Good afternoon everyone,

It has been another busy week in Year 2. Our worship has focused around the celebration of the word from Matthew's gospel and his description of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. We learned who John was and how he was a prophet, similar to the prophet Isaiah 800 years before. We learned how John prepared people for Jesus and how Jesus chose to be baptised, even though he was without sin, because he wanted to set an example to others.

English - We continue working hard in our Read Write Inc groups.

Maths - In Maths we built upon our knowledge of addition and subtraction to solve a range of problems. We used our drawings of tens and ones to support our knowledge. We also looked at word problems and the various methods we can use to find the difference between two numbers.

Science - In Science we learned that there are numerous different habitats across the world. We explored some of these and identfied different plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects that might live here.

RE - We learned about the life of John the Baptist and how he was such an important prophet. We also learned about Jesus' Baptism by exploring art created from this event.

Geography - We learned the three different ways islands can be created - volcanoes, coral and continental. We wrote explanations about how volcanic islands are formed.

PE - In our outdoor PE we practised net and wall batting games and our indoor PE was gymnastics skills.

Computing - We looked at algorithms and learned the importance of clear instructions by trying to follow less clear instructions.

Regular Tasks

Please continue to practise counting in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s and reading the Year 1 and Year 2 common exception words every week. This is so important for our learning!

Times Table Rockstars - You should have all received a login and password for Times Table Rockstars to use at home. Please play this as regularly as possible to improve and develop multiplication speed.

Other Tasks

Times Table Test

Next Friday we will have our first times table test with the 5 times table. There will be 12 questions for all children, ranging from 0 x 5 to 12 x 5. This may be in either order so please practise reversing the order of each fact, e.g. 12 x 5 = 60 is the same as 5 x 12 = 60. 

There is also a challenge available to anyone feeling confident to practise a method of finding times table facts from 13 x 5 to 20 x 5.

Maths

Mixed addition and subtraction problems. Please draw tens and ones for these.

Remember - addition needs us to draw all the numbers we are adding. Subtraction needs us to draw the whole number and cross out the other number from it.

Writing

Spelling and sentence correcting worksheet.

You do not need to return completed homework to school. It is set so you can see what your child is learning about during the week. However, I am happy to look at any completed work if you want it be checked.

We are all taking our reading quiz and this has given us a book level (known as ZPD). This allows us to give the children reading books which are at the best level for them in regards to both word reading but also their ability to remember and explain what they have read. We will do these reading quizzes at the beginning and end of every half term.

Please read as often as possible at home. It is the most important piece of work you can do with your child to support their learning.

Please ensure that you sign your child’s reading records as they can have a sticker on their book mark for each day that they read to an adult at home. Once the book mark is full the children will receive a certificate. Also Mrs Bowdell will give out a Golden Ticket every third time your child’s record is signed. These will be added to a draw done at the end of the half term with the chance to find a book themed prize. The more tickets you have in the draw, the more chance you have of winning a prize!!

Golden Award - Avie - for her independent hard work, especially in Maths.

Writing Award - Teddie - for trying so hard with his handwriting and presentation.

Maths Award - Alfie - for working really hard to show his reasoning skills.

 

Please Remember….

Water bottles - This will come home each night to be cleaned and re-filled. Please ensure your child brings their’s each day especially now it is hotter as we do not have any spares in class.

Earrings - please ensure these are only small gold/silver studs as stated in the uniform policy. Please also make sure earrings are removed at home before PE on Tuesday and Friday. Children wearing them will not be able to take part in PE.

Jewelery - Please do not send your child into school in any jewelery, such as necklaces, bracelets or rings. These can cause upset if they become lost but can also be dangerous on the playground.

Nail Varnish - please ensure any nail varnish is removed for the pupils come into class. It should not be worn at school.

Key Rings - please do not put key rings onto your child’s school bag, it create fuss in class and then upset if they are lost.

School bag - please continue to use the red book bag that your child was given in Reception where possible, we do not have the room to store large bags. Many thanks for your help with this matter.

 

Please click the links below to discover resources for the Catholic life of our school.

You may have noticed that your child is possibly working with a different group for their reading and writing daily work. This is an initiative set up in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to better prepare children for the literacy challenges of Key Stage 2. We have noticed that, although many children cope well in Year 1 and 2 with their reading and writing, there are potential gaps opening up for many children in Year 3 upwards which can potentially cause problems in developing fluency skills in reading and writing. 

Therefore, Miss Heim-Sarac, as reading lead, has been working incredibly hard to assess the children's reading and phonic knowledge. This has allowed us to better identify gaps and the children have been grouped across key stage 1 into groups with children possessing similar gaps. It may be that your child is with a different teacher, or even younger children, but please don't panic - these groups are fluid as the children are reassessed every end of half term. When gaps have been successfully plugged, the children may be reassigned to different groups. Our hope is that by the end of this academic year, the majority of our children will be better prepared for the challenges of the new year group in September.

In the coming weeks, your child's reading at home structure will also differ. On a weekly basis, we will be sending home a paper copy of the Read Write Inc book our particular group is reading in class to help them reinforce fluency and understanding. As well as this, children will be bringing a weekly book bag book, linked to their particular needs. Finally, they will be given a book which matches their reading level based on the quizzes we do in class. 

This means that Mrs Bowdell might not be able to change books as often as she currently does as she is very busy supporting reading in the afternoons.

I will also be trying to send home packs of word cards for your child to regularly practise reading to help build their fluency.

Finally, due to the restructuring of reading in school, we currently are unable to accomodate guided reading sessions and so reading in school will take place in literacy lessons only. We ask that you support this change by reading with your child at home as regularly as possible. Thank you!

At Our Lady's we like to support our parents/carers in Online Safety matters. 

Keeping children and young people safe online is one of the biggest challenges facing society today and it is all of our responsibility to ensure that children are educated to make positive, informed choices when they are online.

This month’s online safety guide gives helpful advice about…

What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Digital Devices & Wellbeing A #WakeUpWednesday guide helping parents and educators understand how digital devices affect children’s wellbeing and how to promote healthier habits.

We hope you find these guides informative and helpful in promoting the positive use of technology to make the online world a better and safer place for us all. Thank you.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mr Whetnall, Mrs Bowdell and Mrs Gilheaney