Hugh Gaitskell Primary School

Christmas Cards 2024

This Christmas, our talented children have created beautiful handmade cards for their loved ones, capturing the true spirit of the holiday. Through colourful designs and heartfelt messages, these cards express love, warmth, and joy. More than just crafts, they reflect the values of kindness, gratitude, and togetherness that define Christmas. In making these cards, children spread festive cheer and remind us all of the importance of cherishing loved ones during this special season.

Year 3 End Of Term/Christmas Assembly

Year 3 have achieved so much already this year! They’ve tackled new subjects with confidence, making great strides in maths, English, and their wider learning. Whether it’s exploring the world of science or diving into history, their enthusiasm and effort have been brilliant. They’ve shown impressive teamwork, curiosity, and a real eagerness to learn.

Year 3 are off to a fantastic start, and we can’t wait to see what they’ll achieve in the new year. Well done, Year 3 – enjoy your well-deserved Christmas break!

Christmas Carols @ DePuy Synthes

The School Choir, led by the wonderful Mrs. Rivers, brought joy and festive cheer to our dear senior citizens during a special concert organized by DePuy Synthes and the invaluable Kerry Seymour.

With beautiful harmonies and heartfelt performances, the choir created a warm and uplifting atmosphere, making the event truly memorable. The children's enthusiasm and talent were evident as they shared their music, spreading happiness and creating a lovely connection with the senior guests. It was a heartwarming occasion, and we are so proud of the choir for their outstanding performance and kindness in bringing smiles to so many faces. DePuy organised a fantastic, delicious Christmas dinner and as a thank you to our wonderful performers, each child received a gift from Santa! We will never forget that day!

Focus on Handwriting and Presentation

Handwriting and presentation are essential aspects of becoming an excellent writer, as they contribute to the clarity and impact of the writing. Neat handwriting ensures that the reader can easily understand and engage with the text, while well-organised presentation makes the writing more visually appealing and professional.

A clear structure, proper spacing, and consistency can help convey the writer's ideas more effectively, making the message easier to follow and more enjoyable to read. In addition, a polished presentation shows care and attention to detail, reflecting the writer's commitment to producing high-quality work. Ultimately, both handwriting and presentation enhance the overall reading experience and help establish the writer’s credibility and skill.

Take a look at these exceptional pieces from Years 3 & 4.

Hanukkah  2024

Class 3 Sandpiper and Mrs. Waghorn recently conducted a wonderful assembly about Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. The students shared fascinating facts about the history and traditions of Hanukkah, including the story of the miracle of the oil and the importance of the menorah, a special candleholder used during the celebration.

The children explained the significance of each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, when one additional candle is lit on the menorah, and they also spoke about traditional customs like playing the dreidel game and eating foods like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts). Mrs. Waghorn guided the presentation with enthusiasm, helping to bring the story of Hanukkah to life for the whole school. It was an engaging and educational assembly that fostered a deeper understanding of this important cultural and religious tradition.

Our new Autumn 2 term brought some cold temperatures, but it is NEVER cold in our weekly Assemblies! Benjamin Zephaniah - in his personal to us message - once said, "We must flood the world with kindness, because kindness is the only cure" and in our first assembly of this term we awarded The Kindest Soul Awards. It is always so difficult to award, as we are blessed with so many kind and respectful children. 

Winning house points is important for several reasons, both educational and social. 

One of the most important one is Fostering a Sense of Belonging
Our House system provides our children with a group or "team" they belong to, giving them a sense of community. Winning house points helps them feel connected to their peers and school, enhancing their overall experience. It can also encourage positive peer interactions as they work together to earn points. Look at their proud faces!

As we wrapped up another fantastic term at Hugh Gaitskell Primary School, our End of Term Assembly celebrated the hard work and accomplishments of our delightful children. We honoured students for their achievements in academics, teamwork, and character. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the efforts and progress made over the term.  Each class shared their favourite projects and activities from the term, giving everyone a glimpse into the engaging learning experiences happening at our school.

At Hugh Gaitskell Primary School, we believe that teamwork is a fundamental skill that sets the foundation for success in both school and life. Our provision highlights the importance of collaboration, helping children learn to work together, communicate effectively, and support one another. Look at all those team players who received their House Points certificates today:

Our SMSC Assembly this week was delivered by the talented speakers in Year 3 Skylark. Children for the first time spoke about the World Children's Day.

World Children's Day is celebrated on 20th November to promote the rights and well-being of children around the globe. It marks the anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.  Children prepared short speeches to:

1. Raise Awareness: Highlight the challenges faced by children, such as poverty, inequality, and lack of access to education.

2. Promote Children's Rights: Advocate for the protection and fulfillment of children's rights, ensuring they have a safe and supportive environment.

3. Encourage Participation: Empower children to speak up and participate in decisions that affect their lives.

4. Celebrate Children: Recognize the importance of children as key members of society and celebrate their potential and contributions.

It was the first time that children spoke into the microphone, but were absolutely natural - no stage fright whatsoever! 

During our assembly we have also awarded our Savvy Scientists, who came on stage to talk to us about metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous rocks! Quite a tongue-twisters!

As ususal, we finished with awarding our children with the House Point Certificates! Our children are exceptionally ambitious, competitive yet kind and respectful team players! GO Team HGPS!

This week, in Year 3, children have learnt about soil as part of their science curriculum.  

1. Soil Composition: Understanding the different components of soil, such as minerals, organic matter, air, and water.

2. Soil Types: Exploring various types of soil (sand, clay, silt) and their characteristics.

3. Soil Formation: Learning how soil is formed over time through weathering and decomposition of organic material.

We all created a recipe for the best, most nutrient soil and I bet you can guess which part was the most entertaining......

YES - WORMS!

 Disclaimer: No REAL Worms were harmed during that experiment! :)

Year 3 and 4 Award and SMSC Assembly

Our Week 6 Assembly saw 3 Wren class winning our giant, shiny Attendance Trophy. 

We all understand that Attendance in primary school is crucial for several reasons:

Foundation for Learning: Early education builds the groundwork for future learning. Regular attendance helps children grasp fundamental concepts in literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking.

Social Development: School provides opportunities for children to develop social skills, such as teamwork, communication, and conflict resolution, which are essential for personal and professional success. 

Congratulations Wrens!

Our Star Of The Week Award went out to our fantastic, heuristic Historians who enlightened us with their knowledge of the Stone Age, using vocabulary such as prehistoric, Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic Stone Age! We were all in awe!

World Animal Day 4 October 2024

Celebrating Animal World Day in primary schools is important for several reasons:

Awareness: It helps children learn about different species, their habitats, and the importance of biodiversity.

Empathy: Engaging with animal welfare issues fosters compassion and empathy towards all living beings.

Environmental Education: It provides an opportunity to discuss conservation and the impact of human activities on wildlife.

Critical Thinking: Activities related to animals can encourage critical thinking about ecosystems and the interdependence of species.

Year 3 WREN Class prepared a wonderful assembly to further cultivate a sense of responsibility and stewardship for the planet in our young learners. 

Year 3 and 4 Award and SMSC Assembly

Each time we meet to celebrate our children's achievements, it is a joyous occasion! This time, we celebrated our young authors, who have just composed their first stories of the year. Our super writers felt very proud when coming onto the stage to receive a certificate!

As if that was not enough, we awarded Pen Licences to two children whose handwriting has proved to be outstanding in recent days. They feel very 'KS2' now - no more pencils!

Each child at our school belongs to a House - Malala, Attenborough, Curie-Sklodowska or Zephaniah. Children can gather House Points to support their House and ultimately receive a treat from the Headteacher.

This week we saw the first recipients of the House Point Certificates - 25 House Points! Children worked very hard to get them and were very proud of their achievements.

Our SMSC assembly focused on Black History Month that commenced on 1st October 2024. Children from Year 4 talked about the importance of equality and civil rights and we all looked at many inspirational people. 

Year 3 Drama Workshops

This week, Year 3 children strengthened their understanding of group work by taking part in structured activities that incorporated role play, delegating tasks,  posing clarification questions and offering feedback. Children enriched their vocabulary and worked on their confidence. Not to mention, that all this was led by our in-house celebrity actor - Luke Broughton known from Emmerdale or Coronation Street. We felt really inspired! We cannot wait to put our ideas into writing now!

Year 3 Ancient Egyptian Workshops

This week, Year 3 children travelled back in time to Ancient Egypt where, assisted by an artist, they designed and created their very own cartouches. These were meant to protect against evil spirits in this life and the afterlife. As if that was NOT enough, all Year 3 children learnt and took part in a magical and healing snake charming dance routine. No matter how elaborate the Ancient Egyptian moves were, the children were truly hypnotising. 

Year 3 Christmas Card Art

Children have developed plenty of new art skills during this year’s Christmas card-making endeavour! Learning continues right up to the very last day of term!

Carol Singing - Live at Home Scheme

Some of our talented Year 3 children performed carols for our friends at DePuy Synthes and members of the South Leeds Live at Home Scheme. What a fabulous community event! 

Author Visit - Hannah Durkan

This week everyone is talking about Zeina Starborn and the Sky Whale by the fantastic author Hannah Durkan! We were so inspired by her assemblies and book signing. We can’t wait to write our own science fiction stories! 

Super Story Writing

This week we celebrate our Year 3 Author of the Week, Ismail! Ismail has made such fabulous progress!

Stone Age Dwellings

We love learning about the Stone Age in Year 3! We researched Stone Age dwellings before designing and creating our very own mini models. Can you identify which period each one is from? The Neolithic, Mesolithic or Palaeolithic period? 

Let's Rock!

Today in Science, our Year 3 children became little scientists exploring the density and permeability of different types of rocks: from granite, through limestone to chalk and slate.  We used our investigative skills and expanded our scientific vocabulary.

Spanish

We love learning to speak Spanish in Year 3!

The River Thames

Take a look at the beautiful work our Year 3 pupils have produced about the River Thames.

Rivers

In Year 3 we are busy exploring rivers! We even constructed our own mighty river in the garden! We can now use a range of vocabulary to explain the key features.

#TalkMatters #KnowMore #DoMore #RememberMore #Curriculum #Year3 #Rivers #Geography

Mummification

Year 3 understanding the process of mummification through role play! 

The Tin Forest

Our Year 3 children and staff were treated to a very inspiring and thought-provoking message from Helen Ward- author of The Tin Forest. 

We are learning about how to write a diary entry. To do so, we used Pie Corbett’s approach of Talk 4 Writing and we’ve based it on the amazing The Tin Forest book by Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson. We’ve put our learning into action! Save the planet we say!

In Year 3 we have used oil pastels to create an image of ourselves as a Pharaoh wearing a headdress. We looked at the different headdresses and what they symbolised, designed one and sketched it onto paper that we tea stained ourselves.

We are Voyagers!

Voyagers Art

Working with our resident artist, our talented Year 3 pupils made some beautiful ocean-themed sculptures for our new Voyagers library! Aren’t they fantastic!?

Our 3 Skylark Rock Detectives have been busy investigating the properties of rocks. They were able to use a range of technical vocabulary such as density, permeable, impermeable, granite, limestone, chalk, marble and sandstone!

Wren children had a fabulous time being Stone Age hunters and gatherers! They searched the school garden for food and used their spears to retrieve what they had found. They were able to use a range of vocabulary to explain what Stone Age people needed for survival. 

Stone Age Estate Agents

Year 3 children in Sandpiper Class chose to travel to Stone Age Britain during their lunchtime! They made a camp ‘fire’ and even had a go at making their own paint to create cave paintings! We think they may enjoy their history lessons!

Key Information

Year 3 Staff:

Mr M. Dudziak-  3 Skylark ClassTeacher/ Assistant Headteacher

Mrs L. Waghorn- 3 Sandpiper Class Teacher

Miss L. O'Hagan - 3 Wren Class Teacher

PE:

Year 3 children arrive at school wearing their PE Kit on the following days:

A P.E kit should consist of:

• Black joggers or shorts
• Bottle green t-shirt
• Black pumps or trainers

Reading:

It is important that your child reads every day for 10 - 15 minutes. Once they have read, please ensure you sign their reading record book to indicate that they have read at home. 

Year 3 Curriculum Overview:

Click here to download the Year 3 Curriculum Overview

Year 3 Homework:

Click here to download the Year 3 Autumn 1 Homework Schedule

Click here to download the Year 3 Autumn 2 Homework Schedule