1. Welcome to Class 3! Coffee Morning 12.9.14

2. Staff in Class 3 Mrs McMillan Rachel Sutton (Teaching Assistant) Monique Maylia (Special needs support)

3. Mixed Age Class Class 3 is made up of the youngest 15 Year Two children and the oldest 14 Year One children. A two year planning cycle for the Foundation Subjects ensures that topics are not repeated and continuity is maintained. For Literacy and Maths, it is the ability of the children that dictates their group and therefore the work that they undertake rather than their age.

4. The busy day in Class 3 The timetable for Class 3 is very busy and, as a consequence, children may not be playing and ‘choosing’ as much as they are used to. Our usual days for P.E are Wednesday and Thursday but we occasionally receive additional lessons from visiting sports coaches, ( Mrs Smurthwaite every other Friday this term) For this reason, please ensure that your child has a named P.E kit in school each day. Check that PE shoes fit each half term. We are very impressed to see the children coming into school independently each morning. Thank you!

5. New Curriculum This year we are working from a new curriculum we have planned a new and exciting 2 year cycle in Key Stage One. Assessment will be on-going despite the scrapping of levels. We will still be tracking Year 2 children by the old NC levels (SATS). Year One children’s progress will be tracked in line with the new National Curriculum.

6. Reading One of the most important aspects of primary education, particularly in the younger end of school. The skills of reading are explicitly taught during: Shared Reading Guided Reading Phonics Sessions These skills are practised and reinforced throughout the rest of the curriculum and through Individual Reading practice. Children at the early stages of reading will also read to either Mrs Sutton or a parent helper. Once guided reading is established children will receive a stamp in their reading record to indicate they have read with me in a GR session. I will aim to listen to children read during guided reading sessions and will monitor their progress through the book boxes.

7. Spelling and Phonics Year 2 parents will be familiar with the word challenges. However this year we are changing the teaching of spelling so that it is taught as part of our daily literacy lessons. Focus on Spelling and Grammar in the new N.C. Children in the early stages of reading will receive extra support with the use of flashcards. Planning, teaching and assessment of spelling is also part of our daily phonics teaching, children are grouped by ability so that there needs are well met. Children asked to have another try at mis-spelled words in their writing. Common errors will be taught as a class target.

8. How can you help your child at home? Regular (and brief) reading practice including discussion and questioning to develop comprehension Support them with homework activities Handwriting homework Telling the time Money Regular practice of phoneme booklet. Talk to your child about entries on school website Please return all homework books/folders each Monday even if it is not completed so that the following activity can be set.

9. Marking S = Success Criteria. Children have met the lesson objective. I = Improvement Target. Next steps in children’s learning. T An Improvement Target from a previous piece of work has been met. gphp = Good presentation house point. Great emphasis on presenting work neatly.

10. Thank you for your time and continued support. Please keep in touch!