year four handbook

HEADMASTER’S INTRODUCTION I am delighted to introduce the Year 4 Parents’ Guide in which we aim to tell you more about what the school sets out to achieve, and how to accomplish this. The guide begins by setting out our mission and vision for the school, a list of ideals to which we aspire. The guide contains sections describing the structure of Year 4, the curriculum and the wide-ranging extra-curricular opportunities on offer. I would also like draw your attention to the website where you will find other useful information regarding your child’s education and well-being whilst they are at RGS The Grange, including the full Parents’ Handbook. Close contact between home and school is an important factor in ensuring a child’s school years are both happy and fulfilling, and I hope you will feel free to contact me or any other member of staff should you have a matter of concern. I wish you and your child a very happy association with RGS The Grange and with RGS Worcester.

Gareth Hughes Headmaster

RGS The Grange: Guide for Year 4 Parents

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SCHOOL’S MISSION AND VISION Our Mission RGS The Grange strives to enable all children to achieve full potential in all their educational, social, physical and emotional needs, and to create an environment to foster a caring, sharing sense of community involving all members of the school: children, staff, parents and governors. Our Vision - Through excitement and challenge, children at RGS The Grange develop

a joy of learning in an inspirational environment. - Children experience a sense of beauty, awe and wonder. - They are given opportunities to acquire a sense of responsibility within

the community, and to nurture a compassionate and respectful attitude towards others.

- Children develop their moral values by gaining attitudes of sensitivity,

fairmindedness, and honesty. - There are opportunities to develop a sense of individuality, to increase

their self-esteem and to take pride in themselves and their achievements. - Children learn both independently and co-operatively and acquire the

lifelong skills of perseverance, communication and initiative. - They experience physical and mental well-being through leading a

healthy lifestyle.


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Welcome to Year 4 The Class teachers in Year 4 are; Mrs Margaret Yarnold, Mrs Sally Coleman, Mrs Louise Bebb, Mrs Marie-Claire Egginton.

Introduction

Throughout this academic year and under-pinning all its elements is the desire to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes related to the main areas of academic study and to encourage the children towards becoming more independent and organised individuals.

Main Areas of Academic Study in Year 4

The pupils will be set for mathematics in the first few weeks of the Michaelmas term. These settings will be regularly monitored and children moved where appropriate. In Year 4 the children are also put into spelling groups by ability. All other subjects are taught in classes.

The Curriculum

The primary aim of the RGS The Grange curriculum is to provide pportunities for the children to be taught so that they become active, moral, fulfilled, confident and happy citizens of the 21st century and to ensure a smooth transition into the next stage of their education.

All pupils have appropriate entitlement to all aspects of a curriculum that will be broad, balanced, differentiated, rigorous, relevant to pupils’ needs and contribute to their academic, personal, spiritual, moral, cultural and social development.

The curriculum at RGS The Grange is aimed to surpass the National Curriculum and to meet the requirements of the Senior School, RGS Worcester. It is enriched by a special emphasis on achievement in the performing arts and sport, as well as a wide range of other opportunities. It is also supported by specialist teachers in various subjects.

These are the topics to be studied this year: Science Plants

Electricity Teeth and the Skeleton Earth and beyond


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Geography Improving the environment and recycling Villages and settlements India

History The Celts and the Romans The Anglo-Saxons John Lennon, the 1950’s and 1960’s

Art Use of paint; pastel; pencil, clay and textiles Study of Mondrian, William Morris and Andy Warhol Study of another culture – Aborigines

Design Technology Levers Fairground rides Biscuits

ICT Word Processing CD Roms and Internet Explorer Graphs Powerpoint

French Recap Year 3 work, Revise Personal Information, Family members, Appearances and Accessories, Zoo animals, Size words, Classroom objects and language, Toys, Out in the garden, French produce, Colour work, The Hungry Caterpillar story, Seasonal topics.

Music Musical element - Structure Preparation for Christmas Production/Carol Service Rudiments of Theory The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra Preparation for Summer Concert

P.E. Movement skills and games Ball Games Gymnastics Racket Games Athletics

Parents’ Evenings and Reports Parents’ Evenings are held halfway through the Michaelmas and Lent Terms and are an opportunity for you to talk with your child’s class teacher about their progress. Within these discussions, we will share with you your child’s ‘attitudes to learning’ – a positive and organized approach will help ensure your child fulfills their potential during their time with us. This year we are revising the way we report to parents. Our aim is to give you far more information about how your child is progressing as well as giving you an indication of the level of effort we feel your child is putting into their work.


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All children will receive an Interim Report at the end of the Michaelmas and Lent term and a full written report at the end of the academic year. These will contain effort and attainment grades in all subjects, as well as teacher comments.

The School Day The timetable The school day proceeds as follows: 08:50 – Assembly 09:10 – Periods 1 & 2 10:10 – Morning break 10:40 – Periods 3,4,5 & 6 12:40 – Lunch 13:45 – Afternoon registration & reading 14:00 – Periods 7,8 & 9 15:35 – School ends 15:45 – Clubs start 16:45 – Clubs end (After school care starts) 18:00 – School closes The beginning of the day

Children may enter the school from 8.00am onwards. On arrival the children should go to their classroom, put their bag in the cloakroom and hang their blazer on their peg. They should then go straight outside on to the playground for a supervised play session (weather permitting).

Breakfast Club Breakfast Club is available daily to help parents who need to drop their children off before the school day officially begins at 8:40am. Parents know that their child will be offered a nutritional and fulfilling breakfast to set them up for the day.

Breakfast is available in the dining hall from 8:00am - 8:20am and Pupils can buy breakfast credits in advance from the School's Reception. All the menu choices are £1.00 and credits can be bought and topped up at any time. All the children sit and eat together, usually with the radio playing, meaning they are then able to enjoy a relaxed and quiet start to the day in a friendly environment.

Absence If your child is to be absent through illness, please phone the School Office between 8.00am and 9.00am. Please also send in a written note explaining the reason for absence on your child’s return to school. Any medication,


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which may be necessary after your child returns, must be handed in to the School Nurse.

We encourage you, wherever possible, to arrange visits to the doctor or dentist out of school hours. Only the Headmaster may legally give permission for pupils to be absent from school for a valid reason except illness. Permission to miss school for a holiday or other reason should be sought in writing from the Headmaster, although it is preferred that family holidays will not take place during term time.

Registration

At 8.35am all children should go to their classroom to register. This is an opportunity for children to hand in letters, show any notes from parents in homework diaries and hear other notices for the day from the class teacher. If your child arrives late, please ensure that you inform the School Office so that they may adjust the register.

The timetable

The school day is split into nine 30 minute lessons, six in the morning and three in the afternoon. At 8.50am there is a daily assembly. Lunch is at 12.40pm. Afternoon school begins with 15 minutes with the class teacher and ends at 3.35pm.

Mid-morning break and Lunch break

Water, milk and fruit are provided for mid-morning break but children may bring in their own light snack, if they prefer (no sweets, chocolate or fizzy drinks please).

At lunch time children have a choice of a hot dinner or a salad. Apart from more traditional puddings, fruit and yoghurt are available every day. The weekly menu is published on the school website and is displayed outside the dining room. All children go outside on to the playground or field for break (weather permitting). If children wish to play football or other sports in break time, they are expected to change their black shoes for training shoes (and to change back at the end of break). They must not use their white PE trainers for this purpose. We strongly recommend that all children have their school fleece and waterproof in school every day in case of cold or showery weather.

End of school

Lessons finish at 3.35pm and the children can be met outside the front entrance of the school, unless they are staying for a club or after-school care.


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Children staying after 3.35pm should go to a Year 4 classroom, bringing with them all that they need for the rest of the evening, including bags, clothing and homework. It is during this time they can have a little snack from home.

Clubs

After school clubs normally run from 3.45pm to 4.45pm. Children not collected at the end of a club will be passed over to After School Care. If a club is cancelled the children will be notified of this with as much advance notice as possible. If a club is cancelled on the day (for example due to bad weather), the school will endeavour to contact parents so that they can rearrange pick-up time, as necessary. If your child is unable to attend a club on a particular day they are expected to notify the teacher concerned.

Homework Club

For those not participating in an organised club, there is a supervised homework club running from 3.45pm to 4.45pm. After signing in, the children go outside (weather permitting) for a break. From 4.00pm to 4.45pm the children have a supervised silent homework session in the Dining Hall or upstairs in the Art, DT or Science rooms. At the end of this time the children are brought back down to the Dining Hall and handed over to After School Care at 5.00pm if they have not yet been collected.

After School Care (5pm – 6pm daily)

Due to increasing numbers of children in After School Care, it is now necessary to book a REGULAR place for your child in advance for each half-term.

After School Care runs from 5pm to 6pm every day. Please note that a penalty will be charged at a rate of £20 per 15 minutes for any child remaining after this time. Please, as a matter of urgency, contact the School Office on 01905 451205 or the After School Care Team on 07785 376883 if you are unavoidably delayed.

When you collect from either a club, homework or after school care, please ensure that you sign your child out.


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Homework

Homework is a necessary discipline which helps your child to work and organise themselves independently. Children will be set one homework each day following a set timetable. In Year 4 this should take about 30 minutes a day. During the lesson in which the homework is set the children are expected to record what their homework is in their Homework Diary. Please help your children with their homework by encouraging them to complete it independently and in a quiet working atmosphere. Sometimes parental assistance with a task can be very beneficial so long as the work essentially remains the child’s. Once homework is completed, parents should sign the diary, preferably every day to verify that homework has been completed. If a child has not been able to complete the homework for some reason, please write a note in the homework diary to inform the teacher of the situation. Homework is normally due in the day after it has been set.

Home/school communication

We believe that many problems and issues can be solved quickly and easily through good channels of communication between home and school. The Homework Diary can be used by parents to pass on written notes, comments and questions – please remind your child to show their teacher! If you wish to see the form teacher urgently please come to the form room, having notified the front desk. Before 8.40am and immediately after 3.35pm are usually appropriate times for brief conversations. If more time is necessary an appointment can always be made through the School Office. We are giving parents their teacher’s email details as this proved very successful last year. However, please be aware that you may not get an immediate response, as the teacher’s priority during the school day is the children in their care. We also hope that most matters involving your child’s education or any pastoral issues can be dealt with by face to face discussions with staff via an appointment being made at the front office. Please also be aware that urgent messages should continue to go via the school office. Staff can be contacted via email at the following addresses: Mrs Coleman [email protected] Mrs Yarnold [email protected] Mrs Bebb [email protected] Mrs Egginton [email protected]


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Swimming, Games & PE Swimming

Children in Year 4 will be swimming on Thursday afternoons in the Michaelmas term at Droitwich. Children who have veruccas are advised to wear a verucca sock. Goggles and swimming hats may also be worn.

Games/PE

All kit should be brought to school on Monday and taken home for washing on Friday please. Please refer to our kit list and our Physical Education Policy which can be down-loaded from the school website.

Please note that boys should not wear boxer shorts as underwear for Games or PE lessons. Girls should ensure that their hair is tied back securely with the face and eyes free.

ALL ITEMS OF KIT, EQUIPMENT AND SPORTS BAGS MUST BE CLEARLY NAMED. A TAG OF SOME DESCRIPTION WOULD BE USEFUL TO IDENTIFY YOUR CHILD’S BAG.

Sports Fixtures

A list of fixtures will appear in the calendar at the beginning of each term. A squad will be selected based on performances in lessons and, when appropriate, in after-school clubs. The emphasis in many instances will be towards selection of the strongest teams. Where possible fixtures for a B team will allow as many children as possible the opportunity to represent the school. Please note: if your child is absent from school through illness the day before a match they will not be eligible for selection for the match. If they are away for a planned reason (for example an appointment or family event), please notify the sports teacher so that your child can remain eligible for selection. Mr Bousfield, The Director of Sport and Head of Boys’ Physical Education can be contacted via email at [email protected].


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Music/Drama

All children are invited to take part in various concerts and productions which take place throughout the year. The Senior Choir will sing during the Carol Service at Worcester Cathedral in December.

All children have the opportunity to learn other instruments on a one-to-one basis at an additional cost from visiting specialist teachers, and we are very keen for them to do this. We are able to organise tuition in most instruments (piano, strings, woodwind, brass and voice): please contact Mrs Corrie via email to arrange instrumental lessons.

We hold regular informal concerts (usually half-termly) for children learning an instrument to perform in front of friends and family.

Mrs Corrie, Head of Music can be contacted at [email protected]

Mobile Telephones

It is recommended that no mobile phones, including camera phones or iPods, be brought to school. Children are not allowed to walk around school wearing headphones or earpieces. Pupils needing mobile phones for their journey to and from school must leave their phone at the office on arrival where it will be stored safely until collected at the end of the day. The school cannot accept responsibility for any items that the pupils do not hand in for safe keeping. Pupils are always able to ask office staff to contact parents during the day should an urgent need arise.

Internet safety

Could we please draw your attention to the CEOPS website, a wonderful resource for parents to help protect our children online – a link can be found on the front page of our website (www.rgsw.org.uk). Both school and parents have a responsibility to educate our children about ‘Internet safety’. This website serves as a very effective tool to keep abreast of current practice. We would strongly encourage you to take a look at it.


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Trips One of the highlights of the year for all children are the residential trips and visits. This year we are planning the following trips during the year –

Chedworth Roman Villa (Michaelmas Term) Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre – (Michaelmas Term) Birmingham Royal Ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ (Michaelmas Term) Residential Trip – Bushcraft, Oxfordshire (Trinity 2014)

year four handbook

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