Summer Term 1 Week 1

The children have settled in  nicely after the Easter break. It's hard to believe we are now in the Summer Term. In Maths we continued learning about fractions. In English, our new text is The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch. The children wrote a character description for the main character - Mr Grinling and they did some dictation, focusing on the Year 2 Common Exception Words. In Art we are learning about the artist John Miller. The children learned about sketching, shade, tone and form. We learned about jellyfish and the children had fun sketching them. In P.E, the children worked on improving their throwing and catching skills. Have a lovely weekend.

Spring Term 2 Week 6

This week the children had a busy last week of term. We finished our Geography learning on continents and our Science work on plants. The children enjoyed the school disco and made a great effort in making Easter bonnets for  the parade.

I hope you all received your child's interim report. They have all worked incredibly hard this term and I am proud of each and every one of them. Have a lovely Easter break with your families. Thank you, as always for your continued support. 

Spring Term 2 Week 5

The highlight this week was our class trip to Bucklebury Farm. Beautiful weather, a tractor ride to meet and feed and deer, meeting and feeding all the farm animals, playground fun and a woodland walk. The perfect day. Have a look at the Trips & Events tab for more pictures.

Spring Term 2 Week 4

This week Year 2 completed their clay dragon eyes. I'm sure you'll agree, they look amazing. We began fractions in Maths this week, focusing on equal parts, half and quarters. In English, the children wrote a diary entry about Captain Scott's Race to the South Pole. We joined a live lesson to learn about being safe around trains and we enjoyed the lovely weather by playing duck duck goose outside.

Spring Term 2 Week 3

This week is British Science Week. On Monday we joined a live lesson which featured British astronaut Tim Peake. Tim talked about what it's like living in microgravity conditions, how to exercise and go to the toilet and what Earth looks like from space. The children enjoyed this as it links back to previous learning during the Autumn term topic  - 'Come Fly With Me'. The theme for this years Science week is 'Change and Adapt'. As a class we talked about what the words 'change' and 'adapt' mean and shared various examples. The children then carried out some research and used their prior learning when they studied 'Living Things and Their Habitats' to evidence what happened to animals and plants during the different seasons.

In Maths, the children learnt about capacity. they measured in litres and millilitres. They had a good practical lesson to help embed the learning.

In English we looked at tenses - the past, present and future. They children wrote sentences, adapted the verb accordingly to show their understanding. On Wednesday, the Dog's Trust came in to educate the children about being safe around dogs and on Friday they had an internet safety workshop about how to stay safe online.

The highlight of the week was of course painting their clay dragon eyes. They are almost finished so they will be taking them home in the next coupe of weeks. The children also had a great time practicing their basketball skills.

Can I please remind you that all children should be reading every day at home. We have recently said farewell to our lovely volunteer reader -  Mrs Philips who has been with us for seven years. She read with all the children every Monday so she will be greatly missed.

Reading at home helps build a child's vocabulary, which helps their ability to access the curriculum.

Spring Term 2 Week 2

This week year 2 used clay to make their dragon eyes. We will let them dry for a week before we paint them next week. We are excited to see the finished product. In Maths we learnt about measurement. The children enjoyed weighing various objected to understand the concept of heavier and lighter.

In Geography the children continued learning about continents and oceans. They also carried out some independent work researching facts about the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. 

It was World Book day of course on Friday. All the children looked fantastic and made a real effort to stick to the theme.

Spring Term 2 Week 1

We kicked off the week with our news Maths topic - measurement. The children enjoyed estimating the length and height of various objects and then measured them for accuracy. In English we recapped nouns and adjectives using 'The Great Explorer' text. They also planned their independent write for 'Lost and Found'. In Art the children sketched a dragon eye in preparation for their clay project later in the term. In geography we started learning about various continents and counteries around the world. This week we looked at Australia and France. We enjoyed a musical performance for Altwood School and on Friday we took part in the Active 60 event at Braywick Leisure Centre. I was very proud of how the children behaved and represented the school.

Spring Term 1 Week 6

It's the last week of half term and it's great to see so much home-learning still coming in. 

Please do encourage your child to bring in some home-learning if they have yet to share anything with their peers. It is really good for their confidence and oracy skills.

This week we had some visitors into school for our Multi-Faith Day. Year 2 learnt about the Sikh faith and had some wonderful questions for our guest speaker. They were so polite and respectful. I was very proud of them.

This week in English, we read the book, Lost and Found. The children did some whole class reading on the text, some writing and designed a lost poster for the main character - the penguin.

In Maths, the children finished their multiplication and division unit and were assessed on that. They also finished their Great Fire of London unit and were also assessed on that.

Have a great half term break.

See you all next term.

Mrs Cookson

Spring Term 1 Week 5

What a busy week we have had in Year 2! This week it was Children's Mental Health Week so the children talked abut how emotions can affect behaviour. The children created a poster of things to improve their mental wellbeing which included things like drinking more water, playing outside, talking to friends or their parents about their feelings, belly breathing, writing their feelings down and doing the daily mile. In class to focus on wellbeing we did some cosmic yoga, belly breathing, talk therapy using puppets and made an effort to drink more water.

In Science the children enjoyed learning about penguins. In Maths the children learnt how to divide. They have grasped the concept really well and using manipulatives has really helped embed how to divide and how they can use the multiplication facts to double check their answer.

In English the children wrote an independent write focusing on instructions. The children did a brilliant job ensuring they used imperative verbs and time connectives.

In Art, the children finished their Great Fire of London collage and evaluated their work.

Spring Term 1 Week 4

We began out new topic in Maths on Monday - multiplication & division. The children did a lot of practical work around recognising and making equal and unequal groups before we introduced the multiplication symbol. We spent some time making arrays and talking abut how they are linked to our times tables.

In English we also started our Talk4Writing ono-fiction text of writing instructions. The children started the week by learning the text and actions for Pie Corbett's How to trap a dragon. We moved on to identifying features in the text and looked at imperative verbs. The children did a great job of giving examples of imperative verbs.

In Art, the children continued their Tudor Houses, so they are coming along nicely.

Spring Term 1 Week 3

This week we took part in the 10@10 event hosted by Leisure Focus. The children joined schools across the borough taking part in ten active minutes of exercise. This the the second time we have taken part and the children loved it. We look forward to the next one.

In English, the children wrote their independent write. I was so thrilled to read such creative pieces of writing. We finished our money topic in Maths and the children were assessed on their learning. In Art the children began making their Great Fire of London collage and in History we looked at the key people during the fire such as Thomas Bludworth, Samuel Pepys and King Charles II.

Finally,thank you for supporting your child at home with their spellings. They did very well this week.

Please can I also remind you that your child should be reading and doing TTRS ,Hit the Button or 1 Minute White Rose Maths every evening for at least 10 minutes. 

Thank you.

Spring Term 1 Week 2

We continued with money in Maths this week. The children have been focusing on understanding the value of coins and notes, making the same value differently and giving change. The children have also had fun playing some money games. If they would like to play them at home, they can via this link; https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/money.

In English, the children used expanded noun phrases and conjunctions in their sentences about Molly McDrew's adventure to London in 1666. In History we compared what life was like in 1666 during the Great Fire of London to now. The children had a great time sorting out which features belonged to London in 1666 and which belong to London in 2025!

In Music the children learnt about the tempo and dynamics of music. We listened to Eric Coates - The Three Bears: A Phantasy and discussed how the music told a story.

Next week we will not have PE on Tuesday. Instead it will be on Thursday. Our Friday lesson will continue as normal.

Spring Term 1 Week 1

Welcome back!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. The children have returned with a wonderful learning attitude and have been very focused this week. In Maths we started a new topic - money. We went through the value of coins and notes, counting money and adding values together. We also looked at some two step reasoning questions. In English we began reading Molly McDrew and the Great Fire of London.  We began our new History topic this half term which is the Great Fire of London. In our first lesson we looked at how we can understand about the past. We looked at how the fire started and what London was like in 1666. In Science we started Living Things and Their Habitats. In our first lesson the children examined whether things were living, dead, or have never been alive. Keeping with our Fire of London theme, in Art we studied Tudor houses and some of their key features. The children enjoyed sketching the labelling the key features.

Spellings have been sent home this week. Can I please remind you that your child should be reading and doing TTRS for at least 15 minutes every day. Have a lovely weekend.

Autumn term 2 Week 7

Wow! What a week! 

we was bursting with pride at our Nativity this week. The children did a magnificent job acting, singing and projecting their voices. We hope you all enjoyed it.

We also had a wonderful time watching Dick Whittington at Windsor Theatre, danced our socks off at the KS1 party, enjoyed making Christmas cards for our families and sang carols around the tree.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, spending precious time with your nearest and dearest.

See you in the New Year.

Mrs Cookson & Mrs Mungal.

xx

Autumn Term 2 Week 6

This week in History we had a space debate. The children debated on whether we should still explore space or stop. They had some convincing arguments; it costs too much money, it puts lives at risk, we don't look after our planet so why should we be allowed to explore other planets? The arguments to continue space exploration were; if we don't keep exploring, we won't make new discoveries, we might invent new and better satellites in the future which might help us find life and communicate with other planets and of course, we might discover aliens life forms if we keep exploring. 

In Maths we looked at vertices, edges and faces on 3D shapes. In Science we completed our topic on materials. The children carried out an experiment to see which materials they could bend, twist, stretch and squash. 

In Art and DT the children designed, made and tested their own helicopters. We wrote a letter in English as part of an independent write and on Friday we had a lovely Christmas lunch together.

Thank you to everyone that has sent in costumes for the nativity next week. The children are very excited to perform to you all on Tuesday. 

Have a lovely weekend.

Autumn Term 2 Week 5

This week, the children completed a reading assessment and an arithmetic and problem solving assessment. In History we looked at all the animals that were sent into space during the space race and the children completed a fact file calling it 'Animal Astronauts'. They found this really fascinating. We rehearsed a couple of times for our nativity in a few weeks. Can I politely request that all costumes are sent in as soon as possible. We will be doing a dress rehearsal on Monday. Snowflake day was as popular as ever! The children enjoyed visiting Santa's Workshop, making Christmas cards and decorations for their trees at home. I think the highlight was making a huge paperchain that is now hung proudly in the classroom. In English we studied the John Lewis Christmas Advert - Man on the Moon. This ties in with our theme this term. The children wrote a descriptive piece of writing and in Maths we continued our shape topic. 

Autumn Term 2 Week 4

We started the week with a Maths assessment. The children were assessed in all the previous unit's learning on addition and subtraction. We have now moved onto learning  about 2D and 3D shapes. Children have been identifying shapes and their vertices and looking at symmetry.

In whole class reading we read the story of Amelia Earhart and discussed her wonderful accomplishments. We have also been practicing our Nativity. The children are getting very excited to perform it to everyone. We have had a few frosty mornings so we took a few pictures as it looked so beautiful. Enjoy your weekend.

Autumn Term 2 Week 3

This week in History we looked at how the astronauts got to the moon and back in 1969.

The children enjoyed finding out that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent approximately 21.5 hours on the lunar surface, about 2.5 hours of which were spent outside the Lunar Module. After Armstrong had stepped onto the Moon's surface he was joined about 20 minutes later by Aldrin. They planted a flag and spoke to President Nixon by radio link-up. The astronauts also conducted a number of experiments, which included collecting some soil samples, taking photographs and setting up instruments to record the seismic activity on the Moon. if your child would like to watch take off again, they can watch it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/articles/zmvmjhv.

In PSHE we looked at feelings and how using facial expressions and body language we can let others know how we feel. The children enjoyed expressing the varied emotions.

In Science, the children continued their material topic. They investigated which material would protect Humpty Dumpty (using an egg). They made predictions, carried out their investigation and summarised their results based on their data. We talked about road safety - all children took some information home so you can discuss the green cross code with them further if you wish. We finished our addition and subtraction unit in Maths and in English we recapped on some basics, focusing again on capital letters and full stops. We also predicted what will happen in our new book - Molly McDrew's Space Adventure.

It was lovely to see so many Year 2s receiving awards in assembly today. Please feel free to send in any achievements your child has accomplished so we can celebrate their success. We also had the pleasure of a local Ukulele band coming in to entertain us, which was great.

Have a lovely weekend. 

Autumn Term 2 Week 2

In PSHE we talked about manners and courtesy and the qualities we look for in a good friend. We also talked about stereotypes and debated on whether male and females can do the same jobs. The children watched a Newsround segment about this.

In Maths we continued with addition and subtraction, crossing 10.

In Science we looked at distinguishing between an object and the material it is made from. In English the children completed an independent write, creating their own story entry about The Owl Who is Afraid of the Dark. The children enjoyed the book The Sea of Tranquility by Mark Haddon and in History we debated why the astronauts went to the moon and wrote out questions they would ask Neil Armstrong if they were to interview him.

Thank you to everyone that came to parents evening. It was lovely chatting to you about your child. I am immensely proud of them all.

Thank you all for the wonderful donations for the Christmas Fair. Have a lovely weekend.

Autumn Term 2 Week 1

The children have settled straight back into school this week. Batteries recharged and ready to learn. We have a busy term ahead with parents evenings and our Nativity to learn and deliver to you all.

This week the children covered column addition in Maths. We are reading The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark in English which the children are enjoying.  We also learnt about the features of an acrostic poem and then the children wrote their own, based on Autumn. In PSHE we covered Parlimentary Week. We talked about the US Election and the children voted on who they would like to win. The children then put arguments forward to the class in favour of their favourite fruit and the class voted. Apples were the clear winner!

In Science we began our new topic - materials and in History we looked at the moon landing. We also had a zoom call with a farmer finding out about her job and what it involves. Farmer Helen told us she spends a lot of her day checking on her animals. She particularly enjoys looking after her sheep and growing wheat.

Helen informed the children about how amazing worms are for soil. Worms dig and aerate the soil, allowing more water to soak in. Helen also told us that it takes 90 days for winter wheat to grow. Spring wheat takes longer at about 100/120 days. It was a very informative session which the children loved.

Autumn Term 1 Week 8

This week is National Week. 

In Year 2 we have been researching Scotland. The children began the week by researching where Scotland is. They learnt about the key landmarks in Scotland - Edinburgh Castle, Arthur's Seat, The Royal Mile. They learnt about Scottish Clans and designed their own family crest. They enjoyed the story about the Lock Ness Monster and enjoyed creating a wanted poster. We covered some map skills in Geography and the children designed their own map of the school, using symbols to represent places within the school. I was very impressed with how well they done this.

On Tuesday the children enjoyed the Halloween disco which was a big hit.

I am very proud of the progress all the children have made this term. They have settled into Year 2 really well and have worked very hard.  We look forward to next term when we will be finding out about the space race and the moon landing.

Enjoy the half term break.

Mrs Cookson & Mrs Mungal

Autumn Term 1 Week 7

We began the week with some whole class reading for our new book - Zoom! by Sam Usher. We focused on inference and prediction skills. In Maths we continued with addition and subtraction. We looked at bonds to 100, related facts, adding and subtracting 1s and 10s. Next week we will move on to adding 3 digit numbers.

It's wonderful to see the home-learning still coming in. 22 children have now brought in home-learning. Those that have yet to bring something in have been asking to bring something in this week.

In Science we looked at what happens when we are ill and the importance of medicine. In PE the children continued improving their ball skills, in Computing the children continued improving their word processing skills and wrote newspaper reports and in English they planned and wrote and independent write. In Music the children loved learning My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean in preparation for National Week next week when we will be studying Scotland.

Autumn Term 1 Week 6

Another busy week in Year 2!

We started the week with an assessment in Maths on Place Value. This week we have moved onto adding and subtraction. We have gone over number bonds to 5 10 and 20 this week. We have played the number bonds game a lot, so if your child asks you to play this with them, they are practicing their number bonds. In Art the children assessed their birds of paradise creation, they continued learning about word processing in Computing and in PE they continued improving their ball games skills .In English they learnt about using commas in a list and subordinating conjunctions. Thank you so much for all the harvest donations. As a class and a school we received a huge amount which will directly benefit local families.

Autumn Term 1 Week 5

We started the week making our Birds of Paradise. The children really enjoyed this and they have turned out really well. In English and Guided Reading we continued with our Man on the Moon story. The children have been going over what VIPERS in reading means and we have discussed how important it is when reading to actively pay attention to what you are reading as this will enhance comprehension skills.

In Science the children conducted an experiment testing their heart rate. They compared their resting heart rate to their heart rate after carrying out a number of physical activities such as running, star jumps and hopping. In Maths we reviewed year 1 learning of the less than and greater than signs and answered questions comparing numbers. We also looked at estimating numbers on a number line and compared values. We have also been chanting our 2,5 and 10 times tables.

We visited Altwood School on Thursday for the 60 Active Minutes Festival. The children had a great time. 

Finally it was wonderful to see that 15 children read at home every day this week. They will get an additional 10 minutes extra play on Monday as a reward. Well done everyone.

Autumn Term 1 Week 4

In Maths we continued with Place Value and moved onto partitioning 2 and 3 digit numbers, 

In English we began our new book  - Man on the Moon by Simon Bartman. The children are really enjoying the story. This week we focused on prediction, comprehension skills, character description and they designing a poster about what an astronaut should bring to the moon.

In Science the children out an experiment investigating any links between age to shoe size. In PSHE we talked about the importance of family and who makes up our family and the roles family members take to look after us.

In Computing the children learnt about the different keys on a laptop. They opened a word document and learnt about some of the different keys needed for word processing.

This week the children were challenged to reading everyday. The children that successfully read 4 and 5 times this week all received a certificate and a prize in assembly. We will run the competition this week to give everyone another chance to succeed. Please remember all children should be reading at home daily for at least 15 minutes.

Next week ( Thursday PM)  we will be visiting Altwood School to take part in the Active 60 minute challenge. Children are to wear PE kit into school on Thursday. Have a great weekend. 

 Autumn Term 1 Week 3

This week the children continued learning about Place Value in Maths. In English we looked at adjectives, particularly  emotions in our story - Whatever Next! The children wrote a postcard in the first person. We continued our art project where the children designed their own bird of paradise which they will begin to make next week. In Science we learnt about the stages of the human lifecycle. Wednesday was National Fitness Day. Across the school, like many schools in Maidenhead, children took part in 10@10. Ten minutes of exercise at 10am. This 10 minute session goes towards the 60 Active Minutes every child should aim for every day. In Music, the children enjoyed creating short sounds with varied dynamics that represented an animal. 

Next week we will be running a reading competition in class. Every child the reads at home every day for at least 10 minutes and gets an adult to sign their reading record to say they have read will receive a certificate and a small prize. The children are aware of this.

Have a great weekend.

Autumn Term 1 Week 2

The children have settled into Year 2 nicely, and have adapted to the new routine very quickly. In Maths this week we looked at Place Value and recapped some Year 1 learning, going over number bonds to 10 & 20. 

In English we started our class text  - Whatever Next! This week we focused on predictions, nouns and adjectives. The children have done a lot of work on reading and handwriting and worked on their spellings. In Art our topic is Birds of Paradise so the children sketched some of these beautiful birds, focusing on tone and shade. In RE we had a class discussion about being thankful; when do we say thank you and how does it make us feel? In Science we began our new topic - Animals Including Humans. The children enjoyed matching baby animal names to their adults and we talked about what all living things need to survive. In PE we worked on improving gross motor skills with some throwing and catching.

Thank you for ensuring your child brings their reading book in daily. It gives us the opportunity to read with them throughout the week. Have a lovely weekend.