Skills
In our topic lessons, and other lessons, children have the opportunity to use many skills such as ICT, improving their own learning and performance, working with others and problem-solving.
Here the children are working with others and using their thinking skills to predict what their learning might be at the start of a topic lesson on seasons.
Library
Year 2 will be visiting the school library on Mondays. This will be part of our reading sessions and half the class will spend the session in the library relaxing and reading. The other half of the class will visit the library the following Monday.
The children will choose a book (to bring home) and will keep the book for two weeks. Children should take responsibility to return their library book to school after this time to be ready to choose a new book.
Have you visited local libraries nearby, too? As well as borrowing books from Moor Allerton or Chapel Allerton libraries, have a look at the different events that take place there.
Hot and cold countries
We’ve been using atlases in a geography lesson to locate hot and cold countries. Children have learnt that countries close to the poles are cold but that countries closer to the equator are hotter. 
Ruler Art
We’ve created pieces of art and practised using rulers to draw straight lines this afternoon.
Living and Learning
Living and Learning is our new name for SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning).
Living and Learning will continue to cover SEAL learning but will also incorporate other aspects of PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) such as keeping safe, identity, drug education, physical health, rights and responsibilities and healthy minds.
We begin our Living and Learning learning this week with a focus on manners: I can greet someone politely.
For the rest of this half-term, we’re thinking about the ‘8 Rs for learning’. This theme is about promoting good learning behaviour for your child.
Each week, we’ll focus on two different ‘Rs’. We use an animal to symbolise each ‘R’, which might help your child remember all eight – can your child remember which animal matches the correct ‘R’?
You can support your child at home – we’ve listed a few ideas to help you below. Ask us if you’ve any questions or comments.
Download top tips for promoting the 8Rs for good learning behaviour.
I can show I am ready to learn.
Make sure your child is at school for a prompt start of 08:50.
Make sure your child has had plenty of sleep so they are alert and ready to learn at all times.
Encourage your child to ask lots of questions – that shows they want to learn!
I respond to feedback.
Ask your child if they remember their ‘stars’ and ‘steps’ in English and Maths.
I take a safe risk.
Talk about the difference between a safe and unsafe risk. At school, we want your child to take a safe risk by having a go at answering, even if unsure; trying something new and attempting harder learning.
I take responsibility for my own learning.
Provide time and space at home so your child is able to organise themselves: their PE kit, reading book, homework, spellings and tables… Don’t organise everything for them!
Make a link between rights and responsibilities: your child has the right to a great education, but needs to be responsible for their own learning.
I am resourceful.
Encourage your child to be organised so they can play with a range of different toys.
Encourage your child to try new ways to solve a tricky problem.
I am resilient.
Encourage your child to keep going! Set a tricky challenge or puzzle for your child to do.
Encourage your child to think of different ways of doing things.
Don’t let your child win when they play a game – they need to experience losing, too!
Celebrate mistakes as opportunities to learn – be happy that your child found some learning hard and encourage them to ‘bounce back’ and learn from the experience.
I remember.
Make sure they have time to learn spellings, number bonds and times tables – a little practice daily is best.
Play memory games:
Kim’s game: show them objects for 30 seconds… can they remember all the objects?
Can they build up the sequence, ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple and a bike.’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple, a bike and a cucumber.’ etc … Take turns!
I reflect about my learning.
Talk with your child about what they’ve learnt, asking questions about:
how they learnt
why they learnt it
when they’ll use their learning
how they would teach this to someone else
what learning might link with what they’ve learnt today etc
School meals
Following feedback from parents and pupils (School Council and pupil health questionnaires), and a successful trial of children selecting their main meal on Fridays, we will be extending this to every day from next week. Children will select their main meal choice at registration.
Please share the menu with your child so they are aware of the choices for each day.
A great start to Year 2
Welcome back after the summer holidays. Thank you for all the postcards you sent us; it’s been great to hear about your adventures.
We had a great first day back and it was lovely to see all the children ready for a brand new year.
There was a lot of information to take in but we are sure the children will enjoy taking more responsibility (one of our 8Rs for Learning) this year and will soon get to know the new routines.
We welcome Ms Slater who will also be supporting the class.
Here are a few things to be aware of:
- Please ensure that you complete your child’s reading record; books won’t be changed unless parents / carers have informed us that the book has been completed.
- Books are changed twice a week (Monday and Thursday). It is your child’s responsibility to put their book and reading record in the basket for changing.
- Homework and spellings will be sent home on Fridays and can also be found on the website. Homework should be returned by the following Thursday and spellings will be tested on the Friday. Spelling tests will now be done in the back of the homework books so you will be able to see your child’s results.
- PE days are Tuesday and Thursday. Please ensure all clothes (uniform and PE kit) are labelled clearly.
- In a change to our uniform policy, earrings must not be worn for PE. Therefore if children cannot take them out themselves at school, they should not be worn on Tuesday or Thursday.
- Water bottles should be in school every day.
- Henry, as named by the children on our transition afternoon, is our new class mascot. He’s looking forward to visiting all the children at home, for a weekend, over the year. Please support your child to complete some sentences and maybe a picture in his diary and return to school on a Monday.
For the first two weeks, our topic is based around the text Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, before we begin our geography-themed Big Topic, Explorers.
Please refer to our expectations for teaching and learning to see what the children will be learning across all subjects in Year 2.
There is a lot of information on our website for supporting your child at home and you will find some key information in your child’s homework book too.
We look forward to working with you this year and if you have any questions, please do come to see us at the classroom (Mrs Taylor on Monday and Tuesday and Mr Wilks on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).
Leeds Children’s Mayor voting
Congratulations to Pippa who was selected as our school entry and submitted her manifesto to be considered as the new Leeds Children’s Mayor.
Out of 48 entries, unfortunately Pippa wasn’t selected as one of the finalists.
Children are invited to vote for their two favourite manifestos from the twelve candidates.
The finalist who has the most votes when voting closes on 15 September will be elected as the new Children’s Mayor of Leeds.
Pirate rafts!
This morning, we finished making our rafts.
It was great to see that when a team had finished their raft, they then helped other teams to finish theirs. Great teamwork!
Then, we tested them to see how much treasure they could hold. We placed them in water and piled on 10 and 20 gram weights until the rafts sank, capsized or the treasure fell off.
The winning team was called The Treasures and their raft held a whopping 620g! 
School Games Mark
At the end of each year, schools are invited to apply for their School Games Mark. The School Games Mark rewards schools for their commitment to and development of competition, school sport and physical education.
We are very proud to announce that our application has been verified and we have been awarded Gold award for the third year running.
In an attempt to engage as many children as possible in physical activity, we track children’s participation over the year.
68 children in KS2 and 52 children in KS1 and Reception have taken part in at least one after-school club since September. This is 57% of the total number of pupils.
81 children (68%) in KS2 have represented the school in a competition or participation event.
Children tell us they enjoy taking part in a variety of activitie:
- ‘In scooter club, I had fun on my scooter.’
- ‘I enjoyed Wake Up Shake Up club because I got to spend time with my friends and DANCE!’
- ‘I liked basketball. We learnt how to play the game, basketball skills and working as a team.’
- ‘I enjoyed cricket because it helped me with my skills of bowling and batting.’
- ‘I enjoyed the aqua festival. Everyone took part and nobody was left out. Everybody tried their best.’
- ‘The Brownlee Triathlon was fun and got people involved who don’t especially like sport but they did it. It wasn’t competitive.’
- ‘I enjoyed the Sportshall athletics competition because there were lots of events to choose from and do.’
Thank you to staff who have accompanied children to these events or run after-school clubs this year. Thank you also to Mrs Russell who provides excellent administration of our clubs and sporting events and competitions.
Thank you as well to all parents/carers who have helped with transport and supported at our events this year. Finally, thank you to all pupils who have tried out a new physical activity either at an after-school club or as part of a competition or participation event and to those children who have represented our school so well this year.
