Class 2

Welcome to Class 2!

Miss Goodstadt and Miss Clewes

Welcome back! We hope that you all have had the most wonderful summer break and enjoyed lots of lovely sunshine with your families. We cannot wait to hear all about all of the wonderful things that you have been up to!

The aim of this letter is to explain some important things to help us all through the upcoming spring term. Please note that lots of the information will be available on our school website: https://www.faber.staffs.sch.uk

R.E.

In R.E., we will begin by learning about St. Thérèse de Lisieux, who is our class saint. Then we will learn about God’s creations and thinking of ways in which we can praise Him. As part of this unit we will find out about the life of St. Francis of Assisi and think about what we can do to be more like him.

Our next unit is called Families and Celebrations. In this unit, we will explore different celebrations that we share at home, in school and in church. We will hear the importance of Mass and we will learn about different key parts of Mass.

After half term, we will find out about the Hindu festival of light – Diwali - and find out about how it is celebrated.

Then we will move onto a unit about prayer, where the children will focus on learning some of the traditional prayers, as well as writing some of their own.

Finally this term, we will learn about the meaning of Advent. The children will think about different ways in which they can prepare for Jesus’ birthday, at home and in school. The children will also reflect on all the things that bring them joy, as we focus on the pink candle on the third Sunday of Advent, which represents joy.

MATHS

In Maths, Year 1 will be focussing on numbers to and within 10 and then applying these skills to addition and subtraction. We will then be moving onto exploring the properties of 2D and 3D shapes. Year 2 will be focussing on numbers to and within 100 and then applying these skills to addition and subtraction. We will then be moving onto the unit of money, where we will be recognising, counting, comparing and finding change. This will then lead us onto building on and developing our skills in the unit of multiplication and division.

ENGLISH

We will start the new year by exploring a transition topic focussing on language to describe the feelings of ‘The Colour Monster’ then move onto our unit of poetry. Both of these units will give us an opportunity to expand and develop our use of language. Throughout all of our units within English, we will have a continual focus on the accuracy of full stops and capital letters, moving onto and securing the use of noun phrases for description. We will be continuously recapping our basic skills, with a real push on our handwriting, pencil grip and presentation – which will not just be a focus in English lessons, but across all of our subjects

We are looking forward to seeing some beautiful work this term and to see the children using all of their learning to produce some fantastic English pieces.

Our reading will still be led by Read, Write, Inc and children will continue to improve their fluency throughout the term. Please remember that it is policy to read with your children each night – don’t forget to write in their diary so that we can see how they are getting on. Our expectation is that children read 5 times a week.

ART

In Art, we will be learning about the artist Henry Matisse.  We will be researching his life and work and use his ‘painting with scissors’ techniques to create our own pieces of artwork. We will use symbols and shapes as inspiration for our own pieces of artwork.

We will then move onto exploring craft work of Emma Bridgewater

P.E.

P.E. will be on a Tuesday and Wednesday this year.  The children need to have indoor and outdoor kit in school this term.  Indoor kit consists of shorts, T-shirt, socks and pumps/trainers.  (Tights should not be worn during P.E. lessons). All items of p.e. kit and school uniform should be clearly marked with your child’s name.

Units include Fundamental movement skills and Football

MUSIC

In Music, we will be listening to and evaluating music from a range of styles.  We will learn a variety of songs and use tuned percussion to add accompaniment.  We will explore improvisation and the beat that is found within a piece of music.

SCIENCE

This term, our science will include exploring the seasons and looking at the different types of weather that occur within each season. This will also include making rain gauge which allow us to measure rainfall throughout the year. We will then move onto exploring materials and their properties including absorbency, transparency and durability.

COMPUTING

In computing we will be begin by focussing on Online Safety; ensuring that children know how to use the search engine effectively. We will move onto exploring how to navigate and work around Purple Mash; using icons effectively and learning how to respond to and save work set by the teacher.  We will end the term by completing the unit ‘Logo Builders’ where children will follow a series of instructions and know that this is called an ‘algorithm’.

GEOGRAPHY

Our Geography or this term will be exploring the world’s hot and cold places. We will be locating these places on a map alongside the equator and North and South Pole. Within this topic, we will be finding out what it is like in the world’s hot and cold places and the features of each climate. Following this, we will be identifying animals that live in a cold place and explaining how animals adapt to living in these extreme climates.

HISTORY

In History we are going to begin by focussing on changes within living memory. We will be comparing food, toys and school life now and in the past and exploring similarities and differences. We will then learn about Clarice Cliff, an important figure in our local history, and find out why she is so significant.

D&T

In D&T we will be exploring different types of fruits and vegetables and comparing tastes and textures. We will be using these investigative skills to evaluate different smoothies and finally design and create our own.

We will then move onto exploring pivots, levers and linkages within our Moving Mechanisms unit. We will be exploring how these techniques make objects move. We will use this knowledge to design and make our own moving monster!

RHE

The RHE work for this term will start with a focus on class rules and routines and how this will have a positive impact on the learning of others. We will discuss and understand the Catholic Virtues and Values and how we can demonstrate these inside and outside of school. This term lends us to the celebrations of Harvest and Black History Month and finally the importance of Remembrance in November.

Reminders:

• The school day starts at 8:40 a.m. and finishes at 3:30p.m.
• Please remember that PE kit should be in school every day – this will be left on children’s pegs. Our PE days for this term are Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Please ensure that your child is reading as much as possible, as this is especially important at this stage in their learning. This should be written in the child’s diary each night as these are checked each day by a member of staff.
• Please remember that, along with Class Dojo, diaries are a key form of communication between yourselves and us – if you wish to speak to us directly then please get in touch through the school office.
• Homework for Maths and English will be given out separately. Maths homework will be given out on a Wednesday to be handed in on a Monday and English homework will be given out on a Friday to be handed in on a Wednesday. Most homework will involve discussion and an explanation, as well as some optional ideas to complete as a family!
• Snacks and Water Bottles – Children in Key Stage 1 are supplied with free fruit. 
• All children need to bring in a bottle of water only to have available in class throughout the day, clearly marked with their name. We ask that the children only bring in water, not juice please.

Please do let us know if there is anything going on at home that will affect your child’s learning, or if you have any questions.  If you have any messages to pass on either catch us on the yard or pop a message onto Class Dojo.  Alternatively, you can telephone the school office who will pass a message on to us for you. 

Thank you for your continuing support.