Newsletter

Year 2 - Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

We hope you all had a wonderful long weekend break with your families, whether it was spent on holidays, at sporting tournaments, out bike riding, or relaxing with movies on the couch. Hopefully, there was a little time for rest and reset too.

 

It’s hard to believe we are already in Week 9, with just a few weeks to go before the end of term. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to in Year 2:

 

English

In English, we’ve been busy crafting our very own narratives. Students have been developing characters and settings and learning how to structure a story with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s been wonderful to see their creativity and ideas coming to life on the page.

We have also continued with Little Learners Love Literacy, and we are now working through Stage 7.5. Students are exploring more complex themes and building on their phonics knowledge with growing confidence.

 

Math

In Math, our focus has been on addition and subtraction, and particularly on making connections between the two operations. Students have been using a variety of strategies to solve problems and strengthen their number sense.

 

Inquiry

Our Inquiry unit has had us travelling the world—without leaving the classroom! Students have been exploring different countries, locating them on the map, and discovering interesting facts about their cultures, traditions, and environments. It has sparked a lot of curiosity and excellent questions.

 

Coach Approach

Coach Approach was a big highlight this term! It was fantastic to see the students so engaged in a range of team-based activities. They had a great time developing new skills, working together, and learning the value of cooperation and communication.

 

Show and Tell

This term, our Show and Tell focus has been on book reports, and the class has thoroughly enjoyed listening to each other’s presentations. It’s been great to see students’ speaking and listening skills grow, along with their confidence. Some students have even been inspired to read new books based on their classmates’ recommendations!

 

Friendology

This term, our Year 2 students are focusing on the URSTRONG program, known as Friendology. This program is already being used in our Middle and Senior School.

It’s important to remember that children’s perceptions of friendship can be quite different from those of adults. Research shows that children often just want to be with someone, regardless of how they are treated. Friendology helps students understand what they should expect in a friendship, recognize healthy and unhealthy relationships, navigate challenges, and appreciate their own responsibilities as friends.

The Four Key Facts of Friendology

The program is built around four key facts:

  1. No Friendship is Perfect  Friendships are like roller coasters, with highs and lows. Many children expect friendships to always be happy and perfect, and may panic or feel a friendship is over when problems arise. We teach students that “Friendship Fires” are normal and can be worked through.
  2. All Friendships are Different  Everyone is unique—some friends are closer than others, some share our interests, and some have different ways of expressing themselves. Learning to appreciate these differences helps children build stronger, more respectful connections.
  3. Trust and Respect are Essential  Trust and respect are the foundations of a strong friendship. We help students understand that these qualities go both ways. When trust is broken or boundaries aren’t respected, “Friendship Fires” can occur.
  4. Friendships Change, and That’s Okay  Friendships evolve as we grow and change. Sometimes these changes are mutual, and sometimes they are not. We normalize the mixed emotions that can come with shifting friendships and reassure students that this is a natural part of life.

Friendology not only provides practical strategies for handling friendship challenges, but also reassures students that it’s normal to experience tricky or sad feelings. Through these experiences, children learn more about themselves and their boundaries.

What We’ve Covered So Far in Year 2

  • Week 1: We explored the idea that to be a good friend, we must first take care of ourselves. Our most important “BFF” is ourselves, since friendships may come and go, but we are always with ourselves. We discussed our strengths and how looking after our bodies and minds helps us be better friends.
  • Week 2: We focused on emotions and learned strategies to help us calm down, cheer up, or energize ourselves.
  • Week 3: We practiced making connections and building friendships by having conversations and using positive body language.

We are excited to continue supporting our students as they develop these important life skills. If you’d like to learn more about the URSTRONG Friendology program, you can visit their website where you can join for FREE as a parent to get access to some great resources and articles. website.

 

Thank you for your continued support. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns as we head towards the end of term.

 

Warm regards,

The Year 2 Team