Welcome to Year 2- Beech Class 

Who are the staff members in Beech Class?

Beech class is taught by myself, Mrs Armshaw, supported by Mrs Dott.

Other familiar faces who will cover me or Mrs Dott include Mrs Soman, Mrs Miles-Bagshaw, Mr Ward, Mrs Rundle and Miss Lillie.

What does a day in Beech Class look like?

The day starts with drop off at the classroom door from 8.40, the children will put their belongings away, wash their hands and settle into the early morning work. The register is taken promptly at 8.50.

In the morning, for the first half term, we start our day with phonics before moving onto writing, with maths coming after break.

After October half term we start the day with maths. Handwriting, spelling and writing come after break.

In the afternoon we will be focusing on the foundation subjects and answering our big questions.

Beech class will continue with outdoor learning sessions with Mr Johnson and Miss Craske in spring 1 and summer 2.

Pick up at the end of the day is from the classroom door at 3.15.

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.

Each day the children need to bring with them a coat, their waterbottle and their book bag.

They will need a pair of wellies on the welly rack outside the classroom.

A fruit snack is provided daily for all key stage one pupils so there is no need to send in snacks.

Reading books and library books will be changed on Thursdays with the option to change reading books on a Monday as well. 

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 each day and encouraging them to take ownership of their timetable is a key skill which will eventually make your life easier! 

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 practice these in the car, walking to the shop, whilst having dinner, absolutely anywhere! They will also have a Numbots account and later a Times Table Rock Starts account they could use at home. 

Homework:

Half-termly Project

At the beginning of each half term the children will receive a menu with project ideas linked to our big questions. These tasks are designed as a way for the children to deepen their understanding and share their learning with you at home. Projects are shared at the end of each half term and give the children a fantastic opportunity to present their learning to their peers.

Weekly Assignment
A short manageable weekly task, designed to help rehearse a skilled linked to our current learning, will be sent home in their homework books on Fridays to be returned by the following Thursday (they can bring their books in sooner and put them in the homework box). The tasks will normally alternate between a maths and an english task. Team points are awarded to the children for completing their homework.  

How can I contact you?

Whether it’s to let me know something small or a need to chat about something more significant please do feel that you can contact me with a message on Compass or catch me in the morning or at pick up on the door. If you have an urgent message, for example a change to who is picking up, then I suggest a call to the office is the best option as I don’t always see my compass messages when I am teaching.

Elli Armshaw