Grade 3 News

Dear Year 3 Parents/Guardians,

Camp

For those who are attending Camp, there will be further updates to come, please keep an eye out for notifications on Compass or in your emails.

Learning Focuses

Phonics

We recently completed our focus on the /zh/ sound, which is often spelled “si” as in the word vision. It appears in words such as television, decision, confusion, and occasion. Alongside this, we have continued revising a range of other spelling patterns to help strengthen students’ reading and writing skills.

Grammar & Syntax

This term we have been exploring appositives. Students have learnt how appositives can be used to condense multiple sentences about the same subject into one, and how they can also help describe a noun or noun phrase.

Writing

We have finished our unit on wishing tales and students have been busy publishing their stories on the computers. Along the way, we have practised using different writing tools to make characters come to life:

• Tool 1: The Rule of 3 – Students described characters in three different ways within one sentence.   Example: He was tall, scruffy, and always scowling.

• Tool 2: Speech Sandwich – Students added dialogue, how it was spoken, and then continued the speech.   Example: “Where is my food?” screamed the queen. “I’m starving!”

• Tool 3: Action with Dialogue – Students gave their characters an action while they were speaking to show emotion or intent.   Example: Tom bounced on the spot. “This is going to be the best day ever!”

Knowledge

We recently finished our class novel study on The Black Cockatoo. This short but powerful text encouraged deep thinking about culture, country, and standing up for what matters. We are now learning about human respiration and circulation, exploring how our lungs, heart, and blood work together to keep our bodies alive and healthy.

Maths

Our focus has been on column graphs and bar charts. Students have been learning how to use them, analyse data, and ask meaningful questions that can be represented in graph form.

SEL

This term we are working on the Zones of Regulation, which help students recognise, label, and manage their emotions. We’ve been discussing what different emotions feel like in our bodies and strategies to help us stay in control.

Reminders

Students need to bring their satchel and diary every day. This helps with organisation, tracking reading progress, and communication between home and school. Nightly reading is an important routine—please encourage at least 10 minutes per night and record it in diaries. Students can also use Little Learners for extra practice. Please continue checking Compass regularly for updates, including the release of CATS (Common Assessment Tasks). Our next CATS for this term will be released this week. Viewing your child’s work and leaving a comment helps maintain strong home–school connections.

Upcoming Events

 • Monday 1st September – Curriculum Day (Student Free Day) 

• Monday 15th – Tuesday 16th September – Year 3/4 Camp

Thank you for your continued support in strengthening the home–school partnership—it makes a real difference to your child’s learning. 

Warm regards, 

Miss Stapleton, Miss Henzell and Mr Francis