Year 2

6th July 2020

Dear Year 2 (Download Full Letter Here),

I am writing to you, as things are a little bit different this year. Normally we would have been having a move up day but obviously that cannot happen, so I am going to tell you what should be happening in September and a little bit about myself.

When we come back in September, you will be a Year 3 pupil! You will not only have changed classrooms but also moved up into KS2.  When you come in through the KS2 entrance without your parents (but do not worry I will be there to help you) you will either come straight into class or put things in the cloakroom. You will then sit at your own table; I will show you where your place is.

This academic year has been very unusual for us all. I hope that you have enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with your family and learn new things at home. Fingers crossed, we can return to school in September and resume some kind of normality.

I have taught from Nursery to Y9 (spent 2 years teaching secondary maths in Tanzania, East Africa) but Y3 is one of my favourite classes to teach.

I am really looking forward to having you as a class, getting to know you all better and being able to help you learn many new and exciting things.

My favourite subjects to teach are Maths and P.E., which I specialized in as part of my teaching degree at University; however, I really enjoy teaching the entire primary curriculum.

Whilst you are in my class, the most important thing I expect from you is to try your best. Always aim high, listen carefully, respect others and have a good attitude towards your work. Finally, I want you to enjoy your time in Year 3 and have fun.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the beginning of September.

I hope you have a lovely summer holiday; I cannot wait to hear what you have all been up to since March.

See you soon,

Mrs Morgan

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Year 2. I am impressed with how well all the children have already settled into their new class. I am looking forward to getting to know them really well, and also you, as the year progresses. I aim to help your child reach his/her full potential.

Although many of the routines remain as they were in Year 1, there are a few things which I need to tell you about.

PE lessons will be on Monday morning for all Year 2 children, Wednesday afternoon for children in Skiddaw class (2/3) and Friday afternoon for children in  class (1/2).  Please make sure that your child always has a full PE kit in school at all times and that any earrings/jewellery are removed on PE days.

Reading is a vital skill which is helped to develop when parents and school work closely together. Children need lots of opportunities to talk about what they have read. You can help your child by making sure that you spend some ‘reading time’ every night and that they have a school reading book which they return to school every morning. Please write the date, title of the book and comment on your child’s response in their reading record book. I expect all children to have their reading book and reading record in school every day – we spend some time reading every morning, so please can you help your child get their reading book and record ready to put on their table when they arrive every morning.

Research shows that best progress is made when adults also read “real books” to their child. All children love to listen to stories; poems etc., and enjoy listening to some over and over again! Listening to an adult read enables children to be introduced to new language which they may not experience in their school reading scheme book. Hopefully this will also help them develop ideas and improve their writing skills. The new end-of-year 2 assessment has a much greater emphasis on the meaning of words and requires children to think about why things happen, how people are feeling etc. This is why it is so important that you spend time talking to your child and encouraging them to express their ideas and opinions.

I have provided all children with a reading bookmark which has lots of helpful ideas and questions for you to use. Whilst reading with your child, please try to choose one question from each section. You could ask more than one type of question per page. This will check that your child really understands what he/she is reading and could lead you into further conversations about the book.

I have a box of books (fiction and non-fiction) on the table in the cloakroom – next to the water bottles. If you would like to borrow any of these to read to your child, please just help yourself and then swap them when appropriate. Please do not be shy – I would be really pleased if you did so!

Children will be rewarded for being good listeners, good behaviour, being kind, having excellent manners, showing respect, trying their best, etc. I use Class DoJo as a rewards system and the two children with the most points will be allowed some “Golden Time” on a Friday afternoon (last session). Pupil of the Week, Excellence Award (half termly) and Wonderful Work Wednesday Assemblies are also used as special rewards.

Homework will be sent home every Friday and will relate to work which we have been doing in class over the week, Please ensure that Homework books are collected every Friday and that they are returned by the following Wednesday. If you are able to collect their Homework books from the classroom every Friday morning, that would be great. Spellings will be sent home as part of the homework and will be tested every Wednesday.

I have enclosed an overview where you will see what we will be doing in English, Maths and Science this term. Every morning in Year 2 we will have a reading time, phonics/spelling lesson as well as daily English and Maths lessons. Wherever it is appropriate, Science will be taught at a block; I plan to teach “Materials” during week 3 of this half term. English objectives for that week will be taught through Science.

Although this is some time away, I do need to tell you about end-of-year 2 assessments which happen in May each year.

Finally, if you have any questions, worries or concerns, or just want to have a chat about your child, please do let me know. I would rather know about any small niggles before they develop into anything bigger! Just phone the office to make an appointment, or see me in the morning.  You could also see me on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons, which are my SENDCo times.

Kind regards,

Mrs. F. Roberts

Skiddaw letter

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Skiddaw class. I am delighted to be teaching Year 3 again this year in the afternoons. I know that the Year 2 children will be a welcome addition to the class.  Mrs Morgan and I will liaise closely to ensure that Year 3 children are able to make links in their learning.

I have enclosed a curriculum overview which will help you see many of the topics and subjects which we shall be covering this term. Please be assured that although the same topics/subjects will be taught to both year groups, the objectives and expectations will be different. All children will be given activities/work to do which is appropriate for their year group and ability.

As you can see on the curriculum overview, our topic in History this term will be Great Explorers. As part of this block of work children will learn about significant people and explore Neil Armstrong, Christopher Columbus and Robert Scott in more detail.

Mrs Athersmith will be in charge of the class on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons whilst I am SENDCo.

During these afternoons she will teach PE and RE and French (only Year 3 children).

PE lessons will be on Wednesday afternoons for children in Skiddaw class. Please make sure that your child has a full PE kit in school at all times and that any earrings/jewellery are removed on PE days.

Finally, if you have any questions, worries or concerns, or just want to have a chat about your child, please do let me know. I would rather know about any small niggles before they develop into anything bigger! Just phone the office to make an appointment.

Kind regards,

Mrs F Roberts