Year 3 Staff

Mrs W McNerney – Owls Class (Y3 Team Leader)

Mr C Gray – Owls Class

Miss R Allenby – Foxes Class

Mrs A Verney– Badgers Class

Miss L Hind – Badgers Class  

Mrs S Marchais – French HLTA

Miss F Bakes – PE

Miss A Kashkina – Computing HLTA

Mrs P Nicholson – Year 3 LTA

Year 4 Staff

Miss E Mansfield – Grizzly Bears Class (Y4 Team Leader)

Miss E Beaty – Falcons Class

Mrs J Stockton – Snow Leopards Class

Mrs S Marchais – French HLTA

Miss F Bakes – PE

Miss A Kashkina – Computing HLTA

Miss E Ducat – Supply agency LTA

Miss K Layton – Year 4 LTA

Mr J Houghton – Trainee Teacher

Mrs C Fretwell – Falcons Class (Wednesday afternoons)

Planners

*To develop organisational skills, time management and independence.

*During Friday or Monday registration, time is given for your child to diarise the week ahead.

*Parent/adult to sign each week to acknowledge events and information for that week.

Keeping Myself and Others Safe

OJS Passport

Home Reading

*Reading taught within English lessons.

*Books are issued according to a child’s reading stage/ability.

*Class teachers encourage your child to change their home reading books at least twice a week and are given the opportunity to do so during registration time.

*Parents/carers, please sign the home reading record every time your child reads with you and when they have completed their book.

Reading Scrapbook

Year 4 from September. Year 3 from January.

• Opportunity for children to share and celebrate reading
• Every child in each class will have the opportunity to take the scrapbook home and create a page.

  

Reading Passports and NYC Libraries

• We would like all our children to access the books on our Reading Passports. To support less confident readers, we encourage their adults to read the books to or with them.
• TOP TIP – members of Harrogate or any other NYCC Library can download free audiobooks which include some of the titles on our reading passports!

 

Spelling Lessons

• This year we will be using the Jane Considine approach to teaching spelling as it aligns better with our writing approach. ​
• Spelling will be taught through a fortnightly cycle of class-based investigations and activities which should help the children understand and recognise spelling patterns.​
• We will no longer be sending spelling lists home to learn as we have found that children tend not to retain words after testing and moving on. ​
• Please continue to encourage your child to read as widely as possible each day, as this will expose them to the spelling patterns we learn in school and make help connections in their knowledge.

Free Writing Notebooks

• This term we will be introducing short, weekly ‘free writing’ sessions as part of our morning registration activities. Pupils have told us how much they enjoy the chance to write whatever interests them as well as learning the valuable skills we teach in our English lessons. ​
• If you are able to, please allow your child to bring in a notebook to use for this purpose (around the size of a small exercise book.) This should allow their writing to be more personal. Anyone that is unable to bring in their own will be given a spare one from school that they can cover as they wish.

Homework

Homework is set to support current learning and fundamental skills, such as:

• Reading – at least 10 minutes per night.
• Times tables – TTRS at least 3x per week.
• MyMaths– consolidate learning.

TT Rockstars

MyMaths

Please encourage your child to access MyMaths. It is a great way to learn new topics, as well as consolidating prior knowledge. At least one homework task will be set weekly and there is an expectation that all children complete this – set Monday, close Monday morning.

Multiplication Tables Check (MTC)

*By the end of Year 4 children are expected to know their Multiplication Tables up to 12x12.

*Online test which children will sit in a two week period, in the summer term. It consists of 15 questions, with 6 seconds to answer each.

*It is important that children can recall them accurately and quickly.

*Daily tables practice in school, with support from teachers.

*Practise at home using TT Rockstars Soundcheck

PE

*OJS or plain t-shirt in House Team colours (red, blue, green or yellow)

*Plain navy shorts or tracksuit bottoms.

*Navy blue sweatshirt or hoodie for outdoors – OJS branded available.

*Trainers or pumps.

*Long hair tied back.

*No jewellery to be worn.

Year 4 Badminton

*One class per half term – Snow Leopards class to start

*6 sessions of badminton at Harrogate Racquets Club taught by a specialist coach. *Voluntary contribution via Parent Pay.

*Parent volunteers are most welcome.

Year 4 Swimming

*One class per term – Grizzly Bears class to start

*11 lessons at Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre taught by a specialist swimming teacher.

*Voluntary contribution via Parent Pay.

*Parent volunteers are most welcome.

Year 4 Residential

Wednesday 30th April –

Friday 2nd May 2025

Robinwood Dobroyd Castle, Todmorden – new to OJS for 2025.

• 3-day – 2-night residential
• Range of activities including: giant swing, raft building, crate challenge, trapeze, quest, zip wire, canoeing, archery, nightline, piranha pool, dungeon, climbing, caving & team challenge.
• More information at parents meeting in March (date tbc).

Healthy School

Peanut and Nut free school

Breaktime Snacks –

Healthy snacks only please – no crisps/biscuits/sweets/chocolate bars/pastries.

Water Bottles –

Please ensure children have a water bottle in school.

Celebrating birthdays – no sweets, cakes etc to give out.

Music

Mr Gray (Y3) & Miss Mansfield (Y4) will be teaching music to classes.

Year 3: Wider-Opportunities Violin:

* HGS Music teacher + Class Teacher.

* 10 weeks– summer term.

* Instruments provided by school.

Those who join choir will have the opportunity to take part in the Harrogate Christmas concert at the convention centre, some Christmas Carolling at local residential homes and young voices!

Clubs

Autumn Term – school sports clubs every night except Fridays - starting week 3.

*Run from 3.30-4.30pm.

*They are now live on the school website & Arbor for you to register your interest and close 12pm Wednesday.

*Young voices – places available

Golden Time

*Every Friday afternoon – outdoor play, iPads, dancing, parachute, quizzes, drama etc.

*25 minutes to earn.

*Warning (yellow card) followed by a consequence (red card) loss of 5 minutes of golden time.

Communication

*Twitter (X)

*School website

*Half-termly newsletter.

*Email class teachers – with concerns about curriculum, school work or any pastoral concerns. (Email addresses can be found on the school website).

*Email / contact the school office – for medical appointments/absences or administrative information.

Assemblies

Year 4 Harvest Festival

Wednesday 23rd September

9.30am Grizzly Bear 10.30am Falcons 1.30pm Snow Leopards

Year 3 Christmas Assemblies

Monday 16th December	9.15 am Owls 10.30am Foxes
Tuesday 17th December	9.15 am Badgers