Information for Year 1 and 2
Staff
Mrs J Hazlehurst Heron Class
Miss S Fitzpatrick Flamingo Class
Mrs A Youdan Godetia Class
Miss J McNab Higher Level Teaching Assistantcovering a number of lessons across the classes.
Support Staff
Mrs T Cattrell
Mrs L Madden
Mrs J Connor
Groupings
We set for Numeracy (maths), Literacy and phonics across KS1 according to the objectives the children need to work on. The children’s progress is reviewed regularly and occasionally children may move between sets, this will be discussed with you prior to your child’s move. The sets are as follows:
- Set 1 Mrs Youdan
- Set 2 Miss Fitzpatrick
- Set 3 Mrs Hazlehurst
Homework
Although homework is not compulsory in the primary phase, we do hope you will work with us to promote the benefits of completing tasks to your child.
Homework will be issued weekly from Numeracy and phonic sets to be returned the following week. Levelled reading books can be taken home any day for home reading.
Why do we have homework?
‘At Greenleas we think the homework given out is important to help children develop new skills and advance the ones they already have.’
(Year 6 pupil)
We set homework to reinforce and extend work carried out in school. By developing good homework habits, we believe children will improve their skills of independent learning.
Homework is valuable because it:
ü Supports activities carried out in class and allows preparation for future class work.
ü Provides opportunities for individual work.
ü Allows children to make use of learning resources in the home and community that are not available in school.
ü Helps children to manage their time.
ü Helps parents and carers to become more involved in their child’s schoolwork.
ü Furthers the working partnership between home and school for the benefit of each child.
ü Can be a significant factor in your child reaching their full potential.
Tips to help homework sessions run smoothly:
ü Please try to provide a peaceful place for your child to complete homework tasks. Older children may need to be on their own. Younger children will benefit from the support of an adult.
ü Please do not let your child do their homework in front of the television or leave their homework until the last minute.
ü Praise, encouragement and a display of interest in your child’s homework can go a long way.
What to expect in Years 1 (phased in) and 2 (now)
Home Reader
Children have a levelled reader for home reading. This book is sent home in a bag together with an exercise book for tasks, where appropriate and a Home Reading Record Sheet. This sheet has a ‘comments’ column in which parents and carers can make entries if they wish. Year 2 children will be given a task book and a letter explaining the reading task at the beginning of the Autumn Term. The reading tasks will be phased in where appropriate for the Year 1 children over the year.
We endeavour to check your child’s reading log regularly. Children can change their books as often as they wish from their levelled box. Please ensure your child brings their book bag into school every day.
Library Books
The children will be able to take a book from the box in KS1 weekly to share at home and return it next week in order to change it for another one. In addition to this all children are welcome to use the school library before school every day between 8.40am and 9am to choose a book to take home.
Reading/Spelling (Phonics)
Children will bring home some High Frequency Words to practise both in reading and writing. We will work on these words in school and will send home new words when necessary.
Numeracy (Maths)
The children are set for Numeracy according to their numeracy targets. They will bring home a weekly sheet on a Friday to reinforce work done that week in Numeracy lessons. Please return this to the teacher by the following Friday.
Other Homework
Children may be asked to bring in books, information or objects to support learning in various subjects and may be asked to complete a larger piece of homework over holiday periods such as a diary, or making a book.
At
Completing homework regularly and conscientiously helps your child to do better. Completing homework can be equal to an additional year’s schooling in the primary phase.
Research shows that your interest and involvement in your child’s learning and education is more important than anything else in helping your child fulfil their potential.
‘As parents, you are the people who go on with your child on their learning journey, from the day they are born to the time they become an adult’.
Department for Educational Skills
(Getting the best out of homework, 2003).
Individual Targets
Children will be involved with setting, evaluating and reviewing their targets for Literacy and Numeracy.
SATs
SATs or Statutory Assessment Tasks for Year 2s take place during the Spring term although all the work the children cover across the 2 years plays an important part in the SAT’s. We would particularly ask you to try not to book holidays in the months of May and June, as this is the most intensive time for SAT’s preparation and tests.
· P.E.times
Hollyhocks Tuesday and Thursday
Daisy Monday and Friday
Godetia Tuesday and Friday
Please ensure your child has a pair of named shorts, white t-shirt and pumps in a named bag, which can be left on their peg for the whole half term.
Jewellery
For health and safety reasons children should not wear jewellery or watches for school. If your child wears stud earrings please ensure that they have been taken out on the P.E. days. If this is not possible please send in sticking plasters for your child to place over their earrings for the lessons. Thank you.
Uniform and belongings
Please ensure that all items are named clearly.
We wish to develop a sense of independence in the children so please encourage your child to come into school by themselves in the morning and to place all belongings in the appropriate places. The teacher on duty is happy to pass on any messages you may have for your child’s class teacher or if you prefer you may make an appointment at the school office for a mutually convenient time to speak to the class teacher, we are always willing to do so.
Please encourage your child to take responsibility for collecting belongings such as jumpers, book bags and lunch boxes at the end of the day.
Health Promoting School
Children receive free fruit daily, which is available to them at morning play. If your child wishes to have an afternoon snack please could you send it in a named box/bag. We are a health promoting school and ask that you only send only fruit, vegetables, breadsticks or cheese and not museli type bars, sweets or chocolate bars.
Water is available to the children at all times, although our policy is to wait until the carpet session is over before allowing children to get a drink, as this is a vital part of the teaching and learning time. We encourage children to have a drink at certain times during the day such as after play or P.E.
Rewards and Sanctions
We hold a weekly Good Work assembly on a Friday afternoon. A child from each class is chosen each week to receive the Good Work Bear and Kindness Bear which they can keep at home until the following Thursday. We also share other success such as completing star charts. To celebrate their birthday the children receive a birthday sticker and pencil.
Each child has a star card which when completed with five stickers is converted to one large sticker on their sticker chart. They may take the completed card home. There are three sticker charts, bronze level (cat), silver level (frog) and gold level (stars). When each chart is completed an appropriate level sticker is awarded and they move to the next level. On completion of the gold chart children may take a small prize from the treasure box, they then begin the process again. Stickers are awarded for a number of reasons, for example good work, effort, kindness, good listening or participation in lessons, helpfulness, politeness and homework.
Golden time
Every child is placed in the green zone at the beginning of each day. If a child behaves inappropriately after one warning, their name will be moved into the orange zone and subsequently the red zone if the behaviour continues or another incident occurs which requires them to move zones. Children who remain in the green zone all week are rewarded with ½ hour’s golden time. Golden time consists of a variety of different activities which are not frequently included in the weekly curriculum, such as using specially chosen equipment on the playground, bubbles, using the computer to play selected educational and fun games, playing board games, using the construction/role play areas.
A child who has moved into orange zone will miss 5 minutes of their gold time for that week and children in red zone will miss a proportion of their gold time. On rare occasions, a child who has been persistently in red zone that week would miss all of their golden time.
We have found this system to be very effective. The children quickly understand that poor behaviour has consequences while good behaviour is rewarded.
Help in School
We welcome help in school, this may involve helping in the classroom, listening to readers, accompanying us on local visits, etc. If you are interested is doing so please contact the school office, as we need everyone who works in school to complete a CRB check. We run a successful reading partnership programme, whereby volunteers are trained to deliver a reading programme to individual children within the key stage. If you are interested in taking part in this please contact Mrs Higgerson or Mrs Hazlehurst.
Dinner Money
If you wish your child to have a hot dinner please send in £2.00 in a named envelope or a purse daily or alternatively pay for the week at the school office.
After School Clubs
There may be opportunities throughout the year for your child to join in after school activities. A letter will be sent out giving details when these activities become available.
Please do not hesitate to make an appointment with your child’s teacher if there is anything concerning you or if you would like a chat about general progress or their individual targets. Staff are happy to see you whenever it is convenient to both.
Thank you for supporting you child.
The Key Stage One Team