The start of Year 4 primary school days – September

It’s a new school year and we’re already 1 month in. N’s gone into year 4 and already seems so much more grown up. He’s talking a lot about work being easy (maths) and that year 4s are expected to do more sums in a session. I have to remind him that of course it’s easy at the moment, they’re repeating the easier start of the year work, before they move on to harder things.

Here’s our school days for September.

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Reading

Sigh. N read nothing over the holidays (despite him negotiating £2 for each complete book). So it was always going to be hard work going back. However, the xbox does have its advantages. It means he can’t play it until he’s read a decent amount, so at least he’s read each day for homework. Not a great amount, and he’s flicked between 3 or 4 different books and his First News newspaper, but it’s better than previously.

He’s been moaning there’s no books in the library that he likes, but he mentioned seeing another in the series of a book he’s enjoying at bedtime ‘The Accidental Rockstars’, in the classroom, so I’m hoping he might bring that home at some point.

New kids

Over the summer 2 boys left the school from N’s year and the year below. I got excited because I thought the class would now be down to 30 for the first time since N’s been in a full 2 year group class. But no, there’s 2 new kids, both girls to help boost the female contingent. And they’re still over the 30 capacity.

Giving up choir

I’m gutted, but N decided he was giving up choir. He still worships the choir teachershttps://bubbablueandme.com/2019/07/inspiring-teacher-music-fun/ who also teaches them music. But no more choir. He couldn’t tell me why he’d given up, but I think the fact that 3 other boys have given up from his year was probably the catalyst. He told me ‘I now have more friends to play with at lunchtimes so it’s more fun being out to play’. Sigh.

Swimming

This year N won’t get to do swimming all year because there’s too many in their class. So they’ll get to do 2 full terms (I think). He’s on the first round til Christmas anyway, and it sounds like all the year 4s are now in the top swimming group. As he’s still swimming outside of school I’m not too bothered about him not swimming all year round. It’s not like he needs to learn to swim through school. But swimming twice a week was really the catalyst for his fast progress since Year 2.

School shoes saga

As usual, in mid-August we went to the children’s shoe shop and had a nightmare finding a pair of shoes I liked (I hate trainer style school shoes) that would fit his feet. It turned out that despite needing a size 3 trainer, his feet are still only a 1.5. Which means he’s stuck with a choice of millions of trainer style ones, and only 2 normal school shoe style. Once he’s a 2, he’ll be able to have proper school shoes plus a choice of lace ups.

All bought, but after the first couple of days back at school, he moaned his shoes were hurting. He had no blisters, but the tops of his feet were red, presumably where the back of the tongue was. So back to the shop to get them re-checked. They insisted the fit was fine, but he could take the inner soles out – but for some reason, this year’s Startrite shoes are really hard on the soles, so you can’t wear them without an insole. He then ended up with lots of little lumpy spots on his toes on one foot – mysterious, and they were hurting where socks and shoes were touching. So he’s gone back to his oversized cheapo shoes bought in the summer (the only ones we could find in half term, that are miles too big). Hopefully I’ll get him back in the new school shoes once his toes are back to normal.

Buddy

Once they’re in the older years (year 4 and up), the children become buddies for children lower down the school. For N’s year, that means the Year 2s. N didn’t have a lot to say about the boy he’s been buddied with, although he knows him quite well from after school club. He finds it amusing that his Year 6 cousin is looking after N’s buddy’s younger brother who’s just started. I’m not sure being a buddy means much. I presumed it meant they were someone to recognise in the playground or if there was a problem, but according to N, they just collect their buddy from their classroom and take them to assembly.

Pen licence

N has been waiting in anticipation to get his pen licence. The teacher has been working his way around the class, checking their writing. He was so chuffed to have been given his pen. Now all except his maths work is to be done in pen. All I can say, is I’m glad I’m not having to write with it – it’s like a Berol handwriting pen but narrower for small hands, but as a leftie I always struggled with having to write more upright with them. Let’s just hope his handwriting stays near enough to continue using the pen.

VIP

N has twice been awarded VIP for the day this month.  He has no idea what for, so it’s a bit of a mystery.

Cooking

The whole school got to have a cooking session with the school chef.  Key stage 1 evidently made pastry, but the key stage 2 classes got to make Mexican Chilli con Carne.  N was very excited about this and I got the low down of the ingredients, the recipe, the knife skills they learnt, who was in his group and how tasty it was.  I now have to make this and he got me to write the recipe down.  Now we’ve got the recipe we know it was cajun rather than chilli powder I should use.. Expect a recipe post for it at some point, when the OH isn’t around because he won’t eat chilli.

Sports council elections

This year the children can stand for school council or sports council. Last year, N was too nervous to read out his speech for school council, but this year he was prepped, practiced and confident about doing his speech.  With sports council there is more than 1 position per year group, but I anticipated more chose to stand for that than school council. Also, if they’ve been on school council before, they can’t stand again, but can still stand for the sports council.

N said he did his speech and their teacher was really impressed with the work they’d all put in. He’s been helping out with the sports equipment shed when Class 4 aren’t around, but there’s still no announcement for the 2 councils from N’s class. Hopefully it will get announced this week, although N seems to have forgotten that it even happened. He’ll be competing against some pretty popular and confident children, so I’m hoping. But it’s a voting based election, so he knows that others might get more votes. I’m really proud of him standing, and getting up and doing his speech.

So that’s the start of Year 4, and it’s been a good one so far.

How has school gone at your end?