1. 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!

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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)

10. 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!

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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)

15. 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! 

16. 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!