What a fantastic start to the year it has been for Chestnut Class! The children have truly embodied our FOREST Values in so many different ways and have shown great enthusiasm throughout their learning journey.

In English, we’ve had lots of fun exploring Little Red Reading Hood. The children planned, wrote and published their own imaginative versions of the story - why not ask them about their story?

In Maths, we have been deepening our understanding of place value. The children have been recognising tens and ones, using place value charts and comparing numbers and objects. They have also practised identifying numbers on a number line and counted confidently in 2s, 5s and 10s.

Science has been fascinating this term! We have learnt all about habitats and what plants and animals need to survive. We also enjoyed exploring our local area to observe different microhabitats up close.

History has been a real highlight for Chestnut Class. Our topic on The Great Fire of London has sparked plenty of curiosity and discussion. We discovered how and where the fire began, why it spread so quickly and how the fire was eventually put out. We even read extracts from Samuel Pepys’ diary to see what life was like at the time.

In RE, we have been learning about Christianity, focusing on how Christians might try to follow Jesus’ example of kindness. We explored three Bible stories: The Good Samaritan, Zacchaeus the Tax Collector and Peter’s Betrayal of Jesus.

Computing has also been a great success this term. The children have learned how information technology (IT) impacts our daily lives and discussed how to use it safely and responsibly.

In PE, the class have developed their teamwork and confidence through invasion games, practising skills such as defending, attacking and keeping possession of the ball. They have also really looked forward to their weekly Forest sessions with Mrs Courtier-Hird.

Well done Chestnut Class for all your hard work and enthusiasm this term - I am so proud of you all. Have a wonderful, restful half term and I look forward to seeing you refreshed and ready for Term 2!

Dear Parents/Carers, 

What a lovely start to Year 2 Chestnut Class has had. It has been brilliant reconnecting with friends and sharing holiday news. The children have started lots of new learning including place value work in Maths and making predictions about our new class story in English. We will also be starting our new History topic, The Great Fire of London. 

The start of a new school year is always busy, so please can I make you aware of the following: 

• We will encourage the children to be as independent as possible this year, however sometimes help from at home (and school) will be required. 

• Just like last year, the children will be expected to complete homework. This year, we will be continuing with Doodle Maths or Doodle Tables. In conjunction with this, children will also receive spellings and will be required to read. Ideally, we would like children to spend 15 minutes on Doodle Maths or Doodle Tables over the course of the week, however as long as it is being accessed, this can be done in a day or spread out. All children will have their Doodle Maths Passwords stuck to the front page of their reading records. Homework and spellings will commence from 12.09.25.

• The children will receive between 4-6 spellings a week, 4 relating to their phonic learning for the week and 2 of the Year 2 Common Exception Words. These will be stuck into reading records every Friday and tested the following Thursday. Beginning 12.09.25 to be tested on the 18.09.25 and so on. 

• Please can children be heard to read AT LEAST 3 times a week at home and could their books and records come to school daily. This way we can monitor progress and change books when necessary. Reading regularly has such a positive impact in every area of a child’s learning, so your support with this would be much appreciated. All children will be required to read R.W.I. scheme books twice, to aid their fluency of sight word recognition. Children will also pick and take home a ‘book to share’ every week. This is a book of a higher reading level that can be read to and shared with your child.

• P.E. is on a Wednesday afternoon this term. Please could children wear the correct kit (Longvernal P.E. t-shirt, black shorts or sports trousers and daps or trainers) to and from school on this day. We will be having P.E. outside for the first term, so school fleeces or jumpers can also be worn. 

• Forest School is on a Friday morning. Forest School lessons will take place regardless of the weather (unless extreme) so please can you ensure your child is wearing the appropriate items of clothing; long sleeve tops and trousers on Wednesdays. Could children please bring their wellies and waterproofs in a separate bag to change into and out of during the day. Please note that it is extremely difficult to provide spare Forest Kits for individual children, so please ensure your child has got their wellies and waterproofs for Forest Lessons. 

• Finally, please could you give the office an up-to-date ‘approved pick up list’ for your child, which we can update in records. This should include anyone who may be likely to pick your child up at the end of the day. For safety reasons, I will not let your child go home with anyone who is not on the list or has been discussed with either myself or the office prior to pick up, regardless of whether the child knows the person or not. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter. 

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me either via email or speak to me before or after school, I will endeavour to reply, talk to you or set up a meeting if needed. Thank you for all your continued support. Myself and Mrs Smith are really looking forward to a brilliant year in Chestnut Class. 

Kind regards, 

Lucy Friend