Concerns over parking

As you are all aware, the school is fortunate to have a wide range of parking areas in its proximity. Due to the school's opening time, there is sufficient time for all parents and carers to access the  school grounds with their child in a safe manner.

Yet again it has come to the school's attention of what has been described as dangerous driving and also parking which is obstructing pedestrian walkways and crossings. This cannot continue.

We ask all members of our school community to follow the markings and ultimately think about road safety for our families too. Only a few months ago was there an accident outside a school in Weymouth.

The governing body are now looking into further action to be taken, the local Police team are also aware of this issue and are providing assistance with this matter.

Thank you,

Y2 - Maths Learning - Week Beginning Monday 27th March

This week we have been looking at 2D shape.  We have recalled the names of the shapes well and begun to identify different properties of these shapes, for example number of sides and vertices (corners) as well as lines of symmetry.  Why not see if you can spot different 2D shapes when you are out and about?  Can your child remember their names?

Y2 - Literacy Learning - Week Beginning Monday 27th March

This week we have been looking at different forms of poetry and deciding which we like best.  We have found words that rhyme in familiar poems and created our own shape poems about The Great Fire of London.  Perhaps you could share your favourite poem with your child, they could bring it into school to share!

Y2 - Spellings - 31st March 2017

These spellings are to learn for Friday 7th April
Red and Orange Group: cry, cries, fly, flies, dry, dries, try, tries, reply, replies, supply, supplies.
Looking at how y changes to ies.
Yellow Group: cry, fly, dry, try, reply, July
Looking at how y can make an I sound at the end of a word.
Green Group: made, came, same, take
Revising the a_e sound.

Y2 - Fun at the Farm - 30th March 2017

Thank you very much Hazel, who welcomed us to the farm on Wednesday.  The children were brilliantly behaved and learned lots about Spring on the farm.  The weather wasn't the best, but we managed to avoid the worst of the showers!  We particularly enjoyed the lambing shed where the children showed how calm and sensible they could be around the lambs and ewes.  Hazel showed us how they fed some of the orphan lambs and we were even allowed to stroke them and feel their warm woolly coats.  It was also amazing to feel how warm the freshly laid eggs were!  Hazel also showed us the eggs she had in a special incubator, these should be hatching at Easter, so we look forward to seeing some more chickens next time we visit the farm.

Y2 - Wonderful Sewing - 27th March 2017

We hope you enjoyed your special mother's day presents.  The children have spent a long time sewing their beautiful Victorian handkerchiefs.  This project related to our Victorians topic at the beginning of the term.  The children have been investigating, designing, making and evaluating to complete their finished design.  They have become quite accomplished with the needle as you can see!  We hope you treasure them as they took a lot of effort and determination.

Y2 - We're off to the farm - 27th March 2017

This Wednesday 29th March we are off to the farm.  Hopefully we will some spring lambing and find out about what else the farmer is up to at this time of year!  If any more parents are able to come along, please come and ask one of the year 2 team.

Y2 - Well Done for Assembly! - 24th March 2017

Well done year 2 for a great effort in assembly this morning.  We aimed high with our acting, singing and speaking and you really pulled it off.  Thank you everyone for coming to watch, we very much enjoyed performing for you today.  The highlight for me was definitely your wonderful singing to the signing song and your "put a nose on it" dance moves!  There will be marbles in the jar on Monday!  I wonder how many?

Y2 - Literacy Learning - Week beginning 20th March 2017

This week we have been using a wider range of conjunctions to join our sentences together.  Please see blog from last week.

Y2- Maths Learning - Week beginning 20th March 2017

This week we have been revising our subtraction skills as this is one of the areas most children are finding quite difficult to master.  Subtraction is always tricky, doing things backwards is always harder, its not as well rehearsed as counting forwards or adding on.  Have you ever tried to say a nursery rhyme backwards?  It's a bit like this for children when they try to count backwards.  So to make it easier there are several approaches you can take, you might like to try these at home:
1.  Don't count backwards!  Find the difference between two numbers by counting forwards, especially if they are close together.  For example for 56-44.  Start at 44 and count on up to 56 to find the difference.
2.  Use your knowledge of 10s and 1s.  See if you can practice subtracting multiples of 10, for example: 34-10, 65-20, 44-20, etc.  Practice counting back small amounts: 44-2, 65-3, 42-5.  Using a hundred square like the one in this blog may help with this.  To subtract a 10, just jump up a square, to subtract a 1 move left.
3.  Know those number bonds.  When subtracting over 10s boundaries (when your subtraction takes you into the previous 10, for example you know 35-7 is going to take you into the 20s) it is essential to know your number bonds to work this out quickly.
We know that 35-5 takes us back to 30, but we wanted 35-7 so we also have to know that if we have already subtracted 5 that we have 2 more left to subtract.  Furthermore we also need to know that if we take 2 from 30 we are going to land on 28.  In class we use a hundred string to help.  I've included one in this blog.
4.  Finally, we have started to learn formal methods for subtraction where you lay out the subtraction with one number on top of another.  Some children are beginning to understand how to use a ten to exchange for 1s to enable them to take away.
Above all it is important that the children have lots of practical experience of subtraction, so try it at home with whatever is to hand - pasta, seeds, toys, etc.  It will all help!

Y2 - Spellings - 24th March 2017

There are no spellings this week, a bit of a break to celebrate all of the hard work the children have put in to rehearse their class assembly.  Normal spellings to be resumed next week!

Y2 - Home learning - 24th March 2017

As you know we have been learning about the Great Fire of London.  To finish off our topic we have visions of building our very own Pudding Lane!  We would like you to work together at home to create a Tudor house to put on our street in the classroom!  Use a cardboard box or a template.  Please bring your house in before the end of term and we will display them in the class.  They will help us learn how closely the houses were built and how the fire spread.

Y2 Assembly Update - 21st March 2017

Of course our assembly is top secret, but the children will have the opportunity to wear their red nose day gear at the end of assembly, so please make sure they wear their red and bring along their noses/ boppers/ etc.  For the start of assembly we would like your child to be wearing a school T shirt though, so please bring that in too.  Look forward to seeing you on Friday 24th March at 9:20am.

Y2 - Spellings - 17th March 2017 for 24th March 2017

This week's spellings are as follows:
Red and Orange group are looking at homophones, words that sound the same but are spelt differently and mean different things.  To learn these the children also need to know their meanings:
there, their, they're, here, hear, see, sea, one, won, sun, son, to, two, too.

Yellow group are recapping on the oi sound:
oil, join, point, enjoy, annoy, soil.
As a challenge try to find other oi/oy words in your reading.

Green group are also recapping on the oi sound:
oil, boy, coin, enjoy.
Try to remember which oi/oy sound to use.

Y2 - Maths Learning - Week Beginning 13th March 2017

This week in Maths we have been revising our addition and subtraction skills.  We have been using our number bonds last week to quickly add and subtract over 10s boundaries.  For example for addition:
28+6=
We know that we have to add 6.  We also know that if we are at 28 we need 2 more to get to 30.  So we have to use our number bonds for 6. 
2+4=6
So as we have already added to we know that our answer is going to be 4 more than 30.
Using a number line helps to show this or counters to help to see how to add on 2 then 4 more.
For subtraction:
53-7=
We know that we have to subtract 7.  We also know that if we are at 53 we need to take away 3 to get to 50.  So we have to use our number bonds for 7.
3+4=7
So as we have already subtracted 3 we need to subtract 4 more from 50.
Using a number line helps to show this or counters to help to see how to subtract 3 then 4.

We have also been looking at how to calculate subtraction of two digit numbers when the ones are more in the number you are subtracting.
For example:
54-28=
We have begun to understand that we can't swap the order in subtraction so we have to partition the second number to subtract it.
28 is made up of 20 and 8 so:
First take away the tens: 54-20=34
Then take away the ones: 34-8=26
So 54-28=26

Both of these skills are tricky and will take some time to master.  Hopefully you can see how important those number bonds are that we sent home for home learning last week!

This hundred square might help you if you are adding and subtracting at home.

Y2 - Literacy Learning - Week beginning 13th March 2017

This week in Literacy we have been looking at how to use conjunctions in our sentences through writing about the Great Fire of London.  The children have been inspired to write by finding out about Tom Porter, a boy who woke up to find himself in the middle of the fire in 1666.  Why not follow his adventure again?:
http://www.fireoflondon.org.uk/game/
Conjunctions are words that join two shorter sentences together.  We have used and, but, so, then and because.  At home you could think of a short sentence such as:
The flames flew into the air.
Then choose a conjunction to add to the end:
The flames flew into the air but...
Can your child finish the sentence and put a full stop?  Reread the sentence to check it makes sense.

Y2 - Class Assembly - 16th March for the 24th March

Next Friday 24th March is our class assembly.  You are invited to come along and see what we have been learning about in the last 1/2 term.  9:20am in the school hall - see you there!

Sustrans Big Pedal - School Assembly today

Sustrans “Big Pedal” – starting next week (lasting a fortnight)

 

 

Today in our school assembly we had a visit from Jonathan Dixon, our school’s Sustrans Officer.

Sustrans is an organisation that promotes the use of Bicycles and Scooters.
Jonathan talked to the children about how to make sure their cycling helmets are fitted properly. He then introduced a special Sustrans event taking place over the next fortnight.
Next Monday sees the start of “The Big Pedal”.

We will be recording the number of journeys to and from school made on Bicycles and Scooters. The data is then used in a national and local competition to see which schools are able to get the greatest percentages of Bicycle and Scooter use during the fortnight.

In the last three years, we have done very well in this event and have been among the local prize-winners.
On Tuesday 21^st March we are holding a “Bike It Breakfast”. All children that come to school by Bicycle or Scooter will be given a breakfast snack, fruit and a drink.

DM

Y2 - Home Learning - 11th March 2017

Fluency in Addition and Subtraction.
If children are able to recall or quickly work out simple addition and subtraction facts they will be flexible and confident in their use of number at all levels.  Once they know or can quickly calculate these facts they can work out new and more complex problems.  In Year 1 and 2
we teach strategies for facts within 10 (steps 1 – 7) and in Year 2 we teach the bridging ten facts (steps 8 – 11).  Try using dominoes or cards to practice the simple addition and subtraction facts on this page.

1. Adding and Subtracting 1 (e.g. 7 + 1 and 1 + 7)
2. Doubles and near double of numbers to 5 (e.g. 3 + 3, 4 + 5, 5 + 4)
3. Adding and Subtracting 2 (e.g. 4 + 2 and 2 + 4)
4. Number bonds to 10 (e.g. 8 + 2, 2 + 8, 10-2=8 and 10-8=2)
5. Adding 0 to a number (e.g. 3 + 0 and 0 + 3)
6. Adding 10 and subtracting 10 from a number (e.g. 5 + 10 and 10 + 5, 13+10, 23-10)
7. The ones without a family 5 + 3, 3 + 5, 6 + 3, 3 + 6 (these pairs of facts are the only ones which don’t fit in any of the other families, though the last two can be related to counting in 3s)
8. Doubles of numbers to 10 (e.g. 7 + 7)
9. Near doubles (e.g. 5 + 6 and 6 + 5)
10. Bridging (e.g. 8 + 4 and 4 + 8, 12-5 and 13-7)
11. Compensating. (I know 37-10 is 27, so 37-9 must be 28)

For home learning this week I would like you to see how many of these you know or can work out really quickly.  Fill in the missing squares on this grid, there are also some quick addition and subtraction facts for you to calculate.

 

Y2 - Trip to the Market - 7th March 2017 for 8th March 2017

Hopefully, weather permitting, we will be heading to Dorchester Market tomorrow morning.  If you are available to come along with us please let a member of the year 2 team know. 

Y2 - Theatre Company Visit - 3rd March 2017

The school were super lucky on Friday 3^rd March to have into school ‘The Hobgoblin Company’ who performed ‘The Greatest Fairy-tale of all’. It was wild, wacky, funny, brilliantly acted out and I was super proud of the class who sat for 1hr ¼ superbly attentive and joining in when asked. The actors praised the school for their participation at the end.  I hope your child has told you about it?!

Y2 - Praise Assembly - 3rd March 2017

The children in the entire class were praised today for their super determination in learning how to sew through their Design Technology topic at the moment which is linked to Victorians.  We were also extremely impressed with the variety of spider facts and webs which arrived in class through the week. The children shared their work on Friday and exchanged facts. Do look on the classroom wall displayed, amazing Home Learning achieved in Year 2!

Y2 - A mysterious plea - 3rd March 2017

For a top secret project I will be requiring 11 large cardboard boxes and extra cardboard for Monday 6th March.  If you have a spare box at home and were going to recycle, please could you bring it in to school on Monday?  We will collect them in the year 2 classroom.
Kind Regards