Author: Mrs Palmer

Today, we had a look at our school uniform policy, with a particular focus on what is appropriate to wear for PE. This served as a gentle reminder for the children, helping them to understand the expectations around PE kit.

We had some thoughtful discussions about why we have a uniform policy and why it is important to follow it. The children shared some lovely ideas, including how it helps to keep things fair as everyone is dressed in similar clothing.

As we approach the end of Year 2, we also talked about looking ahead to Year 3. If you are considering replacing any PE items (such as trainers), it would be helpful to check that new items meet the school’s uniform expectations.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain a consistent and positive approach to school uniform.

This week in Maths, we’ve been working hard on developing our understanding of division. We’ve been using our knowledge of multiplication facts to help us solve division problems, making links between the two concepts.

Help at home:

To further support your child at home, please continue practising the 2, 5 and 10 times tables, as this will really help build their confidence and fluency. You can also support your child by creating simple, real-life division problems for them to solve in everyday situations.

Here are some suggestions to try:

• Sharing snacks:
  “We have 10 biscuits and 2 people. How many biscuits will each person get?”
• At dinner time:
  “There are 15 chips and 3 people. Can you share them equally?”
• Tidying toys:
  “You have 20 LEGO pieces. Can you put them into groups of 5? How many groups will you make?”
• Setting the table:
  “We have 10 forks and 5 people. How many forks does each person get?”
• Shopping or unpacking food:
  “We bought 6 yoghurts for 3 days. How many can we have each day?”
• Grouping objects:
  Use small items like coins or buttons:
  “Can you make groups of 2 from 12 coins? How many groups are there?”

This week, we began exploring our new class text, Africa, Amazing Africa by Mauni Feddag.

This engaging non-fiction book links closely with our Geography topic, where we are learning about the country of Kenya.

As a class, we compared the features of fiction and non-fiction texts. The children demonstrated a strong understanding, confidently identifying key characteristics and accurately placing them within a Venn diagram.

Help at home:

Explore some non-fiction books together and look out for the key features such as heading, sub heading, contents, facts and information, index.

In PE, we’re playing Lions and Hyenas on Tuesdays and on Thursdays we’re developing our skipping skills in preparation for the skipping festival in June.

Today, we enjoyed the lovely sunny weather while taking part in a whole-class game of Lions and Hyenas. The children worked collaboratively as a team and demonstrated a range of skills, including running and dodging.

We’ve had a fantastic start to the summer term. In English, we’ve begun exploring our new class text, Where the Wild Things Are  by Maurice Sendak. So far, we’ve really enjoyed listening to the story, sequencing key events and discussing statements about the text to decide whether they are true or false. 

In Maths, we’re continuing to develop our multiplication skills. Our focus has been on the 2 times tables and we’ll soon be moving on to the 10 times tables.

In Topic, we have started our Geography Explorers unit. We’ve begun by revisiting the seven continents and five oceans . The children have enjoyed using atlases to locate these, as well as learning through fun and engaging songs.

(Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog along the play bar and turn off autoplay – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.)

How you can help at home:

• Please practise the 2 and 10 times tables.
• Can your child name the seven continents and the five oceans?
• Do they remember which ocean is the largest?