admin.ris@ebor.academy | 01964 562422

Topcats – Year 1 and Year 2 – Autumn Term 2023

Our Theme

Our topic this term will be ‘London’s Burning!’. We are very excited to have planned a range of engaging and enriching activities to develop the children’s knowledge and skills across the curriculum. Please see the attached topic map for more details.

Homework

  • Spelling tests will take place every Monday. New lists will be provided on a Tuesday.
  • Any extra homework is highly celebrated and it is lovely to see the children extending their learning at home. It can link to any part of our current topics.
  • Mental Maths homework will be set each week and this will be tested on a Friday. 
  • The children will be provided with a Numbots log in to use at home. 

Maths
Every Friday, the children will have a quiz to keep track of their mental maths progress. The focus of these might seem ‘easy’ and repetitive but there is strong research to suggest that short, repeated tasks enable the children to store knowledge in their long-term memory. There is no set method for the children to learn their number facts. Some children learn through chanting and singing. Others write them down. Some make games and quizzes. Whatever you think works for you and your child. If you need any help with strategies, then please speak to me and I will be happy to help. 

Using Numbots at home is an excellent way for the children to keep practising their basic skills. This is a fantastic and engaging game for the children to practise their basic Maths skills. The children can earn coins to spend in a virtual shop and certificates will be awarded in class. I will send your child’s log in details home in the next few days. 

Reading

The children will bring home a new reading book each week, along with their choice of library book. Year 1 children will bring home a ‘reading practice’ book. This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading. If you would like more resources and information about supporting your child with their early reading, the Little Wandle website has a fantastic section with videos and resources for parents to access. 

Please continue to support your child’s reading at home by encouraging them to read for 10 minutes per day, more if they wish to, and please don’t forget to record this reading in their reading records so that we can see when they have read their books.  As always, we love for the children to read for pleasure so if there are other books that your child would like to read, please encourage them to do so! Any additional books can be included in the children’s reading records.
Continuing to ask your child questions about what they are reading will really help them to develop their comprehension skills and therefore their understanding of what they have read. These questions can simply be things like ‘what do you think will happen next and why?’ or ‘how do you think this person is feeling?’

 

PE

PE lessons will continue to be on a Wednesday and Friday. However, we ask that your child brings a full indoor and outdoor school PE kit, including outdoor trainers, on a Monday morning and leaves it in school for the week. We will continue to teach PE outside unless there are extreme weather conditions then we will be inside. Our outdoor PE kit consists of the royal blue t-shirt, blue or black joggers and trainers. If you think your child requires extra layers then please send it with them and please remember to provide socks if your child wears tights. 

Please ensure that all of your child’s clothing is clearly labelled as each year we seem to have more and more stray clothing.  If it is labelled, it is easier to find and return to the owner.

 

General

 

I am hoping to get the new Seesaw class set up as soon as I can. If you’re not familiar with Seesaw, it is similar to Tapestry. I will post photographs and videos to the journal for parents to view, like and comment on. You can upload any photographs of home learning and can also send me messages. Please check your child’s bag for information about how to link to the class. 

 

Throughout the year we have evenings and events that give us the opportunity to discuss your child’s progress. However, our door is always open and if you have any comments or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Thanks for your support,

 

Miss Groom

Please follow the link to our Knowledge Organiser  – Riston Y1.2 Two Year Cycle LTP