1. Welcome to Year 2 Teacher: Miss Jo Cope Support Assistant : Mrs Angela Case

2. The School Day 8.55am Registration 10.40am Break time 12.00 Lunch time 1.00pm Afternoon lessons 3.15pm Home time If you are late or absent please telephone the school office beforehand and follow up an absence with a written letter or email.

3. Equipment PE will be on Mondays and Wednesdays. Children will need a white t shirt and black shorts with trainers /plimsolls. Please ensure that your child’s PE kit is always in school in case of unexpected changes to the timetable. Swimming begins tomorrow. Your child will need either a one piece swimming costume for girls, or trunks/fitted shorts for boys, a swimming cap, a towel and goggles (optional).

4. Healthy Eating Children in Year 2 continue to receive a piece of fruit each day. Milk is available at a reasonable cost. If you would like your child to drink milk at break times please see Mrs Hickley, the school secretary. Your child should have a water bottle in school every day.

5. Uniform At Trinity St Stephen First School:  We are always smart.  We know that we tuck our shirts in.  Our hair is tied up or clipped back using brown, black or school colours hair accessories.  Please label ALL clothing to avoid distress, wasted time and expense.

6. Writing When we are writing:  We always use a pencil  We always use a cursive script  We draw a dotted line below words when we are unsure of the spelling  Every sentence starts with a capital letter and finishes with a full stop  We write the date in full at the top of the page  The title is written underneath  We put a single line through work we have done wrong

7. Maths When we are doing maths:  We always use a pencil  We write the date in the short, numeric way  We write the title and/or learning objective underneath the date  We draw pictures and diagrams using a pencil  We use one square for each digit  We put a single line through work we have done wrong

8. Our Learning- Maths We will be learning to work with and understand the value of numbers up to 100 and beyond. We will be counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. We will be learning the 2,5 and 10 times tables. We will be working on calculations using mental and written methods. We will be collecting data and producing tallies and graphs. We will be estimating and comparing weight. We will use standard units and learn to read a scale.

9. Our learning - writing We are starting with a short unit on poetry followed by a unit on instruction writing. We will be focussing on sentence construction and extending vocabulary choices. We will be working regularly on handwriting and presentation. We will be learning to spell words linked to our daily phonic sessions.

10. Our Learning - IT  Understand what algorithms are, how they are implemented on digital devices, and that programs are executed by following precise and unambiguous instructions. ( Algorithms are step by step instructions that the computer follows to perform actions.) We will be writing instructions and programming beebots.  We will begin to understand what it means to debug simple programs.  We will be developing our word processing skills and will use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content.

11. Our learning – Science We will be comparing fruit and vegetables. What are seeds? We will learn why it is important for humans to exercise and eat the right amounts of different types of food. We will learn how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food.

12. Our Learning - Reading Each week there will be two Guided Reading sessions. The children be in small groups with either myself or a teaching assistant leading the learning. The focus will be on understanding the text as well as decoding. The children will be able to change individual reading books on any day, once the book is completed. Please keep all reading books in the red book bag and bring them to school daily so opportunities to read are not missed! Ensure that you sign and comment in the reading record; we need to know that books have been read before moving pupils on.

13. Our Learning – topics To make learning relevant, where possible, areas of the curriculum are taught through a cross curricular topic. Our first topic is Harvest and Food, particularly healthy eating. Music, PE, RE and ICT will be taught as discrete subjects.

14. Homework The government advises an hours homework each week for children in Year 2. This hour should be made up of daily reading, and spellings, which will be given on a Friday and tested on the following Friday. Pupils will also receive another homework activity, for example a maths game, tables to learn or a maths worksheet.

15. Helping at home Reading regularly. Make sure that the books we provide are part of a bigger reading diet. Give your child small amounts of money to handle and spend. Play games with your children like snakes and ladders and other dice game. Cook with your child to help with following instructions and measuring accurately. Encourage independence – this is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child!

16. Visitors in School At Trinity St Stephen we welcome your support in school. If you would like to help us in the classroom please ensure: You have seen the safeguarding information and you understand that working with the children is both a privilege and a responsibility. You are dressed appropriately – this is a professional environment. You listen and follow the instructions given to you by the member of staff you are working with.

17. Communication with school There may be occasions when you need to talk to the class teacher. Please understand that this is not always possible before school, unless by prior arrangement. Messages may be left with Mrs Hickley on the playground before school. Teachers can be more flexible at the end of the school day. For the safety of all children in our school only come into school in exceptional circumstances. Please only use the front door.

18. The Class News Please check the class news on the school website. It is published on a Tuesday. http://www.tssfirst.co.uk/