Year 2 Celebration  Newsletter

Reading

Our reading journey continued to be an exciting adventure this term as we explored a range of rich mentor texts. Two of our favourites were Bowerbird Blues and The Pigeon Needs a Bath. These books allowed us to delve deeply into our prior knowledge, make connections, analyse text features, and answer questions using evidence directly from the text.

A significant focus has been on the "Big 6" components of reading. We have been working hard to improve our fluency both in pairs and in small teacher groups, ensuring we read accurately, at a good pace, and with expression. This, in turn, has helped us better comprehend what we are reading.

Every morning, we look forward to our Heggerty sessions, where we practice our phonemic awareness, making us better readers each day.

Writing

In writing, we've been exploring the persuasive genre. Our young authors have written book reports to persuade their peers to read their favourite books. They've also chosen their own topics to craft persuasive pieces, with some writing letters to Miss Kathy to persuade her around topics such as getting new playgrounds, having longer break times, and not wearing uniforms. When writing, we've been focusing on legible writing with consistent sizing and have been exploring emotive language and imperatives to support our persuasive writing – with our goal being to appeal to emotions and reason effectively.

Mathematics

Math in Grade 2 has been filled with hands-on learning experiences. We've been measuring mass and length, collecting and graphing data, and introducing additive concepts. Students have set personal math goals using our school's math community framework. They've been mastering ways to make numbers up to 9, and once confident, they move on to more advanced goals like skip counting by 3s.

Wellbeing

We have been learning about stress, how our bodies react to it, and how to manage it. Through engaging activities, students worked towards developing a definition of stress, recognizing how stress is felt in their body, and identifying experiences that cause stress. We have also explored being mindful, creating a mindfulness jar, and looked at being in others' shoes, developing empathy by learning to understand how others are feeling.

Inquiry - Water Works

Students have been developing an understanding of water as a precious natural resource. They explored how water is used, where it comes from, and the importance of using it responsibly. This unit has sparked curiosity and a sense of responsibility towards conserving water.

We are so proud of all the hard work and enthusiasm our Grade 2 students have shown. Thank you, parents, for your continuous support and encouragement!

Japanese

This term in Japanese, the Grade 1 students applied their prior knowledge of numbers to various activities through the Unit “When is your Birthday?”. They participated in games and sang songs to learn the months of the year. The students completed a booklet to encourage their reading and writing of Japanese characters. They also built on their speaking and listening skills through making sentences stating their age and when their birthday is. Students also learnt about cultural events in Japan such as Ohanami and  Children’s Day.

Performing Arts

During Term 2, Grade Two students explored the concept of pitch in music, discovering high and low sounding notes on a musical scale. Using xylophones and ‘Boomwhakers’ they worked as a team to follow basic music and played along with simple songs. In teams, they also composed their own short pieces to perform and proudly shared them with their peers.

PE

In Grade 2 PE classes, students continued to build on their fundamental movement skills through fun and interactive activities. They engaged in more structured games and sports, learning basic rules and teamwork. Students also explored concepts like spatial awareness and developed social skills through cooperative play.

Visual Arts

This term, students in Year 2 continued to explore new materials and techniques to create works of art. They used a range of materials such as acrylic and watercolour paint, markers, coloured pencils, as well as paper and cardboard. They studied the work of famous artists as they followed their ideas and styles when creating their own art. Students learned more about colour, using the colour wheel to make skillful choices about complementary colours. Students worked alongside a community artist as they created their own original canvas art for our upcoming Art Show. They worked towards being courageous artists who gave new techniques a try, and they worked safely in the art room. It has been a sensational term in the Visual Arts room.