Arun Class 2017-18 Welcome back introductions. Settling in and getting to know your children. The Team: Mrs Peto – Teaching Assistant (5 mornings) Mrs Petros/Mrs Filardo – LSAs working with some children on a 1:1 or small group (pms) Open door – you can catch me – preferably at the end of the day, possibly mornings, or please make an appointment through office if it is something requiring more time. We are working together to make your children’s learning fun and purposeful so please keep in touch!

Our topic – Off we go! Curriculum map and learning journey Geography focus looking at: Our Summer holidays - Finding out about different places around the world and how people travel there Map work: Where we live The 4 countries in the UK and finding out about the capital cities Continents and oceans Country study – Australia

The children will be developing a range of skills using high quality texts. Key Texts: Into the Forest by Anthony Browne The land of Never believe by Norman Messenger The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg The requirements for grammar in the National Curriculum will be covered through the key texts and reading activities.

Phonics and Grammar Phonics/spelling patterns are taught daily in year groups using: No nonsense spelling programme for Year 2 & 3 Early work spelling of the common exception words and Year 3 & 4 word list words (Focus Five) Word wall challenges (take home to practise with your child) Grammar is taught through high quality texts. The children are taught to recognise the technical terms e.g. noun, verb, adjective

Phonics and Spelling at home You can help at home by: Practise spelling the common exception words using the homework tasks and ‘Word Walls’ Encourage your child to recognise these words in their reading Encourage your child to use their sounds when reading to decoding unfamiliar words

Reading The children will be asked to change their books as necessary. This will be their responsibility eventually but Mrs Peto/myself will support them to start with. Please record the reading your child does at home in their purple reading records. There is a basic guide for helping with comments at the front of the diary. Reading records – please bring this in every day so that we can record any guided reading or 1:1 reading comments.

Reading Rockets Challenge Please try to listen to your child read 5 times a week and record this in their reading diary The children will move up the rockets each week if they read 5 times and will be given 5 house points. At the end of each half term if they have reached the top rocket they will be given a small prize.

Maths A range of maths skills will be covered over the course of the year. The emphasis is on ensuring your child has a deep understanding of the concepts taught so they can apply their maths skills to problem solving in a range of contexts Number bonds – we will continue to work on Times tables challenge – to continue

Science Yearly Overview In Science the children will be building on their previous learning and skills. They will be developing their scientific enquiry skills too. The topics are: Animals, including humans (Year 2 & 3) Living things and their habitats (Year 2) Everyday materials (Year 2) Rocks, Forces and Magnets (Year 3) Plants (Year 2 & 3) Light (Year 3) Working scientifically (Year 2 & 3)

Our timetable PE is on a Wednesday & Thursday. PE likely to change due to Forest school Tues/Wed Computing is on Tuesday with Mrs Upstone. PPA - Mrs Martin will be teaching the children on a Tuesday morning. Music – Arun ‘Term to learn’ - Violins Any changes to the timetable will be on our webpage. This is also regularly updated with photos of what the children have been up to!

Forest School Forest school is on a Wednesday afternoon for the 2nd half of the summer term Please make sure the children bring in a suitable change of clothes, waterproof coat and wellington boots on that day Forest School on Wednesday will mean PE will be on Tuesday and Thursday.

Homework Homework will be set on Tuesday to be handed in the following Monday, or handed in after homework club. (I’m allowing for one day to ‘forget’!) Values homework at the beginning of each half term where the children will be given a task related to our Christian value Weekly homework will focus predominantly on spelling mainly with occasional grammar 'Word Wall Challenge' and 'Times Table Challenge' Number bonds/times table quiz every Friday Topic homework: Y2- termly Y3-half termly

Class rules and rewards School Golden Rules Class charter – written by the children Weekly class awards for growth mindset – ‘Mindset maestro’, spelling and writing Child of the week Reward stickers

Day to day life in Arun Class Morning routine The children line up outside the gate and I will collect them. I would encourage you to leave your child at that point and not come into the classroom with them The children sort out their belongings and then come straight to the carpet to practise writing the words of the day on whiteboards The register is taken followed by phonics Whole school worship – every day except Thursday (we have a class worship)

Day to day life Lunchtime - The year 2s and year 3s go into lunch second Water bottles – please can you make sure your child has a named one in school (with plain water in it) School fruit/fruit snack from home. Labelling clothes No rucksacks please! 

Thank you for your support! Questions I am really looking forward to working with you and your children Any questions? Thank you for your support!