Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to the second part of the Autumn term – I hope you managed to enjoy some autumnal family fun over the half-term break and are returning refreshed!

Our project this term is Pole to Pole. We will be exploring the continent of Antarctica, focusing on Ernest Shackleton’s 1914–17 Endurance Expedition as well as learning about Robert Falcon Scott. We hope this project will nurture pupils’ fascination with and curiosity about this significant, remote landscape and extreme environment. As a class, we will share and explore Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill, a beautifully illustrated visual non-fiction book detailing this epic voyage of discovery and survival.

As part of our Polar Geography project, we will be visiting The Box Museum on 17th November. We will be travelling by train from Gunnislake Station; children will need to be dropped off and collected from the station on that day – timings and further details will be confirmed very soon. Transport for Breakfast Club/Afterschool Club children can be arranged. If you are able to be a parent helper for this trip please let me know as we have a small number of spaces and would appreciate the support.

In English, we will explore the themes of dreams and curiosity through The Barnabus Project and The BFG. Our writing will cover instructional writing, character descriptions, advertisements, letters of advice, and dialogue, all building towards producing our own brochures.

Please try to read with your child at least three times a week – this can be sharing their school reading book or enjoying books and magazines from home. Please continue to record this in their reading records and ensure they bring their reading record to school every day. It has been fantastic to see all the amazing reading happening at home and celebrating our reading champions each week. Please remember that any reading is a bonus, especially during busy weeks!

In Maths, we will continue our unit on addition and subtraction, beginning with adding and subtracting 1s across the 10s boundary and 10s across the 100s boundary. We will also focus on the 3 times tables, aiming to increase fluency and recall by Christmas. Please encourage your children to rehearse their 3 times tables using Times Table Rock Stars, Hit the Button, or other fun online games.

Please ensure children bring a coat, named water bottle, and snack each day. Children also need outdoor shoes so they can participate in outdoor activities and break times in the woods and on the field. Hats and gloves will also be useful as the weather gets colder – please make sure all items are named.

Parents' Evenings for the class will take place on Monday 9th and Monday 16th November. Please follow the link sent via email to book a convenient slot, or contact Mrs Samuels if you experience any technical issues. I look forward to meeting with you to celebrate your child's successes.

As always, please reach out via ClassDojo, email (shunter@stoke-climsland.cornwall.sch.uk), or speak to me at drop-off/pick-up times.

Warm regards,

Mrs Hunter and the Year 3 Team