helped his mental health. We also heard from children in Ghana about their creative approaches to well-being, supported by World Vision. This was a valuable opportunity to show that every child’s story matters and that no one is alone.
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Year 3- Science -Why is doing different exercises regularly good for our health?
Today in Science, Year 3 scientists explored the question: Why is doing different exercises regularly good for our health? They discovered how activities like football and swimming benefit the body, while sleep plays a crucial role in supporting the brain. The class also learned that dogs need regular walks and fresh air to stay fit and happy, while giraffes exercise by walking long distances to find food and stretching to reach high branches. This investigation linked well with Children's Mental Health Week, reinforcing the importance of physical activity for both body and mind. Our Science Ambassadors, Cassidy and Naomi, took their roles seriously, proudly wearing their lab coats to support their peers. They provided guidance and assistance to those who needed extra support, ensuring that everyone could engage in the learning and investigation.
Foodie Friends club- Cupcakes
Today, in Foodie Club, the bakers worked in small groups to make cupcakes. They carefully weighed the butter, flour and sugar, whisked the eggs, and followed the recipe closely to ensure a smooth and well-blended mixture. They particularly enjoyed licking the spoon and the mixing bowl.
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Children's Mental Health Week Launch Worship & YOP- Talents
This morning Mrs Ham launched our Children's Mental Health Week theme of 'Know yourself, Grow Yourself'. We started by looking at our school vision that says 'Achieving great things through learning and growing together'. We thought about what the growing together means and we had some super suggestions such as growing emotionally and mentally, getting better at things and not giving up when we find things hard. We then looked at our emotions and how they control our brain, just like in the film Inside Out. We thought about the times when our brain tells us that we aren't good at things and we had some great examples such as in acro when doing cartwheels, in maths or art and when we do things for the first time. We thought of ways to challenge our brains and help ourselves grow by doing things that we enjoy such as listening to music, taking part in sports or other hobbies, showing courage to try new things etc. We then focused on our Year of Prayer for this week which is thanking God for our talents. We shared our talents and thought about ways we could express our talents this week and especially on our dress to express day on Friday. We reflected on how we should shine from the inside out and always respect each other's God given talents and the way we like to express ourselves. We discussed that if we laugh at the way someone likes to express themselves then that might hurt their feelings and they will feel sad and won't want to express themselves that way again. We said a lovely prayer thanking God for our talents and how we promise to share them with others and respect others' talents. We finished with singing one of our favourite songs 'Shine from the inside out' which reminds us that God knows us, loves us and fills us with talents that we need show to everyone we meet.
Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics Club
In our second week of Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics Club, we practiced a variety of events which included standing long jump, obstacle relay, under and over relay and javelin. The children worked super hard to develop their skills, agility and speed.
Year 3- Maths- Flexible Partitioning using base 10.
Year 3 have been working extremely hard to divide a 2-digit number by a 1-digit one, focusing on flexible partitioning. They've been using base 10 to help understand concepts like exchanging 10s for ones to simplify the division process. This approach allows them to break down numbers more easily and gain a deeper understanding of the division process.
Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship thanking our whole school for coming to school in non-uniform to raise funds for food, shelter and first aid supplies for those in America who are being affected by the LA wildfires. Thank you to our Rotakids for organising the non-uniform day to help make a difference . We then reflected on a busy week in school. This week, we held in our thoughts all the Jews who suffered in the holocaust and thought about how we can show love, kindness and generosity to our neighbours and again we have enjoyed some wonderful dance and gymnastics sessions led by Rothwell Arts and some amazing extra-curricular clubs such as Foodie Friends, Craft Club, Basketball and Multi-Sports Club led by Edstart. We then congratulated Haydn, Eve and Eddie in EYFS and KS1 and Jack, Leo, Luca and Leonora in KS2 for pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and trying new things, demonstrating hard work and perseverance in their learning and showing all of our Barny’s 4Bs (being ready, respectful, kind and safe). Furthermore, we congratulated Year 2 and Year 5 on being our amazing attendance winners this week, India Mill as our overall value award winners this week with 431 points, our Sportshall Athletics squad for winning their heat on Tuesday evening and getting through to the finals and our new Science Ambassadors (Noah in Year 6, Matthew in Year 5, James in Year 4 and Naomi and Cassidy in Year 3) for their fantastic applications. A huge well done to these children- we know that you will be amazing in your new role! We then congratulated our out of school sports award winners. Well done Ava for being awarded two gold trophies in her dance, Reggie for demonstrating fantastic football skills, Alice, Olivia and Daisy for their ‘Inspiring Women’ creation that won them a trophy at Brownies, Luna for winning ‘The Tiny Ballet Dancer of the Year’ award, Archie for achieving listening and follow the instructions at swimming, Lilly for achieving a special award in dance, Darcy for being a super gymnast, Lyla for working hard to master the aerial (a cartwheel with no hands), Grace for achieving two medals for song & dance and her own choreography, Annabel for achieving Star of the Week at Musical Theatre, Scarlett for being a super defender at netball and achieving the gold award and Beau for achieving Stage 5 in her swimming. To end our worship, Mrs Ham reminded us that it’s Dress to Express next Friday 7th February for Children’s Mental Health Week and we had some beautiful prayers from Vienna and Ralphi who prayed for those less fortunate than ourselves, including those who don’t have food and drink at their disposal as we do and those are in the midst of war, conflict and natural disasters. We then sang ‘Sing a New Song’ and thanked those who could attend celebration worship. We thank the rest of our school family for all of your continued support. We wish you all a lovely weekend.