Year Two

Dear Year 2 Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 4! Our final term of the year. We hope you enjoyed a restful break—it was wonderful hearing the children’s holiday stories. Over the past fortnight, students engaged in rich learning across Reading, Writing, Maths and Inquiry.

READING

In Reading, students explored the features of non-fiction texts. They learned how a table of contents, an index and a glossary help locate information, and how bold print highlights key ideas. They then applied these skills to gather facts and ask questions using short texts connected to our class novel and our place-based focus on Australian environments—especially The Coorong (South Australia), its landscapes, flora and fauna.

WRITING

In Writing, students studied narrative structure and elements, organising ideas into clear paragraphs. They revised and edited their drafts, used capital letters where needed, and strengthened sentences with precise nouns and descriptive adjectives. Building on Inquiry, they also investigated different materials and their purposes, then justified their choices in concise explanatory paragraphs.

MATHS

In Maths, students worked with fractions—halves, quarters and eighths. They identified why equal parts matter, labelled numerators and denominators, shaded shapes to represent parts of a whole, and recognised useful equivalences such as 1/2 = 2/4 = 4/8. They then shifted to maps, locations and directions, interpreting simple maps, using positional language, and following and giving directions to solve practical challenges.

INQUIRY

In Inquiry, students began with provocations to spark curiosity about materials—their origins, uses and the properties that make them fit for purpose. They compared materials closely, considering features such as strength, flexibility and waterproofing to determine which were best suited to particular tasks, and linked their conclusions to their written justifications. We also invited students—and, in turn, our Year 2 families—to collect and send in clean, dry 1.25 L and 1.5 L plastic bottles, along with clean, dry, crumb-free non-recyclable wrappers, to support the final product of our Inquiry unit.

REMINDERS

- EXCURSION YEAR 2: Monday 27 October: IMAX Melbourne Museum. Departure at 8:40am; please ensure punctual arrival for roll at 8:20am. Students should bring snacks and lunch in a named bag with class, plus a drinking bottle. Students should wear full academic uniform, appropriate for the weather.

- Students are expected to bring their satchel every day, with take-home reading books, reading journal and homework book.

- Students are also expected to bring their iPad to school every day fully charged, as well as a water bottle.

- Doors open at 8:20am; classes start at 8:30am. Students arriving after 8:40am will require a late pass from the office. Dismissal is at 2:50pm.

- If your child is absent, please ensure the reason is entered onto XUNO.

- No Hat No Play: Students are reminded to wear their bucket hats (not caps) when outside the class at recess and lunch times.

Warm regards, 

Year 2 Team