Friday 12th April 2024

We started this week with a very successful trip to the Florence Nightingale Museum.  The children traveled up to London with such eagerness and enthusiasm.  We were greeted by ‘Florence’ and taken into the museum.  The children discussed her life and were able to act out parts of her stories.  The children sat beautifully and answered questions well.  We looked around the museum which was split into three sections, her childhood, a nurse in the Crimea and then after the war.  The children moved around in amazement looking at her personal artefacts.  We ended the day by having an al fresco lunch outside the museum in front the the Mary Seacole statue.  The children had a wonderful day and had excellent behaviour.  

We also had a wonderful Seder led by Ms D Rose.  The children enjoyed searching for the last chametz before we began.  During the Seder the children were able to answer questions and join in with the songs.  They particularly enjoyed eating the matzah, and dipping into the charoset and eating their ‘chocolate eggs’. A highlight was all the children getting up and dancing down the middle of the hall as the sea split. It was a fantastic experience.

In English, the children have been focusing on comprehension skills by reading and answering questions about the story.  They have also recapped the use of capital letters, past and present tenses and different forms of punctuation.  They really enjoyed this work.

In maths, we have been working on the language of position.  They understood that we use below, next to, on top of, to the right, and to the left to describe different objects positions.  They enjoyed being given directions such as sit on top of the table, sit underneath the table.  We worked through these words practically which brought much movement and enjoyment.  We also looked at turns, ½, ¼, ¾, and whole turns, using directions, right and left, and words such as clockwise & anti-clockwise.  The children had good fun solving problems involving position and direction.

In geography, the children focused on plant sources in food.  They learned that all our food sources can be traced back to a source.  We looked closely at different plants and what was being grown on them.  We then looked at parts of the plant and which fruit/vegetable and grains grew on them.  For example, broccoli comes from the flower, an apple from the fruit, carrots from the roots, cabbage from the leaves and asparagus from the stem.  The children enjoyed learning about these and drew and added labels to their pictures.

In computing, the children watched how to make a jam sandwich and then gave the teacher robot (Miss Mansoor) instructions to make a real sandwich.  The chidlren realised that we must give a robot a very clear, concise set of instructions for it to work properly.  Then the children wrote down these instructions.

Reminders:

• Money for equipment.
• Have a wonderful and restful holiday time!

Have a wonderful half term, wishing you a Chag Pesach Sameach and we can not wait to see you in the Summer term,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon.

Friday 5th April 2024

We’ve had a great week back after a long weekend.  The children have been working on a class target focusing on tidying and ensuring they take responsibility for tidying their tables and items around the room.  This has helped the children to work as a team, collaborating to get the job done.  

In English, the children have been planning and writing riddles.  They looked in detail about how they could describe their chosen animal and then thought about writing these ideas into clues.  They remembered that the more difficult and vague clues go first and the easier ones are written at the end.  They have really enjoyed this process!

In maths, the children have been learning about measuring volume using millilitres and litres (ml & L).  The children have enjoyed practically measuring using water and measuring jugs.  They worked collaboratively to determine how much water was needed and then enjoyed trying to pour accurately.  The children also solved various problems with measuring in ml and L.  Later in the week, the children learned about temperature.

In geography, the children started a new topic about ‘Where does our food come from’.  The children talked about food coming from either a plant or an animal and looked at many different foods and correctly sorted them into the appropriate groups.

In art, the children continued their discussion about natural sculptures and looked at and discussed many different natural sculptures.  We looked at the artist Andy Goldsworthy and the sculptures that he has created.  

In computing, the children looked at various algorithms and understood how a robot is given a clear set of instructions in order to move from one point to another.  They played a game where they had to give instructions to a robot to collect items.  They used forward, backward, right and left turns.  T

In creative writing, the children wrote fantastic story beginnings. They thought about what goes into a good story beginning, they described the weather, the character and made sure to add lots of detail. 

In PSHE, the children carried on discussing conflict, the children created scenarios and we used conflict wheels to solve them. We began to create a plan for how we could handle these conflicts and will continue with this work next week.

In SPag, (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar), the children focused on full stops, question marks and exclamation marks.  They had to decide what punctuation the sentences needed and then with a given picture they had to write different sentences using different punctuation marks. 

Reminders:

• Our class trip to the Florence Nightingale Museum is on Monday 8th April
  • Please ensure your child has a backpack to fit in their school-packed lunch
  • Please send your children with water in a bottle and a morning snack.
  • Children must wear school uniform.
  • Boys, please cover your heads with school caps
  • You may wear trainers should you wish to.
• Please send in money for equipment.

Have a wonderful weekend and Shabbat Shalom,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon

Thursday 28th March 2024

What a fantastic week we’ve had.  It couldn’t have started in a more positive and upbeat way.  The children came ready for Purim in the most wonderful costumes.  We started the day with a whole school Tefillah to bring in the day in a beautiful way.  Our first activity was Zumba, where the children danced and enjoyed themselves to a variety of songs.  Then we baked hamantaschen.  The children got to make a dough mixture and then choose a filling to go into it.  They were freshly baked in the STEAM lab and the children got to eat them before playtime.  The children were very happy about this!  We then made brazilian style masks.  The children were very creative with the resources they used.  We also designed a mishloach manot bag which was then used to put in the foods brought in for the bags.  The children really enjoyed drawing lots and they were happy to receive such well designed and thoughtful bags.  There was a Purim parade with a wonderful singer and dancing and then finally a wonderful entertainer.  The children had a wonderful experience and it was great to spend it together.  

In English, we started a new topic on poetry. We discussed different styles of poetry and their features. Then the children read a selection of poems and chose one to read aloud. There were tongue twisters, nonsense and rhyming poems.  The children then learned about riddles including their features. We played a game guessing the answer to various riddles and then we had some written riddles to solve. The children were very engaged and excited to learn about them.

In maths, we solved various problems involving mass, grams and kilograms, using the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). We looked for key vocabulary to help us decide which operation to use. Then we learned about volume and capacity. We had a hands-on practical lesson comparing different containers of water, describing the volume with words such as full, empty, half full, nearly full or nearly empty. We also ordered containers according to their capacity. The children had fun, comparing and discussing these words.

In art, we started a new topic on natural sculpture. We discussed what sculptures are and where we might see them and also what is natural. The children were then given clay and they had to create their own natural sculpture. Some chose things you can find in nature, such as a tree while others made sculptures of animals. Their work was fabulous!

In computing, we started a new topic on algorithms. They learnt that it is a detailed, ordered set of instructions that we give to a computer. The children learnt that things will not work how we want them to if they are not in order or clear.

Despite having to be inside due to the wind and rain the children had a wonderful time at Forest School. They enjoyed playing a round of Head Honcho, and then listened to a lovely story about how the world got its colour. They chose from activities including den building, painting, clay, story building and creating felt. This was our last session for this term and we all reflected on how we felt we had grown over the term.

In PSHE, we began to think about different types of conflict the children might have and ways that we can productively solve them. We will continue this work over the next week.

In creative writing, the children learnt about setting descriptions. They identified that setting descriptions help to create interest. The children wrote their own beautiful setting descriptions using a range of sentence starters. 

In phonics the children learnt the sound /t/ with the spelling ‘te’.

Reminders:

• This week was the last Forest School. Next Thursday the children will have PE. They should wear PE uniform as usual. 
• Money for equipment, please. 

Wishing you all a restful long weekend and Shabbat Shalom,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon.

Friday 22nd March 2024

In English, the children wrote a recount based on their news. They focused on using time conjunctions and conjunctions such as ‘and’, ‘but’, & ‘because. The children were able to include these in their writing. They also edited and improved their NCR on bats for display. We also worked on the comprehension skill of inference. It is to understand the ‘unsaid’ in a text, which is a higher-order thinking skill. They use their knowledge, in this case, of a familiar picture and their knowledge of the world in order to answer questions. We will be continuing to develop these skills over the next term in order to prepare the children for the work they will be doing in Year 3.

In maths, the children have learned about mass.  The children compared mass by using bucket balances and measured the weight of objects in the classroom compared to blocks.  We then looked at measuring in grams and kilograms.

In history, the children learned 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 science, the children created a wax resist painting.  They recalled why we have waterproof clothing and what that means.  They then drew using wax crayons on a piece of card.  Then they painted all over the wax crayons and noticed how the wax resisted the paint.

In digital art, the children used all of the skills they learned over the topic to create a final picture.  They had to choose which was the appropriate tool to use to create either a spray painting or another Kandinsky picture.  The artwork turned out very well.

In computing, the children had their last coding lesson.  The children have really improved their skills in the topic.  They are able to give multiple instructions to the character as well as using the repeat button.  Next lesson, we will move onto using Scratch Jr, which is an algorithm program.

In Forest School, the children enjoyed playing an active game of Giants, Wizards and Elves. They had to work together to make decisions and we focused on enjoying the game, rather than worrying too much about which team won. This is an important skill that you could discuss at home. They then heard another story about the battle between spring and winter, before getting involved with whittling, weaving and playing in the woods. Lots of children worked together this week to create a tent.

In PSHE, we talked about kind and unkind behaviours. The children gave lots of examples of kind behaviours and talked about how it feels when people are kind to them. We then discussed how it feels when people are unkind.

In creative writing, the children continued with the planning of their stories. This week they thought carefully about the characters in their stories and considered how they could describe them. This consolidated work was done earlier this year on character description. We also began to extend their descriptions thinking about how their characters might move, speak and behave and how they can link these ideas. 

Phonics: /ur/ sound with an ‘our’ spelling

Reminders:

• If you would like to learn more tables, have a look at Doodle Maths. 
• Money for equipment, please. 

Have a wonderful weekend, Shabbat Shalom and Chag Purim Sameach!

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon

Friday 15th March 2024

In English, the children started to plan their non-chronological reports.  They chose a nocturnal animal to read about and then decided which sub-headings they would like to include in their reports.  Once this was done they read information packs about their chosen animal and wrote notes for each of their sub-headings.  When this was completed they began to write up their non-chronological reports, including opening sentences, sub-headings, pictures & captions and closing sentences.

In maths, the children worked on times and dividing by 2, 5 & 10.  The children’s skills and quickness have been improving during these lessons, as we start each lesson with some quick fire multiplication facts.  Then they had to solve different worded problems involving these objectives.

In science, the children continued answering the question ‘Can you make the strongest paper bridge?’ They could recall the different types of bridges, beam, truss and suspension bridges.  Then children continued in their groups to finish making their bridges.  Once they were finished we tested their strength by putting weights on them.  All of the bridges could hold between 200g-300g.  After this, the children evaluated their designs and discussed what they could do to improve them.

In history, the children learned about Mary Seacole, another nurse at the time of Florence Nightingale.  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 digital art, the children used their prior knowledge to create a painting in the same style as ?? using different tools, such as a crayon, pen, pencils, and paintbrushes.  They really did well to create wonderful pictures.

In computing, the children continued to use code to learn about coding.  The children used their knowledge of north, south, east and west in order to move their character.  They also used a repeat button for when there were multiple steps of the same kind to take.  They really enjoyed this coding lesson.

In PSHE, the children explored what it is to be a good friend and acts of kindness that have been done for them, or that they have done for others. 

In creative writing the children read a story about some children who ended up on a pirate ship. They began planning their own story. This work will continue over the next few weeks, we will look at developing settings, and characters before writing an extended story.

In phonics:

Reminders:

• We have just uploaded a new document to the ‘Useful Information’ section called focused reading question mats.  The questions are split up into different groups in order to help you and your child get the best from their reading session.  The questions are split up into vocabulary, retrieval, sequencing, inference and predicting.  Please have a look at it as it will help you to ask comprehension questions about the text.
• Money for pencil box equipment - many children have run out of pens and whiteboard pens.

Friday 8th March 2024

We’ve had a fantastic Book Week, we started off with a fun-packed assembly.  Our focus was ‘Non-Fiction Books.  The children focused on non-chronological reports this week.  They learnt the difference between fiction and non-fiction books.  Each day we had a video of two mystery readers.  The children had to guess the reader and then a winner was picked from the guesses.  The children did very well but some were tougher than others.  We also had a visit from the author Stephanie Mason, who has written Jojo Jumps. This week we also had the Kerem Showcase where parents looked at their children’s books and discussed the work and which were their favourite pieces of work and what they were most proud of.

In English, the children have been learning about facts and opinions.  They learnt what they are and the difference between them, whilst understanding that only facts are used in non-chronological reports (NCR).  We then read about bats and answered many questions about them. The children showed very good understanding.  Then we began reading and taking notes for our NCR about bats.  The children were fascinated by what they learned. The children also spent time this week thinking about the differences between fiction and nonfiction. They grouped our class library into fiction and nonfiction and explored the features of each. 

In maths, we have been focusing on multiplication and division of the 2 and 10 tables as well as doubles and halves and odd and even numbers.

In science, the children had to build the strongest paper bridge.  They learnt about three different types of bridges, truss, beam and suspension bridges.  Then they had to work in small groups to design and make the strongest bridge.  We will be continuing this next week.

In history, the children discussed all that they had learned about Florence Nightingale and then they had to write this information in a report.  The children have remembered so many details about her life.  Well done Y2!

In digital art, the children will look at different types of pointillism paintings and try to paint in the style of these artists on Freeform.  The results were amazing!

In computing, the children continued learning their skills for coding on code.org.  They really enjoyed giving the characters different instructions in order to move them around the playing board.

The children once again enjoyed spending time in the very muddy Forest School area. They played an octopus game, enjoyed a calming story, and spent time exploring the forest. As it was so muddy we were able to see the tracks of several different animals and some children enjoyed finding, following, and trying to work out which animal had left them. Other children enjoyed spending time in the hammocks, creating catapults, and using wicker to make different shapes. 

In PSHE, we explored the idea of putting ourselves in someone else's shoes. This would be a great concept to discuss at home as well.

Reminders:

• Please can each child fill out the following questionnaire for the Tikkun Olam council. It is the same one we put onto Google Classroom last week. https://forms.gle/21Bzcxtqg1JUe8s7A 
• We have just uploaded a new document to the ‘Useful Information’ section called focused reading question mats.  The questions are split up into different groups to help you and your child get the best from their reading session.  The questions are split up into vocabulary, retrieval, sequencing, inference, and predicting.  Please have a look at it as it will help you to ask comprehension questions about the text.
• Money for pencil box equipment - many children have run out of pens and whiteboard pens.

Have a wonderful weekend and Shabbat Shalom,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon

Friday 1st March 2024

We have had a great week back, including many fun filled activities!

In English, we have been learning about and reading non-chronological reports (NCR).  These are non-fiction reports that contain a title, subheadings, opening and closing paragraphs, photos or pictures and captions.  The children have learnt about why captions are important as well as why we have subheadings in our information text.  We also looked at facts and opinion and understood that we do not include opinions in an NCR.

In maths, the children have been learning about division.  We have been practising using the different skills of grouping and sharing using counters and jottings to work out the calculations.  The children were also practising quick-fire multiplication questions.

In science, the children investigated ‘Which is the strongest paper?’.  They chose different types of paper to investigate and then set about measuring how much weight each paper could hold.  The children really enjoyed this and predicted that the thicker paper, the more weight it would be able to hold.

In history, we learnt and compared nursing to now and in Florence Nightingale’s time.  The children were able to identify how things have changed for the better in regards to nursing over the years.  

In art (digital), the children looked at a painting by Monet of the Houses of Parliament, this was already familiar to them (from our landscape and cityscape topic).  Then they had to replicate the painting using the Freeform app.  They chose the colours and paid attention to the brush strokes used in the painting.  Their work came out very well.

In computing, the children research nocturnal animals which was a direct link to our English lessons.

In world religions the children learnt about the role of the Granthi and the Guru Granth Sahib in Sikhism. They were fascinated by the different rituals and ways of showing respect.

In creative writing, the children completed their Lost assessment story. The children wrote beautifully and creatively about different scenarios.

In Forest School, the weather was a little wet, and there was a lot of mud, but the children had a wonderful time! They started off by identifying how they felt and using woodland creatures to help them verbalise different feelings. Emma read a wonderful story called Stuck by Oliver Jeffers, it was very funny and the children really enjoyed it. They also spent time digging, playing games, creating slingshots and relaxing in the hammocks!

In phonics: We learnt the /ee/ sound with the ‘ei’ spelling

Reminders:

• Book week is next week, a polite reminder that children are dressing up as something or someone from a non-fiction book. (Florence Nightingale, Monet, Van Gogh)

Have a wonderful Shabbat and weekend,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon

Friday 16th February 2024

This week was a special week to celebrate ‘Faces of Israel’.  We focused on the Russian Jewish people that made Aliyah to Israel.  The children had a wonderful assembly at the beginning of the week as an introduction.  There were several activities going on in Ivrit.  In class we decided to make links to our last geography topic about continents.  The children looked on maps of the world to find Russia and located its continent.  They remembered the continents well and could explain where it was.  We learnt about the huge aliyah of the Russian people and how now they made up a very large percentage of the population of Israel, and contributing to every area in Israel society.  The children also listened to a story about Russian Jews. Finally the children learnt about traditional Jewish Russian and eastern European paper cutting and created their own traditional royzelekh (roses) normally made around Shavout - perhaps we will have another go before around Shavout!

In English, the children wrote a character description of the character ‘The Dark’.  They remembered all the features of a character description.  Then we planned a description of Laszlo.  We took time to really think in detail about the descriptive adjectives we used.  Then they wrote a detailed description of Laszlo including paragraphs and uplevelled their writing using various conjunctions.  Linked to Faces of Israel week, the children also read ‘Raisel’s Riddle’ a Jewish Cinderella story set in eastern Europe. They compared the traditional Cinderella with Raisel’s Riddle and discussed why there were differences.

In maths, we started a new topic ‘length and height’.  We used the standard measure of centimetres, cm, and metres, m.  We measured objects in the classroom and then were challenged by an author’s letter to design his characters based on the information given.  Lastly, we ordered lengths and heights, using the more than/less then symbols.

In science, the children had to investigate ‘Hard materials can not absorb water’.  First, they read a letter from ‘The Three Little Pigs’ about helping them to decide what material to build their houses from as they had been subjected to terrible winds and rain.  The children loved this ‘hook’ for the lesson and set about trying to answer it.  The children looked around the school to discuss what materials the buildings were made from.  Then they made predictions about the hypothesis and had to try and work out how we could test this.  The children had very good ideas.  We then used lots of different hard materials to see if they were waterproof or porous.  The children were amazed to observe some hard materials were porous, including granite and sandstone.  

In digital art, the children continued to create their own mondrian pictures using the Freeform app.  The children learnt techniques such as copy, paste, adding and filling shapes, moving the orientation of lines and shapes as well as changing colours.  They all completed the tasks and had their work printed out and wrote a few sentences about their work.

In history, we learnt about Florence Nightingale in her later life and what she did once she returned from the war.  We learnt that she came back with Scutari fever and was bedridden for 11 years.  This did not stop her from setting up the Nightingale School of Nursing and writing several books about nursing.  As well as receiving many awards for her service to the country.

In world religions, the children continued learning about Sikhism. The children learnt about different symbols of Sikhism and in particular about the 5 Ks. 

In phonics, the children learnt the sound w when written with a u

Reminders:

• Money for equipment as many children have already run out
• Forest School will start next half term on Thursday 29th February.  
• The last week of Forest School will be Thursday 28th March. 
• Please send your child in dressed for Forest School as we have the first session and ensure your child/ren is dressed appropriately for the weather. 
• They must have wellington boots and spare trainers, this is because even when it has not been raining the Forest School area remains muddy.

Have a wonderful Shabbat and lovely half term!

Warm wishes,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon

Friday 9th February 2024

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week.  We started off the week with a whole school assembly to introduce the theme ‘My Voice Matters’.  In class we had a lesson where we talked about what this means again.  We started off with some fun warm up games finding pairs of cards and then worked with that partner.  They then discussed what makes them special and created an action which they then shared with the class.  After this they decided to share about themselves why their voice matters.  The sentence opener was ‘My voice matters because…’  The children could all express what makes them unique and special.  This was written on a pair of lips that was cut out to be displayed together.  Later in the week, we thought carefully about the things that are important to us. Each child made a beautiful swirl including all of the things that are important to them in it. The children then used this information to write descriptions of themselves in Creative Writing. They used the skills they have learnt in their work about character descriptions and applied them to this writing. They wrote beautifully highlighting what makes them special and all the things that are important to them. 

In English, the children used their annotated character designs from last week to create a character description of a character they created.  The children were able to write including many of the features and they challenged themselves to write in paragraphs as well as use conjunctions, such as because, and, but, when and if.

In maths, the children learned how to subtract two 2-digit numbers.  They children enjoyed learning how to exchange a ten for ten ones in order to help them subtract numbers that cross ten.  

An example of this is 71 - 27 =.  They knew that they couldn't take 7 from 1 so they exchanged a ten from 71 in order to have more 1s.  The children picked up this concept with ease using place value charts and counters. The children then used their calculation skills to tackle mixed addition and subtraction questions, they looked at worded problems and began to learn how to work out whether they needed to add or subtract. They then had to work out what the correct calculation would be to solve the problem.

In science, the children learnt about changing materials.  We learnt the terms ‘solid and liquid’ and how we can go about changing them.  They understood that we could heat something up or freeze it in order to change the state of matter.  We went into the STEAM lab to test this out.  We had ice, which all the children got to touch and then we heated it up to show how it turned from a solid to a liquid.  We then discussed what would happen if it went back into the freezer, and learnt the name ‘reversible change’.  We also did this with chocolate.  When it came to using the egg, the children correctly identified that it was neither a complete solid or complete liquid.  They also understood that the change was ‘irreversible’.  They absolutely loved this experiment!

In history, the children focused on the conditions of the hospital in Scutari when Florence arrived and what she did to improve them.  They understood that some of the methods she used to improve the hospital are still used today in order to keep them hygienic for the patients.

In art (digital), the children used the Freeform app to create pictures using different types of lines and shapes.  They were able to change the sizes and thickness of the shapes and lines they used.  They collaborated well together and produced work to be proud of.

In computing, the children use the program code.org.  They were given different challenges using coding blocks to move characters around an area.  They used code such as north, south, east and west, how many spaces and if they needed to repeat a command.

Reminders:

• Forest School will start next half term on Thursday 29th February.  
• The last week of Forest School will be Thursday 28th March. 
• Please send your child in dressed for Forest School as we have the first session and ensure your child/ren is dressed appropriately for the weather. 
• They must have wellington boots and spare trainers, this is because even when it has not been raining the Forest School area remains muddy.

Have a wonderful Shabbat and lovely weekend,

Warm wishes,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon

Friday 2nd February 2024

In English, the children learned the features of a character description.  They could identify that they include adjectives to describe what the character looks like, how they behave, how they move and how they speak.  They wrote a character description of a partner in the class. Beginning with paired talks and then writing their description. Finally, the children created their own characters and annotated descriptive phrases in order to use these for their character description next week.

In maths, the children learned how to add two 2-digit numbers. We started with calculations that did not cross ten, for example, 26 + 41 =.  Then they moved on to adding two 2-digit numbers which crossed ten. For example, 46 + 49 =. We used lots of practical resources such as tens and ones place value counters. Later in the week we worked on subtraction, where we subtracted a 2-digit number from another 2-digit number (not crossing ten). For example, 78 - 45 =.  This will be continued into next week.

In science, the children looked at what happened to paper if we made it waterproof.  The children discussed what makes a material waterproof. They then watched what happened when paper had water dropped onto it.  (It changed colour and became very thin and eventually broke.)  The children made predictions about what would happen once the paper was made waterproof.  Then they got the same paper and applied a thick coating of oil pastels.  We then re-tested what happened to the paper. They saw the water form into beads and drip off the paper. 

In history, the children continued to learn about Florence Nightingale and what happened when she went to Scutari hospital. They found out about her and her team’s difficult two-week journey by sea and what they saw as she arrived at the hospital in Scutari.  We had a look at pictures of what the hospital was like and how the soldiers were treated.  The children’s task was to write a detailed descriptive letter to Florence’s sister Parthenope.  The children were able to write including the emotions of what she saw when she got to the hospital.

In art, we continued with the Freeform app to create pictures.  The children used the fill tool, colour change and changing the drawing tool.  They also learnt how to add different preset shapes and how to resize them.  Their pictures turned out great.

In PSHE, the children read their next letter from Sebby. They discovered their next challenge would be about developing empathy. We played a game about noticing each other, and then began to think about what it is like to stand in someone else's shoes. 

In creative writing, the children read a story about a lost dog and wrote their own lost pet stories. They thought carefully about the beginning, middle and end of their stories. Some children began to use paragraphs to show when they had finished writing each section of their story.

In computing, the children continued to learn videoing skills.  How to record and play back what they recorded.  The children were saying descriptive sentences about their partners, which was linked to their English lessons.

In phonics,

Reminders:

• Arrival at school

Our school day is really busy, trying to fit lots into the day to give the children the most from their time in school. Soft start begins at 8.30am and ends at 8.40am.  It is during this time that they get out their water bottles, snacks, reading books, and catch up with their teacher and friends before heading into the first session of the day. If they arrive at the tail end of this time or even after it, then they miss out on this important part of the day. 

To help your child get ready for the morning in a calm rather than rushed manner, it would be great if they could arrive at school closer to 8.30am than 8.40am.

Your support with this would be greatly appreciated. 

• Money for equipment please - many children are without whiteboard pens and writing pens.

26.1.24 Jewish Studies – Parashat Beshalach.

We have had a wonderful week learning and celebrating Tu Bishvat.

It was amazing seeing all the children’s wonderful fruit accessories and hair styles. They all brought incredible fruits and information which the children thoroughly enjoyed sharing and learning.

We participated in a Tu Bishvat fruit party, with 15 different fruits – including some of the Shivat Haminim.

Songs for Tu Bishvat

Let’s Plant a Tree for Tu B’Shvat –

Chorus:   Trees are blowing in the wind, they’re blowing

                Trees are blowing in the wind (whoooshhh!)

                Trees are blowing in the wind, they’re blowing

                Trees are blowing in the wind (whoosh!)

Let’s dig a hole, let’s dig a hole and plant a seed

Let’s water it, oh let’s water it ‘cause it is Tu B’Shvat (chorus)

Look at the leaves, look at the leaves, they’re growing now

Let’s water them, oh let’s water them ‘cause it is Tu B’Shvat (chorus)

Look at the tree, the tree is so much taller now

Let’s water it, oh let’s water it ‘cause it is Tu B’Shvat (chorus)

Just look at me, just look at me, I’m taller now

Don’t water me, please don’t water me, ‘cause it is Tu B’Shvat.

Fruit salad song - tune of supercalifragilistic.

When Tu Bishvat was near I thought my parents I'd surprise
And make a special fruit salad with 15 fruits inside
To save a little of my pocket money I would try
and then go to the green grocers to see what I could buy.

CHORUS Oh orange, grapefruit, kiwi, mango, lychee, tangerine,
pomegranate nuts and almonds wash them till they're clean
grapes and apples, pears and peaches, apricots and dates
and don't forget the cherry when you put it on the plate.

On erev Tu Bishvat I bought the fruit and cut it small
And sprinkled on some sugar, to enhance it all
I garnished it with chocolate flakes and just a dash of wine
and put it in the fridge to chill till we sat down to dine.

CHORUS

Oh supper was delicious we had sausages and veal
and then I brought the fruit salad to finish off the meal
they looked at it and stared at it and shouted with a squeal
we can't eat this, don't you see, you forgot to peel.

CHORUS

Friday 26th January 2024

We’ve had a very good week in Year 2.  The children have worked hard in their lesson and had a wonderful celebration on Thursday for Tu Bishvat. They really enjoyed looking at each others hairstyles and learning about their unusual fruits. In JS they had a wonderful Tu Bishvat seder and enjoyed a range of fruit.

In English, we were planning and writing informal letters.  We wrote a letter to children in our reception class about why they shouldn’t be afraid of the dark as there is nothing to fear.  The children were able to use many of the features of informal letters to write their own letters. 

In maths, we focused on collecting information or data to put into tally charts and pictograms.  The children were introduced to the topic and then had to gather information to put into different charts and pictograms.  They then had to answer questions about their findings, such as which was the most/least popular or what was the difference between different information recorded. We also linked the maths to Tu Bishvat by the children making their own class favourite tree pictogram and then practised interpreting data using it.

In science, we began a new topic on materials.  The children reviewed what they had previously learnt about different materials they knew.  They then had to find various materials in the classroom.  The class then investigated the question ‘What is the best material for mopping up a spill?’ The children thought about which materials would be more absorbent and then made a prediction.  After this they tested the materials to see how many drops of water a material could take before it breaks.  They tested this out by wrapping the material over a beaker and using a pipette to drop water over the material. They continued to drop water until it water dripped into the beaker.  They loved seeing which was the most absorbent.

In creative writing the children learnt about shape poems and wrote their own tree shape poems for Tu Bishvat. These were beautiful and the children were very proud of their work.

In art we started a new digital art project. We used a new app called Freeform. The children learnt to use different tools such as pencils, pens and paint. They learnt to change the thickness of the tool they were using. Once they had completed their squiggle pattern they used the fill tool to add colour. In this lesson we focused on collaboration, one of our Kerem Characteristics. The results and effects looked amazing.  Have a look at the attached pictures.

In computing the children learnt how to take videos and how to play them back. We talked about how important it is to get the consent of the person you are videoing. The children were asked to video different exercises which linked with our science from last week.

In PSHE we talked more about big feelings, and how we can use self control to help to control our behaviour and actions when we are having a big feeling.

In phonics: We learnt the new alternative phoneme for the /u/ with oo spelling.

Reminders:

• Please send in 50ps please. Many children do not have pens and whiteboard pens. Thank you!

Have a wonderful weekend and Shabbat Shalom!

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose & Mrs Sassoon 

19.1.24 Jewish Studies – Parashat Bo.

We have had another wonderful week in our JS lessons.

Hebrew reading - We have been looking at the sh’va rules and exceptions, focusing on the Havdalah Tefillah.

Please kindly support your child every day with their Hebrew reading and sign it to show where you have got up to. Please make sure your child’s folder is in their bag every day.

Tefillah – We have been learning a special tune for Havdalah.

Parashah – Please encourage your child to share the Parashah questions with you at the Shabbat table.

Mitzvah of the week: The mitzvah of Pesach.

Chagim – We are preparing for Tu Bishvat and have been learning all about the wonderful things trees give us.

The children have been learning some lovely songs and we are excited for all the exciting events on Tu Bishvat!

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom & lovely weekend.

Ms Rose

Friday 19th January 2024

In English, the children learned about formal letters.  They learned about the features and language they would see in a formal letter.  Then they compared a formal letter to an informal letter.  The children were able to identify the different ways they were written and the language and style.  Later in the week the children wrote a formal letter to Laszlo, the character from our book, explaining why he shouldn’t be afraid of the dark.  The children were able to use many of the features learned during the week.

In maths, we looked at 2D and 3D shapes.  The children learned to find the number of sides and vertices (corners) on 2D shapes as well as creating pictures with these shapes.  During the activities they had to order 2D shapes and then explain where another shape would fit in the order.  They had to spot the odd one out and explain why it was odd. The children began to draw 2D shapes, they worked hard to be precise, ensuring that squares had equal sides and parallel lines. 

This week we linked science and PE together.  The children carried out an investigation to see which activities would increase their heart rates.  The children learnt about what the heart does for their bodies and having a healthy lifestyle.  First they made predictions whether the activity would increase their heart rates and then we tested them out.  The children were then about to understand which increased their heart rate and which kept it the same.  After the investigation, the children reflected on their predictions and their actual results.

In geography, the children learnt about the European country, France.  We discussed the population, the famous sites as well as the food eaten in France.  Then the children got to evaluate different French foods, baguettes, cheese and croissants.  The children really enjoyed this fun practical activity!!

In art, we continued to study the artist Metzinger and produced a mosaic picture in his style.  The children were able to use cut up card to produce landscape pictures in Metzingers, vivid style.  The results were excellent.

In creative writing, the children learnt about how to use a plan to write a story. They worked on adding detail and interesting beginning sentences. They wrote wonderful stories about how their character overcame a fear. 

In PSHE, we began the next of our sessions about Sebby the Star. Over the next few weeks we will be learning about big feelings and thinking about strategies to help to cope with these feelings.

In phonics,

Our class is taking part in the exciting Doodle Back-to-School Competition! This runs from today, 19th January, until 2nd February, and is a fantastic way of ensuring the children adopt the habit of regular practise of their skills. Please encourage your child to stay in the ‘green zone’ by practising using Doodle Maths/ Tables/ Spell little and often. We could win some great prizes!

Reminders:

Money for pens and pencils please.

Have a wonderful weekend and Shabbat Shalom,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose & Mrs Sassoon 

Friday 12th January 2024

Welcome back!  We have had a very positive start to our second term.  The children have managed to settle back into our routine.  We encourage you to send in some money as some children’s equipment has run out.  We sent the children home with a list of what they needed last Friday to help them remember what they need.

In English, the children have studied a new book ‘The Dark’ by Lemony Snicket.  The children started off by making predictions by looking at the front cover and then listened to the story to see if their predictions were correct.  We followed this up and had a drama lesson where they became the main character and explored his feelings and what he might be thinking.  The children were excellent at becoming a character and speaking from another point of view.  We then wrote a thought bubble including the character’s thoughts and feelings.  The children were able to write the internal dialogue that the character may be having when walking down to the basement at night. The children began to plan a story linked to The Dark. They thought about a fear that the character could have and how they could overcome it. 

In maths, the children have been learning about time.  We reviewed and learnt all about o’clock, half past, quarter to and quarter past.  The children were able to read these times and set them on mini clocks.  The children loved how interactive the lessons were.  They then went onto solving problems about time which really challenged their thinking skills.

In science, the children discussed in detail the life cycle of a human.  The children were interested to know and learn about what we can do in the different stages of life.  Then they worked in pairs to sort the items that can be done in the different stages of life such as voting, buying a car, starting to eat solid food etc.  The children then were challenged to add different things to the stages of the cycle.  They came up with ideas such as making a meal and booking a holiday.  The pairs worked collaboratively, which was great to see.

In art, we learned all about the artist Metzinger and how he changed the impressionism style of painting, which was called neo impressionism.  He used large brush strokes but left gaps in between his colours.  Often using vivid and strange colours for a landscape.  The children created their own landscape in the style of Metzinger using either small squares, hexagons or triangle paper.  The results were fantastic!

In geography, the children learnt about hot and cold climates and some of the animals that live in that area.  We looked at the four climate zones on a map.  These are cold, temperate, warm and tropical and where the equator line runs through.  The children then had to identify the different climate zones on a map and include the animals that lived in that area.

In computing, this week the children did a revision assessment on Scratch Jnr, which went over skills previously taught in Y1.   The children remembered the skills well.

In PSHE, the children looked at different works of art and thought about the emotions the artist might have felt when creating it and the emotions conveyed in the art work. They particularly enjoyed a dance about feeling happy!

In Phonics,

Reminders:

• A polite reminder that we are collecting Tzedakah on Fridays.
• Please send your child in with some 50ps (we have change) so they can buy pens, pencils and whiteboard pens

Chanukah Sameach!! Wishing you a wonderful peaceful holiday!

Best wishes,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose & Mrs Sassoon 

Friday 8th December 2023

We have had a fabulous last full week to the end of our first term.  We have practised our play several times in order for the children to be confident on stage.  Today the children made us very proud.  They acted and sang so beautifully.  Well done Y2!

In English, we focused on asking and answering questions.  The children listened to the ‘Katie in London’ story again and had a discussion.  They had to answer questions about the story.  After this the children wrote questions to ask the different characters from the story.  Children were able to write sensible questions, remembering to use capital letters and question marks.  Then some children were ‘hot seated’.  This is where a child becomes a character from a story and they have to answer from the view point of the character.  The children were able to think ‘in the shoes’ of the character and give sensible answers to the questions given to them.

In maths, we continued with fractions and learnt about ¼, how to recognise and find a quarter as well as recognising ⅓ and what this might look like.  The children found ¼ by using jottings or counters.  They shared the total amount into 4 equal groups and found what the total was in 1 group.  The children understood the concept well.

In science, the children learnt about animal offspring.  We started a new topic called ‘Animals including humans’.  The children were able to talk about how some animals look like their adult, for example, a dog, and how some do not, such as a tadpole/frog.  The children then had to sort pictures into babies and their corresponding adults.

In art, the children continued learning about the artist Van Gogh.  We focused on his ‘Starry Night’ painting and produced a painting in a similar style.  Their work was fantastic!

In creative writing, the children wrote excellent ‘What am I?’ poems. We looked at different Chanukah kennings, and guessed what they might be about. The children then chose their own Chanukah objects to write a kenning about. Once they were finished we guessed what they had written about. 

At Forest School the children read a new story about an oak tree to help them understand how long oak trees can live for and the different time periods they live through. They then selected different activities including exploring the woods and using saws, drills and knot tying to make Chanukah decorations, snow men or other inventions of their choice!

In computing, the children started to learn about coding.  The programme they used was code.org.  This is a new programme where they learn instructions and methods to begin to code.  They learnt and practised skills such as ‘drag and drop’ as well as the instruction area and workspace area.  Coding is learning how to build algorithms in order to write programmes.

Thank you very much for your support over the last term and it has been a pleasure teaching your children!  Have a wonderful and safe holiday.

All the best,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and Mrs Sassoon.

1.12.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Vayishlach.

Parashah - Yaakov prepares himself to meet Esav. Yaakov tried many different ways to prevent a quarrel. First he divides his family into two separate camps in case Esav starts a fight (because he is still angry about Yaakov taking away his berachah). Then he prays to Hashem to save him and all his family (his four wives, eleven sons and daughter) and then he sends Esav presents. Yaakov and Esav meet and make peace. Binyamin is born and Rachel dies and is buried in Bet Lechem. Hashem changes Yaakov’s name to Yisrael. The Jewish people are his children. We are called Bnei Yisrael.

Middah – making peace.

Hebrew Reading – the children are continuing to work hard with their reading, learning the next reading rules in class.

Please encourage your child to read as often as possible over the week.

Chagim – we have learnt about the Menorah from the Bet Hamikdash and the difference between that and a Chanukiah (which we use nowadays.) We looked at what makes a Chanukiah kosher to use on Chanukah and designed our own Kosher & non-kosher versions.

Shabbat Shalom & Have a super weekend,

Ms Rose

Friday 1st December 2023

We’ve had another fun pack week learning new things!  The children were very excited this week to present their speeches to the class for the Kerem Cares Elections.  Well done to the children for putting lots of effort into preparing and learning their speeches.  It was wonderful to see all of the children talking passionately about something the really cared for.

In English, we continued working on descriptive setting writing.  Focusing on adjectives and expanded noun phrases.  The children found it easier this week to be descriptive and start sentences with different openers.  Well done Y2.

In maths, we started a topic on fractions.  We looked at equal and unequal and what that might look like, recognising a half and how to write that in numbers, including what the numbers in the fraction actually means (½)

In science, the children looked at food chains. They learnt the words herbivore, carnivore and omnivore. We also learnt about a food chain starting with a plant (a producer) then a small animal (consumer/prey) and then a larger one (predator). For example, there was grass, cow and human in the food chain. The children were able to understand the food chain and correctly draw and label them.

In geography, the children did some research on a continent of their choice using both books, information booklets and the internet. They were able to write sentences and facts about their chosen continent.

In creative writing, the children describe what it was like when the lion, in ‘Katie in London’ came alive.  The children were able to use adjectives and expanded noun phrases to enhance their writing.

In computing, the children made a stop motion animation with different objects moving around.  The focus was on the camera position being still and steady.  The children took around 60-80 photos to produce their short animation.  They worked in pairs collaboratively.  The animations were fantastic.

In PSHE we continued our discussion on emotions; the children thought about the different emotions they may feel during the day and how these come and go and discussed how to deal with them, 

Reminders:

• 50ps for stationary - many children do not have whiteboard 

Have a good weekend and Shabbat Shalom,

Miss Mansoor, Ms Rose and the Y2 Team

Friday 24th November 2023

In English, the children have continued to study the book ‘Katie in London’.  The children have focused on using adjectives and expanded noun phrases to describe settings.  They looked closely at a scene from the story and started to plan ideas for their description.  After which, they used these ideas to write in the form of a description, focusing on using full sentences.  Later in the week, we edited and improved our work and copied them into best to be a part of a display.

In maths, the children have continued to learn about multiplication.  We have been making it very visual and using manipulatives and jottings to help them.  We started off by explaining what multiplication means, such as times, multiple, repeated addition, groups of and lots of.  Have a look at the example below. They also looked at arrays and how multiplication can be represented by dots and we moved onto division by either grouping or sharing.

In science, the children continued to look closely at world habitats and discuss how animals and plants are dependent on each other.  The children had different habitats and they had to include which animals and plants lived there.  After that the children played a game in a small group with many different animals and plant pictures.  They had to take it in turns to choose a card and decide which habitat it belonged to.  The children worked collaboratively.

In geography, the children reviewed the seven continents and learnt about the five oceans across the globe.  After this, the children had to find and label the oceans onto a map using an atlas for reference. 

In art, we looked at Monet’s cityscapes. The children enjoyed comparing Monet's paintings and discussing the differences between the weather and seasons. And how Monet had shown these with the colours used in his painting. 

In creative writing, the children began to think about how Katie might have felt when the lion came to life. The children used hot seating, pretending to be Katie and asking each other questions to develop these ideas further. Next week they will be writing about this moment in the book. They will be focusing on slowing down the action and adding detail to make it more interesting. 

In computing, the children continued working on their stop-motion animation clips.  They began to learn how th app works and how to set up their camera and their characters.

In phonics:  The children learnt an alternative spelling for the /g/ sound.

Reminders:

• Please can we remind you about the Chanukah gift project. The aim is to send Chanukah gifts to children in Israel that have been displaced due to the atrocities of October 7th.
• On Monday 27th November, all of the children at school will receive a gift bag that they will decorate during an assigned lesson. We will explain to the children that the gifts are for children in Israel who are less fortunate than themselves. The information will be explained in an age appropriate way. The class teachers will not be going into more detail than that as we know the children know different things about the situation. We are hoping that each child will be able to fill the bag with the following new gifts:

• A plastic water bottle
• An A5 plain papered drawing pad/notepad
• A pack of colours/a new pencil case with colours and pencils in
• A small cuddly toy
• A small gift such as a yoyo, bubbles, hair accessories, toy car, balls.
• Gifts need to be received at school on Tuesday 28th November.

• Class elections for ‘Kerem Cares’ School Council will be held on Wednesday 29th November.  If your child would like to be considered for the position, please get them to write a short speech with ideas for why they should be chosen for the position.  
• There is Kehillah (community), Tikku Olum (eco) & Tzedakah (charity).
• Please send your child in with a prepared speech anytime before and up until Wednesday 29th.
• Many children are running out of equipment. Please send your child in with some 50ps (we have change) so they can buy pens, pencils and whiteboard pens.
• As the weather is getting colder, please ensure your child has a thick coat, including hoods and items such as hats, gloves and scarfs. 

Have a wonderful and safe weekend, Shabbat Shalom,

Miss Mansoor & Ms Rose

17.11.2023 Jewish Studies – Parashat Toldot.

We have had a wonderful week in our JS lessons each day this week.

Hebrew reading – we have been learning to read and sing the Tefillah of Yigdal. The children have all been working hard on their own personal reading targets within the lessons.

Parasha – Yitzchak and Rivkah get married and have twin boys - Yaakov and Esav. Esav is born with a full head of thick red hair. The twins grow up to be quite different both in appearance, character and behaviour. Eventhough they were different in appearance, they both did the Mitzvah of respecting their parents in the best possible way.

Middah of the week – respecting our parents.

Tefillah -  we learnt the general meaning of the Yigdal Tefillah and have been practising singing it each day.

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend ahead!
 

Ms Rose

Friday 17th November 2023

This week was Anti-Bullying Week. The theme was ‘Let’s Make a Noise about Bullying.’  Mrs Sharman started the week by explaining the theme and why we were wearing odd socks.  The children understood that it was a way to celebrate our differences.  We had a visit from Streetwise and we discussed what bullying is, someone repeatedly being rude and unkind physically or verbally, over a period of time.  The children also talked about what different types of bullying there is.  We then had to think about how we can be thoughtful and kind.  We watched a video and the children were able to comment appropriately.

In English, the children continued to work on describing a setting.  We reviewed what an expanded noun phrase was and they also learnt that a good description of a setting should include the senses.  We took a trip to the playground to plan out expanded noun phrases of things they saw, heard, smelt, touched in the playground.  We discussed that we might not be able to describe taste in the playground.  Then they came back to write a description of the playground using the ideas they had written down.  Lastly, we made predictions about our new story, ‘Katie in London’ by James Mayhew.  The children had some good ideas about what the story was about and then they heard the story.

In science, we recapped world habitats, such as a tropical rainforest, desert, ocean and the arctic.  The children were about to describe the habitat and what animals or plants lived there.  We then discussed why certain animals or plants depend on their habitat in order to survive.  The children knew that certain animals can not live in different habitats as they are not suited to it.

In PSHE, for Anti-Bullying Week, the children discussed kindness and what it might look like at school and home.  The children were able to come up with many ideas about what they could do to be kind and how it made them feel if someone was kind to them.  The children then designed odd socks and wrote and drew what they can do to be kind.  We also discussed being inclusive in the playground.  We watched a video and discussed how we can do this and the children discussed this idea and wrote what they can do to try and be inclusive outside. We thought about the term ‘upstander’ and discussed the difference between an upstander and a bystander. The children understood that an upstander says when something is wrong, or when someone is treating someone else is being unkind, they do not let it continue. They wrote their ideas for how they could be upstanders in speech bubbles and decorated them with beautiful drawings.  On Friday, we discussed what bullying is.

In forest school, the children played a game working on silent communication, they really enjoyed the challenge of not speaking and trying not to look at each other. They enjoyed a variety of different activities including art using natural materials, creating teepees out of sticks and some children enjoyed building homes for the forest friends. The children showed that they had excellent persistence and collaboration skills. 

In computing, the children discussed what they had learnt about in Anti- Bullying week.  We focused on cyber bullying and what it is.  They explained taking photos of others and posting them without permission, sending rude or unkind messages to others or posting a video online without permission

They learnt about the differences between cyber and verbal bullying and watched a video about it.  Cyber bullying happens on the internet  and it is very hard to stop it from spreading as it can be shared and then commented on by people that don’t know you. The class worked in groups to create a Pic Collage of cyberbullying including what to do, if you see it, who to go to and what not to do.

Information:

Mitzvah Day ( held on 19th November), a global Jewish-led initiative champions the ethos of "Tikkun Olam" or "repairing the world." Annually celebrated, it calls people to unite through acts of kindness, emphasising our shared responsibility to make the world a better place. This year at Kerem, our contribution was to create a joke/puzzle book for children that will be sent to one of the Great Ormond Street Hospital children's wards. Children from Years 1-6 have contributed jokes, riddles, and puzzles to entertain the children during what must be a very difficult time. We are also planning to translate the book into Ivrit, over the coming weeks and send it to a hospital or hospitals in Israel.  Please do ask your child about what they contributed.

Reminders:

• Please send in some 50ps for your child to buy new stationary.
• Please ensure your child’s reading book is in their bag every day so we can read with them.  
• Forest school will be starting next week and will be every Thursday until the end of term.

Wishing you all a wonderful Shabbat and weekend,

Miss Mansoor and Ms Rose

10.11.2023 Jewish Studies – Parashat Chayei Sarah

Parashah - Avraham and Sarah have a son. They name him Yitzchak. Sarah dies at the age of 127. When he grows up Avraham sends Eliezer to find a wife for him. Eliezer prays to Hashem to help him to find the right wife for Yitzchak. He meets Rivkah at the well where she gives water not only to him but to all his camels. Eliezer sees that Rivka is kind to animals as well as to people. Eliezer is taken to Rivkah’s house where he asks for permission to take Rivkah to meet Yitzchak and marry him.

Middah of the week: Kindness to others.

Hebrew reading – we have been working hard on our various reading rules. Please keep encouraging your child to regularly read at home, over the week.

GK – We have continued learning about Oneg Shabbat, making Shabbat special.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend.

Ms Rose

Friday 10th November 2023

We have had a fabulous week!  This week we had our first history ‘inning’ in order to celebrate finishing our Great Fire of London topic.  The children came dressed in the most amazing costumes, thank you to all the parents putting in so much effort to make the day special.  The children started the day looking at each other’s costumes and discussing facts about the fire.  Then we got iPads and listened to videos and read about the fire alongside a VR experience.  The children loved using the headsets, looking around London in 1666 and paid close attention to the buildings and how close together they were.  After playtime, we built our own Pudding Lane in small groups.  The children worked collaboratively to create a house in the style of 1666.   Later in the day, we had an interactive theatre show where the children took part in the play and acted out different roles.  They were amazing and many of them surprised us with fabulous acting skills.  The day was a total success and we believe it was a brilliant way to complete our Great Fire of London topic. Finally, on Thursday the weather improved and we were able to burn Pudding Lane, we discussed the reasons why the houses caught fire so quickly, and showed how pulling down houses acted as a fire break, eventually stopping the fire.

In English, they focused on descriptive writing.  We discussed how we describe things to add detail.  They learnt about expanded noun phrases (ENPs), this is where they use two or more describing words, to describe the noun.  An example is: a tall, green tree, the long, flowing river.  They then were given different pictures of a settings that they had to describe using ENPs as a table.  The children were able to describe things around the room and different pictures they saw.  Then they had to describe a ‘haunted house’ setting.  They brainstormed lots of ENP to describe the picture and then they described the setting.

In maths, the children learnt about 10 more or 10 less and then adding/subtracting 10s.  For this we used lots of manipulatives, such as 100 squares and base 10.  We made the number using base 10 and then adding or subtracted different 10s numbers.  The children understood the concept well because it was introduced practically.  Some also chose to write jottings to help them solve the calculations.

In science, the children learnt more about world habitats, such as deserts, rainforests, oceans and the arctic.  They looked at the environment and the animals that lived there.  Then they had to research about their chosen habitat and write sentences about it, including pictures. 

In history, the children finished the topic by summarising all that they had learnt in the topic.  The children could detail so much about the fire.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate all that they had learnt.

In PSHE, the children thought about how different feelings feel in their bodies. They used an outline of a person to mark down how the different emotions feel for them.  We discussed that different emotions feel different for each of us.

In forest school, the children heard a story about an acorn and autumn. They talked about different emotions. They then had time to choose, some children built shelters using a range of different sticks and materials, other children used conkers to make jewellery, or weaved spider webs, a group of children created a game using the natural materials.

In phonics, we learnt an alternative spelling for the /n/ sound using ne and then review some of the other spellings for the /n/ sound.

Reminders: 

• Please send in some 50ps for your child to buy new stationary.
• Please ensure your child’s reading book is in their bag every day so we can read with them. 
• Next week is ‘Anti-Bullying Week’.  The theme this year is ‘Let’s make noise about Bullying.’
• Monday is Odd Sock Day so please send your child in odd socks to celebrate our differences.
• Comic Relief has launched a fantastic November initiative called 'Unlock a Smile.' This exciting competition invites children to unleash their creativity by drawing their most imaginative and joy-filled ideas that bring a smile to their faces.  Have a look at the link below to see how to participate.
• https://www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday/schools/amazon/unlockasmile/?utm_source=EdCo&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=221689_Chance%20to%20WIN%20with%20Comic%20Relief%20%26%20Amazon%20

It’s been another difficult week in Israel, but here in Y2 we continue to keep things as normal as possible for the children.  Routine is particularly important for young children as it helps them feel safe and in control, especially during times of uncertainly.  Our continued thoughts and prayer are with the soldiers, the hostages and our families in Israel.  May there be peace soon in Israel.  Am Yisrael Chai!

Have a peaceful Shabbat,

Miss Mansoor & Ms Rose

Friday 3rd November 2023

What a terrific week we’ve had!  We started the week with a fabulous trip to Legoland.  We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather.  The sun was shining down upon us throughout the trip.  The children had a wonderful time.  We took some time in Miniland to explore the different countries.  The children really enjoyed looking at the different models and trying to estimate how many legos were used.  Let’s just say, the children were astonished at how many pieces it really took to build each monument. 

We were lucky enough to be joined in class by Rafi, joining us for a short while from Israel.  Let us welcome him and his family to our Kerem family, which we know you are amazing at.

In English, we have completed our topic on Traditional stories.  We read an alternative version of the The Three Little Pigs story, written from the point of view of the Wolf.  In this story, the Wolf, told his versions of events, and how he wasn’t to be blamed for the houses being blown down or him eating the pigs.  It was a funny version that the children enjoyed listening to.  We then compared the original version and this alternative ones to see if there were any similarities and or differences.  We displayed our work in a Venn diagram.  We also wrote an apology letter to The Three Pigs from the Wolf.

In maths, we have worked on addition and subtraction using numberlines, involving 1-digit and 2-digit numbers.  The children were able to use their understanding of number bonds to assist them in these calculations.  The children also were able to solve problems involving addition and subtraction.

In history, the children learnt about how London was rebuilt after the fire, including how they changed the way in which they built houses.  We also learnt about how the firefighting service was developed as a result of the fire. 

In D&T, the children evaluated their sukkot.  They wrote about what they like about their sukkah and what they did not like about them.  They also thought about what they could do to improve their product if they made it again.  The children had great ideas about how to improve their work.

In computing, the children recapped their experience from the amazing outing to Legoland. We discussed what buildings and monuments they saw in miniland and how they thought the boats and trains moved. We then discussed what our 5 key personal information is and how we never give those details out to anyone online. We also started discussed cyber bullying and who to go to when we see something unkind online.

In creative writing, the children wrote recounts. They thought about an interesting recent event in their lives, many children wrote about their time at Legoland. They focused on adding detail and explaining how they felt. 

In world religions the children continued learning about Sikhism. This week the children learnt about the Sikh Festivals of Diwali and Vaisakhi. We will continue with our world religions programme in the spring term. 

In phonics, we learnt a new way that the /s/ sound is written as ‘sc’ and reviewed alternative spellings for ‘s’.

Reminders:

• Please send in some 50ps for your child to buy new stationary.
• Please ensure your child’s reading book is in their bag every day so we can read with them.  
• Forest school will be starting next week and will be every Thursday until the end of term.

Wishing you all a wonderful Shabbat and weekend,

Miss Mansoor and Ms Rose

20.10.2023 Jewish Studies – Parashat Noach

We have had an amazing week this week and have been working particularly hard on our Shabbat project. We learnt all about ‘Oneg Shabbat’, the ways we can make Shabbat extra special. For example; special food, singing Zemirot, special clothes, decorating our Shabbat table beautifully with special items and flowers. We also learnt the Shabbat Zemer called ‘Menucha V’simcha’.

Parashat Noach - Storyline: Noach is a good man. The people around him behave very badly but Noach does not follow their bad ways, so the Torah calls him a Tzaddik –a very good person. Hashem wants to punish the bad people by bringing a flood. He tells Noach to build a Tevah (ark) so that he, his family, and the animals will be saved. It takes Noach 120 years to build the Tevah, to give the wicked people the opportunity to repent their bad ways.

The flood comes and Noach puts into the Tevah 7 of every Kosher animal and 2 of every non-kosher animal. Noach, his wife, his three sons; Shem, Cham and Yafet, and their wives joined Noach in the Tevah.

Hashem promises Noach that He will never destroy the world again through a flood and that a rainbow is the sign of this. We learnt that we say a special Bracha when we see a rainbow and created beautiful rainbow clouds with the Bracha.

Middah of the week: Doing Teshuva and saying sorry.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and a lovely half term.

Ms Rose

Friday 20th October 2023

The children have had a busy week!

In English,  they read a story and answered questions about it.  The children returned to the text to find answers if they needed more information.  The children also worked on retelling the story of ‘Little Red Riding Hood.  We retold the story orally and also looked at a picture map of the story.  Firstly, they had to write the beginning of the story, including describing the characters and setting.  The children pulled apart a beginning that was written for them, looking for describing words and then wrote their own.   The children were able to write in detail using capital letters and full stops.  They continued the story during the week, each time focusing on punctuation and description.

In maths, the children’s focus has been on addition and some subtraction.  We have been using many different manipulatives in order to help the children find the answers to the questions.  These include, numberlines, 100 squares & base 10.  The children have been adding and subtracting 1s as well as adding three 1-digit numbers, spotting any number bonds or patterns to help them add up more efficiently and finally adding to the next 10s number.  For example 23 - to get to the next 10s number would be 7 (they would use their number bonds knowledge to help them).

In science, the children learnt about microhabitats and minibeasts.  The children were able to give many examples of minibeasts.  They then learnt that there can be many microhabitats within a habitat, which is very small, such as under a rock, fallen leaves, under a log etc.  They watched some science videos to show these different microhabitats.  They had to draw the habitat and label it, which minibeast would live there and describe the conditions of the microhabitat.  They used words such as cold, damp, wet & muddy.

In history, the children learnt about Samuel Pepys and how we know a lot about the fire due to the secret diaries he kept.  They learnt that he wrote in code, so his wife wouldn’t know what he had written.  We focused on different sources of information that help us to understand the fire.  They had to choose which source was relevant to us knowing more about the fire and those that had no bearing.

In D&T the children put their sukkah’s together by adding decorating and dowel rods in order to hold the decorations.  The children made lots of effort to make the sukkot beautiful and decorative.  

In creative writing, the children completed their writing assessment. They had lots of exciting ideas and we really enjoyed reading them!

In computing, they used the Scratch coding program to design characters and programmed them to move.

In World Religions the children had their first lesson about Sikhism. We had a general overview, the children had excellent and insightful questions.

In phonics, this is the sound we reviewed with alternative spellings.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• Please send in some 50ps for your child to buy new stationary.
• Please ensure your child’s reading book is in their bag every day so we can read with them.  
• Forest school will begin on Thursday 9th November. On their Forest School day the children should wear their PE kits, and waterproofs and wellington boots depending on the weather. Forest School is first thing in the morning so the children should come into school wearing these. They should also have their trainers and a bag to put wet/dirty waterproofs and wellington boots. 

Wishing you and your families a wonderful and restful holiday.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of Israel. Wishing Israel to see quiet times in the very near future! Am Yisrael Chai! 🇮🇱 

Miss Mansoor & Ms Rose

Friday 13th October 2023

After a very tough weekend, the children were incredible this week!  They showed resilience and understanding about postponing the school trip, along with some sadness shared as a class, they really made Kerem proud.  The children put their all into this week and carried on well.

In English, we continued with traditional stories and the children had to work on writing a description of the ‘Big Bad Wolf’.  We talked about what is a description and that we use adjectives to describe.  They went around the room describing different objects.  We brainstormed all of their describing words for the wolf.  They then were shown a modelled piece of writing about the wolf and they had to pick out all of the adjectives.  They then went onto writing questions to ask the wolf and were careful to  remember to use capital letters and question marks.  The children then had an opportunity to be ‘hot seated’ where they became a character and had to try and think like them and answer the questions. We finished off the week by comparing a contrasting a traditional story of the Three Little Pigs to an alternative one.

In maths, we started off the week making number bonds of 10 and other numbers, this was a review from last year.  We then focused on fact families to 20.  This is knowing and understanding the relationship between addition and subtraction. For example if:  12 + 4 = 16 we also know 4 + 12 = 16 as well as 16 - 4 = 12 & 16 - 12 = 4.  The children could see and use this to solve other problems.  Later in the week we worked on related facts.  For example: 4 + 5 = 9, I also know 40 + 50 = 90. As well as bonds to 100.

In history, the children talked about the fire using their senses. They then had to write a diary entry as if they were there at the time of the Great Fire after we brainstormed and modelled an example.  The children tried to use all of the senses, see, hear, feel, smell, touch and taste in order to make their entries descriptive.

In D&T, the children started to make their model sukkahs.  They each had a turn sawing the wood in half in order to make the walls.  This was done under strict supervision with an adult holding them together with the children.  Whilst this was going on, the children were also making decorations for their sukkah using air-modelling clay.  They also had an opportunity to stick the parts of the ‘walls’ together.  The children really enjoyed making and creating.

In art, the children created a night scene from the Great Fire of London. They made a silhouette of the buildings and houses and then added flames to their work using crepe paper. 

In computing, the children used the iPads to write about what they are looking forward to for the Legoland trip.  They focused on using capital letters and full stops as well as using the return button and other skills. 

In creative writing the children wrote their own versions of The Three Little Pigs. They worked extremely hard to describe their characters and to try and use adverbs. The stories were excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed reading them!

In PSHE, the children received a new letter from Sebby the Star. He told them that they would be exploring different feelings this week. The children identified some of the many different ways we can explain how we are feeling. 

In phonics, this is the sound we reviewed with alternative spellings.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• Please send in some 50ps for your child to buy new stationary.

Have a good weekend and Shabbat Shalom!

The Year 2 Team

Friday 6th October 2023

What a wonderful chol ha’moed Sukkot week we’ve had!  The children started their week with a trip to the EYU to work with the nursery children in order to get their garden ready for planting Autumn vegetables, which links with our science topic.  The children were buddied up with some nursery children and were given key children for them to look after.  The children played with a variety of different activities around the EYU.  

We had the most incredible Sukkah visits this week.  A special thank you to Mrs Salem, Mrs Hillel, Mrs Zisser and Mrs Freeman for generously hosting our sukkah visits.  The children were able to carry out the special mitzvah of eating in a sukkah.  The children were able to say the brachot for eating in a sukkah and for the food they ate.  It was so lovely to see the children enjoying this unique time together.  Have a look below at some of our pictures.

In English, the children started a new topic on traditional stories.  We learnt some of the features such as, once upon a time opening, good Vs bad, animal characters that speak and things happening in 3s and brainstormed all the traditional stories we know.  We heard the story Three Little Pigs Story and then sequenced it.  We also watched Little Red Riding Hood and the children worked on their punctuation skills, filling in missing full stops and capital letters. The children also began to work on developing descriptive language, getting ready to write their own version of the three little pigs next week.

In maths, the children compared numbers using greater than/less than symbols, then they ordered 3-5, 2-digit numbers remembering to look at both the tens and ones (units) numbers to help order.  Later this week we counted in 2s, 5s and 10s looking for patterns each time.  When counting in 2s the pattern is even numbers, 5s end in 0 or 5 and 10s always only end in 0.  This helps the children solve problem solving questions.  Finally the children counted in 3s.

In D&T, the children tested their model sukkahs to see if they were stable, stiff and strong.  We took them out to the playground and simulated wind by fanning the models with our books. We were lucky that it was a fairly windy day.  Then we had to see if they could withstand rain by pouring water over the models.  After this we looked at the models to evaluate them.  The children then discussed what materials would be better to make another sukkah.  After this evaluation the children then wrote up their evaluation and what happened to their models.

In history, the children recapped their knowledge of the story of The Great Fire of London, when it started, where and why it started, but this time we really focused on the causes of the fire which led it to be such a ‘large, destructive fire’.  The children were able to understand the causes and could sort information and pictures to show the causes of the fire.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Monday 9th - Legoland visit  
  • Please arrive at 8:20 promptly. 
  • Children to wear full school uniform, trainers and a baseball cap for boys.
  • Wear a backpack, including a water bottle & a morning snack and/or afternoon snack (if you wish)
• Children need to bring in some 50ps as equipment is running out - especially whiteboard pens

Have a wonderful weekend,

The Year 2 team 

Friday 29th September 2023

This week we had a wonderful sukkot activity together with Seed.  It was so lovely to meet some more parents and the children thoroughly enjoyed creating beautiful art activities, celebrating Sukkot and working collaboratively.

In English, the children discussed their ideas about caring for the planet and why we should do these things.  The children were able to come up with a long list of ideas about caring for the environment and what not to do.  Some of these ideas were not to litter, save water and electricity, don’t cut down lots of trees, use our cars less and not waste food.  The children came up with these ideas and could explain why we shouldn’t do these things.  Then they created a poster to advertise ‘taking care of the planet’ which is on display outside our classroom.  This was linked to the mitzvah 'Tikkun Olam’ and our book ‘Here We Are’. They also continued their descriptive work looking at the pictures from ‘Here We Are’. The children wrote beautiful descriptions pretending that they were walking through the pictures. They focused on using their imagination and senses to describe what they saw, heard and felt in more detail.

In maths, the children started off the week adding 10s and 1s to different numberlines to 100.  The children were able to do this very well and then were challenged to explain what and why there might have been an error in the question provided.  Then the children estimated numbers on a numberline.  This helps them to understand the number system well and the value of a number.  The children compared different representations and images of numbers including tens frames, dienes blocks, and counters.   

In art, the children created their own paintings in the style of ‘The Dot’ , a book we were learning from a few weeks ago.  The children were incredibly creative in the way they produced their dot pictures after looking at dots from artists such as Kandinsky, Kusama, Delaunay, Seurat and some work by Aboriginal artists.  Have a look at some of their final work.

In history, the children learnt all about the story of the Great Fire of London.  This included how, when and where it started, why it spread so quickly and how it was put out.  The children then had to sequence the story using different information from the time of the fire.

In computing the children learnt how to take and edit photos using cropping and snipping. Some then used these skills to design a sukkah using pictures from the playground. 
 

Reminders:

• Reading books are changed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Please can you send in an old large t-shirt (adult sized) for the children to use in art and D&T lessons.
• Please send in 50ps please for pencil box equipment
• No homework is set over the chaggim but please read as much a possible, including books from your book shelves.

Have a wonderful start to Sukkot!

The Year 2 Team

Friday 22rd September 2023

We have had a jam packed week, read below to find out more.

In English, we studied the book ‘Here we are’ by Oliver Jeffers. The children started by making predictions. They moved on to talking about what it’s like on Earth, then we wrote about how we are feeling about Year 2 and what they are enjoying.  From reading their work, they all seem so much more settled and excited about the lessons. Finally, the children discussed question words and question marks and wrote questions they would like to find out about Earth.

In maths, the children worked on partitioning numbers in a flexible way.  An example of this is, 54 can be made by 50 + 4 or 40 + 14, noting the tens and ones can change. The children used manipulatives to create these numbers in different ways. They partitioned numbers into tens and learning that 5 tens and 4 ones is the same is 50 + 4. 

In DT, we built our model sukkahs with the ‘junk’ modelling materials that were sent in.  Thank you very much!  The children work in pairs to create their sukkahs.  They had to think about the words, strong, stable and stiff in order to make the best sukkah.  They added decorations and tried to create a strong, stable sukkah.  Next week we will test out their designs.

In history, in preparation for learning about the Great Fire of London, the children compare London now to the past. We looked at clothing, houses, transport and streets. The children were about to sort cards from now and then and then they drew these comparisons. The children began to have an understanding of how different life was back in that time period.

In computing we began our digital literacy curriculum by learning about the keyboard, Google drive and Google docs. 

In phonics we learnt the following sounds:

Reminders:

• Do you have any spare material/fabric/old clothes in order to decorate our sukkahs?
• Have a look at our useful information section at the top including a few useful documents.
• Please see attached poster for a BBC writing competition. https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/500-words/about-500-words/zctk7v4#zbx4jfr0 
• Ms Rose would like children to bring a small handful of dry leaves for Tuesday 26th for the JS sukkah craft.

Tzom kal ve gmar chatimah tova!

The Year 2 Team

22.9.23 Jewish Studies

This week our focus was all about Yom Kippur.

The children learnt about the importance of giving tzedakah and the different ways they could do that.

We learnt the special bracha said before lighting the candles on Yom Kippur, as well as the story of Yonah which is read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur.

Song of the week:

Let’s be friends, make amends,

Now is the time to say I’m sorry,

Let’s be friends make amends,

Please say you’ll forgive me.

Shake my hand and ill shake yours x3

And we’ll be friends forever.

Please can we kindly request that your child collects approximately 5-6 leaves and brings them to school on Tuesday for our Sukkot craft – thank you!

Wishing you all a G’mar Chatimah Tovah, Shabbat Shalom and well over the fast,

Ms Rose

15.9.23 Jewish Studies – Rosh Hashana

We had a fantastic week completing our Rosh Hashana learning about the special foods we eat on Rosh Hashana and the Bracha we say before having the apple and honey. We also enjoyed learning about the different Shofar sounds and practising them in.

I hope you enjoy discussing your children’s beautiful craft with them over the Chag and encourage them to say the extra prayer when having their apple and honey.

It was lovely seeing you all this week at the curriculum evening. I look forward to another lovely year ahead with your children.

Song of the week:

Tekia is a toot

Shevarim toot toot toot

Teruah toot toot toot toot toot toot toot toot toot

Shana Tovah, Shabbat Shalom & have a wonderful Chag,

Ms Rose

Friday 15th September 2023

Week two in Y2 has been fantastic.  The children have become used to the classroom including the rules and routines.  It was also lovely to meet lots of our parents, at the ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening.

In English, the children started off their week sharing news.  The children discussed their news and remembered to use time conjunctions, full stops, and capitals to improve their writing.  This week we studied the book ‘The Dot’ by Peter Reynolds.  The book focused on a girl who didn’t think she could draw.  Her teacher asked her to make a dot and then signed it.  The next day when it was on display the girl thought she could do much better and from there she created lots of beautiful pictures.  She showed resilience and risk-taking, similar to our Kerem Characteristics.  The children firstly made predictions about the story and then they talked about how they are all unique and special in their own ways.  The children had to draw a picture of themselves and then their friends added words to describe them.  The children used words such as, happy, kind, caring, funny, cheeky, and clever.  The children really enjoyed reading what their friends had written about them.  These are on display in our classroom. 

In maths, we have concentrated on place value and using tens and one.  The children had opportunities to use manipulatives and make drawings on their whiteboards to represent numbers.  They learned about place value tables, partitioning the number into tens and ones by drawing it on a table.  They also learnt about whole-part models and how to use these to show tens and ones. Have a look below to see what they look like.

This week we had our first science lesson.  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 a living thing went through in order to be considered alive such as food, water, movement, and breathing.  They sorted pictures and then drew and wrote about the terms alive, dead, and never living.  They were able to understand the different processes of being alive.

In D&T the children were introduced to the topic, of 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.

In computing, we introduced the code of conduct contract and the expectations around using technology at Kerem. We then learned about algorithms and the students worked in partners to give each other an algorithm to physically complete in the classroom.  

In phonics this week, we reviewed phase 3 and phase 5 sounds.

Important reminders:

• If your child is going home with another parent, please let us know by lunchtime via email.

• 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.

Shabbat Shalom and shana tova

The Year 2 Team

8.9.23 Jewish Studies – Parashat Nitzavim Vayelech.

We have had a lovely few days in our Jewish studies lessons, reacquainting ourselves with the class rules and routines and hearing about the lovely things your children got up to over the summer break.

We spent time reviewing our Rosh Hashana learning, focusing on when Rosh Hashana is, that it is 2 days and that we light candles on both nights of Rosh Hashana.

Song of the week: Dip the apple in the honey.

Dip the apple in the honey make a bracha loud and clear.

L’shana tovah u’metukah may we have a sweet new year,

Mummy, Daddy, sister, brother gather round the table now,

Dip the apple in the honey, watch me and I’ll show you how.

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend ahead,

Ms Rose