Bethlehem was buzzin'!

Wow! What an amazing week Year 2 have had. Their acting and singing performances during our production of Bethlehem’s Buzzin’ were truly brilliant and they certainly put on a show! We are so proud of each and every one of them as I’m sure you all are too!

Don’t forget you are invited to celebrate with the cast at their after show party tomorrow (Thursday 11^th) from 2.30pm in the Blue Room. You will be able to meet the cast, talk to them about their experiences and even get their autographs. Costumes and props will be on display as well as cast and group photographs.

If you are joining us tomorrow please go to the office to sign in and collect a sticker before coming to the Blue Room.

The children have now finished their performances of Bethlehem’s Buzzin’ but have one final Nativity performance at Emmanuel Church next Wednesday (17^th December). If your child is reading in church, they will bring a copy of this home on Friday. As there is no more maths or spelling homework this term, please could the children practise their church reading.

If you are available to help walk the children to the church next Wednesday (17^th December) please let your child’s class teacher know.

Please note there are no more Forest School sessions this term. Forest School will begin again in January and dates will be sent out via parent mail in the coming weeks.

Finally there are quite a few pairs of wellies/boots that have been left outside the Year 2 classrooms. Please could you claim these before the end of term.

Year 2 is buzzin'!

The children have been busy rehearsing for the Nativity this week and they are really looking forward to performing for you.  Bethlehem is definitely buzzin’!

To celebrate the culmination of our Newbridge 50, Putting on a Show, the actors and choir would love to share their experiences of performing with you. This will take place next Thursday 11^th December at 2.30pm in the Blue Room.  This is an opportunity for you to ask the actors about their experiences, have a closer look at the costumes and even ask for an autograph or two! Keep an eye out for the invitations that the children will be making and bringing home at next week.

WOW! What a week!

WOW! What a week!

We started our week with a WOW! day, thinking about our Newbridge 50, ‘Putting on a Show’.  The children spent the morning doing lots of different drama activities using their voices, bodies and imaginations.  After lunch, the children watched a stage version of the well known story ‘The Gruffalo’ and were treated to popcorn in the interval!  Afterwards we discussed the acting, props and costumes. They are now well equipped to take on their roles in the Christmas performance.

Today the children have been given their scripts for the Christmas performance which they have begun to learn.  Please encourage your child to practise at home, not only to remember their lines, but also to look for cues so that they know when to say them!  This is another opportunity for the children to read and practice expression, so please record this in their Reading Record books (this can count towards their weekly reading target of three times a week).  Please remember that the children need to be responsible and keep their scripts in their book bags so they are always in school when we need them.

We look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks time for the performances … not long to go!

Another busy week!

We have had another busy week in Year 2. The children have been working so hard and have become experts on the Great Fire of London. On Friday the children used their money skills to ‘buy’ art materials. They had to think carefully about what they would need and what they could buy with their money. They then created beautiful Great Fire of London collages. Our Great Fire of London learning continued this week when the children wrote fantastic fact files which were full of interesting information. Did you know Samuel Pepys buried his best cheese so it wouldn’t get damaged by the flames? Ask your child what other amazing facts they know.

As we have been doing some maths assessments in class this week there will be no maths homework sent home this Friday. However if you have time it would greatly benefit the children to have instant recall of number bonds so please spend some time practising this with your child.

The Great Fire!

This week the children have enjoyed researching and learning more about The Great Fire of London. This has enabled us to make a range of cross-curricular links in literacy, ICT/computing, history and geography. The children have used a range of sources, including books and websites to find out relevant information and have been taught how to record this in simple note form. Next week the children will begin to use their notes to write their own information booklets about the Great Fire. 

Our focus in numeracy has been on money. The children learnt about pounds and pence, the different coin values and investigated different ways of making set amounts.Our learning culminated in the children being given a set amount of money to 'buy' art materials. Once they had purchased their materials they used them to create Great Fire of London collages. 

We are lucky this term to have a dance teacher from the Oldfield PE Partnership who has come in to work with both Y2 classes. The children  enjoyed putting together a Great Fire of London dance and came up with some highly creative moves.

Many thanks to all of you who have provided their child with waterproofs for forest school. It looks like they'll get plenty of use in the weeks ahead!

Welcome back

Welcome back. I hope you have all had a restful break, it certainly sounds as though the children have been up to lots of exciting things.

On the final day of term the children spent the afternoon answering the question 'Who do I want to be?' They thought about what job they would like when they are older and presented this to the rest of Year 2. The children then tied their wishes onto a balloon and paraded around the lower school- what a colourful sight!

 This week we have started learning about the Great Fire of London. We discovered Samuel Pepys' diary in the classroom and have begun to research who he was and what happened in the fire. If you have any books or resources about the Great Fire of London we would love to see them.

Maths homework and spellings will be sent home this Friday. Please remember to return maths homework by the following Wednesday while spellings can stay at home so they can be practised little and often.

Finally, as it is getting colder, please ensure that all items e.g. hats and gloves are named and that children have a warm, waterproof coat as we go outside in all weather.

Harvest

Today the children have enjoyed making harvest loaves ready for the Harvest Festival Assembly on Friday. If you would like to bring a donation of non-perishable food please take it to the upper school foyer on either Thursday or Friday morning. The children have also been busy learning a harvest poem and song to perform at the assembly.

Please remember that it is school photo day tomorrow, Thursday 23rd October. 

As it is the end of term there will be no maths homework or spellings sent home this week. The children have worked hard and earned a well deserved break. Homework and spellings will be given out at the end of the first week back.

Please can every child bring one empty cereal box to school by the end of the first week back - many thanks.

It has been a fantastic first term. Enjoy the holiday and many thanks for all your support.

Another busy week

The children have been busy this week learning about poetry. We enjoyed reading 'Ten Things Found in a Wizard's Pocket'. The children worked with a partner to think about things they would put in their pockets if they were a wizard or wizardess. Each child will now create their own poem to share with the class.

In numeracy we have been using our number bond knowledge to solve number trio and missing number problems. The homework this week will focus on consolidating this skill. Please remember to complete the homework in pencil. Many thanks.

The children have begun cookery activities. A small group of children will be cooking each week. This time they will be making pinwheel biscuits. Many thanks to Mrs Puzey for helping with this. The children will not be eating these in school but will bring them home to share with you. Please come and speak to us if your child has any food allergies we are unaware of.

Now the weather has turned cold and wet please ensure your child comes to school suitably prepared with a coat. We go outside in all weathers. Also you may wish to include thermals and thicker socks in your child's forest school bag.

Finally a reminder to sign up for parents evening via the school office if you haven't already done so. 

Three Little Pigs performance

Since our visit from Storybox Theatre we have been busy making, painting, gluing and decorating in preparation for our ‘Three Little Pigs’ performance. This happened last Friday and the children were fantastic! They paraded their beautiful pig and wolf ‘dragons’ and showed off their amazing masks accompanied by lots of noise from their handmade shakers. Thank you to everyone who came and enjoyed their performance.

This week in literacy we have been retelling the story of the Lady of the Lake and how King Arthur got his sword Excalibur. Please ask your child to tell you the story. 

In numeracy we have been learning about addition and how to use a number line or hundred square to count on. It is an important strategy to have as it will enable your child to tackle more complex addition problems as they get older. The homework this week will focus on this. We will be including a number line and hundred square in the homework packs. Please keep these at home so you can use them for future homework. Playing board games such as snakes and ladders is a good way to support this at home.

Now Autumn is upon us please ensure your child comes to school with a named coat every day as we go outside in all weathers. Please can you also ensure that your child includes a waterproof coat, waterproof trousers and appropriate outdoor footwear in their Forest School bag every session. From now onwards they are likely to get very muddy!

Thank you to everyone who has supported their child with their maths homework. It was great to get so much positive feedback on how confidently the children tackled the activity. Please keep the number bond cards at home rather than in the homework packs as they may get lost.

Please remember to keep spelling sheets at home rather than in Reading Record books or maths homework packs. This way the children will be able to practise their spellings little and often which is the best way for them to learn them.

Knights, dubbing and the Three Little Pigs

The young squires of Year 2 have had an eventful start to the week. After writing persuasive letters to King Arthur explaining why they were ready to become knights, a message arrived inviting the children to a dubbing ceremony. The children enjoyed taking part in the ceremony and impressed their guest of honour with their beautifully painted shields and their knowledge of the Code of Chivalry.

On Wednesday we were lucky enough to have a visit from Storybox Theatre and the children thoroughly enjoyed the performance of The Three Little Pigs. We will be getting creative over the next week, using this performance as our inspiration to create some fantastic artwork and a dance performance of our own. 

This Friday the children will be bringing home their first set of spellings to practise. Please continue to use the ‘look, say, cover, write, check’ method of practise that the children will have used in Year 1. Please note the first maths homework will be sent out the following week.

The children in both classes have now had their first Forest School session which they thoroughly enjoyed. Although the weather is nice at the moment, please be aware that as the weather changes the conservation area becomes muddy so your child must have a change of clothes to wear for every session. This must include long trousers and long sleeved tops to prevent nettle stings and injury from brambles. Please ensure your child brings this to school in the morning as we change for Forest School before lunch to maximise their time outside.

Knights in Training!

It was lovely to see so many of you at the ‘Getting to know you’ and Forest School information sessions this week. We hope you found them informative. If you were unable to attend, a handout containing all the information covered will be sent home in your child’s book bag this week.

On Monday the children made an exciting discovery in the Wild Wood- a sword in a stone! Ask your child how it got there and why we were unable to pull the sword out. We read the story of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone and have been finding out about life as a knight. The children have entered ‘Knights Training’ and have been practising the skills needed to become a brave and noble knight. We have designed our own coats of arms and have been learning the Code of Chivalry.

Thank you to all of you who are already ensuring your child has a book bag rather than a rucksack, we appreciate your support on this matter. If your child does not yet have one, they can be purchased from the school office.

Please remember that Forest School sessions begin for 2OB on Thursday 11^th September and for 2R on Thursday 18^th September.

Welcome back!

Welcome back. We hope you all enjoyed a lovely summer break. We have been really impressed by how well the children have returned to school, full of enthusiasm. The children spent their first morning thinking about class rules and learning new routines. This afternoon they have got to know the PPA staff.

We try to update this blog regularly and ensure important information and dates are posted.

Please remember that the Getting to Know You session is next week, Tuesday 9th September. Please meet in 2OB at 1.45 pm. There will be a Forest School Information session immediately afterwards. If you are unable to attend we will send handouts home with your child.

If you haven't already done so please send your child's PE kit to school.Also please remember bookbags, coats and water bottles every day.

Finally could you please send in any empty cereal boxes by next Monday, 8th September for some art work we will be doing next week. Many thanks.