Dear Parents/Carers

I hope you had a lovely Christmas holiday and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

This term we plan to continue working hard and I will be starting to familiarise the children with the SATs assessment format as we draw closer to May. I will give further information regarding this further down the letter.

Numeracy

In Numeracy the children will continue to study all areas including symmetry, weight in kg and ½ kg, block graphs, doubling and halving and telling the time using both analogue and digital clocks.

Year 2 will continue to have our weekly times tables tests. Several children have made great progress with their tables and are clearly making an effort to learn them. Please can I remind you that a good knowledge of times tables will help your child in other areas of Maths including division, doubling and fractions!

Literacy

In literacy we are focusing on Non-Chronological reports, Poetry, Instructions and different stories by the same author (Anthony Browne). 

We will continue to improve our use of adventurous vocabulary including powerful adjectives and also the use of adverbs this term (these describe HOW an action is done, e.g. the courageous knight fought bravely in the battle with the dragon.)

Year 2 will also start to use speech marks more accurately, although it must be made clear that using basic punctuation skills (full stops and capital letters) is still the most important target for a lot of children.

Science

Our first unit this term is: Using Electricity which looks at safety issues, recognition of devices and appliances that use electricity or battery to operate, making circuits and learning how to draw circuits.

Our second unit is: Grouping and Changing Materials which revises the grouping and sorting of materials; explores how some materials can change shape; find out about manufactured and natural materials and explore what happens when some materials are heated or cooled.

Unit of Inquiry

Our first Unit of Inquiry this first half term is called Peace on Earth. Central idea: Peaceful relationships are created through mutual understanding and respect.

Our lines of inquiry will be:
• Peace is up to me;
• We have to take responsibility for our actions;
• We need to respect each other in order to have peace.

We will be discussing and exploring the meaning of peace; looking at different symbols that represent peace; and learning about 3 global ambassadors of peace: Mother Teresa, Mohandas Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.

Our second Unit of Inquiry after half term is called Waste Not, Want Not. Central idea: Reducing, reusing and recycling waste can help the planet.
Lines of inquiry:
• How does our waste affect the environment?
• What ways are there to reduce the impact of waste on our environment?
• What is the impact for the future?

This unit will involve learning about how we can make a positive contribution towards saving our planet by reducing waste.

P.E.

This term Year 2 will be doing Dance with Abi Rosser on Tuesday mornings. PPA for staff has now moved to Wednesday afternoons, and it is during this time that the children will do P.E. in the Secondary Sports Hall. Gym remains on Monday mornings.

It is therefore even more important that children bring their P.E. kits to school on Mondays and take them home on Fridays every week. It is essential that children have the correct kit, in particular tracksuit bottoms and trainers/plimsoles. Please make sure your child has these items in their P.E. bags.

SATs information meeting

On Thursday 19 January at 5pm there will be a meeting for parents to attend to get information about the KS1 SATs. Please let me assure you now that the KS1 SATs are not something to be worried about or to put unnecessary pressure on the children over. It is to assess the level that children are working at now, so that their progress can be tracked over the next 4 years when they reach Year 6. The meeting will be to give further information and to answer any questions that you may have. It will also offer some advice on how you can support your child out of school to help them prepare.

Dates for your diary

• KS1 SATs information meeting – 19 January, 5.00pm
• Class assembly – Friday 24 February, 2.50pm
• Parent - Teacher meetings – 7 & 8 February
• Y2 Church Service – to be confirmed.
• World Book Day – 1 March (children to dress up as a book character)
• End of term Church Service – 30 March

Class visits

LSO concert at the Barbican Centre of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf – Monday 6 February. Cost: £4.50 per child.

Thank you for your continued support, helping your child with homework, spellings, times tables and with our class trips. It is very much appreciated!

Many thanks

Katherine Earle        Emma Kyriacou
Year 2 Teacher        Year 2 Teaching Assistant