Year 2 News
What Have We Been Up To In Year 2?
The students have had a wonderful start to the school year. They are settled and adapting to Year 2 routines. The students have been engaged in their learning, and we have already created some beautiful displays of their learning.
Wellbeing Weeks
A Time for Connection and Kindness
The first two weeks of term were dedicated to Wellbeing Weeks, where students participated in fun and meaningful activities to connect with one another and reflect on their feelings.
One of the highlights was the Ball of String Activity, where students formed a circle in a large space. The teacher started by sharing a few sentences about themselves. For example, "I love to read books" or "I enjoy playing soccer." If another student could say the same thing about themselves, they would respond with "Same Here!" Then, they would pass the ball of string to that student, while still holding on to a strand of wool. This continued as each student took a turn to speak, creating a beautiful web of connections throughout the group. It was a wonderful way for students to discover common interests and build stronger friendships.
Another touching activity was Have You Filled a Bucket Today? which encouraged students to think about kindness and how they can make others feel good. Students learned that everyone carries an invisible "bucket" that can be filled with positive actions, kind words, and helpful deeds. The activity inspired students to be kind to others and think about how their actions can brighten someone’s day.
Lastly, the Kindness Tree activity was a favourite! Each student wrote down a way to be kind on a heart-shaped paper and added it to the tree. It was amazing to see how many thoughtful and kind ideas filled the branches. Whether it was helping a friend, saying something nice, or sharing a smile, the Kindness Tree grew stronger with each act of kindness. Wellbeing Weeks gave everyone the chance to reflect on the importance of being kind and supportive, both to ourselves and to others. We look forward to carrying these positive practices throughout the term and beyond!
Our Literacy Learning
We kicked off the term with an exciting Holiday Writing Activity using a fun camera template. Students wrote about their summer holidays, sharing all the wonderful things they did, from trips to the beach to fun adventures at home. This activity gave the students a chance to reflect on their holidays and practice their writing skills in a creative way. In addition, we completed an All About Me activity, where students shared details about themselves, allowing everyone to get to know each other better.
This was a great way to build connections in the class while developing important writing skills.
Another enjoyable part of our literacy learning has been Choral Reading. Students have loved reading aloud together as a class, helping to improve their fluency and confidence. They have been learning not only to read the text but also to comprehend what they are reading. We have been focusing on answering literal comprehension questions to ensure students understand the key ideas and details of the stories.
One of the highlights was when students wrote letters to each other, which they shared with the class. It was a lovely way to practice both writing and communication skills while making meaningful connections with classmates.
Our Year 2 Essential Agreement
As a Year 2 cohort, we came together to create our Year Level Essential Agreement, which helps guide how we will work and play together in our classroom. Under the headings of CARE, EMPATHY, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, and TRUST, we agreed on how we want to behave and treat one another.
CARE: We will care for our friends, teachers, classroom, and the school by being principled, kind, sharing, helping others, and looking after our belongings. This helps create a happy and safe environment for everyone.
EMPATHY: We will show empathy by being reflective and trying to understand how others might be feeling. We know that listening to others and thinking about their feelings helps us be kind and supportive.
RESPECT: We will respect our teachers, other students, and our school by looking after our belongings, listening in class, and using our manners. Respecting everyone helps make our classroom a place where all ideas are valued.
RESPONSIBILITY: We are responsible for our learning by making good choices, being principled, and taking ownership of our actions. We know that taking responsibility helps us learn and grow.
TRUST: We can trust others and others can count on us to be honest, open-minded, and to show integrity. Trusting each other makes our class a safe space to share ideas and work together.
This agreement will help us create a positive, caring, and respectful environment where everyone can thrive!
Acknowledgement of Country
As part of our learning about respect and belonging, we read the book We Are Australians.
At its heart, an Acknowledgement of Country is a formal recognition of the First Nations peoples’ custodianship of the land and a show of respect for their cultures and traditions. After discussing its meaning, our students brainstormed ideas and created their own Acknowledgement of Country.
Each student traced their hand on a piece of coloured paper, representing their unique contribution to the class's message of respect and understanding. On our poster, they added important words like belonging, respect, traditions, nature, trust, and generations. This collaborative activity allowed students to reflect on the significance of the land and the people who have cared for it for thousands of years. Together, we created a beautiful and meaningful visual reminder of the values that are important to us as a class.
Unit of Inquiry
How we express ourselves
Our first Unit of Inquiry this term is all about How We Express Ourselves. Our central idea for this unit is “Communication is influenced by feelings and emotions”. The first step was to get into groups and unpack our central idea. The students worked in small groups to brainstorm definitions for each word and then came together as a group to discuss their understanding of the central idea.
The students have really enjoyed exploring their feelings and emotions through the characters from the Inside Out movie. By learning about the characters representing joy, sadness, anger, disgust, and fear, students have been able to better understand their own emotions and how they affect the way we communicate with others.
As part of this unit, we have been learning strategies to manage our emotions in a healthy way. Last week, the students created their own video, sharing what makes them happy and how they express their joy. It was a fun and meaningful activity, allowing the students to reflect on their own feelings and learn from each other. We hope you enjoy viewing their video and celebrating the ways they express their happiness! We hope it makes you SMILE!!!!
Cyber Safety Incursion
On Monday our Year 2 students participated in a Cyber Safety incursion. The students learnt about how to recognise when it is time to break a break online, why it is important to think about how they feel when online, what healthy habits help them to keep their battery charged and what S.T.A.R.T. stands for. The students were learning good habits to be independent with technology.
The students identified 6 healthy ways to keep their own battery charges.
Get enough sleep
Eat healthy food
Kepp active
Drink water
Take breaks from technology
Spend time with friends and family
