Friday 19th July
We couldn't end the year without saying a huge thank you for all your support throughout Year 2. We have had a fantastic, memorable year and have loved watching your children learn and grow. They are ready to make the leap to Key Stage 2 with confidence and positivity (and maybe a few nerves!) to continue their St Mary's journey.
We would like to thank you for all your wonderful gifts, cards and messages of thanks. They mean a great deal to us.
We hope you all have a restful, enjoyable and well earned summer break!
With very best wishes,
Mrs Bartram, Mrs Lee and Mr Torrano
Friday 12th July
In our penultimate week of Year 2 we have spent time working towards the completion of many of our units of work. In Geography/English we wrote detailed postcards role-playing as a tourist on holiday in Lagos, Nigeria. The children demonstrated their learning about the differences between there and home, and many commented that they were missing the peace and quiet of Rickmansworth! In Maths we focused on 2-step word problems. Next week, we are going to revisit some aspects of shape and space to secure that before the holidays.
In PSHCE we began to consider why first aid is important and what we could do to help someone in need. Next week we will continue to learn some practical steps, supported by the excellent British Red Cross training modules for children on their website - First Aid Champions. We will also be looking at our final 'No Outsiders' lesson, looking at different ways of communication.
Today we had a monster day in class. Writing up our monster reports to create a class book and then constructing our moving monsters in Design and Technology - there were lots of fantastic designs!
On Thursday, the class spent the morning in Year 3 with Mrs Garland and Mrs Perry. They had time to get to know their new classroom layout. We will continue to make time to discuss concerns and questions next week.
Reports will be emailed out on Tuesday. They are in a different format to previous years with more of a focus on learning behaviours. At the end of the report there is data from our Summer PIRA/PUMA (progress in reading and maths) assessments, which give an age standardised score and KS1 SATs (which were optional this year and which we undertook in order to show a comparison with PIRA/PUMA) as well as our own teacher assessment. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask one of us or email the Office to forward onto us.
Please can all Library books and reading books be handed back on Monday. Please can every child bring in plastic/canvas bag in which to transport subject books, eg Maths, English, RE. home.
Before the rush of the final week of the year, we'd like to take a moment to say what a privilege it has been for us both to spend the year teaching your children. They are an incredibly special bunch and we are very fond of all of them. Thank you for your partnership with us over the year.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 5th July
Sports Week has been great fun and we have enjoyed the extra special activities including Multisports with the School Sports Partnership and Sports Day yesterday. Thank you for all your support.
We have been busy learning how to use generalisers and certain connectives for our reports on monsters in English, which culminated in writing all about our own uniquely designed monster, today. So many of the class were successful in following modelled structures and are beginning to use much more mature vocabulary. Well done, Year 2! Next week, we will be writing a postcard to describe Lagos, comparing it to Rickmansworth as we complete our term's learning for Geography. In Maths we have been practising giving directions using specific mathematical vocabulary such as clockwise/anticlockwise, above/in between etc
In PSHCE this week we talked about what to do if we were ever touched inappropriately. We revisited our Hand Network (5 people who we trust enough to talk to). We also sang along to the 'Pantosaurus' song from the NSPCC website. In RE, we reflected on how and why we trust others, and why Christians trust and follow Jesus.
Next week we are off to St Mary's Church on Tuesday afternoon for a special RE lesson, as part of a whole school day linking with the Church. Thank you to those who have offered to accompany us. We will be leaving school at 12:55pm to arrive at St Mary's Church for 1:15pm.
We are now collecting back all Library books to be returned to our school Library. Please encourage your child to search under beds and in bedrooms to locate and return their Library book. We have a list of titles if you need a prompt!
Home Learning
Apologies, the home learning activities we not handed out today, so we will give these to the class on Monday, please return them on Friday instead of Wednesday next week.
Maths: Green CGP book - tables and graphs pages 70-76
Comprehension: Circus
Please continue to read to read and sign the Reading Record book at least 5 times .
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 28th June
It has been Science week and we have had a really busy time enjoying some special activities including our walk around Rickmansworth, interactive science workshop, a Maths lesson in Year 3 as well as our STEM competition to design a zoo enclosure. Our thanks to the parents who accompanied us on Monday afternoon. It was a very worthwhile trip and for the helpers 'above and beyond' due to the heat! We have also completed our assessments in reading and Maths, and are very pleased with the results:) More details will be given in your child's report which will be sent out in the final week of term.
This week in English we have continued to work towards writing a non-chronological report on monsters. We have been practising using 'Power of 3' sentences, generalising sentence starters (most, all, some, many) and contrasting vocabulary. We will continue with these reports next week. Homework is linked to next week's writing so please ensure that it is done by Wednesday.
In Maths, we have been learning all about position, movement and turning - clockwise, anticlockwise, above, in between, below, quarter, half, three-quarter, full turn, forwards, backwards. We will complete this unit next week. In RE this week we considered why Christians follow Jesus and what they do in Church to show this trust in Jesus. In DT we have created our design brief and drawn the initial designs for our moving monsters - we are very excited to begin making these.
Next week is Sports Week and we look forward to seeing you on Thursday morning for our KS1 Sports morning. We also have a multi-skills sports session with our Schools Sports Partnership on Wednesday afternoon which will be good fun and useful to hone our skills.
As mentioned above, we had a Maths lesson in the Year 3 classroom this week, whilst Year 3 were out on a trip. We are aware that some of our class are feeling a bit nervous and unsure of what to expect in KS2. We are supporting them in class through discussion and now, from this week onwards through 'action', to help feel ready for this move. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to talk to us.
Home Learning
Maths: sheet on position and direction
English: Complete monster design sheet for Wednesday
Please continue to read at least 5 times and sign the Reading Record book.
Mrs Lee will assess the few remaining children on Monday, so if your child has not been assessed please make sure they have their books in school on Monday.
Children will come home today with a list of the Common Exception for Year 2. They need to be able to spell these by the end of the summer. All children were assessed and the words they have not learnt are highlighted. Please can you support them to learn the highlighted words on the sheet. Thank you.
We have put the Common Exception Word list at the top of this page for your reference.
Show and Tell: some children are bringing in precious items for show and tell. Please can we ask that items of this nature are not sent to school, as it can cause great upset if something happens to them.
We hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 21st June
We have enjoyed the return of the sunshine this week and have continued to relish the new play equipment, building sandcastles and forts in abundance! Please remember to send in a sun hat and apply sunscreen before school as the playground and field get very hot, very quickly and they are outside at lunchtimes for 30-40 minutes.
In English this week we started our new unit of writing on non-chronological reports. This week's focus was on monsters and we have used clips of Monsters Inc to support our creativity. We have been focusing on using generalising sentence starters like: many, most, all, some. We have also revisited learning on the Power of 3 and using specific vocabulary. This will be continued next week.
In DT, linking with our English work, we are designing moving monsters. This week we practised constructing levers and linkages ready to start designing our creatures next week. As a class we will each write a non-chronological report about our monster to create a class monster encyclopedia.
Next week in Maths we will be starting a unit on position describing movement, turns and patterns. We will also be learning more about the geography of Rickmansworth through our walk around the town on Monday afternoon. Apologies for the mix up of dates in other emails. We are definitely walking this coming Monday afternoon 😁 Our thanks to those parents who have contacted the Office to say that they can come and support us.
Spelling test: we will be having our final one this Tuesday coming.
We have reassessed the children's knowledge of the Year 2 CEW and will send these home next week with the words that need continued practise. For those children that are confident with these, we will send the Year 3 & 4 list to take a look at.
We will not be visiting the Library next week.
Home Learning
Maths: time worksheet practising the work from the whole unit
English: children will come home with a paragraph from a report on monsters. Please can they practice reading this aloud (they can add actions if they like) ready to perform in class on Tuesday.
Please continue to read at least 5 times and sign the Reading Record book.
We look forward to seeing you at the Summer fayre tomorrow, 12 - 4pm.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 14th June
We have had another busy week, delving into our topics and having fun along the way! In English we revisited SPAG concepts, including the 4 types of sentences, different types of words (nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs) and apostrophes as well as practising writing and spelling Year 2 common exception words every day. Next week, we will start our unit on report writing, which will use knowledge of African animals as well as fictional ideas about our DT monsters.
Our focus in Maths has been on statistics and we have completed our unit ahead of assessments next week. In PSHCE, we learnt the names of private body parts. Next week, we will learn what 'privacy' means and understand what sort of information might be private. In RE, we heard, watched and then acted the story from the Bible of how Jesus called his first followers - the 4 fishermen disciples.
There will NOT be a spelling test next week as it is an assessment week and we feel they will have had enough testing for one week. They WILL go to the Library on Tuesday.
Show and Tell: we discussed then voted as a class how to continue with Show and Tell for the rest of term. The class voted that every Tuesday (and only Tuesday!) we will make time for anyone to bring in 'Show and Tell' items. We are forwarded any photos sent to the School Office, so feel free to do that if desired!
Mr Torrano will not be in class next week as he is accompanying Year 6 on their residential trip all week. Mrs Wilson and other TAs will be in to support where needed.
Home Learning
Maths - Pictogram worksheet
English - commas in sentences worksheet
Please keep reading (and signing) 5 times a week in their Reading Record. We are beginning to have some children in the class who have reached the 'Head Teacher's' certificate and well done to those that have. Gold badges and Head Teacher's certificates are on their way...
Have a great weekend
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday, 7th June
Welcome back to our final half-term! This year seems to have flown by! We have had a good, productive week back. As we said before half-term, the first 4 weeks have an emphasis on reading, Maths and assessments. This week has highlighted how much the children have grown in confidence and competency with their Maths and English. Well done Year 2!
This week and next week in Maths we are learning all about statistics: tally charts, tables, block graphs, pictograms. This is a completely new topic in Maths for most as it is not an area taught in Year 1. In RE we began our unit on 'trust', exploring why Christians follow and trust Jesus. In Computing, the children explored 'Scratch' a programming language. In Design and Technology the children will be designing and making a moving monster. For next Friday's lesson please can they bring in a toy with moving parts. No electronics please but toys with batteries are fine. Please can they name them and bring them to school on Friday where we will keep them safe for the day.
In PSHCE this half-term we are covering our RHE unit on 'Growing and Changing'. Step One was to understand different stages of growth (baby, toddler, primary age, adult) and to be able to describe some of the things that people are capable of at these different stages. The children had lots of good ideas. Next week, we will be naming external private body parts and learning that a person's genitals help to make babies when they grow up. If you have any questions or concerns about this unit, please don't hesitate to ask one of us.
Home Learning
Maths: Statistics sheet; tally charts and block graphs
Comprehension: Minibeasts or Penguins
Please read at least five times and sign the Reading Record Book
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 24th May
Apologies for the late blog post.
It has been a very busy week with our special focus on art and the completion of many of our foundation subjects. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit with screen printer Clare Somerville-Perkins on Wednesday. We were introduced to the process and then got to create our own house screen print.
In Maths, we have completed our unit on time and have assessed every child. We sent home a slip of paper for many of the class on Wednesday, giving details of any area of time that still needs support (for example 5 minutes past or to the hour). Please check your child's bag for this letter and please support them in their learning. These skills need to be embedded before moving into Key Stage Two and daily practise would be really beneficial.
In Geography we spent 2 lessons focusing on Lagos as a megacity, and in particular the human features. This was interesting to explore as a class especially the photos of the packed markets and golden beaches. We will move our focus to Rickmansworth after half-term. Please note that we would appreciate helpers to accompany us on a walking trip around the town on the afternoon of Tuesday 25th June (not 10th June as stated in the newsletter last week). A letter will go out after half-term.
There is no home learning set for half term but please continue to read regularly and sign the Reading Record book.
After half-term we will be launching our new foundation subject topics as well as completing reading and Maths assessments, over the course of the first 4 weeks back. These are annual assessments that run in every year group from 1 - 5. SATs are no longer statutory but results from our reading and Maths assessments will be published in your child's report which you will receive in July.
Wishing you all a wonderful half term holiday and we look forward to seeing you on Monday 3rd June for the final half term of Year 2!
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 17th May
We have had another jam-packed week in Year 2. In English we have worked hard to write our own 'Just So' story, explaining how various animals got their features. These were packed with fantastic vocabulary after lively discussion over word choice! Next week we will focus on grammar skills - understand the 4 different sentence types.
In maths we have continued to make, read and draw the time, building up to reading time to 5 minute intervals today. This has been challenging learning for most children and this week's home learning will enable them to share and discuss this with you, as the children will need ongoing practise of this tricky skill as we move onto our next topic after half term.
We are assessing maths, phonics and spelling skills over the next week, so that we can send home areas to work on over half term if possible. This will support children as they transition into Key Stage 2 and we would greatly appreciate your support with this.
In RE this week we completed our learning about Ramadan, Eid and how and why the value of compassion is so important to many Muslims. Next week in Geography we will continue to explore the city of Lagos using photographs and maps.
A date for your diary for next half term is Tuesday 25th June. We will be taking the class on a field trip around Rickmansworth, visiting the Aquadrome and the High Street. We will be using maps to navigate and learning more about Rickmansworth as we tour the area. We would love some volunteers to help us and will be sending out a letter after half term.
Next week is Art week and we will be participating in lots of exciting activities. On Wednesday we have a visiting artist and we will be exhibiting the children's work with her after school - so please do come along and see what the children have been up to.
Home Learning
Maths: reading the time to the nearest 5 minutes worksheet
Comprehension: Nocturnal animals
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Please continue to read and sign the Reading Record book at least 5 times.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend and the sun keeps shining!
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 10th May 2024
It has been wonderful to have sunshine all week. We are all thoroughly enjoying our fabulous play-areas, including the new equipment and all the space of the field. Inside we have been busy practising our skills to tell the time which we will continue next week. Many of us need support and extra practise at home to be secure reading and making the times of half past, quarter past and minutes past (eg 20 minutes past 4, 10 minutes past 3).Next week we will focus on telling the time to the hour (20 to 7 5 to 8 etc) before looking at time word problems.
In English we have enjoyed thinking of our own 'Just So' animal tale ready for next week's longer writing sessions. All teachers and TAs had training this week in writing strategies and we are really looking forward to getting started with new grammar games and activities after half-term. Next week's focus for our writing will be to use suffixes -ly, -less, -ful as well as apostrophes and conjunctions.
In RE we learnt about the Muslim month of Ramadan, and were suitably impressed that some people choose to fast (go without food and water) during daylight for a month every year. It certainly made us all think! We had a great PSHCE session on Tuesday afternoon where we discussed how to stay safe online with particular focus on buying new games and chatting to people online. We discussed what to do and who to talk to, as well as learning a poem:
'Before you tap and click
You need to stop and think
and TELL somebody'
In Science we have continued to focus on plants and have set up an experiment to find out what plants need to grow and stay healthy. We enjoyed a trip to the Secret Garden to look at the progress of our purple peas and how much they've grown in the warm weather.
Home Learning
Comprehension: Antarctic worksheet
Maths: Telling the time worksheet
Spellings: CEW and sentences. Over the next two weeks we will be assessing the children's knowledge of the Year 2 CEW list, it would be good to recap these over the next week in preparation for this.
Have a lovely sun filled weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Please continue to read at least 5 times and sign the Reading Record book.
Friday 3rd May
Despite being a shorter week, we have continued to make good progress in our learning. In Maths we have completed our unit on fractions and will be moving onto telling the time after the Bank Holiday weekend. We will be revisiting o'clock and half past on Tuesday but the main focus for the next 2 weeks will be in learning how to read the time to the nearest 5 minutes. Please practice this at home as much as possible as it's a tricky concept to learn - thank you!
In English we have begun to read 'Just so' stories starting with 'How the camel got his hump'. The class have been exploring these texts and next week we will continue to broaden our knowledge of this genre, before writing our own.
In RE, we practised being messengers and reading messages, learning from stories of compassion that Muhammad told in his role as messenger from Allah. In Music we had fun composing and repeating short rhythms representing African animals. The theme of African animals continued in art this week where we made a start constructing animal heads in cardboard - it was challenging but great fun!
Today we have assessed the children in their progress with reading and were incredibly pleased with their progress this half term and over this academic year. Thank you for your support. Please continue to hear them read and read with them at home; it makes such a difference.
Next week we will go to the Library on Tuesday 7th.
Home Learning
Maths: Please spend 30 minutes over the week on Numbots. Next week will will be starting Times Table Rockstars to practise the 2x, 5x and 10x tables. Children who have not logged on have brought home their login details again today.
Comprehension: p30 Toad Attack
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Please continue to read at least 5 times each week and sign the Reading Record book.
We hope you all have a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend - lets hope it doesn't rain too much!
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 26th April
It has been a busy week in Year 2. In English we have completed retelling different parts of 'Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters' with some very successful writing using a variety of sentence starters, sensory description and precise detail. Next week we will be starting a unit focused on traditional creation stories, such as 'How the leopard got its spots'. This links really well with our current theme of Africa.
In Maths, we have continued to learn about fractions including understanding thirds, unit fractions and non-unit fractions. Next week we hope to complete the unit focusing on ¾ and counting up and down in fraction steps.
In RE this week, we learnt animal stories which emphasise compassion within Islam. In PSHCE we discussed how to get help and from whom should we need it. This included learning how to make an emergency 999 call. We spent time in Music, creating a short sequence of sound to reflect an African animal. This was tricky - recreating a lion's roar from a selection of tambourines, wooden blocks and bells but it promoted some good discussion and we had lots of fun!
We created some fabulous animal sketches this and next week will be recreating these in cardboard. Please can you send in a flat piece of corrugated cardboard (no cereal boxes please) @30x40cm - no smaller, but bigger is fine. We will be using these on Friday so please can they be sent in before then, with a name on the back. Thank you for your support with this.
Next week, being a 4 day week, we will not go to visit the Library.
Home Learning
Maths: fractions worksheet
Comprehension: p28 The Selfish Giant
Spelling: CEW and spelling rule -air/are/ear
Reading: please continue to read and sign the reading record book.
There were a considerable number of children without homework this week, please can you support them to bring in their work before Friday, as this is when we share and mark work and is the only opportunity to discuss their answers and ideas. Thank you.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday, 19th April 2024
Welcome back to the Summer Term! We hope you have all had a wonderful Easter break - the children have certainly come back refreshed and full of energy for the term ahead.
We had a great start to the week planting in the Secret Garden. The class are growing peas and we have explored the life cycle of the plant so that we know what to look out for as we make observations for our plant diary.
We have launched our topics for the half term. In English, our new book is Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, set in Zimbabwe. We have explored the setting and the characters of the sisters in preparation for next week's story writing. In Maths we have begun our topic on fractions, focusing on recognising and drawing a half and a quarter of shapes, which the children can practise for home learning this week. We are creating African animal heads in Art and have looked at the work of Edward TingaTinga. Next week we will focus on observational drawings of animals. In PSHCE, our unit is all about rights and responsibilities. This week we discussed what we need and what we need to do in order to help bring out the best in each of us at school. In RE, we started a new unit on Islam and how important the value of compassion is to Muslims and why.
A huge thank you to all the parents who came to support us, walk with us and cheer us on as we embarked on our marafun this afternoon. We appreciated your support and had lots of fun on this beautiful afternoon.
Home Learning
Maths: fractions activity sheet
Comprehension: Slippers at School p26
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Reading: please continue to read 5 times and sign the Reading Record Book.
Library will begin again next Tuesday afternoon so please bring in books for then.
We have a few PE hoodies missing so please do check your child's uniform this weekend. We have had a good look in the classroom but to no avail.
We hope you have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 28th March
We have enjoyed a week of Easter celebrations, culminating in our Easter service last night. It was lovely to see so many of you there and to enjoy the children's beautiful singing.
Home Learning
At the start of the week we sent home maths activities relating to the targets discussed at parents evening and additional reading books. There will be no set home learning over the holidays but please continue to read regularly and log this in the Reading Record book.
Thank you for your support this term. We wish you all a relaxing, fun-filled holiday and look forward to seeing you back on Monday 15th April. We have our 'Marafun' on Friday 19th April - sponsorship forms were sent home earlier this week with the children.
Best wishes
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 22nd March
It was good to meet with you all and talk about your child's progress this week. Follow-up for targets will be sent home next week for you to support your child over the Easter holidays and through the Summer term. This is not Easter holiday homework. The Maths sheets are examples of the sorts of questions that your child could be practising to improve their competency and confidence.
We have had a busy week. In English this week, we focused on writing our alternative versions of Rapunzel. We focused on a section of the story every day in order to tell the story. In Maths, we have spent the week learning about mass and temperature. We explored how Christians show their beliefs at Easter in RE, and practised hard with our song ready for the Easter service next Wednesday.
This afternoon, we completed the final step in our puppet making project - sewing the pieces together. A huge thank you to all the parents and grandparents who came in to support us - you were fabulous and the children wouldn't have achieved so much without all your help!
Next week is going to be brilliant and full of Easter activities as well as focused time to complete our learning journeys in some of the foundation subjects.
Tuesday - Easter egg hunt in the afternoon (eggs donated by FoSMS).
After school there will be a bake sale / café after school, where there will be an opportunity to buy baked goods and some Easter themed gifts. This is to raise money for Cardiomyopathy UK (our current charity) and support Miss Devlin to reach her fund-raising goal for the London Marathon. Any cakes, brownies or biscuits donated for us to sell would be very gratefully received.
Wednesday - service in St Mary's Church at 6pm. Children need to arrive in full school uniform by 5:45pm to the Church Hall, which is around the corner behind the actual Church building. Year 2 will be performing their song 'The Donkey Song'
Thursday - Easter bonnet parade (with prizes), followed by a House activity - learning how Easter is celebrated in another country.
Homework: learn the words for our song 'The Donkey Song' ready to sing in the Church on Wednesday evening.
Make an Easter bonnet/hat ready for Thursday!
Home Learning
Maths: volume worksheet
Comprehension: p24 Animals
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Reading: please continue to read 5 times each week and sign the Reading Record book.
After Easter the children will be participating in a 'mini marathon' which will take place on the first Friday back after Easter (Friday 19th April). This is to raise money for Cardiomyopathy UK.
Each child will run or walk a mile, and as a class, will complete a marathon. Sponsorship forms will be handed out next week.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 15th March
We are now racing towards the Easter holidays and this week we started our Easter RE topic by looking at the Big Story running through the Bible and where Easter fits into this. On Tuesday we spent time exploring Holy Week through interactive story telling and drama. We even saw and felt a real crown of thorns!
This week in English we worked hard to write a description of the witch from Rapunzel. The class thought of some great ideas which will feed into our writing next week: the story of Rapunzel with a twist! We hope to share these with Reception/Year 1 at the end of the week. Look out for these as you look at their books at Parents Evening.
In Maths we explored length with practical activities as well as problem solving using the 4 operations. Next week we will be focusing on mass and capacity. On that note, we would be delighted to welcome any carer or parent who has time to spare on Tuesday afternoon for a practical measuring session with weights to support our class learning (2 - 3pm). Please do let Mrs Lee or the Office know on Monday if you can spare an hour next Tuesday afternoon (19th March).
Next Friday, we are supporting the fundraising work of Miss Devlin who is raising money for the charity Cardiomyopathy UK. We are inviting children to come in non-uniform on that day in exchange for a donation. There will be a bake sale after school. On Friday afternoon we will be creating our puppets. If you have any time free to help in class, threading needles and tying knots we would be very grateful! A huge thank you to parents and grandparents who have offered their time to come in and join us.
A date for the diary: our school Easter service is on Wednesday 27th March in St Mary's Church, from 6-7pm. Year 2 will be singing a song (The Donkey Song) as the whole school helps to tell the Easter story. Our Christmas service with Years 3- 6 was fantastic and not a seat to spare in the church! We anticipate a similar feel with our Easter service. The next day is a half day (school ends at 1:15pm) and will be full of Easter activities, including an Easter bonnet parade as is our St Mary's tradition.
Home Learning
Maths: measurement worksheet
Comprehension: p22 The Monkeys and the crocodiles
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Reading: Please continue to read 5 times and sign the Reading Record book
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 8th March
We have had a wonderful week celebrating books with a range of book related activities. From rhyming poetry to dressing up as our favourite character, working out the masked readers and sharing in the whole school book "Dear Earth' we have been immersed in reading! Thank you for all your support with the different activities.
In Maths this week we have completed our unit on division and will be starting 3 weeks on measurement, the first of which will be on length. This will be both practical as well as comparing, ordering and using the 4 operations to answer word problems. We will be starting our RE unit: Why does Easter matter to Christians? with an interactive walk through the Easter story. We spent time in the Secret Garden as part of our science activity this week, searching for living things and things that were once alive. Next week we will begin looking at different habitats and hope to find insects in our new 'bug hotels'.
The whole class has completed a turn of 'Show and Tell' for this term. We will begin again after Easter.
Spelling tests next week will be on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.
We look forward to seeing you all at Parent Evening on Tuesday 19th or Wednesday 20th March. If you have not yet signed up, please do as it's an important part of our partnership and a good opportunity to hear exactly how your child is progressing as well as how you can support them.
Home Learning
Maths: 5 x table worksheet
Comprehension: p20 Habitats
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Please continue to read and sign the Reading Record book 5 times.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 1st March
It has been a good week back and lovely to welcome Tom into Year 2. Everyone has made a big effort to help all our new pupils to settle in and find their feet:) Well done, Year 2!
In English we launched our new genre: fairy tales, which the class have been really enthusiastic about. We have spent time reading, dramatizing, comparing and exploring our 2 new texts on the tale of Rapunzel. ('Rapunzel' by Chloe Perkins and 'Rapunzel: a rebel fairy tale' by Beth Woollvin) There has been plenty of gasps of delight and surprise this week! Next week, we will carry on exploring fairy tales with rhyming activities and alternative endings.
In DT today we have begun designing our fairy tale puppets. We will be sewing these, so would love your help with this part of the project. If you are available on the afternoon of Friday 22nd March to help with the sewing (no experience needed - mainly tying knots and threading needles!) we would be extremely grateful. Please let one of us know.
In Maths this week we have focused on division and telling the time- o'clock and half past. This will be completed next week.
It is Brilliant Book Week next week in school and there are lots of fantastic activities planned. See the email sent out for more details but to highlight a few:
Thursday - Dressing up as a book character of your choice with the Big Book Swap and the Booky Bake Sale! Why not spend a few minutes this weekend finding a book that you are happy to swap?
Friday - Parents Library time. Straight after drop off until 9:15am, please do come and share a book with your child, in our classroom.
Our History unit on famous Queens (Elizabeth I and II) saw us unpacking the role of a monarch as well as why we remember Queen Elizabeth I. Next week we will be learning about the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II. In PSHCE we explored how to get better when you are poorly, including how to be safe when using medicines. In Music we learnt 'My Bonnie lies over the Ocean', and practised repeated rhythms.
Show and Tell: Archie, Arina, Arthur, Cian, Dillon, Tom. Tuesday afternoon
This will be the last Show and Tell for the Spring term and we will start again after the Easter holidays. If for whatever reason, your child was absent for their actual week, please send them in with their treasures this Tuesday coming!
We will not be going to the Library next week as we have lots of other book activities to focus on.
Home Learning
Maths - 10 x table sheet
Comprehension: p18-19 Sports
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Please keep reading 5 times and sign the record. Please remember that all reading books should be in school every day.
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 16th February
It was great to see so many of you yesterday at our Celebration afternoon. The children loved showing you the vast amount of learning that has taken place since September. Thank you for coming in. We look forward to seeing you all at Parents Evenings on Tuesday 19th March or Wednesday 20th March.
We have spent the week in a variety of activities: writing and recording our Great Fire of London presentations (which we hope you were able to access via the QR code in their English book), completing our foundation subject topics and enjoying our Enrichment activity - creating a God's Eye craft for the Secret Garden. We will be hanging these during the Secret Garden Opening event that you are invited to attend on Wednesday 28th February - details will be sent out shortly.
There is no Homework set for half-term as usual but please continue to learn Common Exception Words - sheet below for your reference. Spellings will be sent home again after half-term so there will be no spelling test in the first week back. We will visit the Library on the Tuesday afternoon for those with a school Library book.
Show and Tell (Tuesday afternoon):
Henry, Harry H, Harry B, Florence, Eddie
Reading assessments have taken place this week. We are really pleased at the progress of so many. Thank you for your support in encouraging their reading at home. It makes such a difference. Please continue to read over half-term. We should now be completely up-to-date with stamps and badges. If this is not the case, please come and let us know straight after half-term!
Wishing you all a wonderful half term. Fingers crossed the weather stays warm!
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 9th February
Sorry for the delay in this update.
It has been lovely to welcome in 3 new members of our class in the last 2 weeks. We have all been happy to see 3 smiley faces and everyone has made a big effort to look after them:)
Well done Year 2!
We have worked hard on our recounts this week in English. Their writing showed good progression in understanding the genre, with 2A sentences, 1st person and time connectives, all being used well. Details of the trip were given through interesting, specific vocabulary, such as 'horrific' and 'monochrome'. We are now excitedly planning to write an explanation text for you for next week's Celebration afternoon (2:30 - 3:30pm on Thursday). We will be practising a short song to accompany the theme.
In Maths we practised grouping and sharing and our comprehension of division has developed well. This will continue next week. In RE, we learnt about the character of Moses as well as the way that the Torah is shown great respect in a synagogue. PSHCE focused on how to look after your teeth well. Please ask them to help them remember!
Today we spent the afternoon creating our own houses to complete our architecture project - it was tricky and the class showed great perseverance in joining the component parts to make their buildings. Please ask them to tell you about the architects we have been studying. A huge thank you to Mrs Mundon - Carter for supporting the class.
Next Wednesday and Thursday we will be assessing reading. Please ensure that ALL reading books and records are in school from the beginning of the week as it makes it significantly easier to communicate with you at home if the Reading Record is in on the assessment day. If you have any query regarding reading, please do write it in the Record over the weekend. We know that silver badges are needed and these we hope to hand out next week as well:)
Library, Show and Tell and spellings will be on Tuesday as usual.
Show and Tell this week: Jeremy, Jemimah, Jaycee, Jamieson, Jaiden, Kathryn, Kaiden, Tilly.
This only happens on a Tuesday so please ensure that any 'Show and Tell' comes in on that day. Thank you!
Home Learning
Maths: 2 x table activity sheet. Please use this to help the children practice and learn their 2 x table fluently.
Comprehension: p16 Tiger Troubles
Spelling: please learn CEW and put these into sentences
Reading: Please continue to read 5 times and sign the reading record book.
We look forward to seeing you next Thursday.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 2nd February
We had a great trip to the Tower of London. A huge thankyou to Mrs White, Mr Payne, Ms Scott, Mr Clarke and Mrs Bryce for accompanying us. We were very grateful for your support and presence. The Tower was busier than expected but the class really enjoyed being there, looking at the fabulous crown jewels and armament, seeing some of London from the walls, and actively taking part in a workshop on the Great Fire. Some of our learning will be woven into our Celebration Activity on the afternoon of Thursday 15th February, from 2:30-3:30pm, when as a school we will be welcoming parents in to look at children's class books and see our class presentations. Please book the date in your diary:)
Next week we will be moving on to division in our Maths lessons. Times tables are critical for speed and competency so please do practise counting up and down in steps of 2s, 5s and 10s with your child. Many of the class have told us how much they are practising working through/playing Numbots, so that's great.
The next focus in English will be to complete our recounts of the trip, using time connectives and interesting details. We have spent this week building up our vocabulary banks, and skills ready to write next week! In PSHCE we will be considering the importance of dental hygiene, and in RE, we will looking at the figure of Moses as well as inside a synagogue, drawing on their knowledge from last year's trip. In Science we will be investigating whether the oldest children in Year 2 are the tallest.
Show and Tell: Sadie, Scarlett, Suri, Toby and Zack
We will be off to the Library again on Tuesday and spelling tests will also resume then.
Reading books: you will have read in the school newsletter that Mrs Maxwell has requested that reading books and records are in school every day now. This is because we have several volunteer readers coming into school on a regular basis to support reading. Mrs Maxwell will be carrying out spot checks as of next Monday!
Home Learning
Maths: Multiplication sheet
Comprehension: p14-25 Our Solar System
Reading: please continue to read 5 times and sign the Reading Record book.
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 26th January
This week we have enjoyed a variety of activities, including our PSHCE and Science afternoon on Monday with the Schools Sports Partnership, who explained the benefits of exercise and a good diet. We also worked incredibly hard on our historical diaries with some brilliant results! In maths we have begun exploring multiplication as 'groups of' and 'lots of'. This week's maths homework will give an opportunity to practice this.
In Art we have looked at the work of architect Zaha Hadid. Next Friday afternoon the children will be designing and making their own house. If you are free to come into class and support the children with construction that would be fantastic. Please let the office know on Monday if you are available, it would be from 12.45 - 2.45pm. Any help would be very gratefully received. Please chat to one of us if you would like further information.
Next week we will be learning how to write a recount, the skills of which will then be put into practise after our trip to the Tower of London. In Maths we will be continuing with our unit on multiplication.
Trip:
We will need the children to be dropped off with their coats and packed lunches, just before 8am please so that we can leave at 8:20am ready to arrive for our workshop. We then aim to be back at school, traffic depending, at 3:30pm but, as usual, we will update you on the return journey.
Spellings: since the spelling lists went out late this week, and as we are on our class trip on Tuesday, we will NOT have a spelling test next week. The next test will be on Tuesday 6th February. We will not be changing Library books next week either.
Home Learning
Maths: multiplication worksheet
Comprehension: p13 The United Kingdom
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Please continue to read and sign the Reading Record book.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 19th January
Despite the chill in the air outside, we have been beavering away in our warm classroom:) It's been a productive week much of which has been focused on diary writing and money. In English we wrote up last weekend's events, learnt more about noun phrases and conjunctions, and worked hard to think about verb endings when using the past tense. We will embed these skills next week when we write 3 diary extracts in the character of Toby, during the Great Fire of London. In Maths we have practised adding notes and coins, finding change and explored 2 step problems. Next week we will be starting a unit on multiplication. The focus next week will be on making equal groups.
We spent a wonderful Monday afternoon learning about the events of the Great Fire, and wrote some excellent descriptions of what happened and when. The class have been really interested in our History topic and we are all looking forward to visiting the Tower in 2 weeks. A huge thank you to so many of you who offered to accompany us. We really do appreciate it. For this trip, Mr Clarke, Mrs White, Ms Scott, and Mr Payne will be accompanying us. There will be other opportunities to support us in class and on trips in the future. Thank you too for the boxes of tissues that have been donated. All appreciated.
Reading books - Mrs Maxwell would like every child to bring in their reading books and reading records to school, every day, as of next week. This is to ensure that reading books are available as and when, for support staff, visitors and helpers to develop pupil's reading skills. In Year 2, we will continue to change reading books on their specified days and give stamps as we have been.
On Monday afternoon, we will be welcoming in the Schools Sports Partnership, who are coming to lead a Science and PSHCE lesson on health and well-being. They will not need PE kits on Monday.
Show and Tell: Roman, Max, Mariam, Lucy, Lily
Home Learning
Maths: Money worksheet
Comprehension: p12 The Phoenix and the Carpet
Spelling: CEW and sentences
Reading: Please continue to read and sign the Reading Record book each week.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 12th January
This week we have enjoyed settling back into out routines and starting the rest of our topics.
In English, we have spent the week reading 'Toby and the Great Fire of London' which caught their imagination and began our learning of events of the fire. We spent time practising using in the past tense, thinking about verb endings especially. In Maths we have counted in pence and pounds, learnt new vocabulary for money and made amounts of money in coins and notes. In PSHCE we spent time thinking about the choices that we make throughout our day, and the difference between healthy and unhealthy, wise and less thoughtful choices. We had a good discussion where they really showed how much many had taken in from last week's discussions on our 3 school rules and why we have them. In RE we have begun a unit of learning which focuses on Jewish believers and the Jewish holy book, the Torah. The class had retained knowledge from last year's trip to a synagogue in Year 1 and were keen to tell all they knew!
Next week, in English we will spend the week exploring diary writing: looking at the features of a diary, then practising writing our own including specific details, thoughts and feelings, and using conjunctions. This will be carried on into the following week where we will be writing a historic diary in the character of someone living in London in 1666. In Maths we will be continuing our unit on money, comparing amounts, calculating simple costs and finding change.
Show and Tell: Zack, Toby, Suri, Scarlett, Sadie. This take place over Monday/Tuesday afternoons.
Home Learning
Today we have sent home a letter with the login details for Numbots, which is a fun platform used to support the development of addition and subtraction fluency. Please can you help your children to logon and explore the site.
Maths - Comparing amounts of money activity sheet
English - to support children's diary writing next week we would like them to complete a log of their weekend (on the sheet provided) simply recording what they have been doing and how they felt about the activities - were they relaxing, fun, exciting etc.
Spelling - CEW -the test will now take place on a Tuesday afternoon.
Reading - please continue to read 5 x each week and record this in the Reading Record,
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 5th January
Happy New Year!
Welcome back, we hope you had a great Christmas break and are well rested for the term ahead. A huge thank you from the three of us for our Christmas gifts and hampers. We do appreciate your kindness and generosity.
We have settled back into class, refreshing and reminding ourselves of the school rules and looking at the topics for this term. We started our new topic 'London' with a look at some of the most iconic landmarks and made some wonderful, carefully observed sketches. We have been lucky enough to arrange a trip to the Tower of London on 30th January to help us understand some of the history of the city and explore their amazing Jewel House and armoury. You will receive a letter this evening with more details. We also started our Science topic on Humans and Animals and explored how animals and humans have offspring that grow into adults, and the differences between what babies, children and adults can do.
Next week will will begin our new book - Toby and the Great Fire of London. We will be looking at the features of a diary entry as we plan to write to our own diary entries in the coming weeks. In Maths we will begin a unit on money; practice of reading and counting coins would be great preparation for next week's learning. On Tuesday there will be opportunity to change Library book for anyone who would like to.
Home Learning will begin next, but please continue to read regularly.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 15th December
Christmas is in the air in Year 2 and we can hardly believe we've nearly reached the end of the first term!
This week in maths, we have explored 2D shape: naming, looking at properties, drawing, sorting and learning about symmetry. The class have worked well on this final unit of Maths and shown a good understanding. We have also spent time completing our RE unit on incarnation. The class composed some really thoughtful lyrics to their own Christmas carol as well as thinking about what they might bring to Jesus if they had been there on the first Christmas evening. In science we completed our topic on materials and in DT we completed baking our Christmas biscuits - we hope you managed to sample a few!
We had a wonderful time at the pantomime on Wednesday (Oh no we didn't! Oh, yes we did!) Thank you to the helpers who walked us there and those who were also able to stay. Year 2 had a fantastic time singing, cheering and dancing at all the right moments! The class also enjoyed their party this afternoon, with games and more dancing. Thank you for providing drinks and snacks for the class.
As we only have a short time left this term, we will not be setting homework this week, instead please continue to focus on reading daily. Next week on Monday we will give out extra reading books for the Christmas holidays.
We hope you have a lovely festive weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 8th December
What a busy week it's been in Year 2!
We had a fantastic trip to the Maritime Museum and the Cutty Sark on Monday. We studied artifacts from Shackleton's expeditions and compared them to the contemporary expeditions of Prem Gill in the Antarctic. On board the Cutty Sark we explored the decks and looked at life on board as a sailor, looking at their living quarters and the jobs they would have done. The class have learnt even more about the life of explorers!
A huge thank you to Jeremy's Mum, Arina's Mum, Zack's Dad and Max's Mum for accompanying us on our class trip.
On Wednesday we celebrated our school charity 'Save the Children' by dressing in Christmas jumpers and enjoyed our first Christmas dinner of the season.
The class were so excited to perform their Nativity to you this week. Weren't they fantastic! We were so impressed with their enthusiasm, performance skills and singing and hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Reading assessments have all been completed. Please continue to support your child by reading with them 5 times a week and asking questions to check and aid their understanding of the texts.
Next week will be spent completing many of our learning journeys in RE, PSHCE and Science. We will focus on 2D shape in Maths - naming, identifying, sorting and classifying as well as revising the basics of telling the time to o'clock and half past.
We are looking forward to the pantomime on Wednesday afternoon. Further details of pick-up arrangements will be sent out from the office.
Home Learning
Maths: p58 2D shape
Comprehension: p11 Making a Bird Feeder
Spelling: Please learn the 6 spellings and put them into sentences.
Reading: Please continue to read 5 times and sign the Reading Record book.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 1st December
This week we have been working really hard on our Nativity and are excited to share it with you next week:) Thank you for supplying the base layers/costumes. We have been looking at the features of explanation writing in English and have spent time explaining Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition. We look forward to discovering more about this at the Maritime Museum on Monday.
On Monday, it is an early drop off at school. Please can children arrive at 8am so that we can be ready to leave at 8.20am. Currently, the weather is looking cold and wet so please make sure children are dressed suitably as we will be outside for some of the day - thank you. We are very grateful for the support of 4 parents who are coming with us.
On Tuesday, we have our pre-dress rehearsal, and on Wednesday we will be sharing it with the whole school, before welcoming you next Thursday and Friday. Please continue to practise lines with your children so that they are performance ready.
Wednesday is also Christmas Jumper Day and our Christmas dinner so children are invited to wear their Christmas jumpers. We will be taking a collection for our school charity - Save the Children.
Most children have had their reading assessed this week. A small number of children were not heard - if that was your child, please send in their books and Reading Record next Thursday., not Friday as the email earlier in the week stated.
As next week is so busy with the trip and the nativity, we will not be doing Show and Tell.. However, we will go to the Library on Tuesday as we know that many of the class have been waiting patiently to change their book.
Home Learning
Maths: p19 Number Problems
Comprehension: p10 Plum
Spelling: 6 CEW and sentences
Please continue to read 5 times and sign the Reading Record book.
If your are coming to the Christmas Fayre we look forward to seeing you tomorrow, otherwise have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 24th November
This week we have begun our rehearsals for 'The BIG little Nativity' and have thoroughly enjoyed acting and singing:) Please do encourage your child to practise and learn their line(s) ready for Week 2 of rehearsals!
In Maths we focused on subtraction, learning to subtract tens then 2-digit numbers. For home practise our method is to: WRITE it (the sum), MAKE it (with Dienes/Base 10), DRAW it (in tens and ones), CROSS it (cross out the smaller from the larger in a different colour), ANSWER it. In RE we learnt that Christians believe Jesus was a baby King and looked for clues in the story. In DT we have been exploring how flour and butter are made and had a go at making butter for ourselves (please see photos in the newsletter). Next week we will begin planning the Christmas biscuits we will make. In History we learnt about the polar explorer Felicity Aston. The class has really enjoyed learning about these explorers and are looking forward to our trip on Monday 4th December. Explorer Bear in class is now wearing an extremely dashing explorer outfit and has a tent to sleep under!
Next week we will be focusing on writing an explanation of Shackleton's expedition across Antarctica. We will be thinking about why cribs are used in churches in our RE lesson.
Thank you for all tissue donations and birthday books, and to Florence who gave the class 2 bags of almost brand new books this week covering a range of interesting themes. We really are grateful for all these donations.
As we are focusing on our Nativity, we are not currently visiting the school Library. The next session will be on Tuesday 5th December. As a school we now have Collective Worship at 2:45pm on Monday and Friday, but this has meant that Show and Tell feels rushed. We will now be moving it for a Tuesday afternoon. Next week's pupils are: Iris, Jaiden and Jamieson.
Home Learning
Maths - Subtraction worksheet
Comprehension - p.9 Vinay's diary
Spelling - please learn the 6 CEW and put them into sentences.
Please continue to read 5 times each week and sign the Reading Record Book
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 17th November
Thank you for your hard work with the English homework last weekend. We had some brilliant creations for villains as well as wonderful outfits for Traction Man! The class was buzzing from Monday morning onwards with excitement and it made a really positive difference to the writing of our own Traction Man adventures.
We also spent focused time this week on kindness in 'Anti-Bullying Week'. Through our 'House' Collective Worship (we all met in our houses - St George, St Andrew etc ) as well as our Family Afternoon on Thursday, we have explored what it means to show kindness and what we can do about bullying if we see it or experience it.
Next week we are starting a focused fortnight preparing for our Nativity 'The BIG Little Nativity'. (Thursday 7th and Friday 8th December). We have been learning the songs and are ready now for the drama! We will send out a letter/email next week to let you know your child's part and any potential clothing or props that are required. MOST costumes we borrow from the extensive costumes owned by school so what we mean is more of a base layer. More details next week!
In History, we will be learning about the polar explorer Felicity Aston, having been really interested in Ernest Shackleton's incredible resilience - living in Antarctica for nearly 2 years! In Maths, we will be learning how to subtract tens and 2-digit numbers from 2-digit numbers, crossing the ten.
We are going to pause in our Library sessions for 3 weeks now to allow more time to practise for our performance. Please keep the Library book at home and enjoy reading it, until Tuesday 5th December when we will return to enjoying a full session in the Library.
Show and tell: Max, Roman, Sadie, Scarlett
Home Learning
Maths: understanding money and the value of coins is an important part of maths development in Year 2. Please can the children have some practice of recognising and sorting coins at home. This could be sorting and/or counting money in their money box or coins in your purse etc. Experience of paying for a small item in a shop is also great experience for them.
Please can they also complete p51 of the green maths book
Comprehension: p8 Amy Johnson
Spelling: please practise and put into sentences the 6 CEW
Reading: Please read 5 times each week and sign the Reading Record Book
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday, 10th November 2023
On Monday this week we became geographical explorers (rather than mean pirates), exploring the school playground for landmarks, thinking about what makes an 'explorer'. Next week we will learn about Ernest Shackleton and then Felicity Aston. We hope that the class will be as inspired as we are by both of these famous polar explorers! Thank you so much for all the offers of help for our class trip on Monday 4th December. We have confirmed with Arina's Mummy, Jeremy's Mummy and Zack's Daddy that we would like them to accompany us, but thank you again for all other offers.
In Maths this week we have continued to learn how to subtract single digits, then tens from a 2-digit number. Please do practise this skill at home where possible. Next week, we are focusing solely on the addition of 2-digit numbers. In English, we have had a brilliant time looking at the text 'Traction Man', an explorer in his own right! We are going to write our own adventure for Traction Man and Scrubbing Brush next week, focusing on exclamatory and 2A sentences. Our homework task is connected with next week's adventure:)
We are now testing spellings on a Monday and Tuesday afternoon so please help your child to learn theirs for those times. If they have a spelling repeated from last week, it is because they did not spell it correctly in the actual test.
Show and Tell next week: Eddie, Florence, Harry B, Harry H, Henry
They can bring in Show and Tell on Monday and/or on Friday:)
Library on Tuesday. Please only bring in your Library book to swap on Tuesday.
Home Learning
Maths: p29 Times Tables
English: In preparation for next week's story writing, please can children make up, draw and colour in, a villain for their story on the sheet provided. It should be based on an item found in the classroom. Please cut this out and make it into a puppet by attaching a stick or piece of stiff cardboard on the back. They also have a Traction Man template to design a costume for him, for the adventure. Please can this also be cut out and made into a puppet using a stick or cardboard. We will be using the puppets on Monday to act out our stories before writing them, so for this week please can the puppets be brought in on Monday. Maths homework can be handed in as usual on Wednesday. Please find below a video of the Traction Man story as it may be of help.
Spelling: 6 CEW and sentences.
Reading: 5 times and sign the Reading Record please.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 3rd November 2023
From all the stories that were being shared on Monday morning, it sounded like everyone had a good half-term! We have introduced some of our new topics this week, including our next unit for PSHCE: 'Valuing difference'. The unit has an emphasis on remembering that we are each unique and special, whilst encouraging respect and kindness for others and how to show that practically.
This week in English, we have written instructions for how to follow our pirate treasure map. We practised using time conjunctions and bossy (imperative) verbs, giving top tips for what to look out for on the way. Next week, we will be introducing our new text 'Traction Man'. This is a wonderful book about an action figure who heroically rescues all manner of kitchen utensils as part of his day to day adventures. It fits brilliantly with our new History unit on explorers.
In Maths we are revisiting subtraction, and this will continue next week: subtracting single digits from a 2-digit number as well as adding/subtracting 10/20 to and from a single digit number. Towards the end of next week we will be learning how to add 2-digit numbers together. Where possible, please practise simple subtraction with your child at home, as this will really support our current learning.
Library books: we spent a session on Monday afternoon in the school Library. Almost every child chose a book, entirely their own choice (!) which they have hopefully shown you. These we will aim to change on a Tuesday afternoon. If your child would like to change their Library book, please only bring it in on a Tuesday.
Reading books: if your child only received one stamp over half-term but read 10+ times, we will correct this in the coming week. There was a slight miscommunication.
Next week we will begin learning our Nativity play songs, the dates for which we are very much hoping you have written in your diaries: December 7th and 8th December. See the newsletter for more details.
Show and Tell next week: Archie, Arina, Arthur, Cian and Dillon.
Home Learning
Maths: p23 Addition and P23 Subtraction. You can use a tape measure as a number-line or print off the number-line below and cut it up to form a strip.
Comprehension: p7 Pippa's Star
Spelling: Please learn the 6 CEWs and put them into a sentence. Spellings will now be tested on a Monday or Tuesday as we are trialling a new system.
Please continue to read 5 times each week and sign the Reading Record Book,
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the fireworks.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 20th October
What a quick Half Term it has been! It was really good to have the opportunity to talk to so many of you this week at parents evenings. Thank you for making the time. We will email maths and writing targets out to you over the half term break. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do come and talk to one of us before or after school, or book an appointment through the school office.
It has been a busy but brilliant week in Year 2. We thoroughly enjoyed Pirate Day on Tuesday. Thank you for providing wonderful costumes! We spent the day creating then following a treasure map, using our compass knowledge, singing sea shanties and talking like a pirate whenever there was opportunity! On Wednesday we were thrilled to spend an hour in the Hall with ExploRE. There were 15-20 different activity stations, all asking big questions about 'me, the world, God'. Year 2 requested a return visit so on Thursday we did just that. As well as this we have been exploring the achievements and challenges of Wilma Rudolph a record breaking athlete, for Black History Month. We finished our art project on insects and designed Christmas cards for you to order - children will bring them home today.
Half-term homework:
Instead of the usual Maths and English homework, we would encourage the class to have a well-earned rest. Please keep up the reading though! Books can be changed on the first Monday back if needed. If when you are out and about, you see signs of Autumn in the natural world (eg leaves, conkers, acorns etc), and can bring to school any small examples, that would be appreciated. We would like to make a display on our return. This time of year is always a great opportunity for conversations about our natural world.
Reading:
To clarify the reading system - whatever level your child is on, please hear them read the school reading books, 5 times a week for 15 minutes. They should read each books, 3 times. With Pink, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green levels this should be achievable within the week. With Orange and Turquoise level, we appreciate that the texts become longer so they may have to keep a book for longer than 1 week. Once they are reading Purple, Gold, White, Lime levels then they only need to read the book once since they have shown they are secure in their phonic knowledge. These levels are for broadening their reading experience and vocabulary. We would encourage you to check understanding and pronunciation of new and technical vocabulary.
Show and Tell after Half Term: Roman, Sadie, Scarlett, Suri, Toby and Zack.
Wishing you all restful and relaxing holiday.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 13th October
We have been enjoying writing our own version of The Pirate Cruncher this week as well as designing treasure maps ready for Pirate Day next Tuesday (17th October). On that day we will be involved in a range of pirate activities, much of it centred around our Geography unit on continents and oceans. We will be using compasses to locate real treasure too! If the class can wear a simple pirate costume that would be brilliant.
On Tuesday and Wednesday - we look forward to meeting with you all, at our KS1 parents' evenings. The focus will be on how well your child has settled into Year 2 and we will give you simple targets for writing and Maths, as well as a progress report on their reading. If you have not yet signed up for a slot, there are still times available. This is a valuable time to discuss your child's progress with us both. If you have questions or concerns, please bring these ready.
Next week, we have planned all sorts of wonderful lessons to complete many of our topics. In English, the focus will be to write instructions to find the treasure using our maps. In Maths we will continue to look at number bonds and simple addition. On Monday, weather dependent we are hopeful that the class will have a session of Forest School so if they would like to bring in NAMED wellies, they can. We will also spend time in the Hall with our ExploRE RE activity week.
Show and Tell next week (Monday and Friday):
Kaiden, Lily, Lucy, Mariam, Max
Home Learning
Maths: p.10 twos, threes, fives and tens p.20 number bonds
Comprehension: p.6 The Owl and the Pussycat
Spelling: Children will come home today with individual spellings. We have assessed their knowledge of Year 1 CEW and they will learn words from the Year 1 list that they cannot spell before moving on to the Year 2 CEW. Please can they practise them daily and write a sentence using each of the words. As all of the children have different spellings they will be tested on either a Wednesday or Thursday. If you need a new sheet for any reason please ask Mrs Lee or myself as no two children's spellings are the same. Words that are spelt incorrectly in the test will be carried over to the next week as it is essential that the children can spell all words on both lists. Many thanks for your support with this.
Please read 5 times and sign the Reading Record Book.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 6th October
It has been an interesting week in Year 2 with a busy timetable and the need for a temporary teaching arrangement with both of us being off unwell at the beginning and/or end of the week, respectively. However, the class have adapted and learnt, showing resilience and purpose. Next week will be back to normal!
In English this week we have focused on adjectives and descriptive phrases, ending the week by writing some fantastic setting descriptions, ready for our version of this exciting pirate story. We have completed our Maths unit on comparing, ordering and estimating number. Next week we will be revisiting number bonds to 10 and 20 before exploring addition more fully. On Tuesday, we welcomed in Karl, from Wellspring Church, who helped us to understand how many Christians worship. In Art, we spent time drawing insects using pens and oil pastels, focusing on observational skills and improving our eye for detail. In science we continued exploring different materials and have tested some to see if they are rigid or flexible.
Next week, we have school photos taking place on Tuesday (individual as well as siblings) and our non-uniform day on Friday (13th) to raise money for our exciting ExploRE week!
If anyone enjoys gardening, our Prayer Garden is in need of attention. Occasional weeding and tending would be greatly appreciated! If you can offer help, please do contact the Office.
Show and Tell next week: Iris, Jaiden, Jamieson, Jemimah and Jeremy
Home Learning
Maths: Number line work p. 12-13
Comprehension: Get Well Soon p. 5
Please read 5 times and sign the Reading Record book.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs Lee
Friday 29th September
We have had a busy week in Year 2 and have enjoyed exploring our foundation topics. As pirate explorers we learnt about the 7 continents and 5 oceans, ready to use a compass to navigate the seas next week! Our new text 'The Pirate Cruncher' was a real hit and there were gasps of shock and delight as we discovered that the fiddler had been a puppet all along.
In English, next week we will be practising skills to use in our writing, including the purpose of adjectives, exclamation marks and writing a setting. In Maths we will be completing learning of place value - ordering and comparing numbers before we revise number bonds towards the end of the week.
We are looking forward to welcoming a visitor in next week's RE lesson who is coming to talk to us about why Christians sing in Church. In PSHCE, we will be considering the difference between 'teasing' and 'bullying'.
Our Harvest festival service is on Wednesday so please drop off your child, at St Mary's Church, at 8:45/8:50am ready for our 9am service. If you can stay and walk back to school with us, that would be really appreciated.
Show and Tell next week: Eddie, Florence, Harry B, Harry H and Henry.
Home Learning
Maths: page 17, comparing numbers. Please can the children also practise counting aloud in 10's to 100 and in 2's and 5's to 50.
We were not able to send home Comprehension books today so they will go out on Monday and can be returned the following Friday. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Please continue to read 5 times and sign the Reading Record.
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mr Bartram
Friday 22nd September
It was great to see many of you at our 'Meet the teachers' event on Wednesday morning. We hope that it was useful. We have uploaded the PowerPoint slides, key spellings for Year 1 and 2, a copy of our Autumn class timetable and our curriculum overview for Year 2. If you were not able to be there, please do come and ask any questions you may have. We are keen to work well together to bring out the best in each and every child. No comment or question is too small to ask.
We have also uploaded a Birthday Book List as several parents asked about this. We will put the list up in the classroom window and mark off books that have been gifted, so please come and check if you'd like to gift a book. Thank you in advance, as the class love sharing new books.
In English this week we spent time writing in the character of Noi from 'Grandma Bird'. We congratulated our first 2 star writers of the year: Jaiden and Henry both of whom worked hard to include interesting details in their writing. In Maths, we have learnt all about 2-digit numbers breaking them down into tens and ones using Dienes, place value charts and part/whole models. Science this week focused on the properties of materials and their suitability. This weekend you might like to discuss why objects in your home are made from particular materials and see what the children have remembered from our discussions.
Next week, we will continue to focus on 2-digit place value and begin to compare and order numbers by the end of the week. In English, we will begin our next text: The Pirate Crunchers by Johnny Duddle. This is a brilliantly clever book which catches out many a reader at the end! This will enhance our learning about pirates and explorers. In Music we will continue to learn to sing and play accompaniment on a range of percussion instruments. In PSHCE we will think about what makes a good friend.
As we mentioned in Wednesday's meeting, we will be giving a group of children the opportunity to bring in something for Show and Tell each week, so that all children have an opportunity to participate if they would like to.
Show and Tell next week on either Monday or Friday:
Archie, Arina, Arthur, Cian, Dillon
Home Learning
Maths: pages 6 and 14, place value and partitioning
Comprehension: page 2 Making Lemonade
Please read 5 times and sign the Reading Record book.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram
Friday 15th September
We have successfully completed our first full week of school and the children have worked so hard! It has been a busy week so a restful weekend might be in order!
In class this week we have been exploring 'Grandma Bird' as our class text. This is an endearing story of the relationship between grandmother and grandson and how their relationship changes as the result of a storm. Next week we will be writing letters from Noi to his Dad, exploring a range of emotions and focusing on varying sentence starters, adding details and using precise vocabulary to describe feelings and situations.
In Maths, we have embedded understanding of teens numbers. Next week we will be making, drawing and writing 2-digit numbers to 100 in many different ways. In Geography we will be learning that there are 7 continents and 5 oceans. In RE we will continue to explore the story of Jonah to understand what Christians believe about God and in science will explore materials and their properties.
Next Wednesday morning at 9am we look forward to welcoming you to our 'Meet the Teacher' presentation where we can unpack Year 2 systems, routines, structures and expectations.
Home Learning
The children will bring home a maths book and a comprehension book today. Homework will be set from the books and occasionally on paper. In addition there will be spellings to learn, but we will be sending these out once we have finished assessing the class.
Today's homework:
Maths: p 2-5 Year one objectives test
Comprehension: p1 How to grow a seed
Please read 5 times each week and sign the Reading Record book.
Thank you. Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs Bartram and Mrs Lee
Friday 8th September 2023
Welcome to Year 2!
We hope you have had a wonderful summer holiday.
The children have been very excited and enthusiastic at settling into Year 2. We have introduced them to the classroom routines and spent time talking about the school rules 'Respectful, Ready and Reflective'. This afternoon we celebrated the return to school with a 'Family Group' afternoon, full of art, forest school and outdoor activities. They had great fun.
Our class page will be used to keep you updated on learning, events and key information and will be updated weekly.
Home Reading
Your child should have brought home 2 reading books as well as their new Reading Record. Please read each book with your child 3 times so that they have opportunity to build up their fluency of vocabulary and understanding of the text. Please sign their Reading Record each time you hear them read; 5 times a week is the aim so that children can get their star stamps and begin collecting their badges. The books (including the signed Reading Record) then need to come back to school on the allocated day - written at the top of their Reading Record - for us to see how they are getting on, and to exchange for new reading books.
In English next week we will be reading 'Grandma Bird' which is a lovely story about the relationship between a Grandmother and her grandson, and what happens when he visits one holiday. In Maths we will be revisiting numbers to 20 and then learning how to read and make 2-digit numbers to 100. We will also be launching into many of our foundation subject topics, including our main topic: Pirates.
Mrs Lee will teach on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Mrs Bartram on Thursday and Friday.
Homework will start next Friday. Further details of this, class routines, expectations and curriculum will be shared at our Meet the Teacher Meeting on Wednesday 20th September at 9am in the classroom.
PE days are Wednesday and Thursday - please can children come to school dressed in PE kit.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Mrs Lee and Mrs Bartram