Year 2

Welcome to the new Year 2 pupils and families! I hope that you all had a lovely summer and are ready and raring to get back to our school family. I am so excited to be getting to know the children and settling them into Year 2 life. I know that we are going to make lots of memories together, learn new things and grow. The children are now the oldest pupils in KS1 and I know that they are ready to take on the responsibilities that go alongside this.

Our scripture theme for the year will build upon our ‘BRW Spirit Strong’ motto. Our whole school theme is One World, One Family. ‘We are one Body in Christ—Romans 12:5 is our scripture focus. This year and beyond, we will show solidarity and care for the world and the global family we are part of.

As always, our RE topics will be at the heart of our learning this term:

• Creation and Covenant We will describe how we are stewards of God’s world. We will retell scripture related to Noah’s Ark and talk about the lessons we can learn from this story. We will also learn about the sacrament of Baptism.
• Prophecy and Promise: The children will learn about the stories of John the Baptist and the First Christmas. We will explore how other cultures prepare during Advent and why Mary was chosen to be Jesus’ mother.
• Preparations: During Advent we will learn that it is a time to prepare for Jesus. We will discover how we prepare to celebrate with our own families.

 

Year 2 have got an exciting term ahead of them. They will start their learning journey by learning about the history of Clifton, Clifton Village and Clifton Colliery. We will use our historical enquiry skills to find out more about changes to our local area over time.

We will learn about the land uses of Clifton during our geography lessons. We will identify human and physical features of our local area and learn how to use grid references on a map.

In D&T lessons we will design and build moving monsters using card and split pins. We will be inspired by the Colour Monster story.

Our artistic talents will be put to the test when build upon our knowledge of mark making in art lessons. We will learn how to use charcoal to make marks and learn how make marks to add expression to faces. We will use our drawing skills to tell a story.

Our science topic this term is plants and everyday materials. We will learn about planting at different times of the year and get ready for spring as we plant plenty of bulbs to brighten our school grounds. The children will be excited by investigations into waterproof materials and floating and sinking investigations as part of our materials topic

In PE we will be joining Mrs Bathgate for fundamentals lessons and Mrs Cook for  fitness. We will have lots of fun as we get our heart rates pumping.

In English lessons we will focus on the texts  ‘The Colour Monster’ and ‘Troll’. There will be a consistent focus of spelling, punctuation and grammar so that the children become confident and accurate writers. We will also explore non fiction and poetry texts throughout the term. Phonics lessons will continue to take place everyday.

Maths lessons will focus on deepening the children’s understanding of number, addition and subtraction and shape.

We will visit the pantomime at Christmas when we go to see Aladdin at Nottingham Playhouse.

It really is going to be a busy term and we can’t wait to get started!

Ways to help at Home!

PE: PE will be on Wednesday and Friday afternoons this term, please make sure your child has their full PE kit (outdoor and indoor kit) in school. As the weather becomes colder, your child will need the appropriate PE kit e.g jumper and joggers.

Earrings: due to health and safety reasons, earrings must be removed before all PE sessions. Please remove them before school if your child is not able to do this independently.

Reading:   “Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage” ― Roald Dahl. 

Please encourage your child to read every evening. Sign  your child’s reading record in their diary so we can keep up-to-date with their successes at home.

Homework: Year 2 will be given homework on a Wednesday. Please check your child’s homework sheet each week for more information.

Spellings: Year 2 have their Spelling Quiz on Wednesday mornings.  Please remind your child to learn their spellings and to learn how to use the words accurately in sentences. Vocabulary knowledge is key to ensuring your child has strong reading comprehension and writing skills.

Maths: Please encourage your child to access NumBots and Mathletics at home for 5 minutes a day. This will help them to practice their number facts and support their learning in class.

Websites for Year 2 to learn from and enjoy…

https://my.risingstars-uk.com

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zgkw2hv

http://community.mathletics.com/signin/

https://ttrockstars.com/login  

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/helicopter-rescue

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/primary/zd7p47h

https://www.phonicsbloom.com/

We look forward to supporting your child to thrive and flourish this term and we will continue to help them to investigate, discover and learn through making ‘marvellous mistakes’. Strong home-school links are key to ensuring that your children gain the best support from both school and home so, if you do have any questions or concerns, please feel free to get in touch so we can discuss them further. Thank you in advance for your support over the coming term, it is very much appreciated.

Best wishes,

Mrs Cook