Dear Parents and Children,

Welcome to Terms 5 and 6 at Borough Green Primary School.

Learning Curriculum

Maths:

We will be following the strands contained within the National Curriculum for Maths for years 1 and 2. Year 1 are kicking off with place value and the children will be learning about numbers up to 50. They will be introduced to multiplication and division. Year 2 have just started fractions and will be learning about fractions of numbers as well as shapes. Later in the terms both year groups will be learning about length, capacity, weight and time.

Literacy:

Both year groups are starting the term off with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. They will hear different versions and eventually write their own alternative version. Year 1 will be focusing on suffixes –ed, -ing, and –er and then plurals. Year 2 are developing their understanding of story structure in writing and are trying hard to write more complex sentences. Later in the term we will be looking at stories with a moral, such as Aesops Fables. We will also be learning how to write a personal recount. We will continue to work on correct letter formation and many of year 2 will be joining their writing in a more fluent style. Year 1 will continue with the Little Wandle phonics programme. They will be undertaking the National Phonics Screening in June. Year 2 will be reading a wide range of texts this year and focusing on the year 2 spelling requirements of the National Curriculum.

History:

We will be finding out about the history of our school and the locality and also learning about what school was like in Victorian England. The children will consider how school has changed over time and finally decide if they would prefer to go to school nowadays or in the past. Science: Children will be learning about wild and garden plants by exploring the local environment. They will identify and describe the basic parts of plants and observe how they change over time. They will also study animals and learn about animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and invertebrates. They will identify and describe their common structures, diets, and how animals should be cared for.

RE:

We will be exploring what it means to belong to a faith community. Art: Our project in Art is called Streetview. This project teaches children about artwork depicting streets and buildings and focuses on the work of the American pop artist, James Rizzi. The children will create a 3-D mural based on Rizzi's work.

DT:

Chop, Slice and Mash is the name of our project. This project teaches children about sources of food and the preparatory skills of peeling, tearing, slicing, chopping, mashing and grating. They will use this knowledge and techniques to design and make a supermarket sandwich according to specific design criteria.

Computing:

We will be learning about data and information with a focus on pictograms and the digital writing.

 

Homework

In terms of reading, your child will visit the school library each week where they will be given a free choice and bring home one library book each. Year 1 and some of Year 2 will welcome to Terms 5 and 6. Year 1 and Year 2 continue to read their Little Wandle Big Cat ebooks. Most Year 2 children, will be bringing home an Accelerated Reader. Children on Accelerated Reader need to ensure they are really familiar with their book before returning it and completing a quiz. We recommend they read picture books three times before returning them. This would not be the expectation for children on higher levels who are reading longer chapter books. All children have a Reading Record book which we ask you to comment in each time you hear them read. We love to hear your comments and value your feedback.

In terms 5 and 6 we will continue to send home a homework activity for each week. The activities will relate to what the children are learning in school. We hope they enjoy doing them! We had a fabulous response to last term’s homework activities and the children have loved showing their work in their classes and in our whole school celebration assembles. Thank you for all your support with this.

Wellies

Please can you ensure your child has a named pair of wellies in school as we will be venturing outside when weather watching.  We have racks in school for their safe storage.

PE

All Year 1 and 2 classes will have outdoor PE on a Monday. Year 1 will continue with swimming lessons on a Wednesday and Year 2 will have their lessons on a Tuesday. Swimming finishes at the end of term 5. Indoor PE will resume for both year groups on a Tuesday at the start of term 6. Year 1 and 2 children will come into school in their PE kits on their PE days.. Hair must be tied back and earrings removed or protected with tape during PE sessions. I would just remind parents/carers that staff are not able to remove and replace earrings.

Please ensure your child has the correct PE kit as follows:

Trainers or plimsolls

House colour T-shirt

White or Black PE shorts

Green track suit bottoms or black skins underneath the white shorts maybe worn for outdoor games in cold weather. Skins must not be worn without white shorts over the top.

All items of uniform need to be clearly marked with your child's name

Uniform

Uniform promotes a sense of belonging and equality. We expect our children to demonstrate pride in their appearance and respect for the school uniform. Please ensure your child is in correct uniform at all times.

We expect our children to demonstrate pride in their appearance and respect for the school uniform.

Grey tailored trousers or shorts

Grey skirt, pinafore dress

White shirt/polo shirt

White short-sleeved shirt/blouse

School bottle green round neck/V-neck sweatshirt or sweatshirt fabric cardigan

School tie (optional)

Black tights

Grey socks (white socks can be worn with dresses)

Green checked dress

Black shoes

Children should be well- presented and their white shirt/polo shirt must be tucked in at all times.

Children must wear sensible black shoes to school, NOT TRAINERS or BOOTS.

Makeup and nail varnish are not permitted. Excessive hair accessories or extreme hairstyles or colour are also not permitted.

No jewellery except for one, small, stud earring allowed in each ear.

Analogue watches are encouraged but SMART watches are not allowed.

Many items are available from the school office. To order uniform please click on the link https://www.brigade.uk.com/parents/  or visit the uniform section on our website.

The Parent and Teachers’ Association also runs an excellent second-hand uniform shop on site.

School helpers

We are always very grateful for any help with reading, art activities etc. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact the school office in order that a DBS check can be completed. This also applies to any grandparents who wish to get involved too.

Lunch boxes and snacks

If your child has a packed lunch please make sure that you are providing a healthy lunchbox (see below for ideas). If you choose to send in a playtime snack please send only fruit and/or vegetables. Please note we have a child who has a peanut allergy so please do not send in any foods that contain nuts.

Book Bags, Pencil Cases and Water Bottles

A few children are still bringing rucksacks into school. Just a reminder that children must use a school book bag as we do not have the space to accommodate rucksacks etc.  Rucksacks are also causing the locker doors to break. Children rarely need to bring anything into school that requires larger bags and we will let you know when they are.  At such times a plastic bag will suffice. Please do not send a pencil case into school, as items get easily lost.

Mrs Austen    (Year 1 Myrtle class teacher)          

Mrs Wibroe   (Year 2 Bay class teacher/KS1phase leader)