Friday 17th October 2025

Dear Parents, 

In English, we read our class book ‘Katie in London’. The children discussed their favourite part of the book and how they would feel if they went on an adventure around London. They then wrote a detailed character description, thinking about what Katie looked like, as well as her personality. 

In maths, the children looked at number bonds to and within 20, making links to number bonds to 10. They used part-whole models to support their learning and wrote the addition and subtraction fact families to enhance their understanding. They also learnt to identify related facts for both addition and subtraction calculations. If they know that 2 + 5 = 7, then they should be able to use this knowledge to state that 20 + 50 = 70. 

In history, the children recapped the story of the Great Fire of London (GFL) and then had to write about the causes of the fire. The causes were due to wooden houses, a dry summer, strong winds, houses being close together, rubbish in the street, no real fire service and flammable objects close to the River Thames.  See which causes your child can remember.

In PSHE, the children had to work together to design a box. They were split into groups and had to focus on how best to collaborate with eachother, making sure they are listening to their peers and respecting what everyone is saying.

Important information:

• Please make sure to 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.
• Please make sure your child has 50p in their bag to replace any stationery they need. 
• We have Forest School on Thursday.

Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 2 Team 

Friday 10th October 2025

Dear Parents, 

The children had a wonderful time at their first Sukkah visit! Thank you to the Freemans for hosting us. 

In English, the children read a comprehension text all about Succot. They were able to use the information they learnt to answer questions on the text. It also gave all the children an opportunity to practice their reading skills. 

In maths, the children recapped their number bonds to 10. The children are going to use this knowledge to help them in our new topic, ‘Addition and Subtraction’. It is really important that they are confident in their number bonds, so please practice these regularly with your child. 

In D&T, the children tested their model sukkahs to see if they were stable, stiff and strong.  We took them outside and simulated wind by fanning the models with our books. 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, the children then wrote up their evaluation and what happened to their models.

In Forest School, the children started off by discussing autumn and what it means to them. They observed some of the surrounding trees and discussed how some leaves have changed colour already. They then went on to play a game called Heads and Tails. It’s a fast and fun game that helps children develop their ability to control their bodies and perform coordinated movements. After that, Emma told the children a story called ‘The Warm Fuzzies’ about some little people who lived in a forest on a faraway island. It is a story about giving to others and receiving things from others and how that can make you feel. Afterwards, we discussed what ‘warm fuzzies’ could mean in a wider sense in our everyday lives. For the rest of the session, some children decided that they would like to make their own ‘warm fuzzy’. Some children chose to lie down on a tarp and take part in a bit of Forest Bathing - looking up at the tree canopy with its varying colours and seeing how it made them feel. Other children continued their interest in den building creating different debris dens. A few children made bird nests and placed them in the trees for the birds. 

Wishing you all a Shabbat shalom and Chag Sameach. 

The Year 2 Team

Friday 3rd October 2025 

Dear Parents, 

We hope you all had an easy and meaningful fast. 

In English this week, the children recapped what an adjective is. They built on this knowledge to learn about expanded noun phrases (ENPs). ENPs are nouns with added adjectives to give more detail and description, for example, the bright, blue sky or the long, bumpy road. The children were given a range of pictures with different settings and used ENPs and adjectives to describe these settings.

This week in maths, the children learnt to count in 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s. When counting in 2s and 5s, the starting number was a multiple of 2 or 5. They were able to count both forwards and backwards in 10s from any number. When counting in 3s, they used concrete resources to physically make each number and begin to spot patterns.

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. To make their entries descriptive, the children tried to use all of the senses, see, hear, feel, smell, touch and taste.

In science, the children learnt about microhabitats, small habitats within a larger one. We discussed the different types of microhabitats, for example, under a stone, or by a pond. The children then went outside to the fields to find different minibeasts living in their microhabitat and the conditions of the habitat, for example, it could be dark, dry, cool and damp. 

Wishing you all a lovely Succot. 

The Year 3 Team

Friday 29th September 2025

Dear Parents, 

In English, the children learnt about the features of a poster and designed their own posters welcoming someone to planet Earth, inspired by our class book ‘Here We Are’. 

In maths, the children compared quantities of objects, using the language ‘greater than’, ‘less than’ and ‘equal to’, alongside the inequality symbols (< = >). They then went on to compare numbers, looking at the tens and ones to see which number is greater or smaller. 

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 Forest School, the children learnt about the Autumn Equinox and the festival of Mabon which took place on Monday. Autumn Equinox is the day where there is an equal balance of daylight and darkness. It is a time to remember and be grateful for all the Earth gives us in the form of harvest and to start preparing for the longer nights ahead. They then took part in a mindful walk to find offerings on the ground that they saw as ‘autumn treasures’ which they added to the Autumn Equinox ground display. After this, the children took part in a mystery bag challenge. In small groups, they explored different bags with only the sense of touch to try and work out which natural object related to autumn was inside. They really enjoyed this game and worked well with their teams. 

In phonics, the children recapped the alternative spellings for the ‘j’ sound, including ‘dge’ and ‘ge’ spellings. A few of the words they learnt for the ‘dge’ spelling included fudge, bridge, hedge and squidge. Words for the ‘ge’ spelling included large, charge, barge, fringe and orange. The children should continue practising these spellings at home to consolidate their knowledge. 

Important information:

• Please make sure to 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.

Wishing you all an easy fast next week. 

Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 2 Team

Friday 19th September 2025

Dear Parents,

In English, we continued reading our book ‘Here We Are’. The children wrote a detailed setting description, using the five senses to add more detail to their descriptions. As the book is all about Earth, we discussed why it is important to take care of our planet and how best to do this. The children came up with some excellent ideas of how to care for the planet.

In maths, the children started off writing numbers to 100 in words and in the expanded form. For example, they know that 43 is made up of 40 and 3, so 40 + 3 = 43 (forty-three). They then moved on to using base 10 and part-whole models to partition numbers, thinking about how many different ways they can partition a two-digit number. For example, 27 can be made up of 2 tens and 7 ones, or it can be made up of 1 ten and 17 ones. Lastly, they learnt how to place 10s and 1s on a number line to 100. They were exposed to different start and end point values, as well as the standard 0 to 100 number line. Children used their knowledge of counting in multiples of 10 to label number lines.

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

In science, we recapped on the terms discussed last week, ‘alive’, ‘dead’ and ‘never alive’. They learned the term habitat and then looked at what we might find in our local habitat. After that, we went to the park to find and locate different plants and animals we could see in the park, which the children loved!

In DT, we built our model sukkahs with the ‘junk’ modelling materials that were sent in.  Thank you very much! The children 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 computing, the children worked on logging into Google Docs and then writing about their favourite thing they had done that day. This provided them with the opportunity to become more familiar with the letter placement on the keyboard. They also learnt how to select and highlight their writing, change font size, style and colour. We will continue to work on these essential skills.

This week we sang songs for Rosh Hashanah and played lots of rhythm games. The children loved the song Someone is knocking on my door and we changed the lyrics for Rosh Hashanah, for example, Someone is blowing the shofar. We also did a group activity where everyone had to say their favourite food and we clapped the rhythms together. 

In Jewish Studies, the children began with their Hebrew reading, singing the vowel song and looking at the sh'va, focusing on the rule of sh'va at the start of a word. They reinforced their learning through reading, continuing their workbooks, a game and a read-and-colour sh’va sheet. The children learned all about tashlich and then we all took part in a practice Tashlich in the playground, throwing their aveirot away! They also enjoyed a Rosh Hashanah mock seder, tasting the simanim and saying the special Yehi Ratzon and brachot for each one. The Seed event was a wonderful experience - thank you to all the parents who came and created such beautiful booklets with their children.  

In Forest School, the children first tested their strategy and teamwork skills with a fun game called Acorn Takeaway, which they really enjoyed! They also learnt a new movement song which they found really fun and definitely gets the brain working! After this, we recapped the body sensations work we did last week and the children checked in with how they were feeling and shared this with a partner. For the rest of the session, some children chose to work with gifts from the elder tree. Emma had brought along some elderberry juice to paint with and explore. Some children chose to try elderberry cordial. A group of children worked collaboratively on a den and discussed a seating plan and how to decorate the den. 

Important information:

• There will be no formal homework set during the chaggim period. However, children will still have a reading record book and should continue to be read with over this period. 

Shabbat shalom and wishing you all a happy and sweet new year!

The Year 2 Team

Friday 12th September 2025

Dear Parents, 

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

In English, we have started a new book called ‘Here We Are, Notes for Living on Planet Earth’ by Oliver Jeffers. The book was written for his newborn daughter to explain little bits of how the world works. The children used the pictures on the front cover to predict what they thought the book was about, whilst focusing on using the correct punctuation in their sentences, including capital letters, full stops and finger spaces. After reading the book, the children generated their own questions about what they wanted to learn and discover about the world, using a range of different question words. 

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

In history, the children found out that they are going to be learning all about the Great Fire of London. The children discussed what they knew about the topic and then what questions they had about the topic. Then, we discussed when the Great Fire occurred on a timeline and ordered significant time periods on a timeline.

In science, our topic is living things and their habitats. The children learned the terms alive, dead (as in an apple from a tree) and never living (a cake). We discussed what processes all living things go through in order to be considered alive, such as food, water, movement and breathing. 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 Forest School, the children focused on the ‘Knowing Me’ part of the motto. They discussed the different feelings that we may have, along with the sensations in our bodies when we have these feelings. Then the children learnt about wildlife tracking, including the skills required and the type of questions to ask when discovering something. The children went tracking in the woods to see what signs and clues of wildlife they could find. 

In computing, we introduced the code of conduct contract and the expectations around using technology at Kerem. Then the children logged into their school email account so they could access Google Docs, as this allows them to save and organise their work into folders.

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

This week in music we played lots of rhythm games giving the children lots of opportunities to hear rhythms and repeat them. They enjoyed singing along and joining in. We also learnt a song for a song for Rosh Hashanah about Tashlich.

Important information:

• Can you please send in any junk modelling you have at home. We need items such as kitchen rolls, cereal boxes, containers and shoe boxes.
• With regards to the homework being printed, as it stands we are not able to print homework sheets for each child. Homework in Year 2 is differentiated, and printing the sheets for all children would not be beneficial as it could make those differences more obvious within the classroom. To support this, homework is uploaded to Google Classroom, where it can be tailored discreetly to meet the needs of all pupils.
• Please find the Meet the Teacher slides attached as a PDF. 

Wishing you all a Shabbat shalom.  

The Year 2 Team

Dear Parents, 

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

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

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

The children had their first Forest School session this term, which they thoroughly enjoyed. They began their session with a recap of Forever Green’s motto: ‘Knowing Me, Connecting with my Community and Caring for Our Earth’. They played a game called Dotty Spotting which involved finding different coloured spots with letters on them and then working together to try and make specific words out of them, which linked to our motto (e.g. care, love). For the rest of the session, some children chose to work with acorns and conkers and come up with their own creation. They had access to palm drills, clamps and different fastening resources. Other children were busy in the woods, digging and exploring, making dens, having peaceful moments in the hammocks, and helping look after the site by litter picking. 

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

Important information:

• Each child has been given a reading book, along with their reading record book. Please make sure you leave your child’s reading book in their bag daily so the team can hear your children during the week.  We don’t want them to miss out on being read with.
• Meet the Teacher evening is on Tuesday 9th September. 
• All communications should be sent via year2@keremschool.co.uk. 

We are so impressed with the children’s attitude to Y2.  Keep up the hard work and positive attitude!

Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 2 Team