Welcome to Kestrels!

I am delighted to be Kestrels class teacher this year and I am looking forward to getting to know all of your children. The information below will hopefully be a helpful guide through the year.

Class Information

Teacher – Mr Suckling                                             Teaching Assistants – Mr Greavner

Reading

Please ensure your child reads their school reading book, ideally daily. This can include reading silently to themselves, out loud to an adult or even an adult reading to them. To help promote thinking and check understanding, children should quiz on Accelerated Reader every time they finish a book. We had dedicated time to quiz on a Monday and Friday morning. 

If you wanted to help develop comprehension, the following questions are good start points for conversations about your child’s reading:

• Can you find a few words/phrases/sentences that tell you about… (character, setting, atmosphere).
• What do you think about the character?
• Why do you think they reacted in the way they did?
• What does (one particular word) mean? How do you know?
• Can you put the events in order?
• What did you enjoy/find surprising/dislike in this chapter?
• Non – fiction: can you tell me about key features of the text and give me some examples?

Spellings

Alongside daily reading, please ask your child to practise spellings at home in their homework book. The expectation is that they look up any words they are not sure of and write the words in a sentence to help reinforce understanding. The spelling words are linked to a particular spelling pattern or rule. In addition, some of the spellings are taken from the year 3,4,5,6 statutory spellings list.

A new list of spellings will be given to your child each week on a Tuesday and spellings will be tested the following Monday.

A copy of the statutory spellings for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 can be found on Kestrel’s Class page.

Maths

In Kestrel class, we will be focusing on developing fluency and reasoning skills when solving problems. In order to do this, it is vital that your child is able to quickly recall their times table facts up to 12 X 12 (multiplication and division).

Your child will have their own tackling tables log in (https://www.tacklingtables.co.uk/)  which progresses the children through their times table knowledge and eventually moves onto application of tables such as fractions and percentages. Please support your child with practice as frequently as possible.

Lexia and Mathseeds

You child might have an account for either or both of these. If so, they can log in at home and work through the levels to consolidate and develop their English (Lexia) and maths (Mathseeds) understanding and skills.

Thank you, we look forward to a great year ahead with your child.

Mr Suckling and Mr Greavner

11th October 2024

Kestrel class will be having a visit from Portals of the Past. It is an interactive workshop aimed at enhancing their knowledge of ancient Greece through a variety of activities. 

In the PDF document below are some suggestions of how to make a Greek outfit for the day. Alternatively, a bed sheet wrapped round to make a toga works just as well. In addition, there is a host of Greek names for boys and girls. Please select a name and make a name badge so we know what to call you for the day. 

2024/25 - New Year Admin.

Knowledge Organisers 

Homework

Each week, spellings will be sent home which follow a particular pattern or rule. Some of the words are taken from the year 3, 4, 5 and 6 statutory spelling list. These are the government recommended words that all children should know by the end of KS2.  In addition, there will be a short reading extract with follow up questions. 

Each child will receive a homework book. The expectation for each week will be a double page spread to complete the handwriting and reading activities. Inside each book is an example of how the work should be presented. 

Homework will be given out each Tuesday and handed in no later than the following Monday. 

SATS Revision

If you would like to keep your arithmetic skills ticking over the weekend or want a little extra practice during the week. I have put on some practice papers (including the answers). Remember any equivalent answer for decimals or fraction is allowed as the mark sheet only has one. Any problems or if you want me to check bring in the paper or write the question down and I am happy to do through the answer with you. 

There is also some practice grammar mini tests to keep you going and some reading comprehension. As always any problems speak to Mr S or Mr G.