Hello Year 3!

Mr Phipps and Mrs Aldridge are excited to begin the new school year and are looking forward to seeing you all again! We hope you had a good rest during the summer holidays and are eager to begin our next learning journey. We cannot wait to begin our next topic with you which is 'Why do people live near volcanoes?'. In this Geography focused unit, we will learn all about the different layers of the Earth as well as how volcanoes are formed and where they are found. We will look at why some people choose to live so near to these destructive features of the Earth and learn about physical and human features of Geography. 

• Our PE days will be Monday and Tuesday beginning on 08/09/25. Please ensure children come in to school in the correct P.E. kit. This will be: red or black shorts, white T-shirt, black P.E. shoes. Black tracksuit bottoms or shorts, black jumper or hoody and trainers for outdoors. Swimming will start after Christmas and we will provide more information on this closer to the time.

• Spelling shed will be how children complete their spelling homework. Children are expected to complete a written spelling practice task based on their spellings each week. The task will be divided into smaller activities with the aim that these are completed in small chunks throughout the week to aid memorization. Children will no longer sit a weekly spelling test and will instead be assessed on their spellings by completing a dictation activity every 3 weeks.

• At TJ we understand that reading is incredibly important and has a large impact on a child's future success. We ask that children in year 3 read with an adult for at least 15 minutes each day and that parents record this reading in the child's reading record. Class teachers will check reading records regularly to monitor that this is being done. 

• TT Rockstars is used for children to practice their times tables. They should aim to practice for 10 minutes daily. 

• Maths Shed will be our new homework site for Maths. Each week a new topic will be set in order to reinforce the learning that has happened in the classroom. 

• Please bring your reading record and reading book to school every day, as well as your water bottle and healthy fruit snack for play time. Children should aim to read at home daily and parents should sign reading records to confirm that they have read. Reading can take many forms and can be on a device, newspaper, recipe as well as their reading book etc. 

• If you would like to discuss anything with us then please approach us at the end of the school day or email us to arrange a face-to-face meeting. 

Mr Phipps and Mrs Aldridge

phipps.b1@welearn365.com

aldridge.j2@welearn365.com

Meet the Teachers!

Mr Phipps started working at Thomas Jolyffe in 2022. Before this, he worked in schools in Reading and Birmingham. Mr Phipps has two cats, Poppy and Tabitha, and enjoys walks in the countryside and reading. Mrs Aldridge is new to Thomas Jolyffe this year and is looking forward to her first year here! 

Home Learning

Homework Website Links

Parent Planning

Reading

It is the expectation in Year 3 that children read for approximately 15 minutes per day at home. We would appreciate a signature or short comment in children's reading records each time they read in order to help our monitoring. It is important that after finishing each book, the children are quizzing independently to demonstrate how well they have understood what they have read. Quizzing can be done either at school or at home (login details can be found in your child’s reading record).

Times Table Rock Stars

We are also continuing with our Times Tables Rock Stars programme, which children can access at school and at home using the link above. Children will awarded certificates when they reach a new rock star status when playing on Studio.

Email Communication Statement

As a school we recognise the value of providing email addresses for parents to communicate non-urgent issues with members of staff - especially this year where face to face contact is rare. At Thomas Jolyffe teachers are free to check their emails as they wish in order to fit to their own preferred work pattern but are not expected to check while they are teaching, while they are at home, or at weekends - so response times may vary. We believe that up to 48 working hours is a reasonable length of time to receive a considered reply. However, children who are self isolating or quarantining will be given priority. Urgent matters are best discussed via the school office, who will ensure the message is delivered as quickly as possible.
 

As with all messages, the meaning and tone may vary depending on who is reading it. Please consider this before choosing to email any member of staff. We would also encourage all parents to consider information sent to teachers regarding other children very carefully as this can be requested by other parents under the rules governing GDPR.