Welcome to Oaks 🌳 Class!

Year 4, 5 and 6 

Class Teacher 

• Miss Wallis (Deputy DSL, History/Geography/Science/Computing Lead)

Teaching Assistants -

• Miss Wallwork (HLTA)
• Mrs McGuane (Deputy DSL, ELSA)
• Mrs Clark

Term 3

This term is shaping up to be the best one yet! There’s so much fun and excitement ahead, with plenty of discoveries to make. In History, we’ll be diving deep into the tombs of ancient Egypt, unlocking their mysteries and secrets! In English, we’ll read Secrets of a Sun King, a thrilling adventure full of twists, turns, and curses! Maths is set to be '100%' the best subject, with a 'whole' lot of fun as we explore fractions, decimals, and percentages! Get ready to make some noise in Science as we investigate sound. In Music, we’ll be exploring the beauty of Renaissance music— and as I always say, if it isn't 'baroque,' don't fix it! There will be even more musical fun in French—ooh la la! In Art, we’ll be getting hands on with some exciting sculpting projects. PE is going to be a blast with Gymnastics and Dance, so make sure to stretch and get your dancing shoes on! In Computing, it’s all about the data. And to top it all off, in RE (our favourite subject), we’ll be exploring freedom, justice, and what kind of king Jesus was. Those conversations are sure to be deep and thought-provoking! Get ready for an unforgettable term—I know I am. Let’s do this!

Notices:

In term 3, Year 4 will be having forest school sessions every Wednesday. Please can we make sure wellies and waterproof clothing come into school on these days. Year 5 & 6 will be having PSHE/RSE during these sessions. 

Housekeeping: 

Please ensure your child's belongings are all named. They will require a water bottle and a healthy morning snack. We recommend keeping a pair of wellies in school for wet weather as well as a named raincoat. 

PE Days

• Wednesday
• Friday 

Children should come into school wearing their complete PE kit including their house coloured t-shirt, shorts or jogging bottoms and suitable trainers. In cold weather, the children should wear their usual school cardigan, jumper or fleece. Earrings need to be removed or the children must be able to remove them themselves. Long hair needs to be tied back.

On Friday mornings in Term 3, Oaks will be going swimming! Please bring a waterproof bag containing: swimsuit, swim-cap, goggles if required, towel, flip-flops/sliders, verruca socks if required. 

Home learning:

From Term 3, your child will have a home learning book. In addition to spelling practise, reading and times-tables practise, we will be supplying a grid with suggested activities for your child to complete at home in their own time. The teachers will invite the children to bring in their home learning books at the end of the term for a special show & tell to celebrate their lovely work. 

Reading:

Children will complete a Star Reader task at the beginning of each new half-term on Accelerated Reader (AR). This will determine a suitable reading range for the children (e.g. 3.0-3.6). AR will also set the children with a target to reach for that half-term. Once the children have completed a book, they are encourage to complete a short quiz on AR to check their comprehension of the text read. We are striving for at least 85% accuracy. Each successful quiz will contribute points towards their reading target. 

Reading records will be checked daily. These should be used to record daily reading at home. We recommend listening to your child read and asking simple questions to check their comprehension. We wish to promote a love of reading and encourage the children to read books within their recommended reading level however please note that they are not limited and are welcome to read any book of their choosing if it engages them. 

There will be a Times-Table Challenge every Thursday:

Children will be able to access Times-Table Rockstars (TTRS) online via computer/laptop/tablet (iPad)/smart-phone. The login can be found in the reading record. 

Please note that the children in Year 4 will be taking part in a Multiplication Check (MTC) in June 2025. This is completed on an iPad. The game 'Soundcheck' on TTRS replicates the MTC. 

Spellings will be set weekly:

Children will be set an 'assignment' on SpellingShed each week which can be accessed online via computer/laptop/tablet (iPad)/smart-phone. The login for SpellingShed and the list of focus words can be found in the reading record. We encourage daily practise of spelling words at home and appreciate your support in this. Spellings will be practised daily in school and reviewed every Friday.

PPA: 

Bi-weekly, the class teacher Miss Wallis will have a Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) day. On these days, the class will be covered by our HLTA Miss Wallwork. These dates are: 09/01/25, 23/01/25 & 06/02/25.

Please note Miss Wallis may also be released from class for additional training days and subject management time. 

Term 2

This term was packed with excitement and adventure! In English, we read the funny and touching book There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom and used our creativity to write diary entries just like the characters. In Maths, we tackled tricky multiplication and division problems that really got our brains working! In Science, we dived into the fascinating world of life cycles and reproduction—there was so much to discover! Geography was extra fun as we went on a trip to explore how population affects the environment—how cool was that? In RE, we learned all about the concept of incarnation and why Jesus was seen as the Messiah. And in DT, it was time to roll up our sleeves and get cooking! Miss Wallis had 'cooked up' some great lessons, and soon we were whipping up some amazing dishes—becoming true MasterChefs. What an awesome term! 

Oaks had a fantastic day. We conducted our own fieldwork study to see how the population impacts the environment. Armed with the tally charts and likert scales they designed themselves, we hit the streets of Sittingbourne and Milstead to compare a densely populated urban area and a small rural area. There was even time for some well-deserved play! We can’t wait to present our findings!

We had a BLAST at our Christmas party! We had some friendly head-to-head competitions including knocking ‘snowballs’ off using a party blower, scooping bows onto our plates blindfolded with a tiny spatula and (the best part) ravenous reindeer - a thrilling christmassy take on ‘hungry hippos’! 

Term 1

We’ve dived headfirst into our learning adventures, and it’s been nothing short of amazing!

From the heart-warming tale of Danny the Champion of the World to the inspiring narrative of Hidden Figures, our reading sessions have sparked imagination and curiosity. In Maths, we've conquered place value, become Roman numeral whizzes, and tackled addition and subtraction like pros—now we're gearing up to unleash our multiplication and division skills next term! Our History lessons have brought the past to life through the lens of the census, while in Science, we’ve explored the fascinating world of living things and their classifications. In RE, we’ve engaged in meaningful discussions about the creation story, sharing thoughtful insights that deepen our understanding. And let’s not forget our Art sessions, where our ‘Drawing is Sweet’ topic has inspired us to create stunning pieces that we’re all proud of! Lastly, we wanted to thank you all for attending our class worship on the last Friday of term, the children were all so thrilled to showcase their learning and the pride radiating from each and every child was so heart-warming. What a fantastic term it’s been—here’s to more fun and learning ahead!

Book club 📖

Oaks have started a book club! This is a fantastic opportunity for the children to celebrate books by sharing what they’re reading with their friends, read to each other, hear others reading, inspire others to read books by their favourite authors and so much more! Miss Wallis has been reading one of her favourites - The Magic Faraway Tree - and shared chapter 1 of this story in book club. The children were surprised to learn her copy was from when she was in year 4 at school!