Year 2 (Jade Class) 

 

Welcome to Year 2.  This page provides you with everything you will need to know about life in Jade Class. We hope you will find it useful, but if you have any further questions then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Year 2 team.

 

Staff

  • Class teacher: Mrs K Harvey
  • Teaching assistant: Ms K Charge
  • Learning Support Assistant: Mrs R Bickerton

 

Curriculum and Topics

Children in Year 2 follow the National Curriculum, which sets out the objectives for all of the subjects. The key areas in the curriculum are as follows: Maths, English, Science, PE, Computing, History, Geography, Religious Education, PSHE, Art and Design and Music. 

 

At Cranbrook Primary we teach most subjects through a creative curriculum, based around a topic and a range of core reading texts. This allows the children to fully immerse themselves in their learning through an engaging theme, visitors, trips, a 'stunning start' to launch the topic and an opportunity to share their learning with others at the end of the topic. 

 

As curriculum newsletters for each topic become available, these will be available by clicking on the links below: 

 

Term 1 Newsletter Term 2 Newsletter Terms 3&4 Newsletter  Terms 5&6 Newsletter
 Term 1 Word Mat    Term 2 Word Mat  Terms 3&4 Word Mat Terms 5&6 Word Mat

 

There will be several opportunities for you to come in and see your child's topic learning over the course of the year, through our Topic celebration events. These will run after school and will provide your child with a chance to show you their topic books, in school learning and home learning tasks. Look out for dates in the school calendar!

 

Reading

Children will be expected to bring their book bags into school every day. We believe that reading is an extremely important skill and ask that you support us at home by reading at least four times a week with your child and recording it in the communication book, with a comment and signature. 

 

We use the Collins banded reading scheme Big Cat Phonics, which follows the 'Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised' phonics scheme. These books are levelled so that children can progress through the books in levels of difficulty, reading deliberately patterned, simple, repetitive grammatical structures helps children to achieve early success. Children will receive a new phonics book every Friday, matched to their current ability, and sounds that have been taught. This is in line with the latest reading guidance and adheres strictly to advice from Little Wandle and will be referred to as their reading practice book.  We strongly encourage you to ask your child to read this book at least three times with you at home during the week. These individual reads could mirror the reading practice at school which concentrate on decoding (sounding out and blending), prosody (reading with expression) and comprehension (understanding). These all count as individual reads and should be written in your child’s contact book. This repeated reading will help your child develop the level of fluency required to comprehend the texts they are reading. These independent reading practice books will be changed on Fridays and contact books will continue to be checked daily. 

 

Your child will also be able to bring home a sharing book on Tuesdays and Fridays. This will be a book of their choosing based on their interests, from either the school or class library.  Your child will not be able to read this on their own and have chosen this book for you to read and enjoy together. Please ensure books are sent back to school in your child's folder on these days, with a record of reading in their communication book, so that staff are able to provide new books.  

 

Spellings

Alongside reading at least four times a week, your child will also have spelling books sent home with them every Friday, which must be returned the following Friday. Please help your child to practise and learn these spellings; they will be tested every Friday at school. Please find below the Year 2 spelling rules.

Year 2 Spelling list

 

Home learning

Alongside reading at least four times a week, your child will also have spelling books sent home with them every Friday, which must be returned the following Friday. Please help your child to practise and learn these spellings; they will be tested every Friday at school.

 

A home learning task will be set on EdShed weekly, and should be completed by the following Wednesday. Your child's login can be found in their home learning book- ask your child's class teacher if you have any difficulties accessing the sites. Children will also be provided with termly topic tasks in their home learning book, which are optional additional tasks. Completed topic home learning tasks will be recognised and celebrated in class and may be shown in school assemblies.

 

Other activities:

  • Please see the English and Maths pages for additional resources and websites. An explanation of the terminology used in English or Grammar questions can be found here: Terminology Table.

 

Behaviour and Rewards

In key stage 1 the class behaviour system takes the form of a rocket displayed in class. All children start afresh in the middle (on green) every day; poor behaviour leads to children moving down to amber, and then red. Positive behaviour choices will lead to children being moved up to silver, and then gold. Any colour rating at the end of the day that is green or above should be celebrated, however children reaching gold will receive a gold sticker so that they can share their achievement with you! Children reaching gold will also receive a golden ticket which will be entered onto a draw to join a Golden Ticket winners event.  

 

Every Friday one child in the class will be chosen for a shine certificate, which will be awarded for exceptional effort or behaviour. 

 

Equipment

Every child should have the following named equipment at school:

  • Water bottle
  • Book bag
  • Change of underwear
  • Suitable coat with hood

 

PE

Children will have a PE session every week and will need to wear their PE kits into school on their PE day. Details of which items are required for PE can be found in the home-school communication books.  Jade Class PE is on Tuesdays.

 

School Day

The school gate opens at 8:30am. Children arriving will go straight into class to begin early morning activities. Please ensure your child is in school by 8.45am, after which point the school gate will be closed and your child will be marked as 'late' in the register. 

School finishes at 3.10pm and children should be picked up outside, by the hall entrance. Once the teacher has seen you, your child will be dismissed. Please contact the school office if you are running late or somebody different needs to collect your child. Teachers are not responsible for your child after this time.

 

Morning snack

Children in key stage 1 will receive a piece of fruit for morning break. If you would like your child to receive milk, this will need to be ordered and paid for- please see the school office for details.  

 

Lunch

Lunch time is from 12-1pm. In key stage 1 children are currently entitled to a free hot meal. They will be asked to state whether they are having a school dinner or a packed lunch every morning. If your child is bringing a packed lunch then the box or bag will need to be clearly labelled with your child’s name and class.