Author: Mrs Taylor

Living and Learning: body image parent and carer guide

Our focus in Living and Learning, for the rest of this half term, is body image.

What is body image?

Body image describes our idea of how our body looks and how we think it is perceived by others. This can include our thoughts and feelings about our height, weight, shape, skin colour, and our appearance and attractiveness more broadly.

This parent and carer guide has been designed to give practical ideas to support your child in building their emotional resilience in this area.

Hanging on

This week, we have used a website called Pobble365 to look closely at one of the images as a stimulus for writing and also to develop the reading skill of inference. We started with the image called Hanging on.

What emotions do you think the boy is experiencing?

Who is the man on the platform?

Is he a normal boy or does he have certain powers?

Where do you think the train is going?

Each picture (there is one for each day of the year) has some prompts and questions so this resource could be used to generate discussion and as a resource to practise writing at home.

Living and Learning: Be kind

Today, in Living and Learning, we had a powerful circle time with an important message.

In order to illustrate the effects of saying unkind words, we used two apples (one of which had been bruised).

We gave the first apple a variety of compliments and positive, kind comments as we passed it around the circle.

With the bruised apple, we passed it round and said unkind words and negative comments.

We looked again at both apples, and there was no change; both apples still looked the same. We then cut the apples open. The apple we’d said unkind words to was bruised and all mushy inside.

We talked about what we saw inside the apples. The bruised and mushy apple showed what would be happening inside every one of us if someone uses unkind words.

Living and Learning: manners

Our manners focus this week, in Living and Learning, is all about covering our mouth to prevent the spread of germs.

You’re just about to sneeze or cough but, oh dear, you don’t have a tissue. What should you do? Cover your mouth and nose with your hands? Surely that’s what polite people do.

But hold it! If you sneeze or cough into your hands (and then fail to wash your hands straight away), you’ll only be spreading colds and flu germs on everything you touch.

And that’s because germs (as long as they stay moist) can live for HOURS on hard surfaces such as tables, phones and door handles. And not just on objects – everybody you touch will be contaminated, too.

And of course, vice versa – if somebody else has sneezed or coughed on their hands, they’re leaving a germ-trail for you to pick up.

So what’s it best to do?

Here it is in action.

Martial arts

Today, we enjoyed a session led by Steve from BMMA. Steve leads kick boxing classes every Monday after-school.

As well as learning some kick boxing skills, we learnt about team work, sportsmanship and resilience too.

Please refer to the flyer brought home tonight, if your child is interested in attending the club.

 

World Book Day themed menu

Catering Agency, our school meal provider, will be running a special themed menu on Thursday 5th March. Please contact the office, in the next few days, if your child would like a school dinner on this day (no action needed if your child normally has a school meal on this day).

Living and Learning: Being Me

Living and Learning sessions are held weekly in class to promote social and emotional aspects of learning and other areas of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). This half term our main theme, from our long-term plan, is Being me and is all around building self-image and self-esteem.    
We begin the half term with a focus on manners and in particular covering our mouth when we cough, sneeze or yawn. To promote good hygiene we refer to the vampire technique. By coughing or sneezing into our elbow, germs are not spread into the air or on our hands which may contaminate other things. Don’t forget to ‘use your sleeve to cough and sneeze’. This article also reinforces the importance of good hand washing to help pre
Here are the weekly Living and Learning statements, to support this learning.
  • I cover my mouth (when I yawn, cough, sneeze).  Get your child to demonstrate the ‘vampire’ method to family members at home.
  • I can say something good about myself.  It’s important that your child can confidently talk about themselves in a positive way.
  • I pay and receive compliments in a sensible way.  Try paying compliments each day to each other! Some children struggle to hear positive words about themselves, but this is important for self-esteem. Try paying (and listening) to praise and compliments.
  • I recognise my talents.  Talk to your child about talents, whether academic, physical, social or emotional. Some of us may have a natural talent, but most have talents that derive from lots of practice.
  • I know the difference between being proud and showing off.  We encourage compliments to be paid – but encourage your children to know the balance between being having self-esteem and showing off.
  • I use good table manners. This is another manners-related Living and Learning statement. Think about good table manners at home – not pointing our cutlery at someone or speaking with food in our mouths, for example.

Times tables

All children have recently received their login details for Times Tables Rock Stars.

In Year 2, we learn the two, five and ten times tables and these are the tables that have been assigned to the children on Times Tables Rock Stars, starting with the ten times table.

Occasionally there will be some division questions and as this is something we are beginning to learn, please support your child with these questions until they feel more confident to have a go.

Children will be bringing home some optional Times Tables Rock Stars sheets that can be completed over half term to improve these skills. They can return these to school if they complete them.

Other resources to support time tables and other number facts is Hit the Button. This is a great, fast-paced game and children can choose which times tables or number facts to work on during each game. This game is free to play online.

If you have any further questions regarding the resources mentioned, do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your continued support.