A new term!

At the start of the new academic year, we warmly invite parents to join us on Monday 8 September, from 6:30 – 8:30pm, for our Parent Information Evening. This will be a brilliant opportunity to meet the team and find out a little bit more about the year ahead in Year 4. Individual parent consultations will be taking place later in the term, on Thursday 6 November.

This term our topic is

‘What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?’

Highlights include an exciting trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace on Tuesday 7th October, designed to spark the children’s enthusiasm for their cross-curricular work, which will be showcased at the pop-up class museum event on Monday 8th December.

Letters will be sent nearer to the time letting you know the details.

A Learning Journey, giving you an overview of what the Year 4 children will be covering this term, will be in our Friday communication. Further detail of the curriculum coverage will also be send within the Topic Tree on Friday.

Whilst we appreciate the first week in a new academic year is quite daunting and we welcome you supporting your child coming into school each day, we would ask that from the second week of term you encourage your child to enter school each morning independently.

As your child has now reached Year 4, expectations will be that they are ambassadors and role models for the younger pupils in school.  Therefore, displaying good manners and exemplary behaviour is always expected.  These morals and values will be explored in greater depth in our PSHEE curriculum, but again we appreciate your support at home to reinforce key messages.

Your child will be given the opportunity to take on roles of responsibility amongst their peers, as well as to represent Year 4 in the wider school community: these may include being a year group representative on the School/Eco/Anti-Bullying/Food Councils, classroom/locker area monitor or leading Community Time activities.

Each week, Creative Curriculum and Maths homework will be set. Children are expected to practice their SpellingShed and DoodleMaths activities daily, with a minimum of five games a week in addition to times tables and regular reading. Children will be issued with a reading record, which they must bring into school each day.

Each week homework will be set in both Creative Curriculum and Maths, and occasionally Topic. Pupils are given a minimum of a weekend and two working evenings to complete their work before handing in.

Regular reading, as well as spelling activities and practicing times tables, continues in Year 4.

We would appreciate your support in allowing your children to complete their homework as independently as possible please.

Tuesday 7th October – Fishbourne Roman Palace

For all absences, please complete the absence request form via the Parent Portal. Please see the guide here on how to request an absence for your child.

Please ensure your child is well enough to attend school each day. If they have had Calpol in the morning, they are not well enough for school, so please do not send them in.

If your child will need any prescribed or over-the-counter medication administered during the school day, please complete the following form here. No medication can be administered without this form.

Children are to bring their water bottles to school and take them home daily. It is very important that the children drink water throughout the day, and using bottles in the classrooms helps to prevent spillages!

Start of the Day

Drop off is at 8:00am on the Terrace or in the Drop off zone, for registration at 8:15am. Children arriving earlier should be booked in for breakfast from 7:30am. Children shouldn’t enter the McConnell Building earlier than 8:15am.

Collection

Pick Up is at 4:15pm at the front of school. Please ensure that your child ‘blobs’ out with a teacher before they leave the school site.

After School Care

As the Prep School Day will now end at 4:15pm, hobbies for Year 3-8 pupils will begin at 4:30pm. Hobbies will run between 4:30– 5:30pm before Supper Club (5:30-6:00pm) and After School (6:00-7:00pm).

If you would like your child to join us for breakfast, or stay beyond 4:30pm for hobbies or after school supervision/supper club, please book on the Parent Portal or contact extendedday@pennthorpe.com to arrange this.

Parents can view the Autumn Term calendar via the website and Parent Portal.

Please do have a look through and pop important dates in your diary.  Of course, sometimes plans need to be updated, and so any changes will be updated on our electronic calendar and communicated to you as soon as possible.

The key events for our Year 4 parents include:

• Please join us for a Parent Information Evening on Monday 8 September 6:30-8:30pm
• Open Morning is on Friday 26 September
• There will be a Pennthorpe Alumni Celebration on Saturday 27 September
• Whole School Harvest Festival will be held on Friday 3 October
• Pennthorpe’s Golf Day at Cowdray Park is on Saturday 4 October
• Year 4 Trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace is on Tuesday 7th October
• Pennthorpe Fireworks Night on Wednesday 5 November
• Year 1 – 4 Parents’ Evening is scheduled for Thursday 6 November
• Our Whole School Remembrance Service will be held on Tuesday 11 November
• Save the date for the Year 3 & 4 Production on Tuesday 2 December
• Year 4 Pop Up Museum – Monday 8th December
• The Pennthorpe Carol Service will be held on Tuesday 9 December
• Carols Around the Tree takes places on Thursday 11 December
• Friday 12 December is the end of term with school finishing for Year 4 at 11:50am.

Our brilliant Friends of Pennthorpe, as always, will be doing lots to support our school and community this term. Key things for you to watch out for include:

• The FOP Christmas Fair on Friday 5 December

Children can wear either summer or winter uniform until half term, after which all children should switch to winter uniform.

Please make sure your child’s uniform is labelled with their name, as it does make it a lot easier to reunite lost items with their owners.

Children are expected to wear smart uniform each day:

• All children should wear their blazers coming to and from school.
• Clean black school shoes (if a child needs to wear trainers, for example where their school shoes have been misplaced, please make the form teacher aware)
• Shirts need to be long enough to tuck in.
• Earrings – one plain stud only. No hoops. The child needs to be able to take the earrings out independently for PE and Games lessons.
• No necklaces.
• Plain wristwatch, no smartwatches to be worn.
• All shoulder length hair tied up with a plain hairband or small school coloured scrunchie or headband.

Whilst the sun is shining, please apply sun cream to your child at home. We cannot provide sun cream in school so it is essential that children bring this in themselves.

All  PE and Games kit should be brought in to school on a Monday morning and should be taken home for washing at the end of each week. This term girls require a mouthguard for hockey lessons, as well as competitive matches. They will not be allowed to participate in lessons or matches without one, as this poses significant risk to the children.

The Year 4 Team will be conducting a complete kit check at the beginning of term.  This will include wellies, waterproof trousers, school play coat, water bottle and sports kit. Do talk to your children about the importance of looking after and organising their own property, as we gently begin to encourage their independence and development of organisational skills.

Uniform is available to order online, for further information please click here.

For the first half of the Autumn Term the girls will be switching to hockey and boys will be switching to football. A full kit list is available here, and all branded items can be ordered through Blueblood

Girls:

• Games kit
• Shin Pads
• Gum shield

Boys:

• Games kit
• Shin pads
• Boots

To help ensure a smooth and safe start to the school day, we kindly remind all families that the drop-off lanes are strictly for ‘drop and go’ only. Our Wellbeing Ambassadors are available to support children of  all ages to walk into school.

If you wish to walk your child into school, please park in one of the designated bays. This helps maintain the flow of traffic and minimises disruption to both the Pennthorpe community and our neighbours.

Thank you for your support and cooperation in keeping our mornings calm, safe, and efficient.