Year 1

We have had engaging and practical art lessons, inspired by Henry Mattise, where we explored how to use different skills such as tearing, layering and making cutouts to complete our own artwork building on our skills from week to week. In geography, we have been revisiting the four seasons and describing the different types of weather in each season. Using their knowledge of the countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom, we compared the weather in Richmond in all seasons to the weather in other areas of the United Kingdom. We have been investigators and used our skills to explore different everyday materials in science. We applied our learning to identify different objects that are made from more than one type of material. We used our senses to describe how objects would look and feel using keywords as hard, soft, bendy, flexible, bumpy and transparent. We have been consolidating our numbers within 20 by looking at the composition of teen numbers, how many tens and ones in each number. Progressing to comparing numbers to twenty using the key symbols, more than, less than and equal to. This week, we are moving on to addition and learning to count on from the bigger number. We have used resources such as a number line, Numicon, and cubes. We have explored other ways of adding as well, for example using our number bond knowledge to 10 to help with adding to 20.  During their last week of the book, Yeti and the Bird the children planned, wrote and published their own booklets about Yeti - our first attempt to write our own first person narrative!  On Friday, they proudly visited Year 2 to share their stories. This week we have immersed ourselves in our exciting new book, ‘The Tiny Seed’, exploring the journey of the seed and what happens during each season.

        

        

w/b 20.01.25

Keywords: tens, ones, comparing, greater than, less than, equal to, publish, first person, mouse, tracking pad, screen, keyboard, tearing, layering, collage, weather

Sounds: kn, ph, a-e, i-e

               pull, push, full

 

w/b 27.01.25

Keywords: addition, counting on,  number bonds to 20, materials, senses, hard, soft, bendy, flexible, bumpy and transparent, seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, cutouts, collage, storm 

Sounds: o-e, u-e, e-e, are

             they, there, where

 

Messages: 

• Please ensure your child brings their reading folders in with their reading record, books and homework books on Mondays. 
• The reading record should be signed by an adult five times. 
• All hair needs to be tied up - not half up and half down, it needs tying completely back. 
• Please ensure your child has a book bag - we cannot safely house rucksacks due to our limited space.

 

Dates: 

• 3rd and 4th February at 3.30pm Phonics Screening information talk in Diamond class for all year 1 grownups - please attend one of the sessions.
• 31st January: International day - children can wear their own clothes that represent where they are from. 
• Trip to Richmond museum - please provide your child with a packed lunch and comfortable shoes to walk in. 
  • Diamond class: 6th February 
  • Amber: 7th February 
  • Sunstone: 12th February

 

Year 2

This week, Year 2 has continued to embark on exciting learning adventures, full of exploration and creative expression! In English, we’ve ventured further into our text, ‘The Dragon Machine’ and discovered The Great Wilderness - home to the dragons. We’ve used prepositions to describe this mysterious land and onomatopoeia to create atmosphere. The children have used ambitious adjectives and -ness nouns (e.g. darkness, calmness, stillness) to describe the dragons’ wild new home. In maths, we’ve been focusing on money, learning how to make different amounts using coins. Some of the children found counting in 2s, 5s, 10s and 20s up to £1 a bit tricky, so we encourage some extra practice at home to build confidence and fluency in this area. Our science lessons have taken us to the frozen world of polar habitats. We’ve learned that while some animals, like narwhals and seals, thrive in these cold conditions, plants cannot survive due to the frozen ground and lack of rainfall. The children could remember their Year 1 geography learning and enthusiastically reminded their teachers that polar bears and penguins do not live together! In geography, we’ve been thinking about the purpose of different buildings and discussing how we would plan for future buildings in Richmond. We ranked buildings in terms of importance and thought about what our town might need in the future. What buildings would we create if we were in charge? Do we need more leisure buildings? More places of worship? Or perhaps more retail? Our art lessons have continued to be inspired by the vibrant work of Keith Haring. The children have planned their own pieces based on his iconic style and are excited to bring their creations to life in the coming days! Finally, we are gearing up for our Class Assemblies, and the children are buzzing with excitement to share what they’ve been learning with you all. It’s going to be a fantastic celebration of their hard work and we hope you can all make it! 

We can’t wait to see what next week brings as Year 2 continues to shine!

   

                

w/b 27.01.25

Keywords: money, coins, pence, pound, value, amount, prepositions, onomatopoeia, purpose, retail, leisure, place of work, place of worship, polar, permafrost 

Literacy focus: turning adjectives into nouns using the suffix -ness

Numeracy focus: check your child can count to 100 in 2s, 5s, 10s and 20s. They learnt this skill in Y1 but it appears some have forgotten

 

w/b 02.02.25

Keywords: more, less, compare, amount, setting, blubber, survive, camouflage

Literacy focus: prepositions to add detail

Numeracy focus: making amounts using coins. Can your child make £1 and 40p? We haven’t yet introduced the ‘.’ (e.g £1.40) so we are asking children to use ‘and’.

 

Messages: 

• Thank you to those who have helped with International Day

• We are looking for volunteers to support our reading efforts. If you are able to give some time to hear children read, please let us know. 

• Just a reminder- hair needs to be tied up. 

• Maths money games for children to practise fluency: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=money

 

Dates: 

• Assembly
  • 4th February: Turquoise Class Assembly in the big hall @ 9-9.15
  • 5th February: Amethyst Class Assembly in the big hall @ 9-9.15
  • 6th February: Pearl Class Assembly in the big hall @ 9-9.15 
• 3rd or 4th February: phonics screening check talk in Y1 for families who have children who are doing the phonics screening checks. 
• 28th February: Rescheduled yes day
• 7th March: Book Day 
• WB 10th March: family teacher meetings 
• 14th March: Y2 Trip to Bocketts Farm
• 18th March: Year 2 Trunk Theatre * Great Fire of London *