Our Class Saint: Mother Teresa of Calcutta

 Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, which is a Roman Catholic congregation of women who were dedicated to helping poor people. She is thought of as one of the 20th Century's greatest humanitarians. Mother Teresa was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016. 

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” – Mother Teresa

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Jesus called you to bring the light of His love to those who live in darkness.

By tender, loving care for the poorest and the neediest, you became the sign of God’s presence,

His love and compassion in the midst of suffering and pain.

Following your example, help us to recognise the face of Jesus in our suffering brothers and sisters

and to serve Him with humility and joy.

Teach us to be the carriers of God’s tender love and mercy.

Amen

Welcome to Year 4!

Welcome to our class page!

Class Teacher: Mr Cottrill

Teaching Assistant: Mrs Smith

In Year 4, we hope our children will continue to develop increased independence. The children are encouraged to take on greater responsibility, gain confidence and set themselves new challenges. 

Hard work, honesty, being proactive (not reactive) setting high expectations, having fun, caring for each other and putting the teachings of Jesus in to practice in our daily lives are at the heart of our class. 

Our Routines

P.E: We have two PE lessons each week. One inside and one outside. Please make sure your child has the relevant PE kit at all times. White t-shirt, black shorts and trainers. NO PUMPS to be worn for PE lessons. No cycling style shorts to be worn for PE lessons.  In the colder months navy sweat top and jogging bottoms to be worn. PLEASE LABLE ALL PE KIT WITH YOUR CHILD'S NAME OR INITIALS. In the Spring term, we will be swimming for one of our PE lessons. This will take place at Perdiswell Leisure centre.

Homework: Set on a Friday and to be handed in on the following Wednesday. This will normally consist 4 worksheets (Maths, Reading comprehension, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation). Additionally, children will be expected to be reading regularly to an adult and entering comments in to their reading record each week. Children are encouraged to write their own comments and get an adult to sign the comments. Children will also be expected to practise regularly their times tables skills using Times Tables Rock Stars. See below  

Spellings: Children will be tested on a Friday with a new set of words given on the same day. Spellings will be taught in class and need to be practised at home. We encourage children to find their own preferred method for learning their spelling and attached is a suggestions page which gives a wide range of examples for learning to spell tricky words. Help your child identify their preferred method by trying a range of approaches and discussing which methods they prefer and which they think help them remember the spelling. You may identify more than one method. REMEMBER: Your child only needs to practise difficult or unknown words - not words they already know or are confident at spelling so they may not need to learn all words each week but should be tested on them regularly until they know them all. At the bottom of the page is a useful document which has examples of spelling strategies we use in class and you may wish to use at home with your child.  

Times tables: Children will be using Times Tables Rock Stars regularly in class and will be expected to play Times Tables Rock Stars little and often at home. Children should not be playing this for long periods of time, as screen time should be limited, but regular short practise is encouraged as this is proven to be the best way for success using the game. Children will be rewarded for regular practise and a range of competitions will be set up for the children to compete in.

There is a useful overview of Times Tables Rock Stars for parents at the bottom of this page which may be of use to you.

Reading: The children will have a home reading book which should be brought home and returned to school each day, along with their reading record - which should be regularly updated. Please try to listen to your child read daily and sign their reading record comments as well as make your own comments - ideally an adult comment once a week would be good and pupils should be writing a comment most days if possible. This will be checked weekly. Reading is probably the single most important thing your child can do regularly in order to be successful at school and in later life so please encourage your child to read to you, on their own or to a family member. 

The Year 4 Curriculum overview can be found under the 'Curriculum tab' on the school website.