Welcome to Woodpecker Class!

'Embracing the Fullness of Life'

John 10:10 "I am come, that they might have life, and that they might have it abundantly."

We are a class of 26 Year 2 children in Woodpecker Class.  Our teachers are Mrs Llewellyn, Monday - Thursday and Mr Halford on a Friday. Our Teaching Assistants are Mrs England (Monday - Wednesday) and Mrs Bagwell (Wednesday - Friday). We are lucky to have a beautiful classroom in the main building above the hall.  

We are encouraged to be as independent as possible, from sorting out our own book bags, changing our own reading books and putting away snacks, to selecting resources to support our own learning.

We are very lucky to have caring parents who support us at home with our learning. We have a learning wall in the classroom to celebrate our fantastic work at home and school. 

Woodpecker classroom is always busy and we love to try new things.  We are looking forward to more exciting learning and adventures this term!  

Welcome back to the new Year 2s! I hope you all had a wonderful summer - filled with memories.  

The children have settled in brilliantly this week and are already looking like Year 2s. They have worked on rules for the classroom and following the school rules and understand that rules are there to help us learn, be safe and happy.

This half term we are learning to write instructions through the unit ' Chocolate Cake' by Michael Rosen.

For the next week children are being immersed in the book 'The Dot' By Peter Reynolds - 'Vashti thinks she can’t draw. But her teacher is sure that she can. She knows that there’s creative spirit in everyone, and encourages Vashti to sign the angry dot she makes in frustration on a piece of paper. This act makes Vashti look at herself a little differently, and helps her discover that where there’s a dot there’s a way… With wit, charm and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds encourages even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark – and follow where it takes us'. Watch out for a gallery of wonderful art in the next couple of weeks.

In English, we have successfully rolled out the Jane Considine program – ‘The Write Stuff.’  The program has transformed the way we teach writing, providing a step-by-step framework to convert children into successful writers with an abundance of new vocabulary, grammar and techniques of writing. (Please see our class webpages for more details).  To start the term, the children will be writing instructional writing based around 'Tell Me a Dragon'.  

As professionals we are always looking to improve our approaches to teaching and with this is mind we have been involved in a Maths Hub Program this academic year.  It is funded by the Department for Education and coordinated by the Nation Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and is supporting us to establish teaching for mastery approaches so that all children develop deep knowledge, understanding and confidence and are well prepared for the KS2 mathematics curriculum.  The positive attitude to mathematics in the classroom is almost palpable and as a result children are thriving in this subject.  

If we have learnt anything over the last few years, it is the importance of well-being and mental health in our young children and the need to embed good practices to support them into the culture and ethos of everyday school life.  With this in mind we have been pleased to have been using a whole-school approach to PSHE/Health and well-being through the Jigsaw program which has an emphasis on emotional literacy and resilience.

Weekly homework will consist of:

• Reading regularly is crucial to children's progress and outcomes. Children are encouraged to take ownership of changing their book. This encourages them to make choices about what they want to read, as well as instil a love of reading.
• Spellings - just will have spellings given to them every 2 weeks. Please have fun with the spellings, we don't want children to feel anxious about spelling. Play matching games with them, spell them incorrectly and get your child to correct them for you, put post it notes around the house, put them into sentences. This is not a race - we want them to be secure with their spellings, this includes them spelling the words correctly within their writing. 
• Mathletics - please access mathletics regularly. I would love to see everyone receive mathletic certificates (see link below).
• Topic related - occasionally I will ask the children to do some research at home, related to our topic.
• Finally - play outside, make a den, ride your bike, climb a tree and just be a child!! 

Children are expected to read little and often. Studies show that reading for pleasure makes a big difference to children’s educational performance. 

Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.

In fact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.  Sharing a book with your child should be a pleasurable experience, never force a child to read.....we want them to love reading. Read a book to them, if they are reluctant, let them see you reading for pleasure. The most important thing is you have fun. Some ideas to encourage a love of books:

• visit the library
• make up stories
• get children to tell you a story
• just look at the pictures in a book and describe what you can see
• make a tent and read books together
• let them see you reading 
• have a special time where you share books