Year 2, 2025

Welcome to the 2025 school year!  We hope you had an enjoyable break! Please take the time to read the IMPORTANT information below to support your Year 2 child’s learning.

We also ask that you keep informed and action requests as they are posted to the Compass News Feed throughout the year.

SMART Spelling

To support our whole school SMART Spelling approach, your child will bring home a spelling sheet each Monday in their communication folder to be stuck in their home spelling book. 

Please ensure your child writes their spelling words daily under the relevant day and help your child to learn these words and their meanings throughout the week in preparation for their spelling test each Friday. 

Your child is encouraged to complete at least two activities per week from the ‘Spelling Activities’ or ‘Work on Words’ sheets that are stuck in the front of their home spelling book. 

Please:

• Ensure your child writes their spelling words daily under the relevant day

• Help your child to learn these words and their meanings throughout the week, in preparation for their spelling test each Friday

• Ensure your child completes at least two spelling activity with their selected words each week in their home spelling book

• Please remember that your child's home spelling book remains at home.

Nessy

This year we will be using the online Nessy Reading and Spelling platform. Nessy Reading and Spelling is an effective resource that covers 5 school years of literacy development, from Year 2. 

The program begins with systematic synthetic phonics which has been proven to be the best way to instruct early readers. 

As literacy skills develop, students advance to instruction in spelling, morphology, vocabulary and comprehension. The students will be accessing this platform at school. Each student learns independently and at their own pace, gradually building confidence. 

The program starts with an assessment that identifies exactly where the student needs help, then guides them through an individualised learning plan. 

Home Reading 

Commencing during term 1, your child will bring home several books in their green reading bag with their reading diary on a Monday. This is where you will record the books your child will be reading at home. We would like the journal to stay in your child’s green reading bag with their take home books and be brought to school each day. Your child will bring home 2 books at a time and will be given the opportunity to change their books on a regular basis. We are aware that some books will take longer to complete and may be read over several nights. 

It is expected that your child reads as often as possible both orally to an adult and to themselves if possible. Please record the title of the book and a small comment on their reading in their reading diary to assist us in monitoring your child’s reading frequency. 

A teacher will listen to your child read throughout the term and keep their own record of their progress. 

It is important that your child reads their take home books frequently to consolidate expression, fluency, pausing, self-correction and their comprehension. Your child should experience success reading these books and not find them challenging. We want your child’s home reading to be a positive and enjoyable experience. Remember to ask your child questions about the story and ask them to retell the story in his/her own words to enhance comprehension. 

Encourage fluency and expression when reading and point out punctuation ensuring they are pausing and taking a breath at the end of a sentence. It is important to read to your child regularly to model good reading and promote enjoyment. 

Communication Folder

Commencing this week, your child will bring home their clear plastic pouch which we use as our communication folder. This will be used for home/school communication between teachers and parents and for sending home students work. 

The communication folder needs to be returned to school every day. 

Mangahigh

Through a combination of A.I. driven adaptive quizzes and engaging games, Manga High is guaranteed to keep the students engaged and keen to learn mathematics. Teachers will assign students activities which they will complete during maths sessions and at home. 

Log in details will be sent home in the coming weeks.

Essential Assessment

An online differentiated and personalised assessment tool known as 'Essential Assessment' is used in Years 1 - 6 to deliver a whole school approach to formative and summative assessments in Maths. Essential Assessment is aligned with the curriculum and allows students to grow their knowledge at their own pace.

Curriculum/Units of Inquiry

Throughout the year students will explore six transdisciplinary themes, through Units of Inquiry. Mathematics and English require elements of explicit teaching but may also have a focus through inquiry. Humanities, Science, Health, Technologies and Civics are studied through inquiry learning. 

In the process the students will be challenged to explore, research, question, predict and solve problems. Inquiry engages students actively in their own learning.

Units of Inquiry will be posted on Compass along with 'Curriculum News' updates to keep you informed.

Specialist Programs

A timetable of your child's Specialist times has been posted on Compass, please ensure you have printed a copy and placed it in a visible area.  Please support your child and ensure they have the appropriate items on the correct day.

Information on our 2024 Specialist Programs (Japanese, PE, Art, Music and Library), including a timetable is available on Compass.

A ‘Specialist News’ update will also be provided each term via Compass.

Homework

Special Dates

Term 1

‘Meet & Greet’ opportunity - February (times to be advised)

School Photos -  Monday 3 March

Term 2

Parent Teacher Interviews - TBA

Semester Report - June

Year 2 Swimming - Monday 8 - Thursday 18 September

Term 3

Student Led Conferences - TBA

Term 4

Semester Report – December

Compass

Ongoing feedback will also be provided throughout the year via Compass Learning Tasks.

Contacting your Teachers

Notes may be passed directly to your classroom teacher via the Reader/ Multi purpose bag or you can send an email (marked to the attention of your child’s teacher) to:

beaumaris.north.ps@education.vic.gov.au 

Informal discussions may be arranged upon request at any time throughout the year to discuss specific issues however please be assured that we will contact you should we have any concerns.

Finally...

Don’t forget to check out our A-Z Parent Guide - this (along with loads of other information!) can be accessed on our comprehensive website.

We encourage you to get involved by discussing your child’s school day, offering to assist classroom programs and attending our school events - it’s going to be a great year!

Kind regards

The Year 2 Team

Tania Maxwell, Melissa Ball, Melissa Werry & Jen Lee

Beaumaris North Primary School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School authorised to teach the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and provides the framework for implementing the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum. 

The IB Primary Years Programme is an innovative international programme of teaching and learning that focuses on the development of the whole child and fosters a positive attitude to learning. The PYP strives towards developing internationally minded students who demonstrate the attributes of the IB Learner Profile. Accordingly, at BNPS we aim to educate inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring students, who are encouraged to ask challenging questions, critically reflect, and take responsible action.