Year 2 Report

End of Term 1. 

Wow! It is hard to believe that we are at the end of Term 1. The Grade 2 students settled in well and have been active in all areas of their learning.  

Congratulations to the three students pictured above, Ali Raza (2B), Duncan Arthur (2C) and Ibrahim Alagha (2A) for being selected by their peers to represent Grade 2 on the RPPS Student Action Team. We look forward to hearing about and assisting with the school improvements via the Student Action Team throughout the year. 

MATHS

Throughout Term 1, students worked on establishing, practicing and extending their numeracy skills. They investigated skip counting patterns, identified numbers before and after in patterns; read, wrote and made 2-digit and 3-digit numbers and demonstrated their knowledge of place value by using concrete materials, e.g. bundling sticks. Mathematical concepts were practiced using video clips with songs and rhymes, by playing games with a partner or in a small group, discussions of student problem solving strategies and understandings. Maths lessons are often busy and noisy, which students and teachers alike enjoy, as the learning is interactive and fun!  

FAMILY MATHS NIGHT

Great to see some of our Grade 2 students and their family members at this well organised event Thursday 11th March. 

READING

Our students have engaged with many great examples of literature this term, exploring narratives worked in the traditional style of Fairy Tales and others that have supported development in the areas of prediction, sequencing, retelling stories and identifying descriptive language in relation to characters, the setting of the story and engaging the reader.

Students have been working on developing their independent reading stamina, by following a number of agreed expectations to ensure they focus on their own reading goals during this specific time and have achieved fifteen minutes, uninterrupted so far.

All our students really enjoyed the books that we read as a class or they read individually at school. Please continue to support your child's literacy skill development by reading to or with them each day or by providing them with access to audio books, songs or rhymes to further develop their language and vocabulary. 

WRITING 

In our writing lessons this term, students demonstrated their creative thinking whilst sharing ideas during whole class brainstorming activities. Picture prompts and descriptive vocabulary were used to encourage students to follow the features of a narrative and develop their own writing, showing character traits, appearance, various settings where the stories happened, problems the characters had to overcome and what those solutions were. Other areas covered during writing lessons, included editing skills to correct and enhance the author's work, spelling and grammar, the correct use of punctuation and handwriting skills. 

The link between reading and writing was further supported by the use of narrative texts based on Fairy Tales or Fables throughout the term across these lessons.  

INQUIRY

Students have enjoyed demonstrating their knowledge of how to be healthy and safe throughout this term via various activities during our Inquiry lessons. They looked at everyday activities that are undertaken by children and families and were able to identify those that were safe or unsafe. Students discussed the many aspects of life that contribute to being healthy and safe, including; eating healthy food, moving their body everyday by exercising or playing, getting enough rest and sleep, looking after your wellbeing using mindfulness breathing, having some quiet time, listening to soothing music or being in the outdoors enjoying nature. Students devised their own healthy lunch box and catergorised different foods by completing art based activities. Scenarios about keeping yourself safe in the community or at home were looked at and students explained their understandings about how to get help if required and who the people are in the community that provide help. 

REMINDERS

• School starts at 8:50 and finishes at 3:10 - please make sure you are on time.
• Please provide, fruit snack, lunch and recess snack each day.
• Taps are on but a water bottle each day is recommended for use in class. 
• Use the SENTRAL app to notify the school of any absence.
• Take Home Reading - students are encouraged to bring their take home reading bag back to school every day and swap their book over.

Wishing all our students and their families, a safe and restful holiday. 

See you in Term 2! 

The Grade 2 Team

Donna Oram-Parkinson, Bianca Janakievski, Fiona Briggs and Kerry Hurley.