Welcome to Year 2

2023-2024

Class Teacher:

Miss Hammond

LSAs:

Miss Thomas (am)

Miss Bryant (pm - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday)

1:1 Support:

Miss B (am)

Mrs Kancha (Monday and Wednesday pm)

Mrs Shahid (Tuesday and Friday pm)

Miss Williams (pm - Thursday)

Hello Year 2 and welcome to our class page where you will find a wealth of information about what we are up to during our learning journey in Year 2.  We will be investigating some very exciting topics in the curriculum. You will delve into the history of canals. You will explore events, such as The Great Fire of London and, celebrity nurses like Florence Nightingale, Edith Cavell and Mary Seacole.  

Remember to have a really good breakfast before you arrive to school on time and ready to learn. 

The gallery button below has photographs of what we have been up to during the term so don't forget to check it out regularly. 

Learning Journey Gallery

Important Information

Start and Finish Times

Our school gates open at 8.30am and you will hear the bell ringing at the start of the day at 8.43am. The children in Year 2 have to line-up at the bottom playground where we will come and meet them.  Our day officially starts at 8.45 am. 

We expect the children to walk politely and sensibly to their classroom where they will put away their belongings in the cloakroom and lunch time trolley.  Children will get registered and we will check that they have ordered a school meal or brought some lunch with them. 

The school gates open at 3pm in preparation to pick up children from the playground. At 3.15, the bell will ring indicating the end of the school day.  The children will be taken by the staff to their designated space at the bottom playground.  It is very important that parents wait for children to be lined up and individually dismissed once we have identified their trusted grown up to go with.  It would really help us if you do not try to take your children from the line as we are walking. 

Uniform

Please make sure that your children's uniform, PE Kit and swimming equipment is all labelled. This is hugely important as it saves a lot of time and children can get quite upset when they cannot find their uniform. 

PE Days

Our PE days are Monday (outdoor) and Friday (indoor).  Children will have to bring their PE kit into school to change into in the classroom.   For  indoor PE,  children need shorts and a t-shirt. For Outdoor PE, they need shorts /joggers/leggings, a t-shirt and trainers.  Children need to bring appropriate footwear or trainers for my PE sessions. Please note that children cannot take part in PE lessons if they do not have the appropriate PE clothing. 

Water Bottles and Snacks

It is important to keep our bodies fuelled and hydrated for learning.  Please remember to provide your child with a healthy snack and a water bottle.  They will be able to refill it with fresh water if they ran out. 

Book Changing

Please ensure children bring their book bags everyday into school. We will change their books at least three times a week.  Your child will be bringing books home at an appropriate level to share with you.  It is important that they are regularly heard read and that they write a comment about the book they've enjoyed.  At some point during the year, the children will join our Accelerated Programme and bring books to read at home.  They will complete a small comprehension Quiz in class after reading every book. 

Homework

Children will be bringing their weekly homework book on Fridays which they need to return by Wednesday.  Children need to choose from the activities from the Termly Homework which is stuck in their purple book.  

The grid is divided into three areas: Spelling, Mathematics and Other Learning.  Children are expected to complete at least two spelling activities (green section) and one maths activity (blue section) per week. Additionally, children choose another two to three activities from other areas of the curriculum such as History, Science, Geography or art from the purple section every term. 

The spelling words for the week will be stuck inside their purple Homework books every Friday. Children can use the activities on the Green section to practice their spellings.  It is more beneficial for children to practice a few times a week than several times on one day.  

School Dinners 

If your child is having a School Dinner, please order their lunch online on ParentPay. 

Reading - Accelerated Reader

As a whole school, we want to cultivate children's passion and enjoyment for reading. Children in Year 2 will join our Accelerated Reader programme where their ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development is assessed. Children will then be allocated a book level matching the complexity of the text they can access.  This will be ideal, being neither too easy or too hard.  We timetable reading times in the class and we also encourage children to read at any opportunity.  The children will also need to read their book or books at home for at least 20 minutes Monday to Friday. 

Once the children have read their books, they will take a small 3 or 5 question AR quiz.  This quiz will ascertain how well the children have understood the book they have read. Children love this Programme as they can tangibly track their progress and celebrate their successes with their peers and teachers. 

Spelling 

Below are the common exception words that children in Year 2 will need to know by the end of KS1 which include all those learnt in Year 1. Children could use them when they do their written homework or any project work. 

Mathematics

In class, children use a variety of concrete equipment to help them solve problems practically and create images and pictures to help them understand mathematical concepts.  Below is a knowledge organiser which exemplifies some of the ways we use this equipment.  Additionally, I have added paper replicas of some of the equipment which you can print off at your discretion and the children can use to work out or solve homework problems.