Good afternoon everyone,

I hope you have all had a lovely week. We have been as busy as ever in Year 4 in the build-up to Christmas. Today, we were at the church where we were practising for our Christmas Carol Service on Monday 15th December at 7pm. The children have been working incredibly hard on the songs we’ll be singing and their readings. If you are able to make the occasion, it will be lovely to see you there.

If the children want to get in any last-minute practice before Monday, here is the link to the songs they will be singing: https://youtu.be/nDJnKD-0iDw

It was also lovely to see all of the children in their festive jumpers today, enjoying their Christmas lunches – it felt like Christmas had arrived two weeks early!

In addition to the Carol Service next week, the children will be watching the EYFS & KS1 Christmas performances. We will be having our open afternoon on Wednesday, which I look forward to seeing you at if you can make it. On Thursday, we will be having our KS2 Christmas Party, which the children can wear their normal clothes for. And to finish the term off on Friday, we will be holding our annual 12 Days of Christmas assembly, which the children and I love! We will then be finishing the day at 1:15pm.

As next week will be slightly different as we wind down the term, we will not be having a spelling test on the Friday, and tests will resume in January.

Also, apologies for not clarifying this sooner, but for the children’s end-of-term projects on this term’s PSHE topic – Celebrating Differences – they are not due in until the first week back after the Christmas holidays.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I will see you next week.

Kind regards,

Mr Chanter

Spellings for everyone (test on 12.12.25)

 

they’re

their

there

were/we’re

past/passed

to/too

its/it’s

your/you’re

definitely

excited

 Good afternoon everyone,

I hope you have all had a lovely week. It’s hard to believe we are now only two weeks away from the Christmas holidays. You may have noticed that our caretaker, Mr Rudy, has been very busy putting up our festive decorations— which has certainly helped us all get into the Christmas spirit.

Speaking of Christmas, Mrs Lawrence has been working incredibly hard with the children in preparation for our upcoming Carol Service at Christ Church on Monday 15th January. She has asked us to share the following link with you so that pupils can practise the songs at home if they would like to:
https://youtu.be/nDJnKD-0iDw
We hope many of you will be able to join us for the event!

In D.T. this week, the children continued their festive-themed sewing project with Mrs Edwards. Over the past few weeks, they have carefully planned, cut and prepared their stocking templates and this week they moved on to decorating the front panels. The classroom was full of creativity as the children added felt shapes, ribbons, buttons and sequins, using a combination of sewing and fabric glue to attach their embellishments securely. They demonstrated excellent fine motor skills and patience. Next week, the pupils will begin sewing the front and back pieces together using a running stitch to complete the main structure of their stockings.

In computing, the children continued developing their audio-editing skills as they work towards creating their very own podcasts later this term. This week, the focus was on learning how to snip or trim audio clips. The children explored how to remove unwanted sections, tidy up pauses or mistakes and organise different segments to create smoother, more polished recordings. They are becoming increasingly confident with these digital tools and are starting to think like real audio producers.

In maths, we have been consolidating the wide range of learning covered over the term. The children revisited place value, addition and subtraction methods, area, and multiplication and division. They also completed a series of assessments linked to these units, showing great resilience and applying the strategies they have practised throughout the term.

In English, the children are nearing the end of our class text The Iron Man. They were introduced to the dramatic and mysterious character of the Space-Bat-Angel-Dragon, which caused great excitement in the classroom. Using this inspiration, the pupils have begun creating their own unique characters for a story inspired by The Iron Man. They have been working hard to write detailed descriptions using expanded noun phrases and similes, mirroring the descriptive style of Ted Hughes.

A quick reminder: as the spelling test did not take place today, it will instead be held on Monday.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and as always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you ever need anything.

Kind regards,

Spellings (test on 5.12.25)

Mr Chanter's Spelling Group

interest

experiment

potatoes

favourite

imagine

material

promise

opposite

minute

increase

Mrs Friedmann's Spelling Group

myth

gym

Egypt

pyramid

mystery

hymn

system

symbol

lyric

typical

 Good evening everyone,

I hope you have had a lovely week. It’s nice that we have ended on a slightly warmer day, though I have no doubt it will be short-lived!

In English this week, we have been creating menus for the Iron Man as part of our own Junkyard Cafés. The children have been experimenting with ambitious vocabulary, using expanded noun phrases and similes to describe their dishes in imaginative ways. We had everything from “rust-flaked metal burgers stacked like towering skyscrapers” to “steel-chain spaghetti twisting like shiny silver vines.” The children really enjoyed thinking about how to turn mechanical materials into meals that might tempt the Iron Man, and the creativity on display was fantastic.

In maths, the children have been finishing their topic on multiplication and division, with a focus on multiplying three 1-digit numbers together. They have been using their times-tables knowledge to help them break down calculations and spot number patterns. We also looked at how these skills link to real-life scenarios, such as working out arrays, area, and grouping objects efficiently. It has been brilliant to see their confidence grow as they apply different strategies to reach the same answer.

During science, as part of our topic on sound, the children have been investigating how sounds travel. We took a listening walk around the school grounds, tuning into everything from the hum of classroom computers to the echo of footsteps in the corridor. In pairs, the children then discussed what materials each sound had to travel through—air, walls, floors or windows—to reach their ears. This led to some thoughtful conversations about vibrations and how different materials affect the volume and clarity of what we hear.

In computing, the children have started planning their very own podcasts. They began by brainstorming topics they are passionate about—ranging from sports and books to school life and environmental issues. We discussed what makes a podcast engaging, such as clear structure, expressive voices, and interesting content. Over the next couple of weeks, they will script and then record their episodes using an audio-editing programme on the computers, learning how to add effects, adjust volume levels and produce a polished final piece.

In music, the children have been continuing to practise their songs for the carol service at Christ Church next month. Their enthusiasm and hard work are really shining through and the hall is already sounding beautifully festive.

Now that the children have been properly introduced to this term's PSHE topic, Celebrating Difference, I would like them to create a poster, a piece of artwork or even a presentation that celebrates what makes them different or unique. This could focus on one of their hobbies, a particular skill or something they feel proud of etc. The children can either bring their work into school or you can email it to me at: cchanter@littleheath.herts.sch.uk

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and I will see you next week.

Kind regards

PSHE: Celebrating Difference (Project)

Now that the children have been properly introduced to this term's PSHE topic, Celebrating Difference, I would like them to create a poster, a piece of artwork or even a presentation that celebrates what makes them different or unique. This could focus on one of their hobbies, a particular skill or something they feel proud of etc. The children can either bring their work into school or you can email it to me at: cchanter@littleheath.herts.sch.uk

If you have any questions about the project, please ask.

Spellings (test on 27/11/25)

Everyone

though

although

dough

through

breakthrough

thought

bought

brought

fought

ought