Health and Wellbeing:
This term, we will continue to explore feelings and friendship.
We will also learn about managing risk, particularly in relation to
Bonfire Night, and keeping ourselves safe during winter.
Through our topic, we will also learn about the role that water
plays in keeping our bodies healthy.
P.E.
In P.E. this term, we will be putting our basketball skills to good
use and engage in some healthy competition through
basketball matches.
We will also be working on our fitness levels through Fitness
circuits.
Towards the end of the term, we will move on to focus on our
dance skills.
What can you do to help?
I want to make sure that P4E is a happy class! If your child
shares any concerns or worries with you, please let me know
and I will do all that I can to resolve the situation.
Encourage your child to wear something reflective during the
winter months to help them ‘Be Safe’ and ‘Be Seen’.
Water
This term, one of our IDL topics is Water.
We will be learning about the vital role that water plays in
our lives and explore ways of conserving water.
We will have the chance to undertake some exciting
science experiments throughout the topic, to explore how
water changes state and the water cycle.
We will also be investigating how solids dissolve in water.
Furthermore, we will also develop mathematical skill in
measuring capacity and volume through our topic.
What can you do to help?
Encourage your child to share their learning with you at
home.
If you have any topic-related expertise or knowledge you
wish to share with us, please let me know, I would be
thrilled to hear from you.
Eddie the Enterprising Elf
We have a second topic this term, which will run alongside our water topic. We will be setting up
and running a business ahead of the Christmas Fayre. Eddie the Elf has arrived in our classroom
and will be helping us to develop many of the skills needed in Enterprise. Some of these skills
include: Creativity, Responsibility, Communication, Teamwork and Problem Solving. We will
also be learning about and carrying out some of the main jobs in running a business, such as
finance, advertising, market research, manufacturing and even working on our sales patter!
We look forward to seeing you at the Christmas Fayre, where we will be selling our products.
Shortly, a market research questionnaire will be sent home and we would be very grateful if at
least one member of each family would complete the questions to help us make some important
decision about our business.
Espresso:
Every child has the opportunity to access some fantastic online learning resources at www.espresso.co.uk.
There are activities, games and videos to support learning across the curriculum. Simply go to the homepage,
click ‘Login’, and sign in using the following details:
Username: student14503
Password: balmedie
Contact:
It was lovely to meet you all at Parents’ Evening! If you have any further queries, or would like any further
information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can contact me by phone (via the school), or make an
appointment to come in and see me at the end of the school day. I will be more than happy to answer any
questions.
Miss Laura England
Welcome back! I hope you all had a lovely October break and are feeling refreshed. We have a very exciting
term ahead of us in P4E.
Reminders:



Children should all have suitable
indoor shoes with them every
day.
Please can you make sure all
children have P.E. kit with them
on Wednesdays and Fridays. This
should consist of a t-shirt and
shorts/leggings. If children have
pierced ears, and cannot yet
remove the earrings, they should
also have tape with them to
cover their ears.
Balmedie is a Health Promoting
School. Therefore, children are
encouraged to bring water only
in a bottle to school to help keep
them hydrated during class time.
Literacy:
This term, we will be applying the reading
strategies we learned last term to reading
tasks, working in our reading groups. The
books we read at school will stay in class, to
give children time to read for pleasure
outside of school.
For Writing, we will be working on the
following genres:
 Imaginative
 Poetry
 Reports
 Instructions
We will be working really hard on using
punctuation accurately this term and will be
doing some Punctuation Kung Fu to help us
remember when we need different
punctuation marks.
What can you do to help?
Encourage your child to read for pleasure
and read to them. Enjoying books on a
regular basis is so important at this age to
develop vocabulary and a love of stories.
Why not ask your
child to demonstrate their
punctuation Kung Fu at
home?
Term 2:
Monday
Music
Tuesday
Drama
Wednesday
P.E.
(with Mrs
Astley)
Thursday
Music
(with Mrs
Astley)
Friday
I.C.T
P.E.
Library
Art
(with Mrs
Connell)
Please send children to school with an art shirt/apron on a Monday to
help keep their uniforms clean. This can be anything from an old tshirt, to a waterproof apron.
Homework:
Homework will continue to be given out on a
Monday, to be handed in on Friday.
Homework will consist of two spelling tasks, a maths activity and,
sometimes, a topic activity. Each child receives a sheet with their tasks,
which is put inside their homework jotter on a Monday.
This term, the children do not have to complete reading tasks. Instead,
they will be taking part in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge and
should continue to fill in their ‘Reading Passport’. They can read any
books that they choose for this, either from the Home Reader selection
at school, or from home.
What can you do to help?
Support your child in completing their homework, and encourage them
to present it neatly. Test them on their spelling words and try to have
fun with it! Encourage your child to read, and discuss their book with
them. I would ask that you please sign your child’s homework every
week to acknowledge that you have seen it.
Maths and Numeracy:
Our Maths focuses for this term are as follows:
 Measuring length using different tools
 Mental Subtraction
 Written Subtraction
 Data Handling
 Volume and Capacity (linked to our water topic)
 Times Tables (ongoing, through Blast Off)
What can you do to help?
Continue to practise times tables with your child at home – practise
makes perfect! Continue to encourage your child to use
www.mathletics.co.uk and build on your child’s mental maths speed, by
asking them quick-fire addition and subtraction questions.