Dear Parents and Carers

 

Welcome to the Autumn Term in Year 3! I hope you all had a lovely summer and that the children are feeling refreshed and ready to dive into an exciting new year of learning.

 

We’re starting the term with our history project: "From the Stone Age to the Iron Age." It’s always a favourite with the children – we’ll be exploring how early humans lived, what they ate, how they built their homes, and how life changed over time. We’ve got some brilliant activities planned, including cave art, timelines, and even a bit of archaeology!

 

To support our learning, we’re very excited to be going on a trip to Kents Cavern on Wednesday 24th September. This will be a fantastic opportunity for the children to explore a real prehistoric cave and deepen their understanding of life in the Stone Age. We’ll be

sending out more details soon, but if you’re able to join us as a parent helper on the day, we’d be really grateful – please let us know if you’re available.

 

Let me also introduce our Year 3 class team:

 

• I will be teaching the class from Monday to Thursday – Mrs Hunter.
• On Friday mornings, the children will be with Mrs Sellars, and for Friday afternoons, they’ll have Mr Bain for a double PE slot. He will allow for a rest break in the middle of these sessions.
• Children may come to school wearing their PE kit on Fridays, as they will have their PE lesson in the afternoon.
• We’re also very pleased to welcome back Mrs Lucy Ross as our class teaching assistant. Mrs Ross is rejoining Stoke after working at Clastock Primary and brings a wealth of experience with her. She’s already settling in brilliantly, and we’re sure she’ll be a real hit with the children.

 

As we settle into the routines of Year 3, I’d like to emphasise two key areas that really support progress across the curriculum:

 

• Reading at home – Just 10–15 minutes of daily reading makes a huge difference. Whether it’s reading aloud to you, reading independently, or sharing a book together, it all helps build fluency, vocabulary, and a love of reading. Please remember to jot a quick note in their reading record when you do.
• Times tables – This term, we’ll be focusing particularly on the 3 times table. Over the year our focus is on revising and recalling the 2,5 and 10 times table and learning the 3, 4 and 8 times tables. These can be tricky at first, but regular practice makes all the difference. Games, songs, apps like Times Table Rockstars, or even a few questions over breakfast can really help make these stick!
• Wellies or outdoor shoes if they wish to go on the field in all weathers and to ensure they can access learning outdoors which will be part of the curriculum.
• A named drinks bottle each day
• A sun hat and sun cream, and a waterproof coat – you never know what the weather will do!
• A healthy snack for morning break – please note that fruit is no longer provided in Key Stage 2
• A small pencil case is allowed if they wish to bring one. All necessary equipment will be provided in class, but we understand how exciting stationery can be! Pencil cases will be on a trial basis to make sure they don’t cause too much distraction from learning.