Middle Team

Teachers
Mrs Trinh-Frost (Team Leader), Mrs Phipps, Miss Conisbee/Mrs Sparrow, Mr Rumble

Teaching Assistants
Ms O’Donnell, Mrs Anderson, Mrs Dracott, Mrs Palmer, Mrs Hall, Mrs Evans, Mrs Wylie, Mrs Baker

Arrival & Registration
We can come into the Middle Team from 8.40am onwards and we can catch up with our friends, order our pre-paid lunch or put our packed lunch onto the trolley, put our water bottle in the tray, check the plan for the day and then complete the early morning challenge. School starts at 8.45am when we are registered.

Snacks & Water
In the Middle Team, we bring in our own healthy snacks and water bottle to keep our brains and bodies active.
We are encouraged to drink water throughout the day. We can eat our healthy snack during morning learning sessions.

Break Times
We have a mid-morning break that is taken between our morning sessions. This helps to keep our brains active!

Middle Team Planner
We use planners to help us become more responsible and independent as learners. Everyone is given a planner that shows the different learning activities we will undertake. During a week, we have sessions called ‘Planner Time’. In these sessions, we can choose which activities to work on or be guided by ‘planner priorities’ listed by a teacher. When we finish a task, we put a hot cross bun symbol () next to the activity to show the teachers we have finished.

Each day, we show our planners with our books. The teachers then look at what we have done, address any aspects of our learning that need to be improved or ‘sign off’ the activities we have completed on our planner. Any unfinished tasks are transferred to our new planner if still uncompleted.

Home Learning
Spellings: We are given new spellings every week on a Friday to learn by the following Friday. In the Middle Team we learn new spelling strategies, rules and patterns to help in our writing as well as words from the National Curriculum Year 3/4 list. As well as learning the spellings, we complete a challenge using the words or spelling pattern from that week. It is important that we use these words meaningfully in our everyday writing.

Reading: To support our reading at school, we need to read aloud to an adult at home most evenings, to practise expression and help our understanding of the text. Please comment in the pink reading record at least 3 times a week as you read to and with your child. It is very important to discuss vocabulary meanings and stories in depth at this stage in their reading so that comprehension grows.

We can take up to four books out of the school library at any one time and can change our books before or after school, or during reading sessions. Parents are welcome to change books with their child after school.

Maths Challenges: We need to practise number skills and facts to help us with our calculations in mathematics. We use number bonds to help us with addition and subtraction and we learn all of the times tables to secure our learning of multiplication and division facts. We can use ‘Times Table Rockstars’ and other websites and games to help us learn our times tables and we will be quizzed on our mental maths every week at school. Our aim is to build up strategies for quick recall of number facts. Parents can support their child’s maths learning by referring to the Calculation Policy on our website and our MT guide.

Projects: Every term the Middle Team are given a major home learning project based on the topic we are studying. We have the chance to explore the topic in our own way. It is expected that the work will be completed at home, with optional help from family members.

Specific details will be sent home each term with plenty of ideas and suggestions. Members of staff are always available for advice or support. To celebrate our home learning, we invite families and the other teams to share our completed projects with us.

French and Spanish
This year in the Middle Team we will learn French and Spanish. This will consist of basic vocabulary around specific themes.

PE
You will need a PE kit in school at all times. This should be a pair of trainers, a red T-shirt, shorts and jogging bottoms. We have two regular sessions of PE each week but may also need our kit at other times.

Parental Help
We are always delighted to welcome parents who wish to come in to help. Please contact Middle Team staff if you’re able to help. Thank you.

Year 4 Music Tuition
Berkshire Maestros will come into school for 12 weeks on Thursday mornings to teach pupils in Year 4 to play a tuned instrument.

Extra-Curricular Clubs
In the Middle Team we have lots of different clubs to choose from. Most of these are after school, but some take place during lunchtimes. An email is sent out explaining which clubs are running each term.