Davey Drive, Hollingdean, Brighton BN17BF

St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Brighton

Educating in Faith, Hope and Love

 

 

2022-2023

Welcome St John The Baptist's Class 

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Class Teacher - Miss Cross

Teaching Assistant - Miss Jackson

Support Staff - Miss Johnson

Crime and Punishment Stunning Start!

19.04.23

 

The children were very shocked to discover that the classroom had transformed into a crime scene on Wednesday morning! The class iPad had been stolen and there were four main suspects. The children became detectives and set to work trying to solve the mystery. They had to have their fingerprints taken (to rule them out!) and analyse whether or not their prints were 'whorls', 'loops' or 'arches'. They then examined fingerprints taken from the crime scene and compared them to samples from the suspects, analysed a handwritten note, drew detailed sketches of the crime scene and created artist's impressions based on descriptions provided by witnesses.

 

The children enjoyed working together to solve the crime and were able to explore some of the key vocabulary associated with our new topic. They were also relieved to find out afterwards that it was all for fun and the iPad is safe and sound!

 

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Activity Passports

21.04.23

 

The children will receive their 'Activity Passports' this afternoon. These have been slightly adapted from the activities suggested by the Department of Education. The passports contain a list of activities that encourage children to get 'out and about' and experience new things in the summer term. They also serve as another way to earn lots of Dojos! If you need extra copies of the passports they can be found here. Please email responses to myhomework@st-josephs.brighton-hove.sch.uk.

 

Have fun!

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Summer Term

17.04.23 - 21.07.23

 

Our topic this term will be 'Crime and Punishment'.

If children would like to earn extra Dojos by completing projects about our latest topic at home, please click here for the latest 'Power Projects' overview. Please email responses to myhomework@st-josephs.brighton-hove.sch.uk or bring to school to share with the class.

Please click here to see an overview of what we will be learning about in all subjects this term

St Joseph's Day

20.03.23

 

Following a special mass delivered by Father Keiron, Year 4 celebrated our school saint by creating beautiful wall hangings. Inspired by his work as a carpenter, the children created textured backgrounds for their portraits of St Joseph by creating rubbings from tree bark. They then created halos from gold leaf to sit behind their carefully drawn portraits.

 

Trip to Moshimo and Brighton beach!

08.03.23

As part of their Geography based topic, "The World's Kitchen," the pupils in Year 4 made a visit to the Japanese restaurant, Moshimo, in the centre of Brighton.

The children were split into two groups. Whilst one group learnt the art of using chopsticks, the other group learnt how to make their own maki sushi! 

It was a really informative and engaging session and we are very grateful to Moshimo for providing our pupils with this opportunity to enhance their Geography learning and understanding of Japanese culture for the second year running.

Following the sushi-making workshop, the class headed to the seafront to engage in outdoor learning. After a true or false quiz on facts relating to beach pollution, the children were keen to 'do their bit' to protect our local beach environment. They worked in small teams and used litter-pickers to collect items that may otherwise have found their way into the sea. 

Inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy, the children also created artworks from the pebbles. We headed back to school after enjoying a traditional British culinary favourite (a chip butty!).

 

I am learning to identify traditional dishes from different countries

24.01.23

 

As part of their Geography learning based around their topic "The World's Kitchen" Year 4 played a game in teams trying to identify pictures of traditional foods from around the world. It was very competitive!

Once they had correctly identified the food from its description, they had to come to the middle of the hall to collect the name of the country that the dish originates from. The teams then had to use atlases to locate the position and identify the continent of the country in order to label it on their team's world map!

The children demonstrated their knowledge of where countries in the world are located and learnt more about traditional foods.

The World's Kitchen 'Stunning Start'

09.01.23

 

As an introduction to their current Geography theme, Year 4 had their topic launch this week which saw them taking a journey around the globe through food! They were introduced to a variety of traditional dishes and produce from around the world with a multi-cultural tasting menu.

The class tried sauerkraut from Poland, guacamole from Mexico, olives from Greece, chorizo from Spain, ginger cake from Jamaica and onion bhajis from India (to name just a few examples!).

Globes were at hand to support the children's discussions about where they thought each dish/ingredient may have originated.

What a delicious introduction to our Geography learning this term!

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With the New Year comes a new topic overview! Please click here to see some of what Year 4 will be covering the Spring Term.

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As the year draws to a close, the Year 4 team would like to take this opportunity to thank the parents and carers of the children in St John the Baptist's class for their ongoing support. From raffle prizes to party food, we are so grateful for your contributions to school life.

 

As we look towards the New Year and our upcoming topic, 'The World's Kitchen', your child might like to get a head start by participating in the latest 'Power Projects'. The overview can be found by clicking here. Please email your child's responses to myhomework@st-josephs.brighton-hove.sch.uk.

 

Wishing all of our St Joseph's family a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2023, with love from Miss Cross, Mrs Judd and Miss Jackson. Have a wonderful break and see you in 2023!

Roman Rule Fantastic Finish!

15.12.22

 

Today, we marked the end of our topic about the Romans with an exciting trading game through which the children discovered some of the reasons why the Roman Empire came to an end. The pupils were in role as Roman merchants. They were spilt into small groups and assigned a region. They then had a selection of products from that region that they could trade with other groups (the aim being to collect as many products as possible).

 

The children enjoyed making successful trades until they encountered a variety of barriers. These included the introduction of high tax rates, damage to the roads, attacks from Germanic tribes, riots and the division of the Empire into two parts. As things became more and more difficult, crime rates increased and some of the merchants found themselves imprisoned! 

 

Tensions were eased and peace was restored at the end of the game when all of the children received a chocolate gold coin!

Active Advent

December, 2022

 

Year 4 have been keeping fit this Christmas by participating in 'Active Advent'. From 'Reindeer Lunges' to 'Elf on the Shelf Planks', we have enjoyed staying healthy whilst having fun!

Design and Technology Week

12.12.22

 

The focus for Year 4's learning during the latest DT Week was on simple circuits and switches. The children analysed existing products that use batteries and switches before designing their responses to the following brief:

Design, make and evaluate an illuminated Christmas artwork to be used by older children.

The children planned their designs by drawing circuits using the correct symbols. They then created colourful Christmas scenes with carefully placed LED lights that could be operated using a switch. There was a lot of troubleshooting which reinforced the children's understanding of the need for a secure connections to ensure a complete circuit.

 

 

Trip to the Booth Museum

7.12.22

 

To support their learning in science, the children in Year 4 went on a trip to Brighton's Booth Museum where they participated in a workshop on skeletons. Through this, they learnt the characteristics of a skull that would have belonged to a predator and compared it to skulls that belonged to animals categorised as prey. They also explored the different bones and joints in the human skeleton and took part in a carousel of activities.

When they spotted some preserved seaweed in one of the exhibits, the children made links to their work in English where they have been studying a biography about Victorian botanist, Anna Atkins. They were also excited to spot a robin - the subject of their recent poetry work. 

 

Here are some comments from the children following the trip:

 

"I learnt that lions have massive teeth. The shape of prey's eye sockets helps them to look around for predators."

"I loved it! It was so fun and I learnt a lot today"

"I learnt about skeletons and animal bones. It was so much fun!"

"I learnt so much. My head is full of information. I learnt about the beauty of the robin and about many skeletons."

Outdoor Learning

24.11.22

 

This half-term, year 4's outdoor learning included making key rings from discs of wood that the children had cut themselves and made a small hole in using our new hand drills. In line with our current topic, the children also made Roman-style oil lamps from clay and had a mock battle using paper aeroplanes! They had a fantastic time cooking up a storm in the mud kitchen, and finished off the day by enjoying hot chocolate and a sing-a-long around the fire. Perfect!

 

Anti-Bullying Week

14 - 18th November, 2022

 

For Anti-Bullying Week, the children in Year 4 got pro-active and designed a space in the playground where children can go if they are feeling lonely and in need of a friend. The 'buddy bench' will be monitored each day by two volunteer 'buddies' from Year 4 who will be wearing a coloured bib to ensure that they are visible to the rest of the children. The buddies are on hand to offer friendship and support to children in need of a friend. They also look after our new skipping ropes. These include an extra long rope that serves as a fun, healthy and inclusive activity for children who are looking to socialise but may be finding it difficult that day.

 

 

Design and Technology Week

17.10.22

 

The focus for Year 4's learning during DT Week was on levers and linkages. After exploring and analysing existing children's books that feature levers and linkages, the class began preparing to meet the brief: to design, make and evaluate a moving page to help engage younger readers. The children experimented with a range of mechanisms and discovered the movements that can be produced with different combinations of levers, linkages, fixed and loose pivots.  Pupils chose a page from our Power of Reading book to animate and built on what they had learnt during the prototyping stage of the process to create an outcome featuring their own design input.

The results were fantastic and it was great to see so much experimentation!

Black History Month

October, 2022

 

The class were assigned the rapper 'Stomzy' to research as part of Black History Month. The pupils were given facts about him which they then shared with their peers. Following this, they read an article about Stormzy's work to deepen their understanding of his mission to ensure young black British people are given fair opportunities to succeed. After learning about the origins of rap music, the children wrote and performed their own raps about Stormzy's successful career and inspiring actions.

 

 

Dance Lessons and Grandparents' Week!

30.09.22

This half term, Year 4 have been exploring dance during their PE lessons. They have learnt how to use techniques such as canon, repetition and dancing in unison and have successfully choreographed routines that incorporate these skills. Year 4 have really embraced these lessons and come up with very thoughtful and visually engaging responses to the briefs that they were given. They frequently worked in pairs or small groups and proved their ability to collaborate and compromise.

Their lesson on Friday 30th of September was extra special as they were able to share their enjoyment of the subject with their grandparents as part of Grandparents’ week! Thank you to those who came along and participated, we hope you enjoyed the session as much as we did!

 

Outdoor Learning

29.09.22

Year 4 had a fantastic day in our outdoor learning area. To link with the whole school celebration of Grandparents’ Week, the class listened to the story ‘Grandmother’s Dreamcatcher’ by Becky Ray McCain. The story explores a young North American girl’s stay with her grandmother and the cultural tradition of making dreamcatchers to defend against nightmares. Following the story, the children made their own dreamcatchers using natural resources. They also made their own beads from clay to add as decoration. Other activities included the ‘Roman Numerals Challenge’, which linked with their topic, ‘Roman Rule’ and their work in maths. Children competed to crack a code in Roman numerals.

Roman Rule - Stunning Start

14.09.22

 

Today we launched our new topic, 'Roman Rule'. The class had a fantastic time in role as Roman soldiers tasked with building straight roads to various cities in order to conquer them! The children had to collaborate with the other pupils in their group in order to plan and build the roads efficiently. Each time they reached the main city, they removed a rubber pad from the floor to eventually reveal the title of our new topic!

PE

Our class PE days are Monday and Friday. For this half term, Miss Pippa will be teaching football on a Monday and Miss Cross will be teaching dance on a Friday. Children stay active by completing the 'daily mile' on the other three days.

                                                                                                                                                                

Please make sure your child has a full PE kit in school at all times - black shorts, a green St Joseph's t-shirt and black trainers or plimsolls. All items are to be clearly labelled with your child's name. Kits go home to be washed at the end of each half term.

Homework

The children are set homework on a Friday. They have two homework books, one for English and one for maths. This will include spellings and times tables as well as a short English and Maths task. In a pocket at the back of their English homework book is their reading diary. Please encourage your child to read as often as possible (ideally at least three times a week). This can be by themselves, to a family member or to a sibling. Please remember to record it in their reading diaries. These will be checked on a Wednesday along with their homework.

To encourage engagement, children who consistently complete their homework on time and to the best of their ability will receive 30 minutes of additional 'Golden Time' at the end of each half term! 

         

Thank you parents and carers - we really do appreciate your support.

 

Curriculum Overview and Power Projects

Our topic for the next term is 'Roman Rule'. Click here for an overview of what we will be covering across the curriculum.

Children can earn Dojos by completing 'Power Projects'. These activities support their understanding of our current topic. For an overview of the projects, please click here. Children are very welcome to come up with their own ideas too! Please email all responses to myhomework@st-josephs.brighton-hove.sch.uk.

 

A warm welcome to a new school year!

 

 Dear children, parents and carers,

I hope that you enjoyed the holidays and all the lovely sunshine that we had! I am really excited to begin the new academic year and have lots of creative ideas to ensure that the children are given memorable learning experiences and are kept safe and happy throughout their time in Year 4. I am looking forward to getting to know each child individually and supporting them to achieve their absolute best whilst they are in St John the Baptist class. Please do keep an eye on this webpage for photos of all the wonderful things that are happening in class!

 

  I look forward to meeting you all and to a successful year ahead.

 Miss Cross