Writing about the nativity story

In today's RE lesson, the children were asked to write 5 paragraphs to tell the nativity story. We also shared our family traditions for Christmas Day. Next term Year 3 will be learning about Judaism in weekly RE lessons with Mr Farrington.

Year 3 Party

Dear Parents,

Can I remind you that the children will be having a Christmas Party on Friday.

We are very grateful to those of you who have already signed up on the form on the back of the classroom door stating what food you intend to send along.

Thank you

Duncan MacBean

RE lesson on Advent

Today Year 3 learnt about the Christian idea of looking forward to the birth of Jesus in Advent. We talked about the ways that we prepare for Christmas and looked at some artefacts like Advent calendars, advent candles, wreaths and nativity scenes. Next week we shall be looking more closely at the Nativity and why it is special for Christians. Next term we shall be studying Judaism, the religion of Jewish people.
 

A reminder-
Year 3 are visiting the United Church in Dorchester on Thusday 13th December.
We will be walking to the church directly after our Swimming Lesson.
We will be back to school in time for lunch
DM

Reminder for instrumentalists

 

Children who learn musical instruments are performing in Monday’s assembly beginning at 10am. They need to remember their instrument and music and bring this into assembly with them.

If you would like to come and watch then please enter the school via the school office, you’re more than welcome! Please remember though it is a normal school assembly and not a polished performance!

Mrs Mewett

POWSA Christmas Fair this Friday!

We are desperate for volunteers to help at the fair this Friday! Please let us know if you can help at any time during the afternoon to help setup or after school for running a stall. There is a form on the white board by the school office or you could email us to let us know - powsa@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks - Jon

The right of all children to play

This afternoon Year 3 have been playing with some Indian toys and looking at photos and videos of Indian children playing. We were all particularly interested in three boys having fun sharing one bike! We discussed why we do not perhaps have the same freedom!

Christmas Play - Costume

This year we will be performing Snow White and The Seven Jockeys as our Christmas production.  Each child has been given the words of the songs, of course we will be practicing these in school, but the children are also keen to take the words home to learn. 

In addition to this please can we ask you to help us ensure each child has a costume to wear?  We would need these to be in school no later than Wednesday 12^th December.  Listed below are the roles and some ideas about what your child will need.

The King  - Smart clothes with a sash.  We have a crown and cloak in school.

The Queen – Best dress.  We have a crown and cloak in school.

Palace Attendants – White shirt and dark trousers.  A red sash and sword if possible.

Prospective Queens – Best dresses or a pretty sari.  We will be making masks for the masquerade ball.

Snow-White – A knee length dress or skirt and blouse and an apron.

Mirror – A t-shirt and leggings (light coloured if possible) to wear under the mirror costume we have in school.

Huntsman – Trousers and jacket in brown or green with a country style hat if possible.  A toy or home made dagger for his belt. (Think Ray Mears)

Trees – Costumes in shades of green and brown.  T-shirt and leggings, or leotards are most suitable to allow movement.  You could attach paper leaves.

Jockeys (Seven dwarfs) – Colourful T-shirt with leggings, jodhpurs or tight fitting trousers.  Boots and a riding hat if possible.  We have tunics at school for the Jockeys to wear over the top.

Other Jockeys – Colourful T-shirt with leggings, jodhpurs or tight fitting trousers.  Boots and a riding hat if possible.  Any hobby horses gratefully received.

Race Track Commentators / Bookies – Shirt and fancy tie or a jacket.  Maybe a trilby hat.

Race Goers – Smart clothes with something to wave during the races:  A hat, umbrella or handkerchief.

If you have any problems finding a costume, please let us know as we may be able to borrow something or find something suitable in school. 

Many thanks for your help.

Nice to be back!

I’ve had a lovely first week back after my maternity leave. The children have actually remembered me (!?) and I’ve enjoyed visiting all classes, getting to know children who have since joined the school.

 

Up to Christmas you will see me in school everyday (apart from Tuesday) and I will be working with all classes getting ready for The Prince of Wales School two Christmas performances!

We are also holding Christmas Carols in the School Hall on Thursday 20^th December at 3pm, all are welcome. If you do play a musical instrument please bring along and join the parent/ staff group for the occasion!

My office is in the foyer so if you do wish to come and see me, please do!

 

Mrs Mewett (Deputy Head)

 

costumes

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

We have sent the children home with information about the costumes they will be needing for the Christmas production of Roald Dahl's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". We hope that you will be able to help us by providing simple costumes. If you have any difficulty with this please let us know.

Could the children please bring their costumes to school at the end of next week in a named plastic bag.

Thank you,

DM

Home Learning - Snow White Words

We have given the children a copy of the words they will be learning for their Christmas Production of Roald Dahl's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". We would like them to have a go at reading through the words to help them to become more familiar with them.
DM

Plea to parents!

A plea to parents!

 

 

On Thursday 20^th December at 3pm in the school hall the children invite you to join us to celebrate Christmas and sing carols. Last year it was very successful, particularly as the music was performed by our talented parents!

A couple of parents have offered their musical skills so far for this year; we have a pianist and a recorder player but would LOVE to have more parents playing. PLEASE share your skills and let Mrs Mewett know if you can come and play.

 

Thank you!

Angles in Maths next week

Next week we will be doing work about angles and shapes.

Many thanks to the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service for their visit today.
The children in Year 3 had a very interesting time learning about fire safety in the home.
This would be a good thing to have a chat about together.
DM

Home Learning - Anti-Bullying Poster

Home Learning- Week of Monday 26th November

Design a poster to create publicity in our class about ANTI-BULLYING:

STOP BULLYING using the language of Rights and Responsibilities.

What should you do if you are bullied?  STOP

Start

Telling

Other

People

What is bullying?   STOP

Several

Times

On

Purpose

Reading Book Challenge

Mr. Farrington is setting the children the challenge of moving up a "Reading Colour". The children always like this sort of challenge and we are confident that doing this will help to accelerate their progress.
If you have any concerns about your child's progress in Reading, please do come to see me.
Thank you,
Duncan MacBean

Trip to St George's Church

Year 3 had a great time at St George's Church on Tuesday and learnt alot about the features of a church and how Christians worship. Half the class got the chance to climb up the bell tower to learn about the bell ringing whilst the other half discovered all the major features of a church. We shall be following up the visit next week in our RE lesson. The children were very interested in the trip! You can help at home by asking the children what they did and what they have remembered.

POWSA Christmas Fair

It's that time of year already. Here at POWSA HQ we are busy planning and organising this years annual festive family fun evening. So get out your diaries and calenders and put a BIG RED CIRCLE around Friday 7th December, after school onwards. There will be many an opportunity to play games, have your face painted, win at a tombola and buy those last minute gifts, along with your chance to win some amazing raffle prizes (more details to follow). Bring your friends and family for a fantastically fun afternoon, the chance to get in the festive mood and help raise money for our fantastic school.

R.N.L.I collection

Year three would like to invite you to buy a name (or two) to help us to raise money for the R.N.L.I. in Weymouth. Mrs. Bernard has knitted a very handsome Lifeboat man and he needs a name. If the name you choose is the same as the one "drawn from the hat", then you get to keep him as your prize!

50p per name

We were lucky enough to visit the Life Boat and would like to say “Thank you” by sending a contribution of the money we have collected.

Telling the Time

This week the children will be learning about "Telling the Time".
We will be exploring the "telling of the time" using the following progression:
-o'clock, and half past
-quarter past and quarter to
5-minute intervals past, five minute intervals to
-minute intervals past and to

For those who have already cracked this skill there will be activities involving the use of timetables and handling time in practical situations.

Children In Need

Just to remind you that we will be wearing spotty clothes on Friday 16th Nov.
We are decorating biscuits with Teddy faces and doing a "Treasure Hunt" with Year 4.

Donations towards this excellent cause gratefully received.

Escaped Leopard

The children enjoyed writing their newspaper reports about a leopard that escaped from a zoo. The writing was inpired by some talented acting from Mrs. Thorne (a member of the public who first spotted the leopard) and Mrs. Bourne (Head Zoo Keeper).
Well done Year 3!

DM

Trip to St George's Church

Next Tuesday Year 3 are visiting St George's Church with Mr Farrington as part of this term's RE lessons. We shall be looking at the basic features of a church, going up the bell tower and listening to the organ being played.

Titanic

Well done to all of those children who took me up on the suggestion to find out about the Titanic during the holiday. I have seen some fantastic work.
A special thanks to Zoe for donating the poster pack to the school.
DM

Friendship

Our P.H.S.E. theme this week is "Friendship". The class had a nice discussion yesterday about the importance of friendship and about how to make and keep good friends.

Student visitors

We are lucky to have had two students working in our class last week. Both former pupils at our school:
Natasha from Thomas Hardye School was on work experience for the week and had a lovely time with us (and wants to come back soon).
Danni from Weymouth College is going to be with us on Thurdays and Fridays from now through until February.

Home Learning- Collective Nouns

For Home Learning next week I have asked the children to find out about "Collective Nouns". (-a swarm of Bees, a flock of Sheep, a parliament of Owls)
I would be great if they could make a list of a about ten examples.
Perhaps they could make some of their own up!
Thank you

Fun with Science

We had some fun in Science this week exploring how strong paper is- or, at least, how strong it can be if it is folded in a way that enables it to make a strong, balanced structure.
Using a piece of A5 paper we could make a cylinder that was capable of holding a 3kg weight - as long as it was properly balanced!

RE Home Learning

In preparation for a visit to St George's Church on Tuesday 20th November, today we watched some short videos about how Christians worship in church. I have asked the children to consider when they have visited a church: was it for a christening, a wedding, a funeral or a service.? Can you help your child to discuss this?

How We Learn

In our P.H.S.E. lesson today we talked about how we think we learn best, or what sort of learners we are. Are you a "Linguistic Learner", "Spatial Learner", "Kinaesthetic Learner" or "Musical Learner"?
Do you learn best when working with others, or when working alone?
This prompted some interesting discussion. You might like to continue chatting about this at home.

Home Learning over Half Term Hols

I have given the children a couple of Maths investigations to have a go at over the holiday.
I have also suggested to them that they might like to find out some facts about the Titanic. We will be finding out about the Titantic after the holiday.
Have a great holiday!
DM

Year 3 RE

Today we spent our RE lesson thinking about the things that are most important to us. I would like to encourage the children now to write a Thanksgiving Prayer to say thank you for all those things that they really value about everything else.

SCHOOL NURSE TOMORROW

The School Nurse will be running a drop in from 8:45am tomorrow morning (Monday 22nd October). Want to know more about what the School Nurse does please see this useful web link from Dorset HealthCare University NHS Trust: http://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/services/children-and-families/school-nursing-dorset.htm

Home Learning - Writing: "The Accident"

The Accident.

Home Learning Year 3

Friday 19^th October – for Thursday 25^th October

Write a story to accompany these 6 pictures.

Try to include the following things (that we have talked about in class):

-time connectives (then, suddenly, soon afterwards)

-some speech (using speech marks)

Money

In Maths this week we will be doing mathematical activities that involve the use of money.
It would be very useful if this could be discussed at home.
Could you play some maths games with a handful of change at home?
For example:
I have 3 coins in my hand...they add up to 12p, what could they be? (is there more than one possible answer? etc)
I have 4 coins that add up to 12p- What must they be?
Thank you
DM

POWSA Blog - Non ICT Day

I have this little sister Lola, she is small and very funny.  Next Wednesday (the 24^th of October) will be a non-ICT day.  That means all the children, including Lola and all the teachers cannot use computers or other technology in school! There will be no blogging, no typing, no googling, no surfing. There will certainly be no interactive white boarding, no tweeting, no ipadding, no videoing and certainly no tomatoes! Lola is looking forward to catching out her teachers, if they use some ICT, they have to pay a 50p fine!  Hopefully all the children will help Lola and raise funds for the school. Thank you - Charlie (and the POWSA Committee) - PS donations to POWSA for school equipment will be welcomed (as always!!)

POWSA Blog - Book Fair!

Just a quick reminder that the scholastic book fair starts today.  The books are available to browse by both children and parents after school Wed-Mon and at the parents evening tonight. Why not stock up on a few Christmas presents, or introduce your kids to another fantastic author? Once our target has been reached, the school receive 60% of the profit back to spend on books for school.  This has proven a very profitable venture in the past and we hope to replicate the success again this year!

What is most important to you?

Today Year 3 wrote a prayer of forgiveness. Next week we shall be thinking about what we most value in the world. What is most important to us and why? Parents can help by having a discussion about this.

Maiden Castle Farm Visit on Monday 15th October

Don't forget that we are off to the Maiden Castle Farm on Monday (15th October). Wellies or Walking Boots are a very good idea. Coats are essential. Hats and gloves are a useful additional option.
We will be back before lunchtime, so no changes needed to normal dinner routines.
Many Thanks
Duncan MacBean

Homework Friday 12th October

Write an ACROSTIC for the word “LIFEBOAT”.

You will need to write 8 sentences, each one beginning with those letters.

Remember we are hoping to see really interesting sentences that we can put up on a display.

Cinnamon Sam

A BIG "Well Done!" to the children for their fantastic performance of Cinnamon Sam today in their class asssembly. A good time was had by all!

Learning about prayer

We have written out the Lord's Prayer today and thought about why people might pray. Next week we are going to write a prayer of forgiveness. Any discussions about the idea of asking for forgiveness or forgiving would be helpful! We have started to think about things like good and evil! In case you are wondering, the image with this Blog is a Christian church in India.

Exciting News!

Here is some very exciting news from the team at Mathletics - The world's most powerful online learning resource has arrived on iPad, with the launch today of Mathletics Student - our brand new dedicated iPad app. Even better news is that the app is completely free, all you need is a Mathletics username & password. Mathletics Student has been custom-designed and built by our dedicated team of developers, who even invented some groundbreaking new mobile technology in the process! For the first time, students with an iPad can hold Mathletics in their hands and take it with them anywhere. Curriculum activities are downloaded right into the app* with all points and credits automatically syncing with the student's main desktop account. What's more, all of their results will appear (in real-time!) in your Teacher Centre reports in exactly the same way. PLUS - Mathletics Student also features an exciting update to the famous Live Mathletics game. The hugely popular 60-second mathematical race game returns with a sleek new interface and TEN competition levels - expanded to include word problems, algebra, number patterns and even logarithms! New-look Live Mathletics is also now available in desktop Mathletics too. *Note - not all curriculum activities will be immediately accessible via iPad. The full library of activities covering all ages will be rolled out across the coming months. Mathletics Student coming soon to Android tablets.

Harvest Assembly and Toffee Apple Muffins

Our Year2, 3 and 4 Harvest Assembly is at 10.00 tomorrow (Fri 5th Oct). We hope to see you there.

Toffee Apple Muffins
Today we made some delicious Toffee Apple Muffins (care of Mrs. Bernard, I should add- / Mrs. Thorne and me rely on Mrs. B. for the culinary expertise). We will be selling these at the cafe in the afternoon from 3.00. They are going to go "like hot cakes", so best get there early.
DM

Dorchester Library Chatterbooks Reading Group

I have been told that Dorchester Library currently has some vacancies for its Chatterbooks Reading Group. The group meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at 4.00-5.00, -the next meeting being 8th October.
The group is for children aged 7-9 and aims to encourage a love of reading. Each Chatterbooks member receives a range of materials including reading lists, review notes, reading diaries and games.
If you are interested then call Nicola Brown on 01305 762406.
It would be graet if children from our school got involved in this. How about it?
Mr. MacBean

Learning about Harvest

Today Year 3 have been learning about the traditions and history behind harvest festivals. The children can continue to learn about this through a website posted via Pupil Links.
From the school website, click on Pupil Links.......Year 3..........RE...........Harvest (Woodlands Junior)

You may also notice that there are two other websites relevant to recent learning in our RE lessons.

Learning our lines for our assembly

For Home Learning this week I have asked the children to have a go at learning their "lines" for their Cinnamon Sam Assembly.
DM

Health Care Plans

Please could you return all completed Health Care Plans for your child to the Office

Many Thanks
Mrs Hibberd

The Solar System

The children showed lots of enthusiasm for beginning to find out about the Planets of our Solar System.
We are trying to remember the planets and their order from the sun by using this helpful mnemonic-
"My very easy method just speeds up naming planets!"
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
Perhaps you could have a go at this at home.

Parent View

Please follow the link from our website to Ofsted's short Parent View questionnaire to let us and Ofsted what you think about our school!

FANTASTIC NEWS!

I am delighted to confirm that our school film 'Running Blind' has been
selected to be screened at the Co-operative Film Festival 2012.
Congratulations! The organisers of the Film Festival are currently in the
process of creating a programme for the festival and a letter confirming the
date and time of our screening (Thursday 1st November or Friday 2nd November)
will follow in due course. For more information about the Co-operative Film
Festival 2012 please visit: http://www.co-operative.coop/filmfestival/About-the-Festival/.
For more information about 'Running Blind' see our previous Blog post at: http://pow-office.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/film-premiere-big-success.html
and to watch the film click here: http://pow-office.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/our-paralympic-inspired-film-watch-it.html

Class Assembly Costume

For our Class Assembly on Friday 12th October (at 9.20am) the children will need to be "dressed as 17th century sailors". -A shirt which is a little bit too big, tucked in by a belt/rope over the top of some tracksuit trousers would be great. They need not wear any shoes as they will be climbing on the P.E. apparatus as part of the performance. We would be grateful if they could bring this costume to school in a named plastic bag at the beginning of that week (8.9.12). Thank you.
We are doing a short "play" called "Cinnamon Sam" which tells of the nautical adventures of a farm boy who ends up being pressed into working on a Spice ship. Exciting stuff...we do hope you can come along.
DM

Swimming

The children in Year 3 are having a great time in the pool. We are already seeing some excellent progress and lots of confident, smiling faces. Excellent!

Listen back to our pupils on Wessex FM!

Every morning this week Wessex FM are playing clips from pupils at the Prince of Wales First School as part of their Breakfast Show feature 'School Report'. This is currently going out each morning on Wessex FM at 6.30am and 8.30am (after the news). If you have missed the first two days, you can now listen back at: http://www.wessexfm.com/school-report.php. For more information about the pupils visit to Wessex FM, check out the Digital Leader Blog at: http://www.dl-pow.blogspot.co.uk/

Some ideas for thinking about today's RE lesson

Today I have asked the children to retell the story of The Good Shepherd to their parents. They might like to draw a picture to help them remember the story for next week.

Did you miss this morning?

Did you miss our parent information session this morning? If so, you can watch the first thirteen minutes of Mr. MacBean's talk now below or direct on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11HXefY0VHc. Unfortunately, a technical error means we missed the final seven minutes of the talk on film, however, a newsletter with all relevant information will be sent home on 21/09/12. We hope you find the below useful.

Home Learning - Friday 14th (for Friday 21st)

What I Like About My School.
The children have been asked to complete the "shield" with pictures to show some of the things that they like about our school.
DM

Our Year 3 "Class Charter"

Dear Parents,
We have been having some discussions about the "Rules" of our classroom that will help us to have a happy and successful time at school. Here are the ideas that the children have come up with:

Be kind, fair and friendly and make people feel welcome and included.


Help people when they’ve got a bit stuck.

Don’t shout and don’t talk over people. Only use kind words and talk to people politely.

Don’t let other people persuade you to do the wrong thing.

Move sensibly around the school.

Look after the classroom and the equipment. Share things nicely.

Work together and be cooperative.

Always try your best. Be determined.

Follow the seven caterpillars.

We are learning about Christianity this term

This term Year 3 are being taught RE by Mr Farrington and we have started by looking at "Who was Jesus?"
The children could bring me their drawings of what they think Jesus looked like or try to find out more about his life and teachings. Next week we will be looking at why he is sometimes called "The Good Shepherd".

WE LOVE A GOOD COMMENT!

We love it when we log in and see that a comment has been made on our blogs! It shows you are reading them and encourages all of us to write more! All comments made on the class blogs, through the school website, can also be read out to the classes during carpet time...which the children love! To make a comment simply click the blog title on the school website and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Fill in the comment box with your comment and sign in with one of several account options or just add your comment as a guest by selecting ‘name/url’. To publish your comment, click ‘publish’. Any questions, please see Mr. Spracklen.

'Running Blind' to be shown in ICCI 360 Cinema

We are excited to announce that our Paralympic inspired film 'Running Blind' will be shown tomorrow (05/09/12) from 3-4.30pm as well as on Saturday (08/09/12) and Sunday (09/09/12) in the ICCI 360 Cinema in Weymouth. The ICCI 360 Cinema is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and more information about the cinema can be found at this link - http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/icci360.

Further information about our film can be seen below:

We have made our own animated film to celebrate a year of Paralympic activities in our school and we are now really proud to share it with the world! Inspired by blind footballer David Clark and ex-pupil and former Paralympic medallist Mark Newton, we have created Running Blind a Paralympic story with an agricultural twist featuring an angry bull, a Dorset farmer and the Team GB Paralympic training camp at Maiden Castle. Children across the school worked with a team of artists to write, draw, animate, voice and direct the three minute film which is being screened during London 2012 Paralympic Games. Blind goalscorer David Clarke faces the challenge of his life as he prepares for the Games. Players are baffled when a lost match ball is mysteriously heard moving around the pre-games venue at Maiden Castle.

With the help of other Paralympians, sharp-eyed schoolchildren help solve the riddle but getting that ball back takes all of the blind striker’s extraordinary skills. Project producer and drama therapist Sharon Hayden said the children had come up with some wonderful story ideas. “Through drama sessions and working with our scriptwriting mentor, they have produced a great story - and done it justice with some lovely drawing and animation. “We are incredibly grateful to funders First Light and West Dorset District Council who have given these children the opportunity to make something which will be seen by thousands of people.”

Assistant head Gary Spracklen said the experience had been one that would live with the children forever. “The team of artists from our production partner Nisbet Media have done a wonderful job and involved the whole school in this project. It has been extraordinary to see the different elements of the film come together.”

Running Blind is funded by the Lottery through the BFI's First Light initiative.

Film:

Making of film:  

Swimming Year 3 starts Thursday 6th September

Year 3's Swimming sessions start on Thursday 6th September. The children should be taken to the Dorchester Swimming pool at 8.45.
They will need a swimming costume, towel and a swimming hat - goggles are optional.
(They should not come to the school unless this has been arranged beforehand by talking to Mrs. Bernard or myself.)
For the time being we are using the "old" pool so we will meet you by the "Pavillion" changing rooms, which are behind the actual pool.
If you have any concerns about your child and their participation in our Swimming lessons please let me know.
Thank you,
Duncan MacBean

Welcome Back to School

Dear Year 3 Children and their Parents/Carers,
We are really looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow for the start of the new term.
Mr. MacBean, Mrs. Bernard and Mrs. Thorne
(Your Year 3 Teaching Team)

FILM PREMIERE TONIGHT!

The Prince of Wales First School invites you to a film premiere: Running Blind at Dorchester Middle School on Thursday July 19th 2012 at 6pm. Please let the school office know if you are able to attend - phone 01305 257121 or email: office@princeofwales.dorset.sch.uk. Light refreshments will be served by POWSA. Dress: smart or smart casual. (No school uniform)

Film Premiere this Thursday

The Prince of Wales First School invites you to a film premiere: Running Blind
at Dorchester Middle School on Thursday July 19th 2012 at 6pm. Please let the
school office know if you are able to attend - phone 01305 257121 or email:
office@princeofwales.dorset.sch.uk. Light refreshments will be served by POWSA.
Dress: smart or smart casual.

Sports Morning

Our Year 3 Sports Morning is now taking place on Tuesday morning (17th) from 11.00 to 12.30. We do hope that you can come along.
Fingers crossed for some decent weather!

Olympic Torchbearer Visits

We had a special visit from Olympic Torchbearer - Wendy Pittendrigh on Tuesday 10th July. Wendy ran with the torch on the first day of the torch procession in Penzance, Cornwall. Some classes have been collecting donations for the photos taken with Wendy and the Olympic Torch. Apologies for telling some of you that the charity Wendy raises money for is Breast Cancer Care when it is actually Cancer Research UK/Race for Life. The link for Wendy's JustGiving page where donations can be made is https://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/wendypittendrigh You can read all about why Wendy was nominated to carry the torch by clicking this link: http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/torchbearers/torchbearers=wendy-pittendrigh-7622/. Mr. Spracklen

Circus!

Come to the Circus on SATURDAY 21ST JULY 2012 at Frome Valley First School, Crossways. The performance starts at 2pm until 4pm, but the fun starts at 12 noon for FOR BOUNCY CASTLE, FACE PAINTING, REFRESHMENTS, BBQ, JUGGLER, CIRCUS SKILLS & SILENT AUCTION TICKETS ONLY £7 (AGE 2 AND UNDER FREE) Available from the Prince of Wales School Office or from Fiona Staddon.

Olympic Rings Video

Many thanks for supporting our Olympics Colours Day! Despite a bit of drizzle, we made a great film of all the classes making the Olympic Rings. To watch this video, click the blog title on the school website and press the play button.

Wearing Yellow (or White) on Friday 6th July

The children have been asked to dress in the colours of one of the Olympic rings on Friday (6th). This is so that the whole school can be involved in a the making of a "stop-to-go" film;- where the rings are made out of colourful children. (Speeded up film etc)
The children in Year 3 have been selected to represent the yellow ring, and are therefore required to dress in yellow. I appreciate that this is probably for most of them the most difficult colour to be allocated. Apart from my flourescent yellow cycling jacket, I personally possess no other yellow clothing. If you find that your child is in the same boat, please can they wear white. I think that an overall combination of white and fluorescent yellow cycling jackets will basically look yellow!
Many thanks
Duncan MacBean

British Rivers- home learning, week of Mon 2nd July

The children in Year 3 have been encouraged to complete an activity sheet involving looking at a map of Great Britain to find out about rivers and other geographical features.
Thank you,
Duncan MacBean

FINAL Reminder - Home Learning Competition!

Just a quick reminder that Mr. Farrington, Miss. Johnson and Mr. Spracklen would like to see some fantastic examples of ‘Home Learning’ captured in a photograph. We are thinking art projects, work on Mathletics, spelling practice, visits to museums, reading, having a discussion on SWGfL Merlin, doing some research and much more! The opportunities are endless and special attention will be given to those entries that think creatively. As a prize we hope to feature the best images on a newly designed home learning booklet that all pupils will be using in September. Therefore, by submitting your photographs to the competition you are agreeing that they can be used for this purpose. All competition entries should be sent by email to the school office (office@princeofwales.dorset.sch.uk) no later than 3.30pm on Friday 6^th July, 2012. Any questions please see Mr. Spracklen or Miss. Johnson. Thank you for your continued support, Mr. Spracklen

Home Learning - week of Monday 25th June

For the week of Monday 25th June
Home Learning Year 3

The children are finding out about things that people have for breakfast. They are considering where things are grown and what happens to them before they arrive on the breakfast table, for example shipping, processing, slaughtering, refining, packaging, drying, bottling, transporting – depending on the food/drink.
I have asked the children to continue the table that they have started at school, choosing 2 more breakfast foods (or drinks).
Thank you,
Duncan MacBean

Reminder - Home Learning Competition!

Just a quick reminder that Mr. Farrington, Miss. Johnson and Mr. Spracklen would like to see some fantastic examples of ‘Home Learning’ captured in a photograph. We are thinking art projects, work on Mathletics, spelling practice, visits to museums, reading, having a discussion on SWGfL Merlin, doing some research and much more! The opportunities are endless and special attention will be given to those entries that think creatively. As a prize we hope to feature the best images on a newly designed home learning booklet that all pupils will be using in September. Therefore, by submitting your photographs to the competition you are agreeing that they can be used for this purpose. All competition entries should be sent by email to the school office (office@princeofwales.dorset.sch.uk) no later than 3.30pm on Friday 6^th July, 2012. Any questions please see Mr. Spracklen or Miss. Johnson. Thank you for your continued support, Mr. Spracklen

Home Learning Friday 15th June-Friday 22nd June

Breakfast Survey
I have asked the children if they can try to conduct a survey with people that they know so that we can find out about whether people are generally enjoying a healthy breakfast.
-(I have talked to them about not approaching people that they do noy know for this.)
Thank you
DM

What did you think of our Soirée?

A big well done to all our performers who did the school proud last night in our annual Summer Musical Soirée! If you missed it, we had Recorders, Guitars, Violins, Drums, a Cello, a Saxophone, a Mystery Guest plus so much more! We also had a group of World Famous Performers (also known as the Prince of Wales School Staff Choir). We would love to know what you thought of the Summer Musical Soirée and welcome your comments using this blog. Simply click the blog title (on the school website) - scroll to the bottom of the page and add text in the field which says: 'Post a comment'. Choose your account type or alternatively click name/url. To publish your post click 'Publish'.

 

I would like to say a thank-you to everyone who helped to make the evening such a success. Special thanks must go to: Miss. Broodle, Mrs. Staddon, Mrs. Webb, Mrs. Bernard, Mr. Creee, Mr. Thornton, Mrs. Hopkins and Dorchester Middle School for hosting. Mr. Spracklen

Year 3 Tests

Over the next two weeks the children in Year 3 will be carrying out tests for English and Mathematics. These help us to monitor their progress and also give the children a bit of experience in the "test situation" (which is obviously something that they will continue to experience.)
We will be delivering these "tests" in as gentle and stress-free way as possible. However, please let me know if your child seems to be getting overly anxious about this.
Duncan MacBean

Reminder - Musical Soirèe

A quick reminder that the Prince of Wales Musical Soirèe is going to be taking place on Tuesday 12th June at 6pm in the Dorchester Middle School hall. Doors open at 5.45pm for a Drinks Reception that will include canapés created by each class as part of our Food for Life work. The purpose of the celebration is for all children to gain experience in performing in front of an audience and see the progress our children are making musically as they progress through the school and beyond. If you would like to join us for the celebration please speak to a member of the Office Team. Mr. Spracklen

Spare Bunting?

As the Diamond Jubilee celebrations officially come to an end, we would love to accept your spare bunting that you may now be taking down. We hope to use the bunting as part of our Musical Soiree at Dorchester Middle School on Tuesday 12th June, 2012. Any spare bunting can be given to Mr. Spracklen or Mrs. Webb a.s.a.p.

Jubilee Food

Thank you very much to those of you who have already signed up for your contibution of food for our Jubilee celebration on Friday. There are still a couple of "food items" to sign up for. Just to remind you that the list is pinned up outside the Year 3 Classroom door.
Thank you
DM

Home Learning - Friday 25th May

For their home learning this week I have asked the children to write about an animal of their choice. I am anticipating that this work may be put on a display, so have asked the children to not write on both sides of one piece of paper.

When writing about their animal the children should consider the following points:

Where does it live? What does it eat? How does it find food? Does it live in groups/families? Identify its body parts, how are they adapted to its survival? What are its enemies? Does it do different things at different times of the year?

POWSA biggest Raffle ever!

POWSA biggest Raffle ever - prizes are as follows (and more to follow!!!)  Make sure you buy some raffle tickets, ready for the Summer Fair this Saturday 11am - 2pm: A set of Golf Clubs, Sunday lunch for 2 adults and up to 3 children at Moonfleet Manor Hotel, Poundbury Cycles - complimentary bike service, Bonjour! Cafe - £10 voucher, Dorset Wine - £5 Voucher, Cafe on the Green - Cream Tea voucher, Olives et al - voucher, 2 x Miniature Clocks, A Treasure Trail, Brand New Shoulder Bag from Peacocks, 4x complimentary tickets Weymouth Sealife Park, 1x complimentary family ticket Abbotsbury Swannery, 2x complimentary family ticket Lulworth Castle and Park, 1x complimentary family ticket Pecorama, Jordan & Jordan collapsible camping colander, On the Table £10 gift voucher

Dodgesons - Pair of tough Gardening gloves, Wise Owl Toys - Colour your own Puzzles, Pure - Back, Neck & Shoulder massage, Tesco - Liquor Chocolates, Step toes - bag, Seven Springs Studio – Family Portrait Voucher and makeover Photography Voucher.

Home Learning - Friday 18-25 May

Animal Classification

As a piece of "Home Learning" this week I am asking the children in Year 3 to find examples of different "types" of animals: - mammals, birds, fish, amphibians,reptiles, insects, arachnids and crustaceans. I have asked them to try to think of/ or find 10 animals for each animal group.
(for example;- mammals = human, horse, fox, rabbit, killer whale etc)

Thank you,
Duncan MacBean

Athletics (not Swimming) on Thursday 24th May

Thursday 24th May- Year 3 Athletics festival at D.M.S.

Dear Parents,

On the morning of Thursday 24th May the children in Year 3 will be taking part in an Athletics festival at D.M.S. We will be walking the children to the festival after register at 9.05 and returning to the school in time for lunch as usual. The children will change into their P.E. kits at school in the morning so should come to school in their uniforms as usual. Please make sure your child brings a waterproof coat and a drink in a re-sealable bottle. Sun cream would of course be a good idea too.

Therefore, - There is no Swimming on Thursday 24th May. All children should be brought to school on that morning.

Thank you,
Duncan MacBean – Class Teacher

Facebook

It has come to my attention that some pupils in school have Facebook accounts. May I take this opportunity to remind you that the terms and conditions of using Facebook state that the user must be 13 years or over (Article 4.5). If your child does have an account then they have already broken the terms of the site and have lied about their age. As a school we will be contacting Facebook to get your child's account removed. Although we now have a school Facebook account for parental communication, we want to make it very clear that this is an adult site that is not suitable for children. Mr. Farrington

Viking Residential

It was a great pleasure to take the Year 3 class away to Cranborne this week! They were so happy, co-operative and hard-working and despite some pretty awful weather on Wednesday they remained cheerful and positive throughout. Many thanks! Look out for photos and videos being displayed at the the school foyer!

Fun At Cranborne

We had a great time at Cranborne. The children had a go at so many interesting and exciting activities. They were all so enthusiastic about everything we did. The weather was not very good on the Wednesday, but we didn't let that stop us from having lots of fun. Our thanks to the staff at Cranborne for all their hard work. It was a very worthwhile experience. DM

Dorchester Carnival

This years carnival has no theme, so we have chosen a theme for the Prince of Wales School as the Olympics!  A great chance to dress up as an Olympic athlete!  The carnival is on Saturday the 16th June.  If you would like to be involved, to help or further information, please contact Mrs Bernard or Mrs Scott.

REMINDER - Tesco Vouchers

Our school needs your help to collect Tesco schools vouchers! Vouchers collected in previous years have exceeded 20,000 and have helped us to obtain some exciting resources. This year we are looking to set a school record and collect more vouchers than ever before! Please try to collect as many vouchers as you can and do not be afraid to ask your friends, neighbours, work colleagues for their vouchers as well. Many people who do not have children simply discard these vouchers and we could make valuable use of them. Collecting boxes are by the school office. Please bring in your vouchers on or before 01/06/12.

Mr. Butcher's Off Today!

FROM MR. BUTCHER'S BLOG - Today we set off. Meeting up at Heathrow later for the flight to Dheli in India, then onto Khatmandu Nepal arriving Friday. Saturday we fly to Pakhara and start the trek after a long drive. READ MORE NOW - Simply follow the link on the school homepage or follow @powsiteman on Twitter.

Home Learning

There are no "Spelling Lists" this week.
This is because we are away at Cranborne next week on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Home Learning for this Friday (4th)- / (I'm putting this on the Blog early because I will be away at Fairthorne Manor with Year 4 for the rest of this week.--.. Please stop raining!!)

Home Learning -  Year 3 Friday 4^th May

Viking Place Names

Some place names have endings that tell us about the people who used to live there. Others tell us something about the place itself.

These endings are associated with places that have a Viking origin:
Can you find the names of ending places in Great Britain that have these endings?
-by
-thorpe
-toft
-acre
-keth
-beck
-ness
-wick

POWSA FAIR DATE

A NOTE FROM THE POWSA BLOG - This years Summer Fair will be on the 26th May between 11am and 2pm.  Please come and join in!  If you would like to help, there is a form on the POWSA noticeboard (opposite the Office).

Did you miss this morning?

If you were unable to attend this mornings parent information session you can now view the video of the session online. To view the video please visit the school website and click on the parent tab at the top of the page. Next click the Year 3 button on the right hand side, a link is then given to the video. The video should play on the school website if you have QuickTime installed, alternatively you can download a copy to play in various formats. We would welcome your feedback on this new way of sharing this information. Comments can be made directly to me or through writing a comment on the class blog, simply click the blog title on the school website. Mr. Spracklen

Settings Change

Our blog settings have been changed to improve the use of blogs throughout the school. You can now add a comment to a blog post without being required to sign in. Why not have a go at this now by clicking this blog title and navigating and clicking on the text which says, 'comments'. Comments are an excellent way we can have positive feedback on the work we are all doing in school and you are all doing through home learning. Mr. Spracklen

Year 3 Spellings (for Tuesday 1st May)

Spellings for children in Year 3 – for quiz on Tuesday 1st May

Mr. Spracklen’s Digital Leaders

A big THANK YOU to all pupils who applied to become one of Mr. Spracklen’s Digital Leaders! There was a huge response and it was very difficult to pick just one child from each class. I have have now decided who will represent each class and have written to each pupil offering them positions as Digital Leaders and inviting them to our first meeting. May I thank everyone again who applied and encourage those pupils that were not successful this time to apply again in the future and attend one of our I.C.T lunchtime clubs which currently include Augmented Reality Club on a Monday lunchtime with me, Mr. Spracklen and Maths I.C.T Club on a Friday lunchtime with Miss. Johnson.

Visit Library Tuesday 24th Afternoon

The children in Year 3 are visiting the Library on Tuesday (24th) afternoon next week. We will be walking there and having a picnic and a play in the Borough Gardens on the way. This means that all children will be needing a packed-lunch on that day. Please make sure that your child has a good waterproof coat. The Library staff will be leading a variety of activities for the children during the afternoon.
DM

Home Learning (Friday 20th-Friday 27th April)

Home Learning-    Friday 20^th April

The Diary of a Young Viking

 I would like the children to write some sentences in the style of a “diary entry” of a Young Viking. They have looked at a website at school where a young Viking called Thorkel has to go into town to collect items from various “shops” in order to be allowed to join the crew of a Viking trading ship. The children could base their “diary entries” on this. They could also make up some things that could happen to him on his way to Norway.

 Duncan MacBean

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/vikings/

Spellings Year 3 Tuesday 17th April

list one	list two	list three	list four
Fast Last Each Dear Cold Only	Eye Horse Mouse Pretty Queen Myself	Ready Suddenly Towel Stranger Breakfast Afterwards	Parliament Magnificent Extremely Disguise Character Endeavour