Cropredy Primary School, Email –

Station Road, Tel – 01295 750210

Cropredy,

OXON OX17 1PU

Thursday 7th September 2017

Dear Year 2 Parents/Carers and Children,

Welcome to Year 2, I hope you had a fabulous summer.

Topic

Our whole school topic this term isOnce upon a time. Please see the attached AT1 Topic Web for more details of the curriculum coverage.This information and the daily timetable, can also be found on the School Website.

For our topic, we will need your help with some supplies. Week 3 we will be building junk castles (like the giants in Jack and the Beanstalk), we will need cardboard boxes and tubes, plastic cups and pots, etc. (anything you can think they can turn into the battlements, bailey, barbican, portcullis, drawbridge, moat, or towers). So please start collecting now. I will send out a text closer to the time to let you know when to bring it in. Week 5 we will be designing and building stagecoaches (for Cinderella), for this we will need more junk please, e.g. boxes and containers, sticks for poles and axles, plastic for windows and something for wheels.

ICT – As part of our school computing scheme of work this term we will be doing a unit called ‘You’ve got mail’. In this unit, we learn about emails and use a special app that will set up an email address for your child that will enable them to email you. I will ask for your signature confirming you are happy for your child to participate and the email address you would like them to contact you on at Meet the Teacher. Please feel free to ask any questions at the meeting.

Regular routines

Forest School – our session is on Tuesday mornings; the children can come to school in their kits with their uniform to change into afterwards, as in Year 1.

P.E. – Our slots are Wednesday & Friday afternoons, we will be doing Gymnastics on a Wednesday and Tag Rugby on a Friday. Unfortunately, the sessions lead straight into assemblies on both days. To make sure the children leave school on time I am going to send them home in their P.E. kit, they can come straight back to school for the next session or if they have become a bit muddy from Tag Rugby on Friday’s you will have a chance to wash them.

Homework

Reading and Reading Diaries – Each week the children will have 1 or 2 Guided Reading sessions based on ability that focus on their specific learning needs. This gives me an opportunity to hear all children read individually to me as part of our group routine.

To instil a love of reading and allow for more ownership over their own reading, they will also be able to help themselves to 2 levelled books a week to read for fun at home with you. The children will be responsible for changing these books during our reading rotations, this be done on different days for each group.

I do apologise for the confusion yesterday, when your child came home with a new style reading diary. After some deliberation, I have decided to go with a notebook this year instead, just like Year 3 this will help prepare them for the future and stick with the similar routine you know and love. This will come home tonight instead. I will be dating Guided Reading sessions and noting if there is anything relevant for my continuing formative assessment. Please could you (or your child if possible) continue to record the date, title and pages read, along with anything you noticed that will assist their learning or serve as evidence. I will go over and explain all of this at Meet the Teacher.

Spelling – We will be working from a spelling menu each term which gives the children the words for each week and some ideas on fun ways to practise at home. These menu’s will need to live in their reading wallets as the children will also have a chance to practise in class. Spelling tests will be on Monday mornings

Weekly Homework – We won’t start this till later this term, after we have had a chance to settle in. Again, this will be discussed at Meet the Teacher.

We have our Meet the Teacher session arranged for next Wednesday 13th September at 3pm. This is where I will go over in more detail the daily and regular routines and how we do things now we are ‘big kids’ in Year 2. I will also cover how our Reading, Writing, Maths and other subjects will be run and answer any questions you may already have. I look forward to seeing you all there.

Useful Dates

13th September - 3pm, Meet the teacher
21st September – PTA AGM
6th October – Harvest Service
23rd – 27th October – Half term
30th October - INSET / 1st & 2nd November – Parents Evenings
2nd November – Flu Jabs
17th November – Year 2 Class Assembly
1st December – Christmas Fayre
15th December – Christmas Jumper Day
19th December – Governor’s Cup Assembly / End of term service in church – 1.00pm

*** Please remember that all dates are subject to change – we will let you

know as soon as possible if this happens. ***

Pupil Premium Funding

Pupil Premium funding is available to school where parents meet certain criteria regarding financial incomes, for example those families who earn less than £16k per household. The extra funding can be used in a variety of ways by the school but is there to support children to succeed and fulfil their maximum potential. Those children eligible for the extra funding are not publicised or shared outside of the education system. If you think your child may be eligible for this funding, please see Mrs Haynes or Mrs Alfandary in the office who will be able to support you further with the application form.

If you should ever have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me though the office or catch me before or after school.

Kind regards

Mrs Reid

Care – Create - Challenge