Friday 11th September 2026

Dear Parents, 

As we conclude our first full week, we are truly impressed by how well the children have settled into Year 2. They have quickly adapted to the routines and are approaching their tasks with focus and perseverance. With such a promising start, we are even more enthusiastic about what the rest of the year will hold. 

In English this week, we have been reading Quest by Aaron Becker. The children explored the story through its illustrations, carefully looking at the pictures and discussing what they could see and how they thought the characters might be feeling at different points in the story. They then used the illustrations as inspiration to write sentences describing what they could see and hear in different scenes. To finish the week, the children used their imagination to write their own quest stories, describing where their quest took them and what they could see, hear and discover along the way. 

In maths, the children were introduced to our topic ‘Place Value’. The children had opportunities to use manipulatives and make drawings on their whiteboards to represent numbers. They learnt about place value tables, and partitioning numbers into tens and ones by drawing it on a Place Value table. They also learnt about part-whole models and how to use these to show tens and ones.

In history, the children started learning about the Great Fire of London. They discussed what they knew about the topic and then what questions they had about the topic. Then the children ordered significant time periods on a timeline. We then discussed where the Great Fire of London would fit on the timeline. 

In science, our topic is ‘Living Things and their Habitats’. The children learned the terms alive, dead (as in an apple from a tree) and never living (a cake). We discussed what processes all living things go through in order to be considered alive, such as food, water, movement and breathing.

In D&T, the children were introduced to the topic, ‘Building a Sukkah’. We discussed what they are used for and why we have them. They learnt the laws of building a sukkah and then they had to design and label a sukkah they would like to build. Their sketches came out so well!

The children had their first music lesson this week together with Year 1 and they began by singing some songs in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. We are very excited that Years 1 and 2 will be participating in the Barnet Infant Music Festival later this term. During our lessons, we will be learning songs all related to the story “The Koala Who Could” by Rachel Bright. This week we began learning the song “Can Do Avenue.” This is a very exciting opportunity for the children and more details will be sent once they are finalised. 

The children also had their first Forest School session. After singing their welcome chant, the children played a game called ‘The Round Circle’. They had to work together to pass a Forest Friend toy around the circle before one of their peers made it all the way around. This game helped to develop the children’s co-operation, teamwork and focus skills. For the rest of the session, the children were eager to reacquaint themselves with the different Forest School resources during their independent play. The craft area had a focus on seeds, where the children explored acorns and conkers. Some children used the traditional wet-felting method to create their own felt acorns. There was also a group of children who were busy working together to build a den using some of the new resources.

Important information:

• Can you please send in any junk modelling you have at home. We need items such as kitchen rolls, cereal boxes, containers and shoe boxes.
• We would like to encourage and promote the mitzvah of giving tzedakah each week. Please send your child in with a small amount of money for tzedakah. Any contribution, big or small, is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your continued support.

Wishing you all a Shana Tova and Shabbat shalom.

The Year 2 Team

Friday 4th September 2026

Dear Parents, 

Welcome back to Kerem! We hope you all had a wonderful summer holiday. 

It has been a fabulous start to the school year. We wanted to wish you a big welcome to Year 2! We can’t wait to teach all the exciting topics we have planned. It has been wonderful getting to know the children so well and we are looking forward to this continuing throughout the term. 

The week started with a whole school assembly and communal davening. They came in with a positive attitude and settled well. The children remembered the school routines and came in well on their first day in Year 2. This week we focused on settling into the new class, with PSHE discussions about how they are feeling being back at school. We also spoke about what a ‘mensch’ is and discussed that we should all aim to become a mensch. We discussed the different components to being a mensch, including how we can show compassion, kindness, and respect towards others.

In art, the children were given half a picture of their face from a photograph and then they had to complete the other half.  The children really enjoyed this and put in a lot of effort and concentration.  These will be on display so you’ll be able to see them when you come in for ‘Meet the Teacher Evening.’

Important information:

• Each child has been given a reading book, along with their reading record book. Please make sure you leave your child’s reading book in their bag daily so the team can hear your children during the week. We don’t want them to miss out on being read with.
• Meet the Teacher evening is on Tuesday 8th September. 
• All communications should be sent via year2@keremschool.co.uk. 

We are so impressed with the children’s attitude to Year 2.  Keep up the hard work and positive attitude!

Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 2 Team