Weekly Note 6.7.18

6.7.18

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

Class Transition

The children will be working with their new Year 3 classes on Monday morning.  Mr Shack is not yet in Guernsey unfortunately but he has sent a presentation all about himself as a way of introduction that the children will see on Monday.  They will also be having lunch in their new classroom next Friday.

 

End of term arrangements

Your child will bring home their end of year report on Monday 16th July.

Please could children bring a named plastic bag to school on Tuesday 17th July to take home their books and work, the children’s last literacy books will be sent to Year 3 to be continued in September.

Term will end of Thursday 19th July at 1pm – the children will not eat lunch at school on this day but will need a large snack for playtime to keep them going.

 

Many thanks for your continued support

The Year 2 Team

Year 2 Weekly Note 4.5.18

4.5.18

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

Pirate Topic

As next week is a two day school week with a visit to the beach, our work will mainly focus on our pirate topic.  This week we received a ‘letter’ from a pirate called Seagull Sid who is coming to Guernsey in search of shipwrecks and great treasures hidden at the bottom of the sea!  He has asked the children to help by sending him a map of Guernsey on which they need to mark a safe place for him to anchor the Rum Runner – well away from the view of any passing Navy ships!

Having looked at the Guernsey coastline we have decided that a sheltered cove on the South Coast might be best. Our trip to Moulin Huet is therefore to investigate whether it would be a safe anchorage and to collect other information that will help them describe the bay and surrounding area – things he might use as landmarks or need to be wary of!

The children will not have phonics lessons next week and will therefore not receive spellings on Friday  

 

Moulin Huet Visit

For our visit  to the beach next week (Mrs Ash’s Class and half of Mrs Page’s class  – Thursday 10th May and Mrs Ashworth’s Class along with the other half of Mrs Page’s Class (Mrs Page will notify you as to which day your child is going)  – Friday 11th May) your child will need to come to school in comfortable clothing (non-uniform) and shoes. We will be walking from school to the beach and the children will be clambering over rocks so trainer-type shoes are essential.  If it is very wet we will postpone the trip but your child may need a light waterproof in case of showers.

We will be returning to school for lunch but please ensure your child has a large snack and extra drink for the beach.  They will need a small rucksack with them on this day so they can carry their things with them and be hands-free.

 

Year 2 Open Afternoon – Pirate Day

Just an advance notice that we will be inviting you in to work/play with your child from 1.30pm on  Thursday June 14th for our pirate day.  The children can come to school dressed as a pirate on this day and will be having lots of pirate fun and activities in the morning as well.

 

School closure days- week beginning 7th May  – Just a reminder that school is closed Monday 7th, Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th May. We will be back to normal on Thursday 10th May.

 

Many thanks for your continued support

 

Mrs Ash   Mrs Ashworth  Mrs Page

Weekly Note 13.4.18

13.4.18

Dear Parents/Carers,

It‘s great to see the children at school again, they have settled back in well and we are looking forward to some great learning in their final term of Year 2.

 

Next week the children will be starting their work on traditional tales in literacy by looking in depth at the character traits of the three pigs and the wolf.  

In maths the children will be focusing on missing number sums.   20 – __ = 15,  ___ – 5 = 15,   20 – 5 = ____ , 20 ___ 5 = 15

 

Rainbow Maths Targets

As last term was so short we will continue with the doubling and halving targets for a few weeks and then send new targets later in the term; these will focus on addition and subtraction.  Please continue to help your child to practise their mental recall of doubles and halves.

Swimming

Just a reminder that swimming lessons have now started (Mrs Ash’s and Mrs Page’s class- Friday pm, and Mrs Ashworth’s class – Thursdays am). Please ensure your child brings their swim suit, towel and named swimming cap on these days.  The children will not need their PE kit on these days now.

Topic

We will soon be starting our new topic of Pirates which involves lots of art and geography with co-ordinates and treasure hunting map work!

As part of this topic the children will be exploring the beach at Moulin Huet and we’d be very grateful for volunteers to accompany the children on these visits.  Please let your child’s class teacher know as soon as possible if you are able to help…

Mrs Ashworth’s Class  (and half of Miss Geall’s class) – Friday 11th May am

Mrs Ash’s Class (and half of Miss Geall’s Class) – Thursday 10th May am

If you have any small plastic bottles at home please do send them in – children will be using them to write a secret message-in-a-bottle code in the discovery zone.

 

Many thanks for your continued support

The Year 2 team

Weekly Note 9.3.18

9.3.18

Dear Parents/Carers,

Maths

Next week we shall be focusing on division and learning the term ‘remainder’.  To help with this work you may find some of the following ideas helpful:

  • Take a handful of pasta or similar and put it into groups of 5 – how many groups of 5 can you make? How many altogether? How many left over? Can you make groups of different amounts using the same amount of pasta?
  • Share different sets of objects between 2, 5, 10, 3. Counting accurately the starting number and then sorting into a specific number of groups is something the children often find quite difficult.
  • How many 2s in 8, 5s in 25 etc
  • Quick fire number halving facts
  • Ongoing practise of multiplication facts

 

We will also be revising how to find the unknown number in a number calculation e.g.

20 =  ?  + 12.

 

Literacy

The children will be learning about the main features of instructions: headings, bullet points, bossy instructions words (First, Next, Then , After that, Finally ) and then writing their own instructions for looking after an alien!

 

Home Sharing

We have started using a website called j2e for the children to save a few examples of their work.  This may be a photograph (work selfie) of a piece of work that they are proud of or a photograph or video of something that they have made in the Discovery Zone.  The children will have come home today with a QR code which is their log-in for their personal j2e account. They will be able use this QR code at home to log on and share their learning with you.

The children will be able to choose for themselves when they save something to j2e so please don’t expect to find something everyday and some children will save things more than others. We will ensure that children save something at least each half term.

As part of our e-safety lessons we have explained to children the importance of not sharing their password/QR code or letting anyone else use it, so please could you let your child log-on using their QR code rather than doing it for them. Your child will then be able to find their work on their account to share with you.

We hope that you and your child enjoy this experience of being able to share your child’s learning together.

Please access j2e using this link: https://www.j2e.com/dashboard/#manage   then click on the QR code symbol which will bring up the camera for you to scan the QR code.  Please note that you will only be able to access j2e if you have a device with a camera.

Thank you for your continued support

The Year 2 Team

Snow Ideas 28.2.18

Dear parents/carers,

Following the decision to close schools today and with the forecast of more snow tomorrow here are some ideas you might like to do at home to keep your children busy and learning through fun!

Snowball throwing addition

Make a target by creating a bright circle in the snow with coloured water in a squirt bottle (just add a few drops of food colouring), make the target worth an amount e.g. 5 points.  Then aim at the target and throw, count up all your points.  You could use different coloured rings for different amounts on the target.

Frosty Toss

Create a bird feeder for our feathered friends using an orange or a pine cone filled with peanut butter/fat  and pieces of seeds, nuts or fruit…

orange bird feeder    Image result for orange cup bird feeder    Image result for pine cone bird feeders

 

Ice sculpture

Look at this enormous caterpillar and rocket!

Snow caterpillar        Image result for rocket ice sculpture

Play noughts and crosses using sticks and cones.

Tic-Tac-Snow

Write a snow poem

Follow this link for examples:

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/snow-and-ice-2/

Great Big Snowman

I’m a great big snowman,

Tall and fat

Here’s my tummy

Here’s my hat

Coal for my eyes

And a carrot nose

I’m all snow from

Head to toes

Snowflakes

Snowflakes, snowflakes

Twirl around

Snowflakes, snowflakes

Touch the ground

Snowflakes, snowflakes

Land on my nose

Snowflakes, snowflakes

Freeze my toes

Snowflakes, snowflakes

In the air

Snowflakes, snowflakes

Everywhere!

 

More Fun Ideas

* Create a maze – Put on your hiking boots and stamp out a path for your chidlren to follow.
* Plan a scavenger hunt – Hide an apple in a mound of snow so that a little bit peeks out. Give the children silly directions to follow as they search for it.
* Play freeze tag – Can you think of a more appropriate game for a chilly day? Once someone’s tagged by the person who’s “It,” he/she has to stay frozen until another player tags him again.
* Make faces – Use handfuls of packed snow to create funny characters on a tree trunk.

* Walk this way – Have your children follow your lead as you move like different animals: Waddle like a penguin, stomp like a bear, and wiggle like a fish

* Have a snowball fight – Divide your family into teams, then start throwing. Save this one for last so you can go inside, dry off, and have some hot chocolate.

 

Have fun!

We hope to see you soon

The Year 2 Team

Weekly Note 19.1.18

19.1.18

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

Maths

Next week we will be focusing on multiplication and division.  The children will be looking at jumps on a numberline e.g. for 4×5 the children will jump from 0 to 5 to 10 to 15 to 20 to find the answer.

Then moving onto sharing, division and problem solving e.g.

Two friends want to buy some cakes and share them equally.

They could buy a bag of 9, 13 or 10 cakes

What size bag should they buy so that they can share them equally?

 

Sam has 15 sweets. She puts them into groups of 5.

How many groups of 5 can she make?

What if she put them into groups of 2? Would there be any left over?

Your child should have brought home his/her Rainbow Maths doubling and halving targets now.  Please help your child to achieve their target by giving regular help with these.

 

Literacy

Next week the children will be finishing their own non-fiction space stories and then we will move on to look at non-chronological reports. Studying the features of these i.e. headings, sub headings, paragraphs, technical vocabulary,  etc  The children will research and look at reports on planets.

 

Thank you for all the materials for space rockets that you have sent in, please keep sending these in –  particularly shiny materials or things like metal washers that some children have decided to use for windows!

 

Many thanks

The Year 2 Team

Weekly Note 8.12.17

8.12.17

Dear Parents,

Christmas with the Aliens Concert – The children have been working really hard for their Christmas concert next week and we look forward to welcoming you to watch it on Wednesday 13th December at 2 o’clock in the school hall.  Please remember to bring your two tickets.

Church Visit – Our Year 2 children will be going to St Martin’s church on Wednesday 13th at 11 o’clock (until approx. 12 o’clock) to watch the Year 5’s Christmas service dress rehearsal.  We need lots of adults to accompany the children to the church so please let us know if you are able to come with us.

 

Infant Christmas Party – Please remember to send in some food for the Christmas party on Thursday 14th December.  The children can wear party clothes but will need footwear suitable for running around in.

Mrs Ash’s Class – Small cakes, chocolate biscuits

Mrs Ashworth’s Class- Sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, cheese rolls  etc

Mrs Page’s Class – Sandwiches

(Please remember no nuts)

 

Last Day of Term – On the last day of term (Tuesday 19 December) children can wear a Christmas jumper / Christmas accessories / or anything Christmassy for a donation of 50p which will go to LEPRA.

School finishes at 1 o’clock on this day so the children will not need lunch but can bring in a larger mid-morning snack.

Phonics Homework  – Due to timetable disruptions this week there will be no spellings homework today.  The children will get their last list of the year next week.

 

Thank you for all your help and support this term.

We hope you have a really lovely Christmas.

Mrs Ash, Mrs Ashworth and Mrs Page

Weekly Note 24.11.17

Dear Parents / Carers,

Thank you very much for helping your child with the dinosaur literacy homework, the children will be using this next week to write their own reports.

Christmas Concert-
You are most welcome to come and watch our Christmas concert ‘Christmas with the Aliens’ on Wednesday 13th December in the school hall at 2pm.
Your child may have brought home some lines to learn today (printed on yellow card) for the concert. Please help your child to know when to come-in with their lines and to learn these off by heart in a loud, clear and expressive voice.

Two Tickets for the concert will be coming home with your child on Friday 1st December. We have a very large year group and for health and safety reasons are limited to just 2 seats per family. We would also be very grateful if alternative arrangements could be made for preschoolers where possible.
Tickets will be collected at the hall door on the 13th.

We are working on costumes at school at the moment, we may need some help with costumes but unless you hear otherwise (next week) we will source a costume for your child.

Christmas Fayre
The PTA Christmas Fayre is on Thursday 7th December from 1.30 – 4.00. You can collect your child from their class at 2.05 to take them to the fayre.

Christmas party
The children will have an all day(!) party on Thursday 14th December. More information about this day will follow.

 

Many thanks for your continued support.
Mrs Ashworth, Mrs Ash and Mrs Page

Weekly Note 13.10.17

13.10.17

Dear Parents / Carers,

The children have had a very busy week with flu vaccinations, watching the Year 3 Harvest Service, being thoroughly entertained by the Rhubarb Theatre Company and electing class council representatives as well as trying very hard with their learning!

Next week in maths the children will be doubling numbers mentally,  doubling amounts of money and then doubling by partitioning

E.g. 23 + 23

= 20 + 20 + 3 + 3

= 40 + 6

= 46  .

During literacy lessons the children will be creating characters and then planning and writing their own story in the style of Zog and the Flying Doctors.

As part of our Fire of London topic the children will be learning about fire safety during a trip to the fire station.  If you are able to help and accompany us on this visit on Thursday 16th November (approx. 9.45am – 12.00) please let your child’s teacher know as soon as possible.

We still have  jelly bean challenge packs available if you would like to buy one for 50p.  If you have completed a challenge please do send in a photo so that your child can share it with the class.

Individual pupil photos will be taken by Fitzgeralds on Friday 20th October.

We hope the children have a wonderful half term and look forward to seeing them back at school on Monday 30th October.

We look forward to seeing you next week during parent appointments. If you have not already made an appointment you can do so, up until 5 pm today, by logging into http://parents-booking.co.uk/stmartinsprimary

Many thanks for your continued support

Sophie Ash, Jen Ashworth, Sarah Page

Weekly Note 22.9.17

22.9.17

Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you for the lovely bright clothes your children came to school in today, we’ve had a fantastic day celebrating our learning in maths.  Your child should have brought home a letter explaining their Rainbow Maths targets today. Unfortunately Mrs Page has been ill this week so her class will receive their Rainbow target letters next week. Similarly her phonics group will also receive their next spelling lists when she is back.

Next week in maths the children will be collecting various types of data and using this to create different types of graphs.  

We are still in need of shoe boxes to create our Tudor house models so please do send in any you no longer need at home.

Could we also please remind you to send in a family photograph for our class photoboard so that the children talk about their family and see their photo during the school day.

School Council

Our school council is a group of pupils (one from each class) who are elected to represent the views of all pupils and improve our school, they may organise fundraising activities or campaign for things to be improved around the school.  There is the opportunity for your child to stand for election as their class representative:

What makes a good rep?

  • Approachable
  • Good listener
  • Organised
  • Efficient
  • Fair
  • Good communication

Three main jobs of a rep…

  • Collecting the views of your class and passing them on to the school council.
  • Letting your class know what goes on in the meetings you attend.
  • Taking an active part in weekly/fortnightly meetings.  

If your child wishes to be a member of the school council they will need to  stand for election and present a poster or presentation to their class explaining why they would be a good class representative. Please could these be in school by Monday 9th October.  

The children will then privately vote for who they’d like to be the class representative on Election day – Friday 13th October.

Swimming

Mrs Ashworth’s class are very much in need of an additional adult to help with their 11 – 12 swimming lesson on a Thursday. If you are able to help out with this lesson for the next 4 weeks they would very grateful.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Mrs Ash, Mrs Ashworth and Mrs Page