Nathan Bryon Class

Mr Minor (Year 2) 

 Welcome to year 2, also known as Nathan Bryan Class.

We have an exciting year ahead of us and we can't wait to get started. Outlined below are some of the routines and expectations for Year 2. We appreciate your support in promoting these and hope that you find this advice helpful and informative.

This year in year 2: 

Class Teacher: Mr Minor

Support Staff: Mrs Stanley

You can contact me directly through my email-

jminor@allsaints-alrewas.staffs.sch.uk 

I will aim to respond to messages Monday-Friday (8:00am-5:30pm).

Announcements: 

TBC

Our Day: 

8:35am- The EYFS/KS1 playground gate will be open and children may come straight to the classroom from this time ready to start learning at 8:45am. You may wish to walk your child to the classroom by following the path along nursery, to the year 2 classroom.

10:30-10:45am- Break time. Fruit is provided by the school. However, if your child would like to bring their own healthy snack into school then they are more than welcome.

Break Time Snacks: 

Children are welcome to bring in a healthy snack for the morning breaktime. We are a nut free school so please ensure any snacks do not contain nuts. Snacks are not to be shared with other children as there are a number of children with specific food allergies.

All children should bring a school water bottle to school. Water bottles are available from the office for a small fee.

12:00pm-Lunchtime.

1:00pm- Afternoon lessons begin.

3:15pm- End of school day. The children will be dismissed on the corner of the path by nursery.

Reading Books:

Please can your child bring in their reading book and reading record everyday so we can listen to your child read. Reading books will be changed once a week on a Tuesday. Children are expected to read at home to an adult on a daily basis and 3-5 comments about your child's reading should be written in their reading record book each week.

The UK government’s Education Research Standards Team tells us, ​“Evidence suggests that there is a positive relationship between reading frequency, reading enjoyment and attainment.”

All children who record 3 entries into their reading journal each week will automatically receive a house-point token for the weekly competition and children who record 5 entries will receive 3 house-point tokens.

Homework:

Homework in Year 2 consists of daily reading, weekly spellings and a MyMaths activity. Spellings will be set on Monday and will include the focus sound and words that your child will be learning in phonics for that week. Spellings will be posted on the class blog page. A spelling test will be held on a Monday a week after the spellings are set. A MyMaths activity will also be set on a Monday. Children will receive their log in details shortly.

Key Information:

P.E: This is a crucial part of the curriculum and one in which all children should participate. All children in the school will have two hours of timetabled sport and P.E per week. If your child is unable to take part (due to a medical reason) please provide a note. We ask that kit is labelled. 

Monday: Outdoor PE

Thursday: Indoor PE

Children are allowed to wear suitable P.E kit to school on these days and remain in their P.E kit all day. Please remember that all long hair needs to be tied back and earrings removed. It would be beneficial that children come to school on those days without earrings in if possible, please.

PE Kit:

Trainers.

Navy jogging bottoms or leggings/shorts.

White t-shirt and a plain navy sweatshirt/ jumper.

Earrings- if you child cannot remove these independently, they should not be worn on PE days.

Long hair should be tied back.

Curriculum Outline:

Autumn 1:

The first Autumn term is a very exciting one!  This term we will be reading a range of books in our whole class reading sessions, including Meerkat Mail, After the fall and Lights on Cotton Rock. These books offer an excellent opportunity to develop vocabulary, paired with inspiring illustrations. 

In English our writing unit this term will be focusing on  ‘The way home for Wilf’. The students have already engaged in a   carousel of activities to hook them into this unit, through various clues placed around the room.

Our maths will start with a Place Value and Number unit followed with an addition and subtraction unit.  YouTube provides many videos to engage the children with their learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvTcpfSnOMQ - The Counting by Twos Song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftati8iGQcs - The Counting by Tens Song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_cn87hOCDM - The Counting by Threes Song. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EemjeA2Djjw - The Counting by Fives Song. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6udqW6VhWg - Hey 20 You've got a lot of friends (The number bonds of 20).

In geography this term will be looking at the wonderful world and identifying the 7 continents  and 5 oceans. The children will also explore hot and cold climates.

In Science this term will be looking at Animals including humans.  This unit will involve  identifying offspring and life cycles, whilst finding out about and describing the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival.  To hook students into this topic, the life cycle of butterflies will be observed throughout the term.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to get in contact.

Mr Minor.

Volunteering at All Saints:

At All Saints primary school, we are dedicated to providing the best possible education for our students, and we believe that parental involvement plays a crucial role in achieving this goal.

We are currently seeking parent volunteers to help with 1:1 reading support for our year 2 students. Reading is a fundamental skill that forms the basis of a child’s education, and your assistance can make a significant difference in their progress.

Volunteering to assist with 1:1 reading is a wonderful opportunity to:

• Support the development of crucial literacy skills.
• Make a positive impact on the lives of our young learners.

Time commitment:

We understand that everyone has busy schedules, so we appreciate any amount of time you can commit. Whether you can spare a few hours a week, your involvement is highly valued.

If you are interested in becoming a 1-1 reading volunteer or have any questions please contact my email address.

Your dedication and support are invaluable to our school community. Together, we can create a nurturing environment that fosters a love for reading and a strong foundation for our year 2 students.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young learners.

Homework:

1)Spellings: 

Spellings set on Monday 2nd October 2023. These spellings with be tested during phonics on Monday 9th October 2023. 

 2) MyMaths homework: 

Counting in 2s,5s and 10s. 

This homework will further consolidate what we have looked at last week and will be a skill students will need to utilise in maths. We have recently looked at counting in 3s. There are links provided above for students to access and practice these in a fun and engaging way. 

For ongoing activities access the links provided above for a range of key knowledge needed in year 2.  

3) Reading: 

At the start of the Rhino Reader book it is worth practising the sounds that will be needed for your child to fluently read the book.

During our phonics lessons we practice recapping previous phonics by saying (for example) a-e as in cake. The visual prompt can very effective in helping the students remember the sound and to improve their confidence. This can then be referred to in the text whilst reading a word with that sound. For example,  make has the a-e as in cake sound.

After practising the sounds, it is worth reading the focus words to increase fluency whilst reading.

Finally, practising the common exception words (tricky words) will greatly increase confidence whilst reading the text and encourage students to read them straight away as sight words. Students will learn these common exception words by practising because they are words that can’t be entirely phonetically sounded out.  For example, thought– ough is making an or sound. 

Before progressing to reading, I would ensure that the children are confident with the sounds, focus words and common exception words needed for the book.

If you would like a copy of common exception words, phonics sound strips, these can be provided by contacting my email.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SzkjubQ-Ok (This video is provided by Twinkl Phonics on youtube to show the level 2 sounds). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZGwM48Wy5E (This video is provided by Twinkl Phonics on youtube to show the level 3 sounds). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ugGQqMmvFA (This video is provided by Twinkl Phonics on youtube to show the level 5 sounds). 

Year 2 in pictures: 

Our caterpillars have arrived! We will watch them grow and develop into butterflies, allowing year 2 to directly observe a caterpillar life cycle. 

Year 2 have worked very hard to be kind and considerate to our new class pets. The have been very responsible and ensured the butterflies that have finally emerged have been given fresh fruit for the natural sugar and have a calm environment for them to grow. So far 2 out of 5 caterpillars have emerged as beautiful butterflies!

 Year 2 visit the church! (September 2023)

Year 2 were very responsible and safe on their way to the local church. They applied their knowledge of RE to act out the 7 days of the creation story, showing a clear understanding of how the story develops. We also learnt and discussed harvest, year 2 were then given the opportunity to act out the process of planting, growing and harvesting food and perform to each other. We finished our trip with our first class photo, before safely returning to school. Year 2 really impressed the church staff and we hope to return soon. 

Links