Welcome to Falcon Class Miss Nielsen and Miss Golds

Monday-Wednesday: Miss Nielsen Wednesday-Friday: Miss Golds TA: Mrs Bajwar (Monday and Thursday)

Routines The door to the cloakroom opens at 8.40am for registration and children should be in the classroom and ready to work by 8.50am, as we start promptly. Mrs Bajwar will be there so please pass on any messages to her and she will pass them on to us. If you would like to speak to the teacher we are more than happy to meet after school if you would like to arrange a meeting. We would like to encourage children to drink water throughout the day so please bring a named water bottle daily and put in the tray by the sink. Please remember book bags also need to be brought in daily and children can put these in their trays. Home time is at 3.05pm. We have a list showing who is collecting your child or if they are going to after school club. Please can you let us know in the morning if this changes.

Clothing If possible, can you please name children’s clothes as we have a lot of lost property that accumulates throughout the year. Please help with independence by teaching children to tie their own laces.

Absence If your child is going to be absent from school because of illness, medical appointments, etc. please notify the school office as soon as possible. An answering machine is available out of office hours. Appointments should be made for after school or holidays wherever possible. It is expected that children attend school at least 95% of the school year.

Playtime, snack and lunch We will have playtime on the playground at 10.20 until 10.40. Children will be offered a snack to take with them outside. Snack is provided by school. They are also encouraged to have a drink before they go out and when they come back in. This year Year 2 through to Year 6 will all be sharing their morning break time. After break there is more learning time before lunch at 11.30am. Year 2 children are entitled to free school lunches.

Afternoons In the afternoon we continue lessons. After lunch there will be a short playtime on the playground between 1.45pm and 1.55pm. Everyday apart from Wednesday this will include an assembly in the hall. On Wednesday it will be in the morning where they will have ‘circles’. On a Friday afternoon at 2.30pm there will be the Golden Award assembly.

Curriculum During this term our big question is: ‘Can Animals be Friends?’ We will be orally telling the story of The Musicians of Bremen. Our other curriculum areas will link to this and include making sensory maps, making information leaflets about animals and classifying animals.

Reading Reading will continue to be taught through phonics. We will also teach comprehension, allowing children to develop a better understanding of what they are reading. Everyday we will have ‘Guided Reading’ in the afternoon where children in groups will read a range of fiction and non-fiction texts and do follow up tasks based on what they have read. This enables the teacher to hear each child read every week. For children that need more support they will have some 1:1 reading in addition. Please try to listen to your child read at home at least four times a week.

Spelling Spelling will be taught both through phonics and our literacy lessons. We will send home a list of the Year 2 Spellings. But they will not be ‘tested’ every week.

Writing We focus on specific areas of grammar to learn both grammatical terminology and the function of punctuation. This can be as part of guided writing activities, short starter activities or as the main part of an English lesson. We also work on writing composition and will use a range of strategies such as drama and hot-seating to support this.

Maths We use the White Rose scheme of work to teach Maths at Larkrise. Number (place value, + - x ÷) Fractions Geometry Measurement Statistics Mathematical reasoning and problem solving Each term there will be a different focus.

PE There will be two PE sessions in the week. The children will need a kit including shorts, long trousers and trainers. Each child will have a Larkrise PE t-shirt. This term PE will be on a Tuesday in the hall and outside on Friday. Trainers are needed for outdoor P.E. Please leave kits in school and take them home for half-term to be cleaned.

Homework This year you will have had the letter explaining homework changes. Homework will include: A list of creative activities to choose from linked to our topic. Reading with an adult daily. Children should take home a book each week and parents should complete the child’s reading diary and make comments on pupils reading. We can’t change books everyday so if they finish the book quickly, use the library. Maths: They have a ‘Times Tables Rock Stars’ log-in which they can access at home. Spelling :A list of high frequency words and spelling patterns to practise at home with your child.

SATs Will happen around April/May time. They are done in small groups. Focus is on teacher assessment rather than tests. More information closer to the time.

Trips If anyone would like to volunteer to help on school trips, please let us know. We are currently in the process of planning the trips for the year and will send a letter out about this when finalised.

Important Dates Monday 23rd September: Phonics morning Thursday 26th September: Falcon Class Assembly Tuesday October 22nd: Open Classroom (2pm) Friday 25th October: INSET (School closed) Tuesday 17th December: Nativity

Finally We value our relationship with our parents, if you have any question or concerns please do make an appointment to see us. Also, if you can offer any help or special expertise with any of our topics, please let us know.

Thank you for listening, do you have any questions?