Friday 8th July 2022

In English, the children continued learning about and writing instructions.  We focused on using time conjunctions, imperative verbs and making sure a new instruction went on a new line.  The children wrote instructions for brushing their teeth and how to make a jam sandwich.  We also had to follow instructions for making a jam sandwich and they made the sandwich.  The children had so much fun making the sandwiches, spreading the fillings, cutting the bread and finally eating the sandwich. Unfortunately, we were having too much fun and forgot to take pictures.

In maths, the children learned about 3D shapes.  We investigated the number of faces, edges and vertices on a 3D shape. The children worked in groups and pairs during the work and created a table to write up the information they collected.  They also had to colour in different designs according to the clues given about a particular shape.

In geography, the children talked about how to keep the beaches clean.  The children brainstormed the information and presented it by making a poster about how to keep our beaches clean.

In art, the children made a pencil drawing of a landscape scene. This will be put into their art portfolio to keep as a record of their progression in art.

On Friday we had ‘Yom Talmid’ some of the Year 6 children came into class to take over being the ‘teacher’ for the morning. They welcomed the children, took the register and led the children in tefillah.  The first lesson they led was an art session where the children made animal masks.  They then played a small game of ‘guess who’ and the children had to guess the teachers in the picture.  In their JS lesson they gave a short D’var Torah on the parasha and the children had a short activity.  In the Ivrit lesson they read a book on colours and played a matching game.  Lastly in science, the children had to make paper boats and test their strength.  The children had so much fun being taught by the Year 6 children.

Reminder: 

• Our school trip is on Monday, please bring a packed lunch in a bag. 
• Please bring enough water for the day.
• Children should wear school clothes and trainers.
• No peanuts/nuts or sesame please.
• If it is hot, please put sunscreen on your children and allow them to wear a cap.
• Doodle maths- we would love the children to use this more frequently. It only needs to be used for 10 minutes at a time and it works based on what the children know and progressively gets harder. If you would like your child’s login, please let me know.
• Please send in a heavy duty bag in order for the children to bring home their school books.

This has been a very fun and busy week. I can’t believe we are coming to the end of Year 2!

All the best,

Miss Mansoor

Friday 1st July 2022

In English the children started to learn about writing instructions. They ordered instructions for how to wash their hands. Perhaps you could spend some time with your child following a recipe at home. You can discuss times when we need to follow written instructions. The children also wrote a story about a talking animal in creative writing.

Next week in creative writing the children will be writing about a favourite teddy bear. Please email a picture of your child's favourite teddy to arose@keremschool.co.uk 

In Maths the children began to learn about 2D shapes. They identified the properties and considered a range of different ways that they could sort them, including by number of sides, corners, size, and orientation.

It was wonderful to see so many parents join us at sports day, we hope you enjoyed the day. The children demonstrated excellent sporting behaviours and showed a great deal of support to each other. 

The children also enjoyed a visit to the Israeli Dance Festival where they learnt a range of new dances and had a lot of fun!

Reminder:

Please remind the children to learn the song words uploaded to Google Classroom.

Well done Year 2 for a fantastic week,

Shabbat Shalom,

Ms Rose

Friday 24th June 2022

In English, the children planned out an alternative Flat Stanley story. They used ideas from the story we had read and then changed the main ideas. We focussed on writing the beginning including character descriptions and the setting. When writing the middle, the children had to include two or three different incidents to make it detailed and full of adventure. Finally they finished the story by resolving the problem.

In maths, the children learnt to tell the time to 5 minute intervals on analogue clocks. The children understood that the clock goes round in 5 minute increments. They found reading clocks past the hour easier (20 minutes past 4) than reading clocks to the next hour (10 minutes to 5). We will continue to practise this. They went on to learn about quantities of time and how we can compare them. For example: 60s in 1m, 60m in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week etc. We also learned about the duration of time and compared how much time passes for different activities.

In science, the children learnt about hydroponics. This is where plants are grown in water instead of soil. The children then made their own hydroponic using a plastic zip lock bag and then planted broad beans. We have them on our window and we will record our observations.

In geography, the children learnt about the birds and animals they would see at the seaside. After this, they completed a comprehension about the seaside.

In SPaG, the children learnt about suffixes. The ones we focused on are using -er and -est to help change the strength of a word. These suffixes can be used to compare. An example of this is strong, stronger & strongest. When there is a word ending in -y, we must drop the -y and add an -i. An example of this is pretty, prettier & prettiest. 

Reminder: 

Lots of children are low on stationery. Please send in some 50ps with your child so that they can buy the things they need. 

This has been a very good week. I am looking forward to next week.

Miss Mansoor

Friday 17th June2022

This week we had STEAM week, short for science, technology, engineering, art and maths.  The children had some extra activities tied into this week. We started off the week with a whole school science show by Science Boffins. The organiser showed the children many different experiments.  The children had an RAF glider challenge where they were given materials to build a glider with only a few instructions, to include a loop and a straw. The children were so creative. On Thursday they went to the EYU to complete a Lego session and on Friday the children had a glider competition with Y1 to see which glider went furthest and then planted a bulb. We will be keeping a close eye on these bulbs to see whose grows the longest in length.

On Tuesday we had our fantastic Chaggigat HaChumash.  The children were outstanding in their performance and behaviour.  It was so wonderful to see them performing to their family members.  I was so proud of them!

In English, the children discussed the different parts of the Flat Stanley story and wrote about and sequenced them.  The children then wrote a description of Flat Stanley which included what he looks like, how he behaved and how he felt.  Lots of the children used paragraphs to write their descriptions and used commas correctly.

In maths, the children learnt about fractions. They reviewed unit and non unit fractions and then learnt how to find fractions of numbers, ½ and 2/4 are equivalent, how to find ¾ of a number and then how to count in fractions. The children enjoyed this week and learnt to use jottings to support their understanding.
 

In geography, the children learnt about the seaside town of St Ives. They children looked at the town’s human and physical features and what attractions they had to offer. After this the children had to plan a trip around St Ives and list what attractions they could go and see.

Reminder: 

Lots of children are low on stationery.  Please send in some 50ps with your child so that they can buy the things they need. 

I was so proud of each and every child this week. Keep up the fabulous work! 
 

Miss Mansoor

Friday 10th June2022

In English, the children have started learning the book ‘Flat Stanley’.  The children had to make predictions about the story including what he was going to do in the story.  The children heard more of the story and then had to write questions for all of the characters, showing they understood the story. 

In maths, the children consolidated work with money.  We found totals of money, including both coins and notes.  We also worked on finding differences in amounts.  The children could either take away the totals or count on from the smaller number until they reached the bigger number.

In art,  we went to the park to create our natural sculptures for the items we collected last time on our art walk.  The children collaborated in groups of four and discussed what they wanted to build and how to do it.  Have a look at the pictures below.

In geography, the children discussed what we have learned about the seaside in previous weeks.  Then we looked more closely at the words associated with the seaside, including beach, sea, sand, shore, coast, sand dunes, rockpool, shell, cliff, harbour and bay.  We looked at pictures of these words and then discussed their definitions.  The children had a matching activity to help embed this new vocabulary.

In SPaG this week the children learnt about suffixes -ment and -ness in order to form nouns.  

For example, ill + ness = illness, entertain + ment = entertainment, agree + ment = agreement, or calm + ness = calmness.

In Phonics we carried on with the alternative spellings for e

I am sure that you have seen information about Kerem's BIG Fundraising campaign. If you are able to support the campaign, it would be greatly appreciated. Click here to make a donation.  Please see our flyer below!

Reminder: 

Lots of children are low on stationery.  Please send in some 50ps with your child so that they can buy the things they need. 

Next week is STEAM week and we have a range of activities occurring across the school from Lego Workshops; a visit from the Science Boffins; a whole-school glider competition; Engineering workshops by Boeing and a tallest plant competition.  

What a fabulous start to our last half term.  Lets keep this up Year 2, well done! Shabbat Shalom to everyone!

Miss Mansoor

Friday 27th May 2022

In English, the children completed a poetry week.  We started the week learning about what a simile is and then wrote their own and completed similes with a word missing. Then they learnt about alliteration and created their own sentences.  Finally, the children learnt about shape poems - these contain lots of descriptive language and are in the shape of the object, person or animal they are describing. The children wrote two different poems.

In maths, the children consolidated work with money.  We talked about the value of the coins and made totals.  Then we discussed how we can make the same amount using different coins and finally compare money. The children used plastic coins to help with the meaning and values of the coins.

In science, we continued to learn about seed dispersal. The children listened to another story called ‘The Travelling Seed’ which describes how some seeds are eaten and then come out as waste which is a form of seed dispersal. The children learnt that seeds sticking to animals is another way for seed dispersion.  The children then made a clay burr.  This replicates the little hooks on some seeds that get caught onto an animal’s fur and are dispersed that way.

In SPaG this week the children learnt about suffixes -ful and -less.  These suffixes are attached to words to form adjectives.  An example of this is: colour + full = colourful,  spot + less = spotless.  The children had to read a text and add in the suffixes in order for the story to make sense.

In Phonics we carried on with the alternative spellings for or.

Reminder: 

Lots of children are low on stationery.  Please send in some 50ps with your child so that they can buy the things they need.  
 

Well done Year 2 for a fabulous week. Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Friday 20th May 2022

This week, we have had a fabulous time celebrating ‘It’s Great to be British Week’.  On Monday, we went over to the EYU to work with the nursery children creating bunting for our street party.  It was so lovely going over there and spending time on an activity together.  The children even got to play outside and spend time with their siblings. Later in the week, children had a fantastic tea party as a whole school, which included music and scrumptious tea.  We also had a session of Welsh folk music and dancing which the children really enjoyed. Then they had a fantastic fair, including games and activities.

This week we were lucky enough to have a first aid session.  The first aider taught the children how to use a plaster if someone has a cut.  They then learnt what to do if someone has a head bump.  Two questions that they learnt to ask that person were, “Are you feeling sick?” and “Do you feel dizzy?” Later in the session, they learnt which number to call if someone isn’t responding, 999. We talked about how important it is for the children to learn their address as this is something they will need to say in case of emergency.  

In English, the children focused on ‘It’s Great to be British Week’.  We learnt about the Queen and her family and then focused on a decade of her life, 1992-2002.  The children then created a timeline of the important events that happened in this period.  Please ask your children to tell you what happened in that period.  We also learnt about one of The Queen’s residences, Clarence House. Then children had to draw out the house using rulers and paying attention to the number of windows.  Lastly the children learnt about the Commonwealth country of Jamaica.  

In maths, the children consolidated their knowledge of multiplication and division.  They used jottings and their inverse knowledge to help them solve the calculation. Then the children moved on to worded problems, where they had to work out which calculation to use.  After that the children wrote their own sharing story.  An example of this is:  There were 12 cookies shared between two friends. How many did they have each?  The children also learnt about fact families for multiplication and division.  

If they know     4 x5 = 20 they also know;

                        5 x 4 = 20

                        20 ÷ 5 = 4

                        20 ÷ 5 = 5

In art, the children brainstormed different natural materials. Then we went on a ‘Woodland Walk’ outside to collect different materials for our natural sculptures we will be making next week.

In SPaG this week the children learnt about compound words. This is when two words put together make a new word with a whole new meaning. An example of this is: sun + cream = suncream, snow + man = snowman.

Reminder: 

Lots of children are low on stationery.  Please send in some 50ps with your child so that they can buy the things they need.  

Well done Year 2 for a fabulous week. Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week in Jewish Studies, we continued to practise with Chagigat HaChumash and learnt some Gematria. We moved further on with our Hebrew Script and learnt how to write the letters Pey and Fey. This week's Parasha is Parashat Emor and the middah it teaches us is to show gratitude / HaKarat HaTov.

Lastly, this Shabbat is Shabbat UK and in preparation the children learnt all about Challah.

Shabbat (UK) Shalom,

Mr Salter

Friday 13th May 2022

In English, the children have read a new book called ‘The Apple Tree’s Discovery’. This book had a cross curricular link to Jewish Studies. The book was based around a little apple tree that wanted to be like the beautiful oak trees as they looked like they had stars at the end of their branches. The apple tree kept talking to Hashem about wanting stars and was told to be patient. The apple tree wasn’t satisfied with giving shelter from the hot sun, providing a place where birds can sit or giving people its fruit. Eventually, the apples fell and split open to see a star in the middle of its fruit so the apple tree realised he had what he wanted all along. The themes we focused on were what makes us special, noticing the good in ourselves and other people and learning about gratitude. They focused on writing in full sentences and using conjunctions.

In maths, the children continued working on adding and subtracting two 2-digit numbers.  They used practical equipment as well to support their learning.  See below for an example using partitioning. We also did a recap of multiplication.

     26 + 28 =                         62 - 27 = 

     20 + 20 = 40                        62 - 20 = 42

    6 +8 = 14                        42 - 7 = 35

    40 + 14 = 54

In science, the children learned about seed dispersal and how this happens in a variety of ways. The children listened to ‘The Tiny Seed’ by Eric Carle and ‘The Travelling Seed’ & ‘Bees Like Flowers’ by Rebecca Bielawski. Then they made a helicopter seed, such as a sycamore seed and then made a model dandelion.  The children had so much fun making these things.

In art, the children brainstormed different natural materials. As it was raining we couldn’t go out on our walk to collect natural materials so we decided to sketch and draw different natural sculptures by looking at various pictures and using them for ideas.

In geography, we talked about holidays and the coastal areas including their features.  We looked more closely at the different human and physical features.  Then the children drew a coastal area and identified the different features as well as labelling them.

In SPaG this week the children continued work on past and present tenses but with the progressive form.  An example is I am eating breakfast or I was eating breakfast. It is describing the action that is/was taking place for a continued period of time.

In Phonics we continued to learn the alternative spellings for ur.

Important information:

Please ask the children to make a crown for next week's celebrations during our ‘It’s great to be British Week’.

Reminder: 

Lots of children are low on stationery.  Please send in some 50ps with your child so that they can buy the things they need.  

Well done Year 2. Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Friday 6th May 2022

In English, the children have been focussing on comprehension skills.  We have been reading different texts and learning how to find the answers in the text.  We focus on reading the text first.  The children are taught to read the question first, underline the key words in the question, look for the key words in the text and then read the whole sentence to find the answer.  

In maths, the children worked on adding two 2-digit numbers.  They learned to do this by adding the tens first and then the ones.  They used practical equipment as well to support their learning.  See below for an example. They also worked on subtracting a 2-digit number from another 2-digit number.  

     26 + 28 =                         62 - 27 = 

     20 + 20 = 40                        62 - 20 = 42

    6 +8 = 14                        42 - 7 = 35

    40 + 14 = 54

In art, the children brainstormed different natural materials and what these might be.  We then looked at different natural materials, real and photos, and then we sketched them.  

In geography, we talked about holidays from the past and how they have changed. We then compared them to holidays today.  The children wrote and compared holidays from past and present.

In SPaG this week the children continued work on past and present tenses. They then had to identify the word in the sentence they showed you if it was written in the past and present tense.

In Phonics we continued to learn the alternative spellings for ur.

Important information:

Reminder: 

Forest School is on Thursday mornings.  Please send your children in their PE kits, wellies and Forest School attire (waterproofs).  As the weather has improved they may not need as many layers but there will still be the chance of rain so waterproofs are still essential.

Lots of children are low on stationery.  Please send in some 50ps with your child so that they can buy the things they need.  

Well done Year 2 for all your hard work. Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week in Jewish Studies we learnt about and celebrated Yom Ha'atzmaut. In class, the children learnt about key Israeli Torah cities such as Yerushalyim, Hevron and Meron. We continued with our Chumash Readiness learning and this week we learnt about the structure of the Chumash page, learning key terminology such as Sefer, Perek, Passuk and Parasha. The children were also very excited to continue rehearsing for the Chagigat HaChumash. Lastly, this week's Parasha is called Kedoshim and the Middah it teaches us is Ve'ahavta Lere'acha Kamocha, loving others as one loves him/herself.

Mazal Tov to those who changed Aleph Champ levels this week.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mr Salter

Dear Parents and Friends,

Welcome back from your Pesach holidays and welcome to the summer term. This week, we learnt about Sefirat HaOmer and wrote comic strips to demonstrate our knowledge. We have also started learning in preparation for the Chagigat HaChumash and as part of this, we learnt about the five books of the Torah and how their names are chosen. This week's Parasha is Parashat Acharei Mot and the middah we learnt was not to copy other people's bad behaviour.

Mazal Tov to those who changed Aleph Champ levels.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mr Salter

Friday 29th April 2022

In English, the children continued with their book ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’.  They had to imagine the classroom equipment quit and what would be their reasons. The children wrote speech bubbles and a letter describing why the equipment had quit.  They were encouraged to use paragraphs and conjunctions such as, because, but, so.

In maths, the children learnt about movements and turns. This language helped them move from one place to another. We focused on ½, ¼, ¾ turns as well as clockwise and anti clockwise.  Then we moved onto patterns with shapes, trying to work out what the next shape would be in the pattern. Then the children made their own patterns and challenged themselves to use ¼ turns in their patterns. The children also followed some instructions to move around the classroom.

In art, the children started a new topic in natural sculptures.  They found out what they were and what objects they might want to include in their ‘mini models’ based on items they might find in nature. Then they made a clay sculpture from one solid piece of clay. Have a look at the photos to see what they made.

In geography, we started a new topic on the seaside. The children looked at the different vocabulary used for the seaside and then sorted these into human and physical features. This means those that are made by humans and those that are naturally made.

In SPaG this week the children recapped what nouns and verbs are, in order to work on past and present tenses. They then had to identify the word in the sentence they showed you if it was written in the past and present tense.

In Phonics we learnt the sound and alternative spellings for ur.

Important information:

Reminder: 

Forest School is on Thursday mornings.  Please send your children in their PE kits, wellies and Forest School attire (waterproofs).  As the weather has improved they may not need as many layers but there will still be the chance of rain so waterproofs are still essential.

Lots of children are low on stationary.  Please send in some 50ps with your child so that they can buy the things they need.  

This was a great week back for our final term. Well done Year 2.  Kol ha’Kavod to you all!

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week in Jewish Studies, the children have been learning about the different stages of the Pesach Seder. We have been hard at work, continuing to write our Haggadot in preparation for Pesach.

This week's Parasha (Torah Portion) is Parashat Tazria. This week, the Torah teaches us about Tzara'at and that it is a special type of disease one gets for speaking Lashon Hara. Nowadays, if we get nasty spots we visit a doctor and he tells us what to do. In the Midbar however, if Bnei Yisrael caught Tzara'at, they visited a Kohen. The Kohen looks at the person and if he decides it is Tzara'at, he sends the person outside of the city. This gives that person time and space to think about and reflect on their actions. The Middah we learn from this is knowing when (and reflecting) when you have done something wrong.

Mazal Tov to those who changed Aleph Champ levels

Shabbat Shalom

Mr Salter

Friday 1st April 2022

In English, the children started a new book called ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’.  We started off the book with a ‘hook’ to entice the children in. I hid all of the pencil pots before they came back to class and then sent them a video of the ‘pens quitting’.  See the attached video the children saw. This week they wrote letters and diary entries as the different characters from the story.  The children remembered the features of a letter and diary in order to write them.  Many of the children used paragraphs and conjunctions in their writing.

In maths, the children learnt about volume and capacity.  We looked at the standard unit of measurement for liquids, millilitres and litres.  The children enjoyed playing games with liquids and understanding that the size of the container does not change the amount of liquid in the container, even though it might look a different height.

In art, the children painted their Miro style sculptures.  We looked at the colours and colour blocking Miro used to paint his sculptures.  After this the children evaluated their work and wrote ideas about how they could improve their work.

In history the children continued learning about Mary Seacole. They learnt about the different types of herbal remedies she used to help the sick soldiers and we compared hospitals from then and now.

In SPaG this week the children learnt about two sentence types, exclamations and statements.  They had to give several examples of both pictures. Then they were given a picture prompt to write about, using these different sentences.  We then looked at the difference between an exclamation sentence and a question as the children were finding it hard to distinguish between the two as they both have question words in them.

In Phonics we carried on with the alternative spellings for or.

Important information:

Reminder: Next term we'll be returning to Forest School on Thursday mornings.  Please send your children in their PE kits, wellies and Forest School attire (waterproofs).  As the weather has improved they may not need as many layers but there will still be the chance of rain so waterproofs are still essential.

*If you are looking for some recommended Y2 books, there is a suggested list in the Key Information section.

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

This was another wonderful week in Year 2.  Kol ha’Kavod to you all!

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week in Jewish Studies, we had a phenomenal week of learning! We started to learn about Pesach, including the story-line of Yetziat Mitzrayim and the Pesach Seder. We also learnt about the Haggadah and the order of the Pesach Seder and have started writing our own Haggadot.

This week's Parasha (Torah Portion) is Parashat Shemini. The Mitzvah we learnt about this week is keeping Kashrut.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom,

Mr Salter

Friday 25th March 2022

In English, the children started a new topic on poetry.  At the start of the week the children read a variety of poems such as riddles, nonsense, tongue twisters and more.  The children chose a poem to read and then performed it to the class.  Our focus for the rest of the week was on riddles.  They had to read and solve some riddles and then planned and wrote a riddle based on a minibeast.  They learnt that riddles have clues and the hardest clues go first and then they become easier.  

In maths, the children learnt about mass and what type of measurement this is.  They learnt about grams and kilograms and ordered and compared masses.  They also got to use bucket balances and weighing scales, which they enjoyed.

In robotics, the children built a swinging ship.  This week they had to do a lot of problem solving in order to build the model.  Some of the instructions were purposely wrong and they had to listen to the correct instructions in order to build their models.  It was fantastic to watch the children work as a team.

In history the children learnt about Mary Seacole. They learn about how difficult it was for her to raise funds to get better equipment to treat the soldiers. They then had to write a persuasive letter to the British government to ask for funds and supplies.

In SPaG this week the children learnt about two sentence types, questions and commands.  They had to give several examples of both pictures. Then they were given a picture prompt to write about, using these different sentences..

In Phonics we carried on with the alternative spellings for or.

Important information:

Last week we were learning about time.  We learn this using an analogue clock.  If you were wondering which clock or watch would be helpful for your child to use in order to aid their learning I have made some suggestions below.

Clocks

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EasyRead-teacher-ERTT-EN-Clock-Rainbow/dp/B00AW6R6JU

https://www.amazon.co.uk/LATEFOX-Teaching-Children-Movement-Diameter/dp/B07ZLZV4MZ/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=teaching+clock&qid=1647969542&sr=8-10

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tinload-Teaching-Increasing-Operated-Functions/dp/B08F54PH5Z/ref=sxin_14_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?cv_ct_cx=teaching+clock&keywords=teaching+clock&pd_rd_i=B08F54PH5Z&pd_rd_r=bea40883-244b-493b-8d66-c8072f997a2d&pd_rd_w=7dgR3&pd_rd_wg=MGTuq&pf_rd_p=7468d229-fb8e-4951-8ff4-df03d0bdb454&pf_rd_r=9XVVBWVRAYMYW68EDEWA&qid=1647969542&sr=1-4-b75715df-0cbd-4312-a971-de5362256967-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNldMWDdOQUZBWUc3JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDI3NDkxMzJMSEpQVzFDTTUySiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODQ4NDY3MzlON1MyMTRVTTVBVSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3NlYXJjaF90aGVtYXRpYyZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Watches

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EasyRead-teacher-ERW-COL-PT-Rainbow-Purple/dp/B0108IN28A/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=teaching+clock&qid=1647969522&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRVQwU0tCSjdIOTZBJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDI5NDYzMTgwTDZCVTVBUEVPQiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUExMDI1Mzc0Mkk1ODlaQlBDUDVKNiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EasyRead-teacher-ERW-RB-PT-NB-Watch-Strap/dp/B01APWUK7U/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=teaching+watches&qid=1647969626&sr=8-11

*If you are looking for some recommended Y2 books, there is a suggested list in the Key Information section.

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  
 

This was another wonderful week in Year 2.  Kol ha’Kavod to you all and Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Friday 11th March 2022

This week we had an incredible day to celebrate Purim.  The children dressed up in some fun and imaginative costumes.  They listened to the Megillah being read, had a zumba party to raise money for tzedakah, had a Purim fair and parade.  There was so much joy and happiness across the school!

In English, the children started to write up their non-chronological reports (NCR).  The children used their information collected from last week about their chosen nocturnal animal.  They started off with a title and an opening paragraph.  Then they had several subheadings with paragraphs of information.  They added a picture and a caption to the report.  The children did well to include lots of the features of a NCR.

In maths, the children learnt about quarter past and quarter to times.  The children made links to fractions and realised the clock is split into four equal parts of 15 minutes.  They then worked on problems related to time.

In robotics, the children built a moving train that could run around the track. Each week the models get harder with more intricate details.  Once the robots were built the children were able to run them on a track.  The sensors in the train were able to follow the lines of the track.

In history the children learnt about Mary Seacole. She was a nurse that also went to the Crimea to help the sick soldiers. The children then wrote a fact file about her and her life.

In SPaG this week the children completed more work on sentences using contracted apostrophes.  They had to change sentences to write them with the contracted apostrophes.

In Phonics we carried on with the alternative spellings for ear.

Important information:

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

This was another wonderful week in Year 2.  Kol ha’Kavod to you all!

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Friday 11th March 2022

This week was Book Week and we celebrated in many different ways. On Monday morning we had an author visit from Gareth P Jones.  He explained the process of writing his book and asked how the children generate ideas for their story writing. He combined singing and reading his books and the children loved this session. We had a book swap and discussion with the Year 1 children. Half of our class went to Y1 and half of Y1 came to us. The children shared their favourite books with each other and explained why it was their favourite book. The children made spoon puppets based on different book characters. Ms Simon gave them a quiz based on books and a Book Week maths lesson.

In English, the children learnt about the story The Ugly Duckling and answered a comprehension about it. We also had an English/PSHE lesson based on the themes of being different and acceptance.  The children were able to empathise with the character and discuss accepting others. The children also retold the story and created a book cover for The Ugly Duckling.

In maths, the children continued with the topic of division. The children learnt about dividing by 10.  They used the method of sharing and grouping to solve the calculations and then moved onto reasoning questions which challenged them to explain which answers are correct or why they are right or wrong. This really stretched their learning. They also had a fun lesson based on Book Week.

In robotics, the children built a spinning fling. This made them think about using the exact pieces and being precise in the order used.  The children were fantastic about following instructions and collaborating with others to build the game.

In history this week the children recapped all of the knowledge they had learnt about Florence Nightingale and answered questions from our quiz.

In SPAG this week the children focused on reading comprehension.  The children worked well to answer the questions.

In Phonics we carried on with the alternative spellings for ar.

Important information:

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

We have had a fantastic Book Week, have a lovely weekend and Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week in Jewish Studies, we have begun learning about Purim. We have learnt about the story of Megillat Esther, with a particular focus on King Achasverosh, Vashti, the palace guards Bigtan and Teresh, Mordechai, Queen Esther, the wicked Haman and his wife Zeresh. We wrote character descriptions about these people, including what we can learn from them.

This week's Parasha is Parashat Pekudei and in it, the Torah teaches us about the Mishkan. The entire Bnei Yisrael (Jewish People) had a share in building the Mishkan. Each person used his or hers unique talents to construct, weave and embroider objects. The Middah we learn from this is that working together brings good results.

Wishing you and your families Shabbat Shalom,

Mr Salter

Friday 25th February 2022

This week started off with a bang as we went on our class trip to the Florence Nightingale museum. We travelled up by coach. Whilst inside the children had an interactive session with ‘Florence’ who told her all about ‘her’ life. The children were able to use their knowledge from class to answer her questions. She was very impressed with their knowledge. Then we looked around the museum, her early life, during the war and her later life. The children went on a treasure hunt looking for specific objects in the museum. When the session was over, we went to the hospital gardens to eat lunch and play a game. I was so proud of the class. Their behaviour was a credit to Kerem School.

On Tuesday the children had an Israeli theatre company visit to perform ‘The Lion and the Mouse’.  The children had a fantastic time and loved interacting and joining in with the performance.

In English, the children have continued with non-chronological reports (NCR).  They began to plan their own reports. The children chose an animal to research and thought about the subheading they wanted to include. Then they read about their animal and collected information for their subheadings.

In Maths, the children continued with the topic of division.  The children learnt about dividing by 2 & 5 and reviewed odd and even numbers.  They used the method of sharing and grouping to solve the calculations and then moved onto reasoning questions which challenged them to explain which answers are correct or why they are right or wrong.  This really stretched their learning.

In Robotics, the children built a roller coaster ramp, where the vehicle moves on rails in order to gain height and speed for the ride.  As a challenge they had to add a downward ramp so the vehicle can come off the end and some children added another motor to speed up the rails.  This really allowed them to think outside the box. The children were fantastic about following instructions and collaborating with others to build the ride.

In History, this week the children investigated things that are different and things that are the same between medical care now and in Victorian times. They looked at photos of what the nurses wore, now and then, what a typical ward looks like and how nurses interacted with patients.

In SPAG, this week the children focused on using apostrophes for contractions. They learnt that we remove letters and add an apostrophe in order to shorten the word.  For example, could not becomes couldn’t.

Phonics this week was limited due to all of the extra activities we had so we reviewed the ar sound.

Important information:

This week an email was sent regarding our upcoming parent maths workshops with Mrs Collins. We are hoping to see as many parents there as possible, so please do RSVP using the Google Form attached to the email. The deadline for this is today.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NC1uTvl_XugDMVYVyO9u7eFvzASutEyRQDhHjA5py3c/edit 

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Jewish Studies

We reviewed script letters; Alef-Chaf, focusing on the way we form the letters.

As part of our Shabbat project, we learnt about 'Oneg Shabbat' - how we make Shabbat special, such as beautiful clothes, table, delicious food, special Zemirot shabbat songs, flowers to decorate our home. We learnt the Zemer (song) of Tzur Mishelo.

Friday 25th February 2022

In English, the children have started to learn about non-chronological reports (NCR).  They have learnt the features and identified these features in real NCR Big Books on a variety of topics. They have learnt the importance of subheading, photos & captions and what the difference is between fact and opinion.

In maths, the children have learnt about division.  They understood the different vocabulary linked to the topic.  We focused this week on both sharing and grouping for division. We started this off with concrete manipulatives, such as counters, then we used jottings to share and group and finally used this knowledge to solve maths problems and give clear reasons for our ideas.
 

In robotics, the children built a hoop game, similar to those you might find at a funfair.  The children had to build the game using instructions in pairs.  They added a motor to turn the game.  After that the children took it in turns to play with their constructions.

In science, the children investigated which type of paper was the strongest. They had a variety of papers from card to tissue paper.  They used weights to test out how strong it was. The children were very surprised at how much weight the paper could hold before splitting. The card could hold approximately 6kg.

In history this week they learned about Florence Nightingale's later life and what she did after the Crimean War.  They learned that what Florence did was written about in the newspapers, people were fascinated with her work, she continued her work when she returned home and in 1860 she established the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. This was the first official training school for nurses and was the founding of modern nursing.
 

In phonics, we concentrated on the sounds below:

Important information:

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Friday 11th February 2022

This week we have had a wonderful Children’s Mental Health week. Each day we had different activities. We have discussed what makes us happy and makes us calm. The children then used these ideas to design a t-shirt.  When these were completed the children used special fabric pens to add their design to the shirt. On Friday they got to wear them.  Another activity we did was to discuss how we grow emotionally.  Reflecting on how much we’ve grown, and thinking of ways that we can continue to grow together which in turn is a good way to look after our mental health. N/B Please iron the t-shirts before they go into the wash, in order to stop the colours from running.  The children thought about how they wanted to ‘grow emotionally and wrote their ideas down on a leaf focusing.  We also had an author visit via zoom and she read her story to us ‘Sophie Says, it’s ok to not be ok’.  This discusses the feelings of being sad and how friends can try and make you feel better and make you feel safe to share your feelings.  We also discussed our ‘support balloon’ and who you can speak to to share your feelings.  The children were able to verbalise who was in their ‘support balloon’ and how this can help them.

In English, the children have been learning character description.  This week they planned and wrote character descriptions about the Dark and Lazlo.  These were written very well and included many features of a character description.

In maths, the children have started a new topic about measuring. They discussed all the vocabulary linked to measuring.  The children measured different items around the classroom in centimetres and also found objects that are more or less than 1 metre.

This week in Forest School, we started the session with another mindfulness task.  We had to go and sit somewhere around the forest in a ‘sit spot’. There the children could sit and listen to what was around them.  The children all drew what they heard around them and focused on being calm and at one with nature.  The children heard a story linked to love and friendship and then could make items linked to this.

In Robotics the children built bumper cars individually or in pairs, this was their own choice. They used many of the skills learnt in previous lessons to aid their building of the cars.  They had an amazing time building and playing with them.

In science, the children investigated changes in state. They learnt about the idea of solids and liquids and we tested out what happened when we applied heat or cold to different materials.  We tested this idea using chocolate, water and cheese.  The children learned about reversible and irreversible changes in materials.

In history this week they learned how Florence improved the conditions at Scutari hospital. They learned about what changes Florence made to the hospital and how this improved the lives of soldiers. They also learned how these influences changed nursing for the better.

In phonics, we concentrated on the sounds below:

Common exception words: many, laughed, because, different, thought, through, work, mouse

Important information:

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

Next term (Feb 21st onwards), we will no longer have Forest School.  It will start again in the summer term.

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Jewish Studies – 4^th Feb – 3^rd Adar I

In Jewish Studies this week we have learnt about the 3 different Shabbat meals - Friday night, Shabbat lunch and Se'udah Shlishit. We learnt about the special items we need for these meals and the children made their own Shabbat menus.

We continued with our Hebrew reading, reviewing key reading rules and exceptions and have been revising our script letters. In this week's Parasha lesson we learnt about the items in Hashem's special home - the Mishkan (see attached photos). Nowadays we have a Beit Knesset for us to be close to Hashem and the items in our Beit Knesset remind us of the items from the Mishkan.

We discussed what we like the most about our Beit Knesset.

Friday 4th February 2022
 

It has been another very busy week in Year 2 and I am so pleased I got to return to the class.

In English, the children have been learning about the features of a character description.  They annotated a given description to pick apart and see how the author uses detail to bring a character to life.  Then the children had a go at writing a description of their friends.  The children were able to add lots of detail to these descriptions.

In maths, the children have continued with addition and subtraction.  They have moved on to adding and subtracting two 2-digit numbers, crossing the 10s.  The children used concrete resources, such as dienes rods and pictorial representations to solve the calculations.  They also had to use their knowledge of place value to partition numbers into different ways in order to solve the calculation.

This week in Forest School, we started off with a mindfulness activity.  The children were able to listen to instructions whilst keeping their eyes closed and focused on the words that were spoken.  They then went on a hunt around the forest to collect model animals, cards and animal finger puppets.  These then formed part of a listening story as the characters.  The children then set out on their different tasks.  Some went digging in the forest, others made pictures or clay sculptures and others made tigers linked to Chinese New Year.

In Robotics, the children built moving go-karts with a motor. They had so much fun.  They were able to work as a team in order to construct the model.  Then they had to design and draw a funfair ride.

In science, the children investigated what happens when you waterproof a material and how it changes the absorbency of the material.  The children really enjoyed this investigation.

In history,  the children carried on learning about Florence Nightingale.  This week they learned why Florence went to a hospital in Scutari and what the hospital conditions were like when she got there.  From this information the children had to write a letter to Florence’s sister describing what she saw when she arrived at the hospital.  The children were able to draw on their knowledge of writing descriptions to help them.

In art, the children had a very creative lesson where they got to make 2D flower pots for different materials.

In phonics, we concentrated on the sounds below:

Important information:

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

Forest school - please remember children need hats, scarves, gloves, waterproofs and wellies.

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Friday 28th January 2022

The Year 2 children have enjoyed another fantastic week of learning despite Miss Mansoor's unfortunate absence.

In Science, we continued our topic on materials. Following on from last week's experiment on the absorbency of different types of paper, this week the children enjoyed investigating whether any hard materials could absorb water.

In Maths, we used different strategies for addition and subtraction of 2-digit and 1-digit numbers, including number lines and base 10. We used concrete resources to ensure deeper understanding and fluency, and the children challenged themselves through reasoning and problem solving.

In English, we continued our work inspired by the book The Dark. The children explored the differences between formal and informal letter writing, before planning and writing a formal letter to a hypothetical Reception pupil to explain why they needn't be afraid of the dark, ensuring that all the common features of a formal letter were included.

In Art, we continued to learn about the artist Joan Miro and the surrealism movement. The children let their imaginations run wild to create some wonderful pieces inspired by Miro's colourful, dreamlike paintings.

We had another fantastic Robotics session in which the children continued to plan ideas for their theme parks. They then worked admirably in pairs to build a motorised merry-go-round. They were very excited as their models came together and all children managed to complete the challenge!

The children loved their time at Forest School and this week was all about birds. They went on a bird themed treasure hunt to learn about the different species of birds and their appearance and songs. Some children made bird feeders to help the birds make it through the cold winter. They also played ostrich tag and enjoyed listening to one of Emma's enthralling stories. The children walked back to school singing the Forest School songs with big smiles on their faces. 

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom!

Mr Portnoi

Friday 21st January 2022

This week has been another busy but exciting week in Year 2. On Monday it was Tu BiShvat and the children had a delicious fruit party. They enjoyed arranging their pieces of fruit and vegetable to make a work of art before eating them.

We had another fantastic Robotics lesson. The children brainstormed a name for their theme park and came up with some rides that they want to appear in the park. Their main challenge was to construct a moving ferris wheel.  This had a motor and a battery pack. The children worked very well in pairs to complete the task and they all managed to complete the challenge.

Instead of Forest School this week, we decided to take a forest walk to collect interesting leaves and items.  We then came back to school and used these items to create a forest scene.  We used mixed media to create the picture.  See the photos below.

In English, the children continued with the book, The Dark. The children compared formal and informal letters and their features and they then wrote letters to the main character to give reasons why he should not be afraid of the dark.  The children made sure to include an opening sentence, reasons for their letter and a closing sentence. They then edited, improved them and wrote them up in best. These will be put up for a display.

In Maths, we have been reviewing place value and number lines. The children have investigated tens and ones and used digit cards to find different types of numbers. The catch was only using the digit once.  They played games to continue thinking about place value.  Lots of fun was had during these lessons.

In Science the children had their first materials investigation. They had to test out which paper would be the most absorbent for mopping up a spill.  The children had some good ideas and then went about testing their hypotheses.  The children covered beakers with different papers and then dropped water from a pipette onto the paper. They had to find out how many water droplets the paper could absorb before it came through into the beaker.

This week we started our new History topic about Florence Nightingale.  The children had to think about what they know about this topic and write questions about what they would like to find out about.  After this the children learnt about key words that will accompany the new topic.

Important information:

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

Forest school - please remember children need hats, scarves, gloves, waterproofs and wellies.

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Friday 14th January 2022

This week has been our first full week back and it has been jam-packed.

We had our first Robotics lesson. The children learnt and discussed where they might have seen robots, what they are used for in everyday life and why robots are used. They learnt that robots can be efficient, safe and work long hours. Then they were introduced to the robotics pack. They learnt about the different pieces and how they can be used together. After this, they set to work to build a scorpion or lizard by following a set of instructions.  It was amazing how the children worked in pairs to solve their problem and build their model. Have a look at some of the photos below.

In Forest School, they started off by remembering the different types of trees in the surrounding area. Then they looked at different bud types and tried to work out what tree it belonged to. They then went on a trail around the forest to find objects that didn’t belong there. It was very hard to spot them but the children were amazing. In the free session, they could make weavings using twigs and string and clay models. Some children went to collect rubbish with a litter picker, some dug a mini hole to create their own river which they filled up with water and others went bird spotting with binoculars. It was another brilliant session. We cannot wait for next week.

In English, the children made predictions about their new story, The Dark. They also had to think about the character’s thoughts and feelings in a particular part of the story. The children then worked in pairsto act these ideas out and recorded videos of one another on the iPads. The next day they had to write the character’s thoughts and feelings and use references from the book to help support their ideas. To wrap up the end of the week, they started to learn about formal letters in preparation for next week's lessons.

In Maths, we continued learning about handling data, looking at both tally charts and pictograms. The children had to interpret information collected when the value of the picture was 2, 5 or 10. They realised you can collect lots of data if the value of the picture changes.

In Geography, to complete our topic on oceans and continents we studied more about Europe, in particular France. After that, we got to evaluate some foods from France. The children enjoyed sampling baguettes, pain au chocolat and some French cheese. They evaluated the smell, texture, appearance and taste of each food. Have a look at some of the pictures below.

Important information:

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  

Forest school - please remember children need hats, scarves, gloves, waterproofs and wellies.

Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week in Jewish Studies, we caught up with the Parashiot of the Torah that we missed whilst on holiday (Shemot ~ Bo). They teach us about the hardships of the Bnei Yisrael, whilst living as slaves in Mitzrayim and how HaShem out of his love, rescued us with 10 plagues. We acted out scenes from these Parashiot. Please take a look below.

This week’s Parasha is Parashat Beshalach and it teaches us specifically about Kriyat Yam Suf. The middot we learnt, were Emunah and Bitchaon, the abilities to believe in and trust HaShem.
 

Mazel Tov to those who changed Aleph Champ levels this week.

Lastly, we spoke about Tu Bishvat and how HaShem has entrusted us to look after His planet. We spoke about how trees teach us to collaborate with each other and have good middot, as these come naturally to trees in their environments and linked these discussions to our Kerem Characteristics.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mr Salter

Friday 7th January 2022

Welcome back and a happy new year to you all!  The children have come back full of energy and ready to learn.

We started Spring term off with a bang, having our first Forest School session. The children were so excited and remembered so much from previous years. Their  behaviour was to be admired. They worked well as a team and chose a friend to guide through the woods whilst the other was blindfolded. They remembered to warn their partner about potential hazards and remembered to be slow and controlled when guiding.  Later in the session the children went off digging, climbing trees, creating hanging mobiles and some built a den. So much fun was had, take a look at the photos below.

In English, the children reviewed nouns and verbs. They then had to describe a ‘Safari Park’ scene shown to them. They had to remember to use capital letters, full stops, nouns, verbs and describing words and children worked on their presentation in particular.

In Maths, we started a topic on handling data, looking at both tally charts and pictograms.  The children collected data on a chosen topic and then put information into a tally chart or pictograms.  The children had fun deciding which data to collect.

In Geography, the children learnt a little about Europe and shared information they already knew.  With the aid of an atlas, they then had to mark some of the different countries in Europe on a map. The children had very good knowledge to share with their peers.

Important information:

Please send in some 50ps in your child’s bag as they may be running low on stationery.  
 

Forest school - please remember children need hats, scarfs, gloves, waterproofs and wellies.

Well done Year 2, you have come back to school ready and willing to learn. We have an exciting term ahead. Let’s make it great!

The Year 2 Team

Dear Parents and Friends

This week in Jewish Studies , we have been learning about the different food Brachot and how they teach us to be appreciative towards HaShem. Together with Year 3, we have created posters to remind other students around the school to say their Brachot (pictures to follow).

Mazel Tov to those who have changed Aleph Champ levels this week.

This weeks Parasha is Parashat Vayigash and the Middah that it teaches us is forgiveness. We learn this from how Yosef forgave his brothers many years later, after he revealed himself to them in Mitzrayim.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mr Salter

Friday 10th December 2021

This is our last full week of the Autumn Term and the children have continued to work well.  They have worked so hard during this time and should be very proud of themselves.  Well done to all!

In English, the children planned and wrote postcards from Katie to describe her trip to London. We also reviewed the present and past tense.

In Maths, the children have been using clocks to read and set, o’clock and half past times. As well as this, they have solved problems related to time.

In Science, the children made predictions about what activities would elevate their heart rate.  The children then had to test these activities by carrying out the task for 30 seconds.  The children could correctly identify the activities that would elevate their heart rate.

In Geography, the children learnt about hot and cold climates and then colour code the four climate zones, tropical, temperate, warm and cold. 

In Art, the children created a mosaic picture in the style of Metzinger.  They created amazing work. Have a look at the photos attached.

See below a table of the phonemes we are reviewing in class.

For your information:

Equipment 50p -  Please send in some 50ps in your child bag as they are running low of their equipment.  
 

Well done Year 2 for your first term!

The Year 2 Team

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week in School, we have had a fun, jam packed week learning about Chanukah and taking part in Chanukah activities. Thank you to all those who were involved. Please see pictures of some of our activities below.

Mazel Tov to all those who changed Aleph Champ levels this week. Well done to all Year 2 students who have continued learning script and who are up to Letter Lamed.

We learnt about this week’s Parasha ~ Parashat Miketz. Famously in this Parasha, Paro dreams and struggles to interpret them. Yosef interprets them and becomes a ruler in Mitzrayim. There is a famine and his brothers travel to Mitzrayim to buy food. In spite of what his brothers did to him, Yosef was now face to face with them and is kind towards them instead of showing resentment. Yosef’s behaviour in this Parasha reminds us that everything in life is a test from HaShem

Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach

Mr Salter 

Friday 3rd December 2021

This week we completed a fantastic Maths Day.  The children’s assignment was to choose items to buy for an end of year party.  We first practised using the coins to create different values.  Then the children selected items to buy for the party and then totalled the amounts, not before making the values with coins.

The children also had an E-Safety session, learning all about personal information and not giving it out to strangers online. They discussed treating our technological devices with care, who is considered a trusted adult and they learnt about CEOP the internet police.

In English, the children continued using the story ‘Katie in London’. They answered comprehension questions about the story showing excellent knowledge about the story.  Then we wrote our own questions to ask the characters.  The children then got to ‘hot seat’ and become the character and answer some of the questions written.  The children showed they could ask and answer questions thoughtfully.

In Maths, the children have learnt about 2D shapes.  They learnt to recognise 2D shapes, count sides and vertices.  We focused on investigating the orders of the shapes depending on sides and vertices using regular and irregular shapes.

In Geography, the children learned about making journeys around the world on a map.  They had to plot out a journey around the globe and what continents and oceans they would pass on the way.

In Art, the children learnt about the artist Metzinger and created a landscape picture in his mosaic style, using different shaped templates.

See below a table of the phonemes we are reviewing in class.

For your information:

Equipment 50p -  Please send in some 50ps in your child bag as they are running low of their equipment.  
 

Well done Year 2 for all your hard work, keep it up!
 

The Year 2 Team

Friday 26th November 2021 
 

Another busy week in Year 2!

In English, the children continued using the story ‘Katie in London’. They created a story map and then retold the beginning of the story using expanded noun phrases, focusing on capital letters and full stops.

In Maths, the children continued learning about fractions. They moved onto recognising and finding ⅓ and then learnt about unit and non-unit fractions.

In Geography, the children learned about the seven continents.  They did some research about a chosen continent and then wrote some sentences to present to the rest of the class.

In Art, the children learnt about the artist Metzinger and created a landscape picture in his mosaic style, using different shaped templates.

See below a table of the phonemes we  are reviewing in class.

For your information:

Tuesday 30th - Maths Morning

Equipment 50p -  Please send in some 50ps in your child bag as they are running low of their equipment.  
 

Well done Year 2 for all your hard work, keep it up.

The Year 2 Team

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week in Jewish Studies, we have continued to learn about Chanukah. We have learnt the correct sequence of events and how HaShem preformed great miracles. We have continued further, with our Hebrew script learning and have learnt up until letter Kaf and Chaf.

Wishing you Shabbat Shalom

Mr Salter

Friday 19th November 2021

This week we have had a wonderful week with our theme for Anti-bullying Week ‘One Kind Word’. The children discussed what kindness is, how we can change the way people feel with it and stamp out bullying by spreading kindness.

In English, the children wrote detailed descriptions using a scene from Katie in London. They then edited and improved them to produce some wonderful work.

In Maths, the children have started to learn about fractions. They learn to recognise and find ½ and ¼. They understood the relationship between ½ and divided by 2 (or halving) and a ¼ and divided by 4. The children learned how to use jotting to get their answers.

In Geography, the children learned about the five oceans and where they are on the world map. They then had to label a blank map with the oceans in the correct place, taking note of the continents nearby.

In Art, the children used oil paints to paint in the style of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Their work was amazing. See some of the pictures below.

See below a table of the phonemes we used in class.

For your information:

Reminder: 

Friday 26th - Mad Hair Day

Equipment 50p -  Please send in a couple of 50p in your child’s bag so that when your children run out their equipment, they can use the money from their bag. 

Well done Year 2 for all your hard work, keep it up.

The Year 2 Team

Dear Parents and Friends

This week in Jewish Studies, we have learnt all about Chanukah and specifically learnt the difference between a Chanukiah and a Menorah. In preparation for the Chag (festival), we have made some of our own 3D Menorahs which we will be assembling next week. Please take a look at some of the photos below.

This week’s Parasha (Torah Portion) is Parashat Vayishlach, which teaches us how Esav hunted down his brother Yaakov and how Yaakov demonstrated the most exemplary Middot towards him.

Wishing you and your families Shabbat Shalom

Mr Salter 

Friday 12th November 2021

This week we have started a new book and our first Geography topic, which the children have enjoyed.

In English, the children made predictions about the story ‘Katie in London’.  The children made sensible predictions based on only seeing the front cover.  We then listened to the story.  We also wrote descriptions from one of the pages of the story.  The children used expanded noun phrases and their senses to give a detailed description.

In Maths, the children have continued learning about groups of, lots of and repeated addition.  They were introduced to the multiplication symbol and made the connection between groups of and times.  They also learned multiplication, in the context of pictures, and using the 2,5 & 10 times table and had to reason their answers.

In Geography, the children started their new topic on Continents and Oceans.  They looked at atlases and a globe and used these to mark off the continents and oceans on a world map.

In Art, the children used oil pastels to paint in the style of Van Gogh.  We learnt about the artist first, and that he began to use bright and dramatic colours when he moved to Paris.  The children created fantastic pictures in this style.

In PSHE, we have continued with the programme designed by ‘Heads up Kids’ to enhance emotional development.  This week we focused on emotions: sad, happy, scared and angry.  How we feel them in our body and on our faces and we played games to act out these emotions.

In Phonics we reviewed the tricky words, many, different, any, laughed, friend, eyes, once and please  See below a table of the phonemes we used in class.

For your information:

Attachments: Please see attachments, a flyer for Odd Sock Day and song words for the Chanukah Sing-along.

50p -  If I could please ask you to send in a couple of 50p in your child’s bag so that when they run out, they can use the money from their bag.  This will make it a little easier and quicker to replace the item.

Well done Year 2 for all your hard work, keep it up.

The Year 2 Team

Friday 5th November 2021

We have had a fantastic first week back, after half term, and got straight back to learning with excitement and enthusiasm.

In English, the children have been learning about using adjectives, in particular, expanded noun phrases to describe a setting. For example, the tall, green tree.  This will enrich their writing when used.

In Maths, the children have been learning about equal and unequal groups, repeated addition and arrays as we begin to learn about multiplication.

In History, the children finished the topic on the Great Fire.  They wrote a report of all the information they have learnt about the topic.

In Art, the children used watercolours to create a picture of The Houses of Parliament (HoP) and the surrounding areas. They painted in the style of Monet and painted a silhouette of the HoP and different colours to create light or dark, depending on the time of day they wanted to portray. Their work was wonderful.

In PSHE, we have continued with the programme designed by ‘Heads up Kids’ to enhance emotional development.  This week we focused on how to express and read emotions on our faces and bodies.  The emotions were sad, happy, scared and angry.

In Phonics we reviewed the tricky words, water, where, who, again, thought, through, work and mouse.  See below a table of the phonemes we used in class.

For your information:

Changing reading books - Now that we are in full time, we will do our best to change reading books x3 per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

50p -  If I could please ask you to send in a couple of 50p in your child’s bag so that when they run out, they can use the money from their bag.  This will make it a little easier and quicker to replace the item.

Well done Year 2 for all your hard work, keep it up.

The Year 2 Team

Friday 22nd October 2021

In English, we have written ‘sorry’ letters to The Three Little Pigs from the Wolf.  The children wrote great letters and remembered to include a greeting and a salutation.

In Maths, we have looked at and used money, both coins and notes.  The children had to count money in pence and pounds.  They also solved problems involving money, making sure to include a reason for their answers.

In History, the children compared firefighters of the past and present. We looked at the equipment used now and then.  They understood that the firefighting services had to improve because of the fire. 

In Art, the children started their topic called ‘landscapes and cityscapes’.  They learnt about Monet and we looked at many of his famous landscape paintings.  The children then created their own picture based on Monet’s garden door.

In PSHE, we have continued with the programme designed by ‘Heads up Kids’ to enhance emotional development.  This was about how to help include people that might be on their own or someone that was shy.

In Phonics, we have looked at the tricky words,  work, where, again & water.

For your information:

A message from Mrs Sharman:

As part of Anti-Bullying Week, the BBC are asking the children to design an anti-bullying poster.  The theme is ‘ONE KIND WORD’.  Please can your child use the attached sheet for their design.  Posters should be handed to Mrs Sharman directly after half term (closing date Tuesday 2nd November).

All entries will be displayed in the school and be sent to the BBC. The BBC will select some posters to be shown on their website.  Anti-Bullying Week this year is 15th-19th November.

Check out the key information section for questions that you can ask when listening to your child read.

50p - If I could please ask you to perhaps send in a couple of 50p in your child’s bag so that when they run out of equipment, they can use the money from their bag.  

Well done Year 2 for all your hard work, keep it up and enjoy half term.

The Year 2 Team

Friday 15th October 2021

In English, we have been learning the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’.  We have focused on editing and improving our description of the wolf, and presenting it neatly.  The children heard ‘The True Story of the Three Little Pigs’ and then compared it with the original story.

In Maths, the children have been learning adding and subtraction 10/20s.  Adding a 1-digit number from a 2-digit number and subtracting a 1-digit number from a 2-digit number.  They used 100 squares and numberlines to support their working out.  They also had to solve problems.

In History, the children learnt about Samuel Pepys and who he was.  They understood that the diaries he kept, allowed us to know so much about what happened in the Great Fire.

In Art, the children had a photo of themselves that they had to complete.  They were only given half of it and had to complete it.  The children showed such attention to detail.

In PSHE, we have continued with the programme designed by ‘Heads up Kids’ to enhance emotional development.  This was about how to help include people that might be on their own or someone that was shy.

In Phonics we reviewed the tricky words some, come, were and there.  See below a table of the phonemes we used in class.

For your information:

Changing reading books - Now that we are in full time, we will do our best to change reading books x3 per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

50p - As you may know, if the children’s supplies run out, they have to pay 50p for a new item. This will help instill a sense of responsibility for looking after their equipment.  We have already had some of the whiteboard pens run out and the children have done their best to remember to bring in 50p.  If I could please ask you to perhaps send in a couple of 50p in your child’s bag so that when they run out, they can use the money from their bag.  This will make it a little easier and quicker to replace the item.

School Council - We will be holding school council elections in our class. If your children choose to apply, they can write a short speech to explain why they should be chosen.

There are three different councils,

Tzedakah (Charity council), Kehillah (Community council), Tikkun Olam (Eco council)

The short speech will be delivered to the rest of the class and we will be holding these elections on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th October so that the councils can start straight after half term.  Meetings will be held at 8.15am on Thursdays. 

Well done Year 2 for all your hard work, keep it up.

The Year 2 Team