Welcome to Year 2- Beech Class 

Who are the staff members in Beech Class?

The class is taught by myself, Mr Ward and supported by Mrs Terrington and Miss Cowburgh.  The class will be covered by Mrs Rundle and Mr Ward on Tuesday afternoons and Mrs Rundle will teach the class on Thursdays.

What does a day in Beech Class look like?

In Beech class we concentrate on phonics/spelling, guided reading, handwriting, maths and english in the mornings. After lunchtime, we cover foundation subjects including history, geography, science, RE and PE. 

On Tuesday or Wednesdy mornings in Spring 1 and Summer 2 the class will have a forest school morning with Mrs King 

What does your child need to bring with them?

Children will have PE on a Tuesday and Friday which will require them to come to school already dressed in their PE kits. They will require Outdoor learning clothes when it is their part of the term to partake in forest school. Outdoor learning clothes should just be slightly adapted PE kits, with the addition of warm, waterproof outer layers.

Wellie boots are required to be in school everyday so that children are able to go onto the field at playtimes when the ground is wet. Each child has a named part of the welly rack to place their wellies to avoid any confusion. Water bottles will need to be brought in daily and a healthy snack would be beneficial for the children to have at break times. Children need to bring in book bags on Mondays for library and reading book changing; also on a Friday with their homework books. They do not need to bring additional bags, toys or pencil cases into school.

How can you help your child at home?

At this stage, building greater independence is key and so supporting the children to plan for their week, organising what they need and being less reliant on adults to always do for for them would be a key skill to develop.

Spending time listening to your child read and also reading to them is an invaluable use of time. This can help improve their fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and writing. They will have a reading record where you can write comments on books they have read.

Addition facts and Times tables are a key component to your child's mathematical understanding and ability to solve further problems. You can practise these in the car, walking to the shop, whilst having dinner, absolutely anywhere! They also have a TT Rockstar account and  Numbots account they could use at home. 

Homework:

• Half-termly Project
  Each half-term, children will explore an area of learning linked to our big questions. Teachers will support children with generating ideas but they can produce their project using any means they wish - the more creative, the better! At the end of each half-term, the entire school will bring their projects into school to showcase them for our whole-school community to share.
• Weekly Assignment
  Each Friday, a new assignment will be given to each pupil. The content will usually focus on something covered recently in maths or English. These tasks will be reviewed the following Friday as a whole class. Children who have completed their homework will receive team points for their house! 

How can I contact you?

I am available to message via Class Dojo. I will aim to respond to you as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best wishes,

Mr Ward