As we reach the last week of the first spring half term, we just want to keep you updated with some information and key dates for the next half term.
 
Book Fortnight: Protecting Our Earth and Environment
Monday 23rd February- Friday 6th March 2026

Each year we like to celebrate all things reading during our Book Fortnight. This year our focus is to explore texts looking to educate us to protect our earth and environment.
Please see Mrs Adnett’s previous email about Book Fortnight and on the newsletter section of our website for more information on this. Additional details with dates for the fortnight are included below:

Home Learning- Story Stones
For a special home learning linked to our Book Fortnight, we would like the children to create their own story stones or pebbles to represent their favourite stories. Once these are completed, we will then display these in school, and we will award prizes for each class. They will then be used as part of our OPAL project and be used in the school grounds. We would like the children to complete their creation and bring it into school for the week beginning Monday 2nd March where they will be shared and discussed in class and prizes will be given for creativity.

Dressing up day- Wednesday 4th March – The children are encouraged to come to school dressed as their favourite book character.

Read Dating- The children will also be asked to bring in their favourite book. This is so that the children can participate in an activity where they share these books with each other, promoting them to their classmates. The children need to be able to discuss their book and why they really enjoyed it. The idea is that during this session the children will hear about at least 30 different books that they might also potentially enjoy.

• Reading Dating for Year 3 - Monday 2nd March
• Read Dating for Year 4 - Tuesday 3rd March

 
OPAL
We would like to thank all the parents and carers who have so generously donated items and their time to our Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) project. The parent volunteer day was a great success and we achieved so much! We will be in touch with another date, later on in the year. Your contributions have been greatly received and are already sparking excitement across the school grounds! This will directly help us transform our playtimes and lunchtimes, making opportunities for children to explore, problem-solve, and most importantly, have fun! We truly couldn't do this without your incredible support.

The OPAL project will launch after the half term holiday so please make sure your child has an appropriate waterproof coat and wellies so that they can access all areas! During book fortnight, children will have play sessions in each of the new areas, where teachers will model how to safely use the different zones.

Thank you also for the donations that you sent in for the OPAL project.  A group of our Year 5 children were excellent help sorting them and getting them into the new storage.  We are still wanting a few items so if you have any of the following, please send them into school at your next convenience:
· Lego
· Sheets
· Rolls of wallpaper
· Small world – small people figures, animals, wooden dolls house/figures
· Construction resources
· Guttering
 
Home Learning
Our spring home learning grids will continue into the next half term but please can we emphasise the importance of reading at home consistently with your child. Regular practise of times tables, especially using Times Table Rockstars has a huge impact on increasing the children’s recall of multiplication and division facts.
At our Curriculum Evening, class teachers shared the importance of regular reading and rehearsal of number facts, spellings and consistent letter formations at home to support in school. Our presentations from the evening will be uploaded to the school website with supporting resources but if you would like any physical copies, please contact your child’s class teacher or phase lead, Becca Morgan.
 
RSE
Please see  Mrs Matthew’s newsletter  about the upcoming RSE lessons. Any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in contact with your child’s class teacher.
 
Parent Teacher Meetings
Parent/Teacher meetings are due to take place after the half term break with meetings taking place on Tuesday 24th February and Thursday 26th February with the exception of 4H. The arrangements for Mrs Gray and Mrs William’s class will be as follows:

Parent/Teacher meetings for 4H (in person, by phone or online)
These will take place on:
Tuesday 3rd March – morning only
Wednesday 4th March – morning only

Please ensure that you organise Parent/Teacher consultations through the ‘Parents Booking’ online platform system. The platform in now live and will close on Friday 20th February. This allows you to choose, book and edit the meetings scheduled with the class teacher. The log in screen is very simple and straightforward to use, no username or password
is required.
 
Thank you as always for your continued support.
Best wishes,
Year 3 and 4 Team  

Welcome back!

We hope you have had a fun festive break and have also managed to get some rest!
A huge thank you to the parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and family pets who helped to walk with us to Hazel Grove Baptist Church and Norbury Church during the last few weeks of the autumn term. We really appreciate your support and couldn’t make these visits happen without your help.

Are You Ready to Travel The World?

We had a great start to the academic year last term and saw the children thrive building their scientific knowledge. This term our whole school Quest focus will be linked to our history and geography objectives.
On the first day back we held a whole school assembly to introduce the new quest – Are You Ready to Travel The World? We were presented with different items of luggage containing clues as to our chosen destinations.
In Year 3, the children will be travelling from Salford to Los Angeles! They will be travelling across the United States, Canada and Mexico to move between venues hosting this year’s FIFA World Cup. We will be comparing the human and physical features of Stockport to Los Angeles. We will also be exploring the human and physical features of some of the other 16 cities across North America which are hosting the matches.
In Year 4, the children will begin their journey travelling to Berlin where they will be planning their own journey and will be helping an ancestor of a local soldier from Hazel Grove to learn more about their great grandad and the part he played in World War 2. The children will be comparing the human and physical features of Berlin and Manchester.
 
OPAL Bingo

The OPAL project is starting to take shape. The Working Party has met with our school mentor three times across this term.  We plan to introduce new areas for play after the February half term holiday.  Mrs Adnett and Miss Garrett have written to you to explain some next steps including a bingo style collection event after Christmas and a working party day where we would appreciate parental help to help us get organised for our February launch. 

The working party team day is Friday 23rd January, where we would appreciate any volunteers to offer help to come into school to build and prepare items for the project. The date for any donated items to be brought into school is Wednesday 28th January. Thank you again for your continued support.

P.E Kits

Please can we make sure that the children are appropriately dressed for outdoor P.E lessons, especially during the colder months as these lessons may take place on the playground or on the field.

In Year 3 this term, the children will have golf, handball and basketball lessons across the term. Year 3’s P.E days are on Monday and Tuesday.

In Year 4 this term, the children will have dodgeball and netball lessons across the term. Year 4’s P.E days are on Monday and Wednesday.

Both year groups will also have O.A.A sessions (Outdoor Adventurous Activities) where they learn team-building and problem-solving skills.

Year 3 will continue to get changed in school so will keep their kits in school to be worn as needed. These will be sent home between half terms but also when needed to be washed. Please can P.E kits be clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Year 4 will continue to come to school in their P.E kits.
 
Home Learning

New home learning grids will be given out the first week back and the children will continue to receive weekly spelling lists.

Thank you as always for your continued support,
The Year 3 and 4 Team