Owls

Term 2

Here we are already in Term 2.

We hope you had a good half term and thank you for sending the children

back to us looking smart and ready for action.

Wellies:

Owls are not doing Forest School this term. However, wellies are always useful as our garden area gets very muddy at this time of year, so feel free to send them in but please name them! It's our turn for Forest School again in Term 3 and 5.

School Play:

By the end of Week 1 we hope to get scripts out to everyone with highlighted words for anyone with a speaking part and all the song words as well. Costume requirements will also be sent out. Please ask if you have any concerns.

If your child has a speaking part in the play, it is really important they practise at home as well as at school. With my own children we used to get them to stand at the top of the stairs and shout the words down to us to practise volume!

When tickets are available we will let you know on Parentpay, Class Dojo, letter and on class noticeboards. There will be a limit on the number of tickets for each family, to make sure we are being fair. But as in previous years, we'll let you know if there are spare tickets.

English

This term in English we began with a recount of a memorable part of our holidays and the children have got off to a good start. Next we are focussing on descriptive writing, using adjectives and verbs to describe fireworks. Later in the term we hope to put our poetry skills to good use to write poems as gifts for people in the wider community.

Reading:

Thank you to everyone for making such an effort to hear your children read to you regularly at home. I know we keep saying it, but giving them the extra reading hours is the best way for them to gain fluency and stamina. This is so important if they are to achieve their potential in Year 2 and beyond; reading affects every lesson they have.

It has also been proved that reading and talking about books is the best way for children to develop vocabulary, and that a good vocabulary has a positive effect on behaviour

as well as success in life at school and in later life.

Maths

We are just starting to look at addition and subtraction for Year 2. Knowing number bonds to 10 (10/0, 9/1 etc) fluently will be one of our first targets. We will also be looking at representing sums in different ways with cherry and bar models and word problems. We'll also be exploring how making links between number bonds can help us calculate; For example knowing 7 + 3 = 10  can help work out 70 + 30 = 100, or 17 + 3 is 20. New words for this year are 'commute' (3+4  4+3) and inverse (+ and -).  

TT Rockstars:

National Times Tables tests are a new addition to Year 4 and we are starting early to give children the best chance possible to know their tables by the time they get to Yr 4.  All Owls have been given a TT Rockstars login to practise times tables and I've set their levels. Please ask me if you haven't found the login in your child's book bag. Children who have logged in have found it great fun.

PE:

This is still on Monday afternoons, so please bring PE kit in. The best thing is to leave it in school for the whole half term so that it is one less thing to remember.  Our PE schedule this term is likely to be disrupted by Christmas play practise but we will make up for it whenever we can and in future terms.

Fun stuff:

We are lucky enough to be going to the cinema to see The Grinch AND to a pantomime this term (Oh yes we are!).

The cinema trip gets back in time for lunch BUT on panto day (Tuesday 26th November) ALL children will need a packed lunch to eat when we get back. If you want your child to have a school packed lunch, please tick this on the panto permission form and/or let the office know.

We also have lots of fun Christmas activities planned near the end of term,

though we will try to keep classroom time as calm as possible to make sure they don't burn out before the big day! 

BREAKING NEWS!

Can I just say thank you for being amazing at making sure the children are in school, on time, looking great this term. 

So far, we have had loads of days of full attendance and it has really helped everyone's learning, with no-one having to worry about missing information or having to catch up.  Thank you again.

Welcome everyone, to Robin and Owl Classes!

We have an exciting year ahead.

Here is some information to get you started:

Moving on up:

Moving from mainly play-based learning in Year 1 to more formal lessons in Year 2 is a big step for the children and we try to make it as painless as possible. 

Until Christmas, Year 2 will have two breaks each day - morning and afternoon. They will stay in the relative quiet of the Year 2 garden area and classrooms, rather than the main playground. Fruit will be provided, just as in Year 1, so they don’t need snacks from home.  Please send them with a labelled water bottle each day.

When children arrive in the morning, please help them to become as independent as possible about hanging up their coat and bag and coming in to class. The children should come into the classroom by themselves and start their morning activity. Either the class teacher or teaching assistant will be available to take messages from you if needed. They should be in class by 8.40am, ready for the register.

If you'd like to talk with us at greater length, please ask and we will be happy to arrange to meet you after school. 

Parents often ask us what they can do to help their children. The 3 most important things are:

• Make surechildren are in school each day, on time and with the correct equipment (Regular attendance makes a massive difference to progress and attainment),
• Read, read, read with them at home. Being able to read is a key skill for learning in just about every subject from Year 2 onward.
• Encourage them to keep going. If you're positive about the benefits of learning when they're feeling tired or finding something hard, it will encourage them to keep having a go.  As Dory would say in Finding Nemo, 'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...'

Reading for success

All children will read to an adult in school regularly. They will also be reading with a partner each day in phonics for decoding, while Guided Reading activities will boost comprehension. However, nothing boosts a child's progress in reading more than reading to a grown up at home.

Book bands: We use Oxford Reading Tree scheme books are colour coded into reading bands. Children progress through the colours as they show that they can both read and understand the texts. Each time they move up a band we’ll write it in their Reading Record. You can choose the books together from our reading trolley in the cloakroom area. Please stick to the correct reading band and put books back into the correct box.

Spelling

English spelling is sometimes tricky.  But, good spelling makes a good first impression so many times in adult life, whether you're applying for a job, writing a report or even just emailing.

In primary school, good spelling is still an important part of Key Stage 2 SATs. Feeling confident about spelling can also boost children’s writing to a higher level, encouraging them to use more adventurous, exciting vocabulary.

To help W children get to grips with the many rules of spelling, we use the Read Write Inc. spelling programme from Year 2-6, with at least three 15-minute sessions a week and regular assessments.

Year 2 children begin the spelling programme when they have finished learning Phonics. Children learn different things at different rates, so some children will begin immediately, while others will continue with phonics at first. We assess regularly to ensure children are in the right group for success.

Common Exception (Tricky) words are those that don't follow the rules. There is a national list for each year group to learn. To help Year 2 children learn these, they will receive spellings as homework from Christmas onwards.

How you can help your child fast-track to fantastic spelling:

• Ensure they learn and practise any spelling homework.
• Check out the Year 1 and 2 words that children should know by the end of KS1; it’s in the front of the Reading Record books. As children show in their daily reading and writing that they can read and spell these words, they will be able to colour in part of their personal spelling hive. For every 10 words they colour they will get a reward.

Finally, thank you so much for your support this year.

We are really looking forward to working with your children and you.

Mrs Dixon, Mrs Jarman, Mrs Stirling and Miss Mace

Term 1        

Our first topic

This term our topic is called ‘One World’. It is a whole school topic. Year 1 and 2 will keep the focus on our local world; looking mostly at Didcot and the surrounding areas, but also think about our effect on the world through our choices, such as recycling and litter.

Maths

In Maths this term we will be concentrating on ‘Place Value’ and begin looking at ‘Addition and Subtraction’.

When learning about Place Value we will learn to:

• Recognise the place value of each digit in a two digit number (tens, ones)
• Count in 1s, 2s and 3s forwards and backwards to 100.
• Identify, represent and estimate numbers to 100 using different representations including the number line.
• Compare and order numbers from 0 up to 100; use <, > and = signs.
• Read and write numbers to at least 100 in numerals and words.
• Use place value and number facts to solve problems.

In ‘Addition and Subtraction’ we will learn to:

• Recall and use addition and subtraction facts to 20 fluently, and derive and use related facts up to 100.
• Show that the addition of two numbers can be done in any order (commutative) and subtraction of one number from another cannot.
• Add and subtract numbers using concrete objects, pictorial representations, and mentally, including: a two digit number and ones; a two digit number and tens; two two digit numbers; adding three one digit numbers.
• Recognise and use the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction and use this to check calculations and solve missing number problems.
• Solve problems with addition and subtraction: using concrete objects and pictorial representations, including those involving numbers, quantities and measures; applying their increasing knowledge of mental and written methods.

English

Writing

Our writing focus this term will be super sentences. We will learn how to:

• Recognise different types of sentence (statement, question, command, exclamation)
• Use correct sentence punctuation.
• Think, say, then write a series of sentences.
•  Re-read sentences to check that they make sense.
• Learn and retell the story of our text  - Oi! Get off our Train by John Burningham.

We’ll apply our knowledge to:

Write sentences of different types linked to our text and topic.

Grammar

• Sentence type, construction and punctuation.
• Recap nouns, verbs, adjectives (adverbs)
• Past and present tense verbs.

PE

Please ensure your child has a full PE kit in school at all times as not having the correct clothes can cause distress. We recommend leaving PE kit on their peg until half-term, especially as our topic will include lots of physical activities.

Full kit for autumn and winter includes white or house-colour t-shirt, PE shorts, jogging bottoms, plimsolls and/or trainers. A sweatshirt will be useful for colder days. Please label everything! PE will be on Monday afternoons.

Forest School

Owls children will have Forest School in Terms 1, 3 and 5 this year. To give children the best Forest School experiences possible, half the class will go each week. A letter will go out this week to tell you which weeks your child is doing Forest School and remind you of the kit that will keep them safe and warm as Autumn draws in.

Swimming

Year 2 children have the opportunity to learn swimming at The Wave for a number of sessions. This will take place in the summer terms. To reassure you, the children are assessed in the first session and ability grouped to make sure they can progress in their own time and the class teacher will be in the pool with them. The focus of the sessions is gaining water confidence, whether that's standing in the pool or swimming strokes.