Pathfinders 2

PE in Pathfinders 2

PE days for year 2 are on:

 Mondays and  Fridays - indoor/outdoor 

Children  to come into school wearing suitable  PE kit in school colours (red top, black or navy bottoms, jumpers and plimsoll or blue/black trainers).

Children should not be wearing anything else and all jewellery should be removed.

Thank you

Summer Term

Summer 2   Week 6   18-7-22 to 22-7-22

Last Day at school Thursday 21st July

Children to come into school in normal school uniform or PE kits if they find this cooler. 

We will be watching a film and having some party games.

I will provide some snacks so you do not need to send in any food. 

See you tomorrow

Mrs Barber

Summer 2   Week 5   11-7-22 to 15-7-22

Congratulations to our two acts in North Crescent's Got Talent

Silver winners - Paul and Dominic

Bronze  winners - Toby & Hunter

Well done boys!

Please remember your water bottles and sun hat this week. 

Summer 2   Week 4   4-7-22 to 8-7-22

Tuesday 5th July

Today the children will meet the current Year 3 to compare and discuss the differences between Year 2 and Year 3. (They will also be visited by the current Year 1 who will ask them about being in Year 2). 

We will then go to the year 3 classroom and explore where everything is kept, where the toilets are and where they will be picked up by their parents. They will also complete a Passport to their new class. 

Wednesday 6th July

Today the children  will go to their current year 2 class to be registered and then we will all go into the year 3 class to spend the day there together. Parents to pick up children at the end of the day from Year 3 classroom. (Go round the corner from Year 2 pick up area  and first door on your left).  

Thursday 7th July

Today the children  will go to their current year 2 class to be registered and then into the hall where they will be told their teacher for Year 3. They will then spend the day with their new teacher in the year 3 classroom. Parents to pick up children at the end of the day from Year 3 classroom. (Go round the corner from Year 2 pick up area  and first door on your left).  

Friday 8th July

Today the children  will go straight to their new year 3 classroom and spend the day there with their new year 3 teacher. Parents to pick up children at the end of the day from Year 3 classroom. (Go round the corner from Year 2 pick up area  and first door on your left). 

Summer 2   Week 3   27-6-22 to 1-7-22

Congratulations to the two acts that the children voted for  to take part in North Crescent's Got Talent and to the two acts that are in reserve place ( in case anyone is absent from school). 

Two acts for the day:

Paul -  Singing Dance Monkey

Hunter and Toby - football skills

Two reserve acts:

Jack - Poem 

Alfie - Rugby skills

Thank you very much for coming to see the children's class assembly they were so excited to see you and tell you all about their learning.

Thank you

Thursday 30th June - Class Assembly

2.50pm - Parents are invited to come and see our class assembly in the school hall.

NCPS Transition Week

See previous letter for details

Wednesday 6th July to Friday 8th July - pick up children from new Year 3 classroom. at the end of the day. 

Monday 11th July - Class open evening  3.30-5.00pm

An opportunity for families to speak to staff and look at your child's work. 

Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th July

- Parent Consultations 3.30-5.30pm

10 minute appointments to be booked online in advance. Please speak to the school office if you need any help. 

Summer 2   Week 2   20-6-22 to 24-6-22

MoneySense Workshop

On Friday afternoon we had a visit from a banker who works for Nat West. We showed him that we knew the values of all the coins and the notes. Then he talked about how we get  money and what we spend money on before we looked at setting up our own Smoothie business. We then worked in groups with £25 which we had to spend wisely, ensuring that we had everything we needed to start our business. We then discussed the decisions we had made.  

Sports Day 

The children had a great time on Friday morning, running many different races from space hoppers, egg and spoon, skipping, hoopla to an assault course.  Thank you to all the parents who came to watch and join the children for a picnic afterwards. 

On Wednesday we went to Nottingham for the day.

We started the day with a class competition to see who could find Nottingham on a map of the UK. 

 Dominic was the closest, very closely  followed by Harley.

 Well done to you two. 

Then we visited Portland Square  to see a sundial which was unveiled in April 1995.

A sundial is a device that tells the time when sunlight shines onto its flat plate (a gnomon), which then casts a shadow onto the dial on the ground.

The children then made sundials. We took them outside and drew along the shadow cast by the gnomon every hour. 

We  made a larger sundial and also drew the length of the shadow cast by Mrs Warman

We found that the length of the shadow changed during the day. It became shorter as the sun was overhead and then began to get longer again as we went through the afternoon.  

We found out some facts about Nottingham.

Did you know ...?

• Nottingham was the first city to use braille signs in its shopping centre. 
• Nottingham is known for its Bramley apples, HP sauce and the Raleigh Chopper Bike. 
• Football shin guards were invented by Nottingham cricketer Sam Weller Widdowson in 1874. He cut down a pair of cricket pads and strapped them over his socks when he played football. 
• Sir Peter Mansfield was the first Nottingham scientist to receive the Nobel Prize for Medicine. He invented the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner and changed the world of medicine.

Nottingham Tourist Attractions

We then took a tour around Nottingham Castle and its caves,  visited the council building and saw Little John ( the bell on the clock)  and Papplewick Pumping station  ( an old Victorian waterworks which has been preserved).  After this we visited Creswell Crags and saw some of the cave drawings. We then made our own cave drawings. 

Later we visited Sherwood Forest and learnt about the Major Oak.

The Major Oak is a huge English oak which is located in the middle of Sherwood Forest (near Edwinstowe village), Nottinghamshire. The tree has a 92ft canopy, a 33ft girth (10 metres -  about 10 grown ups in a circle holding hands) and it is believed to be about 1,000years old. It is estimated to weigh about 23 tons.  We learnt about the different parts of a tree and discovered what they do.  We also talked about the other plants in the forest and their berries. 

We decided to make our own smoothies using 'fruits from the forest' but after discussion the children preferred to use strawberries and bananas ( which we did not find in Sherwood Forest!)

Finally we listened to the legend of Robin Hood and debated as to whether we thought he was real or fictional. 

Auditions for North Crescents Got Talent

Auditions will be held for Pathfinders 2 acts for our whole school Talent competition on Thursday 23rd June . The children need to practise their act and perform it in front of our class. The class will then vote for their two favourite acts which will go through into the whole school competition. The children will need to be able to stand up in front of the whole school comfortably  to perform their acts.  

Reminder

It is Sports Day this Friday 24th June. 

Children to come to school in their PE kit with long hair tied back and all jewellery removed. Please bring a water bottle and a sun hat. 

Parents are welcome to join us at 10.40am for a 10.45am start and watch your children take part in our Sports Day.  You can bring a picnic from home to share with your children  on our school field after the event.  

We hope to see you there. 

Summer 2   Week 1   13-6-22 to 17-6-22

We hope you had a great half term and are ready for your last half term in Year 2.

Reminders:

PE clothes to be worn to school on Monday and Friday (see above for details).

Please bring a named bottle of water and a sun hat.

Practise your spellings for a quiz on Monday (copy of spellings can be found if you click on 'spellings' icon above).

Please try to read for 5-10 minutes every day. 

We hope you have a lovely May Half Term holiday and

enjoy all the celebrations for our Queens' Platinum Jubilee 

Take Care

Mrs Barber and Mrs Warman

Summer 1   Week 6   23-5-22 to 27-5-22

  Platinum Jubilee  

We had a great time celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. We sung the National Anthem, danced, waved our flags, sung and had a special Jubilee afternoon tea. 

This week we started our seventh unit from our new curriculum.  “Light Up the World” is a thematic unit based around the sun and other sources of light, with a science focus. Pupils will look at solar power and how to save electricity, as well as learning about sun safety and the importance of protecting both the skin and eyes. They will also learn about how shadows are formed when solid objects block light. Nocturnal animals will also be introduced in this unit

Friday 27th May 2022

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee ( 70 Year Reign) 

1952 - 2022

On Friday we will be celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in school. In the afternoon we will have cucumber sandwiches, cake and juice as we enjoy waving flags and listening to music. The children will learn about royal pageantry and etiquette, alongside understanding the ways in which the Queen has given a 'Life of service'. 

The children are invited to wear special red, white and blue outfits and hats for the day. (The children do not need to wear their PE clothes) 

Summer 1   Week 5   16-5-22 to 20-5-22

R.E.

In  RE this week we looked at an Anglican Vicar and the vestments that they wear. We named the different items that the vicar wears and learnt why they wear different colours at different times of the churches year. 

Summer 1   Week 4   9-5-22 to 13-5-22

Ignatius Sancho

We looked at a portrait of Ignatius Sancho and learned  that a  portrait painting typically includes only the face, head and shoulders. We then drew our own portrait of Ignatius Sancho. 

Summer 1   Week 3   3-5-22 to 6-5-22

This week is Deaf Awareness Week.

We looked at how we communicate with each other  in many different ways. How we use our senses to help us to communicate and why some people may have difficulty communicating if one or more of their senses are impaired or lost, such as sight and hearing.  We found out about the different ways that deaf people can communicate and looked at finger spelling which is a method of spelling out words using handshapes to represent each letter of the alphabet.  Finger spelling is usually used to spell proper nouns and places. We used it to decipher a dedication in the front of a book that we read - Lizzie and Lucky The mystery of the missing puppies by Megan Rix. The story is written by a deaf author and the main character 'Lizzie' is deaf. 

We then took a quiz to try to recognise some British Sign Language for house, ball, car, book, glove, cat, wristwatch, glass hammer and rabbit. We then learned BSL for colours and showed these in our whole school assembly.  

We looked at how we could make something pretty that would help to fight flooding and pollution after  heavy rain - a rain garden.  We set up an experiment where we poured some polluted water onto  just clay and clay and soil together. The clay represented the concrete areas and the soil the rain gardens in our environment.

We found that there was  a smaller volume of run off when we had a 'rain garden' ( soil) than when we just had the concrete ( clay). We also found that there was less pollution thus proving that rain gardens are a successful way of fighting flooding and pollution after heavy rain.   Click on link below to see  photos  of our investigation. 

Summer 1   Week 2   25-4-22 to 29-4-22

Maths

In maths this week we have been learning about money. We started by looking carefully at each coins' size and colour, then we identified the value of each coin and placed them in order of value. We found different ways of making the same amount and then went shopping to work out the change  the shopkeeper would give us after purchasing some items. We are experienced shoppers now!  

This week we started our sixth unit from our new curriculum. 

‘The Wordsmith’ is a competency-based thematic unit with a history focus, telling the inspirational story of Ignatius Sancho.
He is famous for his literary work and music compositions and for being a key advocate for the abolition of slavery. Pupils will learn, through his life story, all about his achievements and ongoing legacy.

Summer 1   Week 1   19-4-22 to 22-4-22

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” - Albert Einstein. Let us start with this quote to mark Earth Day 2022. The day aims to spreads awareness about the planet and issues related to global warming, and deforestation among others. The theme, this year, is "Invest In Your Planet". 

Look at our homework page for photos of our home learning project.

Reminders:

Science Eco homework due back Monday 25th April

PE clothes to be worn to school on Monday and Friday (see above for details).

Please bring a named bottle of water.

Practise your spellings for a quiz on Monday (copy of spellings can be found if you click on 'spellings' icon above).

Please try to read for 5-10 minutes every day. 

Practise your times tables 2x 5x and 10x. Can you give an instant answer? 

We hope you have a lovely Easter holiday 

Take Care

Mrs Barber and Mrs Warman

Spring Term

PE in Pathfinders 2

PE days for year 2 are on:

Wednesdays - swimming  ( click on link below for swimming details)

Please talk to Mrs Barber if you can volunteer to walk with chn to and from the swimming pool on Wednesdays. 

  Fridays - indoor/outdoor ball skills.

Children  to come into school wearing suitable  PE kit in school colours (red top, black or navy bottoms, jumpers and plimsoll or blue/black trainers).

Children should not be wearing anything else.

Thank you

Spring 2   Week 6   28-3-22 to 1-4-22

    Science - Sound    

We identified different sound sources by playing 'Guess the sound' where we listened to sounds and then tried to identify the sound source. Then we went on a sound hunt around our school and identified artificial and natural sounds. We found many different kinds and sources of sound. 

Finally we carried out an investigation to see what happened if the distance away from the sound source increased. Ask the children what happened.  

RE  

We thought about a time when we lost something. Then we discussed how we felt when we lost the item and when we found it again.

We read the story of The Lost Sheep ( from the Gospel Matthew) and began to understand that parables are stories with a secret meaning. We each explained what we thought the story meant.

In pairs we then sequenced pictures of events in the story and then retold the story to our partner.

Spring 2   Week 5   21-3-22 to 25-3-22

   Trees    

This week Mrs Walker and Mr Newman took Pathfinders 2 outside to plant Oak trees on our school field. The children  all had a great time and cannot wait to watch them grow. 

Swimming

The children are  enjoying their weekly swimming lessons. We have seen children showing great courage and resilience as many of them learn to swim for the first time. We are so proud of their good behaviour when walking to and from Wickford Swimming Pool and also when in the pool itself.  Next week (30th March) will be the last swimming lesson for the children.    

Spring 2   Week 4   14-3-22 to 18-3-22

Skipping Festival

The children had a great time at the skipping festival on Tuesday. 

They walked to Grange Primary School where Grange's Year 6 children organised 11 different stations with an activity in each. The children then spent time at each of these stations taking part in the activity. I think all the children will agree that the Year 6 children were amazing and encouraged our children  with such enthusiasm for each activity. 

Thank you Grange Primary School. 

Friday 18th March 2022

The children are invited to dress up with 'funky hair' and 'funky socks' for Comic Relief Day and awareness of Young Carers.  A donation of 50p on the day is requested.  

Spring 2   Week 3   7-3-22 to 14-3-22

    Maths - Time    

This week the children have been learning to tell the time.  They are using an analogue clock and telling the time for the hour, half and quarter hours. Please ask the children different times during the day so that they can practise telling the time. 

   Art    

We looked at the work of the artist Vanessa Stone. She specialises in paper cutting and collages. Her artwork is often  of landscapes and architecture in places where she has lived or visited.   

The children created their own collages using 'found/ recycled' paper  on the theme of light for a competition held by our Academy Trust.  Click on the artist palette below for photographs of our collages. 

Spring 2   Week 2   28-2-22 to 4-3-22

We dressed up as our favourite book character. 

Well done to Toby for winning the best home made costume for the day. 

We read the book 'Leaf' by Sandra Dieckmann, listen to the story below.

We wrote our own stories about a polar bear and sculptured polar bears out of plasticine.

Click on the link below to see our polar bears. 

Book Week

This week we are going to celebrate Book Week by sharing the book Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann  and have some special activities planned for Thursday - World Book Day.  

On Thursday please come to school dressed as your favourite book character to help us celebrate World Book Day. Please wear your normal shoes and only use make-up or hair/nail colouring if you can remove it before school on Friday.
We will have a parade at 10am and the best ‘home made’ costume from each class will win a £5 book voucher to spend at the Travelling Book Fair.

Bedtime Stories and Hot Chocolate: Thursday 3^rd March

The children are invited back to school at 5pm until 6pm for bedtime stories and hot chocolate. Everyone is invited to wear their PJs and dressing gown, and bring a favourite teddy to cuddle or cushion to sit on. Please wear footwear suitable for the journey to and from school.

Spring 2   Week 1   21-2-22 to 25-2-22

PE - Skipping

In PE we are learning to skip so that we can take part in an inter school skipping competition.  Please try to skip at home  whenever you can. 

RE  

This week we read a story from the Bible which we found in the gospel of Luke. The story was about a man called Zacchaeus who was a greedy tax collector. He met Jesus and then became a better man who shared his wealth with everyone.  We acted out the story to each other. 

Spring 1   Week 6   7-2-22 to 11-2-22

This week we started our fifth unit from our new curriculum.

'Land Ahoy!' is a thematic unit with a with a subject focus on science and geography. The science element is based around sound, speed and motion and begins by exploring how things move, linking with a pirate’s journey around the continents and oceans. The unit concludes with an introduction to sound, focusing on sources of sound and the relationship between distance and volume. Threaded through is the theme of behaving responsibly, with consideration for others.

Spring 1   Week 5   31-1-22 to 4-2-22

National Story Telling Week

This week we took part in a quiz which gave us clues to work out which Traditional  story it was naming.   From this we identified some stories that we were not familiar with and then  set aside a special time each day to listen to one of these traditional stories.

We worked in small groups using a storyboard and threw a dice to select our characters, setting, props etc.. for our own story. Then we worked together to create a story using this information. Finally each group  retold their story to the class. We had great fun and loved telling each other stories. 

Spring 1   Week 4   24-1-22 to 28-1-22

English 

In English this week the children have written a non-fiction report on Ada Lovelace. The children have learned that a report has a heading and then a subheading for each paragraph of writing. They have found out a lot of information about her life including that she died when she was only 37 years old and she left behind a husband and three children. She is remembered as the Enchantress of Numbers, she has a computing language named after her called ADA and she also has a day named after her in  October. 

  Science  

This week in science we investigated why  some materials are more suited to tasks than others.  We looked at the properties  that a material would need to make it suitable for a particular purpose. e.g. a material would need to be waterproof to use it for an umbrella. 

Spring 1   Week 3   17-1-22 to 21-1-22

This week we started our fourth unit from our new curriculum.

'The Visionary' is a thematic unit with a history focus telling the  inspirational story of Ada Lovelace. She is famous for her inventions and developments in the field of technology and became known as the first computer programmer.
Children will learn, through her life story, all about her achievements and ongoing legacy.

  Science  

This week in Science the children investigated if they could change the shape of a material. First they predicted  what they could do e.g. bend it, squash it, twist it etc.. then they recorded  their observations. Finally they wrote a conclusion listing properties a material needed to be able to change shape and to not change shape.  

PSHE - Blurt it out 

This week as part of our Blurt it out project we talked about different emotions and feelings. We matched emojis  to  emotions and thought of an emotion or feeling for different scenarios. 

Spring 1   Week 2   10-1-22 to 15-1-22

Geography

This week  we looked at how the traditional Inuit people survive in the Arctic. 

We learned about three areas:

Clothing - we dressed an Inuit boy / girl and labelled what the clothes were made from. Many traditional clothes were made from caribou skin, with the fur still on for warmth. On the inner layers, the fur would face in and on the outer layers it would face out, providing the wearer ultimate warmth. We also found out that the Inuit people often make clothes that they then trade for other items that they need. 

Food - Traditional Inuit people are carnivores ( meat eaters) who hunt seals, whales, caribou, walrus, polar bear, fish , birds and their eggs.  They have to have good hunting skills to be able to catch these animals. 

Shelter - Some traditional Inuit people build and live in igloos or build tempoary igloos when they go hunting for food.  We watched a video to see how they built an igloo.  

We made our own igloos. Click on the link below to see our photographs. 

  Science 

In science we are looking at materials. This week we used our senses of sight and touch to describe the properties of wood, plastic, paper, fabric, metal and glass.  We also talked about what materials are used to make different products and why this material is the best material for the product. 

Spring 1   Week 1   3-1-22 to 7-1-22

Science - Plants,Animals and their habitat

First we identified and named  animals that live in the Arctic. Then we sorted them into those that can only be found on land and those that can be found in the sea. 

The children researched and created a fact sheet about a chosen artic animal, including its habitat, food, predators and how it is able to survive in the Arctic. 

We looked at this statement and voted on whether we thought it was true or false. Then we looked into what plants are found in the Arctic and the reasons why these plants survive the harsh climate of the Arctic. We discovered that they had adapted their roots and leaves so they could survive. 

It was lovely to see the children back at school and to hear all about their holidays. They all sound like they had a wonderful time. 

We would like to wish you all a happy  and healthy New Year.

Autumn Term

Autumn 2   Week 7    13-12-21 to 17-12-21

   Reading Advent Calendar   

Enjoy the Advent calendar below.

Click on the link to have fun reading poems and stories about Christmas. 

Thank you for coming to our Carol Concert, the children loved singing to you and hearing you all sing We wish you a Merry Christmas.  

   Christmas Dinner   

The children had a great time today and enjoyed their Christmas dinner. 

   Christmas Decoration afternoon   

Thank you to all the parents that came in and joined their children to make Christmas decorations. Everybody had a great time. 

Click on  the star below to see photographs of the afternoon. 

Monday  13th December

Two special events today

School Christmas Dinner

Children to wear normal school uniform today. 

Christmas Decoration afternoon  1.25pm - 2.45pm

You are invited to join your child to make Christmas decorations.

Due to new regulations, we can only allow one adult per child and no siblings.

Your child can leave with you at the end of the session. 

We look forward to seeing you and having fun together. 

The children will have their class Christmas Party on Friday 17th December.

Please could the children bring in some party food for them to eat in the afternoon. This food will be just for your child and will not be shared. The children may come to school in party clothes if they would like to.  Thank you. 

Autumn 2   Week 6    6-12-21 to 10-12-21

The children had a great time today at the theatre. They loved travelling on the bus particularly being on the top deck which gave them great views of our journey to the Towngate Theatre. It was a brilliant performance and the cast invited two members of our staff  to join the fun too,  which thrilled the children. 

Friday 10th December 2021

Children to wear their Christmas Jumper to school today with normal school uniform trousers/ skirts.  No PE kit. Thank you

RE 

This week in RE we have been learning about:

how Christians celebrate Advent

and Jews celebrate Hanukkah.  

Ask the children what they know about these two events. 

Tuesday 7th December -

Film  night - Elf - 3.30-5.20pm

Organised by North Crescent Angels. 

Friday 10th December - 

All money raised will go to Save the Children. 

Also Beauty and the Beast Theatre Trip.

Monday 13th December

Christmas Dinner  for the children 

Monday 13th December pm

Come into school and make Christmas decorations with your child. 

Thursday 16th December - Carol Concert

There will be two performances of our Carol concert

9.30am and 2pm

Years 1,2 and 3 will be taking part in a medley of carols. Please come and join us and celebrate Christmas. 

Friday 17th December - Pathfinders 2 Christmas Party

Details to follow soon. 

Autumn 2   Week 5    29-11-21 to 3-12-21

   Winter Lights Festival   

Thursday 2nd December 5pm - 6pm

The children sang their song 'This little light of mine' enthusiastically and we all enjoyed the lights.  The children  also decorated glass jars to use as lanterns on the walls of the eco centre. They all looked beautiful. 

Congratulations to Jack and Jasmine who won  1st and 2nd place in the 'Light' poetry competition. They were awarded their prizes by the Mayor and Jack read his poem brilliantly to everybody.  Well done.

  Science - Seasons  

The children have been learning the names of the four seasons, described the weather we would expect for each season and looked at the changes that occur across the seasons. We compared the seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. 

The children predicted what a 'winter' apple tree would look like and then went outside to make an observational drawing of one. 

  R.E.  

In R.E. this week we looked at how a synagogue is a special place for Jewish people.  We noted different areas of the synagogue and learnt  what objects were there and what they were used for. 

Autumn 2   Week 4    22-11-21 to 26-11-21

  Music  

We are busy learning some carols for the carol concert and the Winter Light Festival.

Please keep the dates free:

Winter Light Festival  - Thursday 2nd December 5-6pm.

Carol Concert for years 1,2 and 3  on the 16th December at 9.30 am and 2pm.   

English 

This week we  learned how to use a dictionary and thesaurus.

We learned that the words were listed in alphabetical order and found out how we could use this to find words in both of them.  Sometimes we had to order by the second or third letter of the word. We played the dictionary game to see who could find a word the quickest, then we read the definition of the word. We enjoyed finding out the meaning of new words. We then looked at a thesaurus and found synonyms of our favourite words. 

Autumn 2   Week 3    15-11-21 to 19-11-21

  BBC Children in Need Day 

Thank you for supporting BBC Children in Need Day. The children looked great today. 

We raised £190 for this charity. Thank you.

This week we started our third unit from our new curriculum.

'Come Fly With Me! The Arctic Circle' is a thematic unit based on the Arctic region and surroundings, with a key focus on geography. The children will learn about the location, weather and climate in the Arctic, as well as the wildlife that lives there. Inuit people, their traditions and customs, will also be studied. 

We started the unit by completing a challenge.

To keep an ice cube frozen for as long as possible. 

The children each had an ice-cube which they had to try to work out how they could stop  from melting. Most children decided to wrap their ice-cubes in different materials to insulate them and to put them in the cloakroom which they thought was colder than the classroom.  We discussed what makes ice melt. We introduced the idea of global warming and how  the Arctic is more impacted than any other place in the world. 

The Theme this year is Road Safety Heroes.

We looked at how we could safely cross a road with our adult and we ordered these instructions.  We talked about the different Road Safety Heroes. 

Science Investigation Week

Do all liquids have the same density?

We looked at five different liquids

We looked at how they moved and predicted which ones had particles that were more densely packed and would therefore have a higher density. We recorded our predictions and then worked in groups to add the liquids to a jar in the order of our prediction.  See our photos by clicking on test tube below.  

Anti-Bullying Week

This week we have been learning about how kindness can mean so much to ourselves and other people. We made a chain of kindness and passed on something kind about the person sitting next to us until everyone had received some kind words. We talked about how this made us feel to give and receive kindness. We also related this to our 'online' life and how important it is to speak to people nicely online. 

We joined in the official song 

Odd Sock Day

Thank you to everyone who supported our Odd Sock Day, we raised just over £40. Thank you

Monday - Odd sock day - 50p donation to wear odd socks to school. 

Friday - BBC Children in Need day - non-uniform - donations to charity. 

Autumn 2   Week 2    8-11-21 to 12-11-21

Thank you for coming to see the children's assembly today. The children really enjoyed having you there and they were so proud for you to see their assembly. 

Thank you

Reminder

Thursday 11th November  2.50 - 3.10 pm 

 - Pathfinders 2 Sharing Assembly

The children would like to invite you to share their learning.

Each child can invite two family members. 

15th - 19th November

Anti-Bullying Week

The theme for this year is 'One kind word'.

The week will start with odd sock day on Monday for a 50p donation.  All you need to do is wear odd socks! It is a great way to celebrate what makes us all unique. 

Friday 19th November

 BBC Children in Need Day 

Friday will be a non-uniform day - donations for Children in Need please. 

Thursday 2nd December

Winter Light Festival   

Families are invited to attend our Winter Light Festival which will be taking place at North Crescent Primary School from 5pm - 6pm. 

Friday 10th December

Christmas Jumper Day and pantomime 

Monday 13th December

  Christmas Dinner  

Maths

Use and practise your maths skills this week taking part in two competitions:

Maths Week England Sumdog Contest 2021 -  www.sumdog.com

Times Tables Rockstars -  https://play.ttrockstars.com/ 

The children's logins for both of these sites were sent to you on a letter with their reading books at the beginning of the school year. Please ask if you need them again. 

Autumn 2   Week 1    1-11-21 to 5-11-21

  Paddington's Passport 

This week Paddington took us on a fantastic tour of Peru in South America.  We looked at physical and human features in the country focussing especially on Lima (the capital of Peru), the Andes mountains, the Rainforest (Amazon), Machu Picchu and Laguna de Salinas (Salt Lake) . 

We then looked at the Amazon Rainforest in more detail.

We learned about the four layers: 

Emergent layer

Canopy layer

Understorey layer

Forest Floor layer

We also found out the different animals that could be found in each layer. 

Special Message for Friday 5th November

Please note that the children have individual photographs on Friday morning.(tomorrow) All children to wear school uniform.

Year 2 please note that you need to come to school in uniform and bring your PE kit with you so that you can change for the afternoon. 

Thank you

  Poppies  

Today we each made a beautiful poppy for our act of Rememberance. 

All the poppies made by the school are going to be displayed on the staircase.

It was great to see all the children back in school today and to hear their news. 

We had a busy day and will continue learning with our Dimensions Unit - Paddington's Passport for the next two weeks. 

1. Please ensure that your child brings a drink into school each day.

2. Please bring in your reading books each Monday and Friday so they can be changed.

3. Please name all items of clothing so we can return them to you quickly if they are 'lost'.  

Thank you

Wow! How quickly this first half term has gone. You have all settled into Class 2 so well and we know that in the next half term you will show us more of your brilliance.

We hope that you have a great half term holiday with plenty of fun and relaxation. Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you again on Monday 1st November.

Wednesday 3rd November - Halloween Disco

Explorers, Y1 & 2 - 3.30-4.15pm ( children to go straight from school into the hall)

Tickets £3.00

Monday 8th November and Thursday 11th November -

Parent meetings

Thursday 11th November  2.50 - 3.10 pm 

 - Pathfinders 2 Sharing Assembly

The children would like to invite you to share their learning.

Each child can invite two family members. 

Week 7  18-10-21 to 22-10-21

Thank you to everyone for your very kind and generous donations for Harvest. The Salvation Army were extremely thankful and said it will help local families in need enormously. The children undertook a range of activities to celebrate harvest relating to apples! We talked about different varieties of apples, then we painted apple trees by printing and finally we created 'apple' cards to celebrate Harvest.  The whole school shared our 'apple' work together in our assembly with Keith Britton, the Senior Minister from Wickford Evangelical Church.

Reminder:

Please bring in donations of tinned or packet goods before or on

Thursday 21st October for our Harvest celebrations. (Please no dried pasta)

Thank you

This week we started our second unit from our new curriculum.

“Paddington's Passport” is a geography based thematic unit with a focus on two contrasting locations. Children will learn about locational similarities and differences, through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a contrasting non-European country

i.e. Lima, Peru and London. 

Week 6  11-10-21 to 15-10-21

   Phonics Screening Check   

The children will be taking their Phonics Screening Check in the middle of November.

Please practise the sounds and  blending of the sounds to read words. 

Click on 'Reading and Phonics' at the top of this page for resources to help your child. ( Reading & Phonics -> Phonics -> Phonics Screening check)

PSHE

We looked at 'facts' and 'opinions' and discussed what each of these mean.

We found out that a:

FACT- is a thing that is known or proved to be true.

OPINION - is a a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

The children sorted statements under the headings of  facts or opinions.

Today we discussed the importance of listening to other people, of explaining our view confidently and understood that it is important to share our opinions. 

Week 5  4-10-21 to 8-10-21

Art - Colour Pops

We looked at the work of artist Theresa Elvin. 

We experimented with online photo editing software, uploaded a black and white image of a fruit bowl and added a splash of colour to  it to create our own Colour Pop. 

  Dance  

In dance this half term we are learning to use our whole bodies to create sequences of movement based on the movement of water, in a bottle, in a river and in the sea.

We are enjoying our lessons with the dance teacher. 

She told us all about her experience of running the London Marathon on Sunday in London. It took her 4 hours and 55 minutes to run the 26.2 miles. She was an inspiration and she told us to always keep trying and never give up on our goals. 

Fun Lunch This Thursday 7th October

Week 4  27-9-21 to 1-10-21

Special Visitor

On Thursday we had a special visitor, James Carter who is a children's poet, non-fiction writer and musician. 

He recited some of his poems and helped us to join in too. 

We then created a poem with him:

Happy as a hippo

Yappy as a dog

Angry as a rhino

Hoppy as a frog.

Clucky as a chicken

Splashy as a whale

Sneaky as a vixen

Slimy as a snail

Cheeky as a monkey

Buzzy as a bee

How many animals can you see? 

Learning Means the World

Art and Computing-Digital Photography

Today we looked at some photographs in black and white and in full colour. We talked about which ones we preferred and why. We took photos of objects in the classroom using the ipads and then edited them using the filtering option.

We loved the changes we made to our original photograph - what do you think?

Week 3  20-9-21 to 24-9-21

   RE   

We looked at the festival of Sukkot (also known as the Feast of the Tabernacles). During this festival Jewish families can build a sukkah in their gardens and eat and sometimes sleep in them. This reminds Jews of the shelters in which their ancestors slept  in when they crossed the desert having been led out of slavery in Egypt by Moses and the shelters which were used at harvest time by the labourers in the fields. We pretended we were a Jewish family and went outside to our 'sukkah' where we shared a biscuit together.   

  Learning Means the World 

History of Television

We are learning about the  invention and development of the television. We researched who invented the television, we looked at how televisions have changed over the decades and then we predicted what features a television of the future would have. Look at the televisions below to see how they have changed.

We then looked at the different programmes that have been shown on television from invention to present day.  We learned that television was only in black and white when it was first invented. We preferred the programmes in colour to the black and white ones  e.g. The Woodentops from the 1960's. 

Week 2  13-9-21 to 17-9-21

  Reading Books  

Today the children have brought home their books to read with you at home. 

They have two books:

1. a decodable phonics book - this is based on their phonics level and the book should be read several times so your child can read it fluently.
2. a book your child has chosen from our school library - this book is for you to read to your child or to read together for pleasure.

​​​​​​​

Please keep the books in the plastic bag to protect them.

These books will be changed on a Monday and Friday but please bring the books to school each day.

When you or other adults listen to your child read please write the dates on the spots on the bookmark.

Have fun reading together. 

    Learning Means the World - History  

How was news shared in the past?

 People told stories and spread news by sending running messengers, ringing church bells, sending smoke signals, lighting beacons, sending letters and telling stories around the fire.

The children looked at sending messages using a flag system called semaphore today. They made two flags and looked at the code to use for each  letter of the alphabet.

Then the children chose a letter to signal with their flags to the class and the rest of us had to decode and identify which letter they were signalling. 

Finally the children worked in pairs to decode a message written in semaphore.

  School Elections  

Today the children voted for our class Ambassadors.

Here are the results:

Communication Ambassadors

Bridget and Teigen

Conflict Ambassadors

Hunter and Isabella

Conservation Ambassadors

Alfie and Jack

Culture Ambassadors

Clive and Skye

Sports Ambassadors

Darci and Toby

Congratulations to you all.

Week 1  6-9-21 to 10-9-21

This week we started our first unit from our new curriculum.

“Inter-Nation Media Station” is a thematic unit all about media and broadcasting. There is a key subject focus on history, through which we will learn about early methods of communciation, leading to the invention of both the television and radio. We will develop confidence in oracy, through opportunities to work on our own broadcasts.

  Learning Means the World - Science

What is the weather?

Today we discussed what the weather is and the different types of weather we can experience. We talked about how weather can control us e.g. if it is hot we might put shorts on, if cold we might wear a coat or jumper , if dry we might play outside and if wet we might stay indoors. We went outside and looked for signs to describe what the weather was today. People talk frequently about the weather. We have apps to show us the forecasthour by hour and TV news is always followed by the weather. It’s a regular feature of the media. We pretended we were meteorologists and predicted the weather for the next week. We drew symbols to represent the weather.

Friday 3rd September

Welcome back everyone!

It was great to see the children today and to hear all their news.  

We looked at the book 'Here we are' by Oliver Jeffers . Then we went on a special adventure where we zoomed in from space to our planet Earth. On reaching Earth we continued to zoom in until we found North Crescent Primary School. We then explored the school and its grounds to see what was the same and what had changed since we were last here. We all appreciate the lovely grounds that we have at school. 

We looked at the sea page in Oliver's book and talked about all the amazing creatures that live in the sea. The children made some beautiful creatures e.g. whales, sharks, dolphins, starfish, jelly fish, octopus, clams and many more. We then looked at the contrast of how we are  destroying this beauty with plastic pollution. The children made a collage of the North Pacific Garbage Patch ready to be added to our 'Here we are' display.

We had a fun, first day back at school. 

Welcome to our website and Year 2's very own page. 

Our new class name is 'Pathfinders 2'  

Hello, I am Mrs Barber your new teacher for Year 2 and Mrs Warman will be our class LSA. We cannot wait to meet you in September and begin our exciting year of learning together. 

Keep looking at this web page to see all the exciting news and photographs of our learning and the  events we take part in during the year. There will also be information about class routines, homework and reminders about future events.

We hope you are enjoying your summer holidays and that you are busy filling your

'Envelope of Summer' with lots of things that will remind you of all the exciting  adventures you are having . (If you have lost the envelope  details can be downloaded from link below or click on Home Learning icon above). We cannot wait to see what you fill your envelopes with!

Remember to try to take part in the Summer library Reading Challenge - Wild World Heroes.  You can find their web page on the link below. You can also watch the video telling you all about the reading challenge.

How many books will you read this summer?     

We hope you will tell us all about your favourite book when you return to school.

Back to School Reminders

Please have a named water bottle in school everyday. This must only contain water.

Please make sure that every item of clothing is clearly marked with your child's name (including shoes, bags and PE kits)

PE kits should be worn to school on PE days.

(First PE day Wednesday 8th September)

We look forward to seeing you back at school on Friday 3rd September

with your 'Envelope of Summer' and ready to burst with brilliance!

Have fun and keep safe

Mrs Barber