Year Two

Hello Year Two Families, 

WOW! We are already at the end of week four in our final term of Year Two. The students and staff have started this term full of enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. 

Reading:

In Reading the students have been exploring character traits. Character traits are divided into two areas, the inside traits, and the outside traits. The inside traits explore how the character is feeling, what thoughts they are thinking, what actions they do and what they say. The outside traits are what the character looks like, for example, are they tall or short? Are they a boy or girl? Do they have black or brown hair? They have explored the setting, problems and solutions within the text they are reading and trying to connect with these by making a text-to-self connection. 

Writing:

In Writing students have been exploring how they can describe the setting of a story. They explored how authors use hooks to capture the readers attention and how to use language to help their reader visualise where and when their story is taking place. Students used image stimuli to help generate descriptive phrases they could use in the orientation of their stories. Students also practised editing handwriting pieces to reinforce the conventions of handwriting, such as identifying letters formatted incorrectly, missing punctuation and incorrect letter placement.

Mathematics:

In Mathematics the students have been exploring the concepts of multiplication and division. They continued to investigate the different ways multiplication and division problems can be represented and solved. For example, to solve multiplication problems students practised using strategies such as making equal groups, arrays and repeated addition. 

Inquiry:

In Inquiry the students are continuing our Unit of Inquiry 5 inquiring into transportation within communities. The students have been engaging in a planning and building process. First, they chose if they were going to construct something that flies, drives or floats. Once this decision was made, they began designing what their transport looks like and the special features it has. We continued to source recycled materials and the students constructed their new transport. 

Berry Street Model:

In Term Three staff had the privilege of being trained in the Berry Street model. The Berry Street model is an educator-designed and evidence-led framework that allows teachers to engage further with their students. The Year Two cohort will engage with a lesson each week that will explore emotional self-regulation, exploring what is stress and how it affects each of them, what impacts us to escalate our emotions through escalation maps and ready to learn scales.

The students devised a self-regulation spectrum to visually represent their emotional states at various points. This continuum starts at their most serene moments and extends all the way to when they sense they might lose control. Additionally, the students delved into the art of stress reduction, exploring techniques such as using soothing music and practicing yoga to de-stress.

Reminders:

• Hats must be worn during Term Four during all outdoor activities and during PE classes.
• Water Bottles need to be brought to school each day with fresh water.
• Late arrivals (8:30am onwards) require a late pass from the office.
• If you child is absent, please ensure the reason is entered onto XUNO; if you need support with this please reach out to the office staff or your classroom teacher.