Living and Learning: 8Rs for learning
This week is our final week of 8Rs learning (responsible, risk taking, resilience, resourceful, ready, responsive, remember and reflect) as part of our weekly Living and Learning sessions. Of course, these characteristics are referred to throughout the year across all subjects to promote good learning behaviour. The parent’s guide to the 8Rs can help to reinforce this at home.
After covering all the 8Rs over the past few weeks, Year 2 worked in their groups to discuss which of these characteristics are most important. There were no right or wrong answers and the children were able to talk through their choices with a good understanding and reasoning.
‘You need to be responsible for your own learning because it is your job.’
‘If you are not ready, you can’t learn.’
‘If you don’t remember your learning, you can’t learn more.’
Class assembly
We look forward to welcoming you to our first class assembly tomorrow. The children are looking forward to sharing their learning with you.
Thank you for your support to help to learn their lines at home.
The assembly starts at 2:40pm.
Maths is all around us homework.
Thank you to all the parents that joined us today for a homework review. The children had been very creative and imaginative with their ideas. From a car journey to baking a blueberry cake, Year 2 had really looked out for maths both in and out of the home. Well done all!
Healthy Schools revalidation
We are proud to continue to be a happy and healthy school.
‘Congratulations on re-validating your Healthy Schools Status using the School Health Check tool, indicating that your school has self-evaluated whole school health. This demonstrates that your school is continuing to embed and improve provision against the four core areas of Healthy Schools.’
Health and Wellbeing service, Leeds City Council
Our re-validation was based on the four core areas of Healthy Schools –
- Personal Social Health Education (PSHE)
- Healthy Eating
- Physical Activity
- Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health
A visit will be arranged later this year to externally reassess this self-validation.
This status is valid for three years before re-validation is necessary (August 2019 – August 2022). During this period, a visit will be arranged to externally reassess your self-validation. Once the school has had a successful reassessment, you will then receive a Healthy Schools plaque and feedback report. In the meantime, we do recommend that you update the School Health Check on an annual basis.
Science and dance
Monday afternoon is when Year 2 become scientists. With the help of our materials monster, we’ve been busy learning lots about everyday materials.
This week, the children were provided with a selection of objects and they were asked to generate some questions of what they wanted to find out.
We decided to test whether we could change the shape of the objects by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching (one of the science objectives for Year 2).
Here are some of the working scientifically objectives we covered as well.
I can ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
I can observe carefully, using simple equipment.
I can perform simple tests.
I can identify and classify.
I can use my observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
I can gather and record data to help in answering questions.
Following on from this learning, Year 2 used their bodies in dance to show some of these properties. Can you guess which of the poses show ‘stretch’, ‘bend’, ‘squash’ and ‘twist’?
DT skills in action
Design Technology
Our current topic, ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ is primarily driven by design and technology. This is our main focus but we also incorporate many other subject areas into our learning.
The age related expectations for Year 2 children is to be able to:
Skills
- generate, develop and communicate ideas in different ways (eg by talking, drawing)
- design purposeful, functional, appealing products based on given design criteria
- select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [eg cutting, shaping, joining and finishing]
- select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials and textiles
- explore and evaluate a range of existing products
- evaluate my ideas and products against given design criteria.
Knowledge - know that products are designed
- know, through exploration, how products can be made stronger, stiffer or more stable
In the story, Max sails away in a boat to where the wild things are. The image below has inspired us to make our own boats.
We have looked at existing boats, made shapes for the bottom and sides using playdough, completed some observational drawing and created Lego boats.
Today, the children thought about different joining, fixing and attaching methods. After experimenting with joining techniques, Year 2 were asked to note down the strongest and weakest ways of joining materials.
I thought the blu tack was the weakest because the materials didn’t stick together. It was too soft.
I’m going to use the tacks for my boat. They held the materials together and were solid.
The pins would help my boat to be stable.
Cello tape might go soggy when it gets wet. My boat wouldn’t float.
Having explored all of the above, Year 2 are now ready to design and construct their own boats.
Finally, the children decided a design criteria for their own models.
• The boat can float.
• The boat has a triangular sail.
• The boat is sturdy and stable.
• The boat can hold one Lego person.
Aldi Kit for Schools
Aldi’s Kit for Schools promotion is giving twenty primary schools the chance to win £20,000 to kick-start a health legacy for their school.
What’s more, every school who enters by completing their Aldi’s Kit for Schools poster will also receive an exclusive school sports kit! Help us collect stickers with every £30 you spend in store and fill up our school’s poster to give us a chance to win. Please bring your stickers to the school office before the promotion ends on the 3rd November. Thank you for your support.
New after school club
This term, we will be running a new yoga and mindfulness after school club open to Years 1 – 3.
Led by yoga teacher, Heather Marshall, the sessions will run after school on a Tuesday.
Heather provided a session for Year 2 this week to give them a taster of what to expect at the club.
‘I enjoyed the relaxation.’
‘It was good to use our body to make the animal shapes.’
‘The games we played were fun.’
Please contact the office if your child would like to attend this club as we do have a few places left. Relaxation is definitely guaranteed.
Themed menu
Catering Leeds, our school meal provider, will be running a special themed menu on Thursday 3rd October. Please contact the office, as soon as possible, if your child would like a school meal on this day (no action needed if your child normally has a school meal on this day).
