Hello! I am Mrs Rayner and I am delighted to be teaching Raven class this year. Here’s a fun fact: ravens are one of the world’s most intelligent and playful birds. They are also shrouded in mystery – how wonderful!

A little about me, I adore teaching! Despite enjoying teaching many subjects, reading, writing and history are my favourites.

I am excited to be leading Writing at St John’s this year. My goal is to show as many children as possible that there is a writer inside us all and to ignite their writing passion. In addition to writing, I am also leading History. It can be so much fun diving into the past and exploring how our ancestors lived.

In my spare time I love to read, take my dogs on a long walk and ride my bike.

 

Other staff working in our class are:

Miss Barden – Teaching Assistant

Miss Walker – Third Teacher

Mrs Woodward - Cover Teacher

 

Our timetable:

Our learning this term:

Our English this term is 'The Light Jar' written by Lisa Thompson. This wonderful book tells a heartwarming story about a 12-year-old boy named Nathan (Nate) who is going through a tough time. After his parents' divorce, he decides to run away and escape to an old house in the countryside. There, Nathan finds comfort in a jar of fireflies, which he believes can give him hope and help him heal. As he spends time in the peaceful surroundings, Nathan meets some interesting people, and he learns more about himself and the importance of facing his fears. We hope to use this book to inspire some gorgeous writing, as well as to teach the children about friendship, courage, and finding light in difficult times. Our writing genres will be: setting descriptions, poetry, character descriptions, narrative and newspaper reports. 

Our maths learning this term begins with decimals. The children will focus on understanding the place value of decimals, learning how to round them, and finding equivalent decimals, fractions, and percentages. We wll also delve into measuring area and perimeter, studying both regular and irregular shapes. Additionally, they will practice interpreting data, helping them develop their problem-solving and analytical skills. It's going to be an engaging and hands-on learning experience!

Our Science unit this term continues to be Living Things and Their Habitats. We will explore the life cycles of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and birds, focusing on their unique stages of development. We will also learn about fetal development in mammals, the transition from egg to adult in reptiles and amphibians, the process of metamorphosis in insects, and the growth of birds from eggs to young. The unit will also compare how these animals nurture and care for their offspring. Through hands-on activities, discussions, and creating life cycle diagrams, students will develop a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences in how life begins and grows across various species.

In Geography we continue with our exciting unit on South America. We will diving into the process of the water cycle, the effects of deforestation, as well as locating Brazil's key cities and exploring their climates. We will also compare the homes, lifestyles, locations and opportunities of different people in Rio de Janeiro before comparing the country to our own.

In RE we are learning about Salvation. We will be identifying the key events that lead to Jesus' death, understanding how his death is viewed as a sacrifice whilst making links with the symbol of the cross, and understanding the symbolism of Eucharist. 

German: This term is focused on revision. We will be exploring greetings, months, days of the week, colours, numbers and conversational skills. 

Computing: We are learning to copy and paste audio files to create repeated loops (rhythms), to add multiple audio files onto additional tracks, creating a multi-track mix, and to combine a range of recorded and pre-recorded elements to create a composition.  

Learning at home for Raven Class :

• Reading AR books 

• Spelling shed (login details are stuck into your child's reading record)

• TTS Rockstars (login details are stuck into your child's reading record)

 

Be ready for learning! In Raven class your child will need to have these items in school: 

• PE kit (to be worn on Tuesdays) 
• Water bottle (no squash or juice) 
• Small rucksack (big enough to hold lunchbox and reading books) 
• Wellington boots (to leave in school) 
• Coat (weather appropriate) 

Please don’t bring other items into school, as we do not have space to store these, and it can cause upset if things are lost or damaged.

Please do not allow your child to bring fidgets into school as these are often a distraction from learning. We will provide your child will a fidget if it is required. 

Term 3 highlights

Raven's absolutely loved our team building lesson!