Welcome to Hercules Class!
Hello and welcome to the Hercules Home Page! We have lots of lovely Year 3 and 4 children in our class this year. Some of the pupils join Voyagers during the mornings and then rejoin us after lunch. The wonderful Mrs Williams and Mrs Edmunds (TAs) and Mr Drake (volunteer) support us in class.
I am a firm believer in hard work and putting 100% effort into each and every task. If your child comes home and tells you that 'the work is tricky or difficult,' please don't panic; it is meant to be challenging so that they have the opportunity to build on previous knowledge and develop new skills. I do not give my students work which they can access with ease as this will slow their progress and limit their capabilities. Learning is meant to be a whole of host of things- 'easy' is not one of them.
I am a huge fan of Prof Carol Dweck and her work on teaching children to have 'growth mindsets.' Over the next few weeks, I am hoping you will begin to hear your child say phrases such as, "I can't do it... yet," or "I have made a fantastic mistake which I can learn from." Promoting a growth mindset within the school and home reassures children that it is 'ok' to get things wrong. This in turn will help them to take more risks with their learning and feel less intimated by challenge.
If there is anything you would like to discuss with me about your child's wellbeing or education, my door is always open. Please make an appointment to see me after school so that we can chat in-depth. I look forward to the year ahead and working in close partnership. You are the experts on 'your child' and I would really value your input or any suggestions you may have.
Thank you, Mrs Kerry Mills
Class events
Mon 5 Oct
Mrs Conner's first day back
Fri 13 Nov
(provisional) Hercules sharing assembly
Mon 16 Nov
(provisional) Y3/4 and Y5/6 football tournament
Mon 30 Nov
Pantomime trip for Years 2 - 6
Tue 15 Dec
(provisional) FS/ KS1 production
See the full diary...
Thank You Children
Thank you to all the children who have stayed indoors, not always understanding why they can’t go out and see their friends. So here’s a shout out to those children, for raising our spirits and making us smile. They deserve a medal! Or at least a certificate, to show our appreciation. Mrs Mills x
Computing
While children are at home, Computing is one subject they can be working on - all you need is an electronic device and an internet connection. In school, the children would all have been studying computer programming this term, using the attached lesson plans, which are easy to follow if you are not a specialist. Take your pick of whichever unit/s suit your child, and give it a go! Y1/2 were going to use Daisy the Dinosaur, which is a free app available for Apple devices or Android. Everyone else was going to work on Scratch programming. Scratch is an online programming environment here https://scratch.mit.edu, which should work on any device, or alternatively you can download Pyonkee, a free app which is a copy of Scratch for the iPad.
Stone Painting... Get Creating!
While on your daily walk, why not collect some pebbles to decorate at home? You can let your imagination go wild and transform the stones into something spectacular! The possibilities are endless. I really love the rainbow ones as they remind me just how special our NHS workers are.
You may even decide to decorate your pebble and then leave it somewhere for someone else to find. I bet it would throughly brighten up their day! Please email me some photos if you decide to take up this arty challenge. Mrs Mills x
When the world had to stay apart, we stayed together...
I've always been a fan of salt dough but after looking at these beautiful 'lockdown creations,' I love it even more now. I know it is currently very difficult to get hold of any flour, so I have uploaded some alternative ideas that still use handprints. If you decide to have a go, please email me some photos so I can put them on the website. Good luck! Mrs Mills x
Calling All Designers!!
To get their creativity flowing, national broadcaster ITV has announced its new initiative: ITV Kids Create.
It is encouraging kids across the UK to be creative while at home and submit their artwork for a chance to have it featured on ITV’s idents (the ITV logos broadcast before and after ad breaks).
How can my kids get involved?
ITV said in a statement: “We are making a very special ITV logo featuring artwork created by kids at home across the nation.
"So, for a chance to be part of it, draw, paint or sketch us your best picture. Then ask your parent or guardian to post a photo of your artwork using #ITVKidsCreate and @ITV to Twitter or Instagram.”
You can download the ITV template from itv.com/itv-kids-create, and start colouring in. Drawings must be on an A4 size piece of paper and the submission must be a photograph of this drawing.
To submit a picture via social media, simply visit ITV’s Instagram or Twitter page and tag @ITV and use the hashtag #ITVKidsCreate. If ITV like the image, a member of the team will contact you by direct message on these platforms.
As many pictures as possible will be used, with on-screen credit for each submission broadcast and they will be on ITV this month.
Submissions open today, Monday April 6 and close on Sunday April 19 at midnight.
Why not have a go? Good luck if you do! Miss Burn x
y34_class_letter_spring_2020.doc
rainbow_cert_1.pdf
