Maple class

Miss Walker, Year 3

A warm welcome to Maple Class page – I hope you find the following information useful

Welcome to Miss Walker’s class, here is all you need to know for the summer term.

PE

This will take place on Wednesday. Outdoor PE Kits should include a red T-Shirt, black shorts, trainers, (Please send velcro fasteners if your child is unable to tie their laces) and a fleece type jacket. Please find a link to purchase our new Saltford School red sports fleeces here. Please keep these in school all week as sometimes we have to adjust our P.E. slots. Please ensure your child comes to school with their Saltford School PE kit in a named bag. Please can you also ensure all items in the bag are named.

Indoor P.E. will be replaced by swimming for the summer term which will take place on a Tuesday morings. Please ensure that your child has the correct kit including a named swimming hat and googles if needed.

Summer term 2025

Science

In Term 5, children will explore light and sound, discovering how they travel and how we use them. In Term 6, they will investigate rocks, learning how they form and how we classify them.

Geography

We will learn about volcanoes and earthquakes, understanding why they happen and how they affect people and places.

History

Children will study the Ancient Greeks, exploring their daily life, beliefs, and lasting influence on the modern world.

PSHE

Children will learn about relationships, including friendships, families, and online safety, and later explore changing me, focusing on personal growth and responsibility.

Music

Children will learn to play instruments using just three notes (C–D–E), exploring rhythm, notation, and musical structure through minimalist music.

Homework

Please see this letter giving further information about homework expectations in Y3 and Y4.

Reading:

All children will need to bring their reading folders every day. Daily reading is expected in some form at home. It is amazing how reading for just 10-20 minutes a day can make such a difference to your child’s progress. Please see our presentation about how you can support your child’s reading at home here. . We will monitor the planners each Wednesday.

Spellings:

Spellings will be given out on a Thursday and tested the following Thursday. Please support your child with their spellings and sentences. For more information on our new spelling scheme, please see the letter here.

Maths homework:

The Doodle Maths app is an excellent resource provided by the school and when used regularly can have a huge impact on your children’s progress. Following advice from Doodle, they have said little and often is the most effective way for children to use Doodle Maths. So we expect children to use it 4 – 5 x weekly, 10 minutes each time. This means teachers will now be looking at the number of days completed each week and the time the children have taken on it. This will provide the optimum conditions for the algorithm to work as it is designed to do. Please can you sign your child’s planner once this is completed. Staff will monitor this on a Thursday morning.

Times tables: We will be using TT rockstars in school with the children working on an iPad in their times tables test sessions to provide them with targeted times tables questions, focussing on any areas of weakness. TT Rockstars will be able to identify the tables that the children need additional practice on. Children will also be able to use TT Rockstars at home, if you would like them to, to reinforce their understanding from their work in school. They will be tested on a Thursday.

In the meantime there are lots of fun times tables games online to help with these:

https://ttrockstars.com The children will know their logins for this fantastic website, which they use regularly in school.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=16

YouTube has useful videos, including songs for times tables.