We have had a fantastic start to the new year, and the children are already blowing us away with their enthusiasm, positive attitudes and determination to do their very best. It has been lovely to see how quickly they have settled back into school routines and how eager they are to learn. The classroom has been full of smiles, thoughtful discussions and brilliant effort, and we are so proud of the way the children have approached their learning this week.

English

In English this week, we have started a brand-new story, Max by Bob Graham, and the children have absolutely loved it. They have shown a fantastic understanding of the story and have been eager to share their thoughts and ideas during our discussions.

Our main focus has been sequencing the events of the story. The children worked carefully to identify what happened at the beginning, middle and end, thinking about how the story flows and how each event links together. They did a brilliant job retelling the story in the correct order and explaining their reasoning.

Building on this, the children worked on summarising the story using clear sentence openers, while also remembering to punctuate their sentences correctly. They impressed us all with their focus and effort, and their writing truly blew us away! The children produced some super sentences, showing growing confidence, strong understanding, and pride in their work.

It has been wonderful to see how enthusiastic the children are about reading and writing, and how much progress they are making as storytellers and writers.

 

Reading

Reading at 3: Every Friday at 3, our doors will open for you to come in and enjoy a quiet read with your child. This will be for the full 15 minutes, and we kindly ask that children are not taken home early during this time.

Reading folders: Some children are bringing home two books – one of these will be a Read Write Inc (RWI) home book, which we ask them to read three times throughout the week to help build fluency. These books will be changed by an adult.

The second book (with the coloured sticker) should be changed independently by your child – ideally first thing in the morning.

Some children have moved onto the Accelerated Reader programme and will be able to change their books once they’ve completed the quiz online.
AR login: Click here
Parent Guide: How to use Accelerated Reader

Please ensure reading folders are placed in the trays each morning so that we can read with your child and update their books when needed.

Chilton Heroes Reading Certificate – Each week, one child per class will be recognised for their fantastic reading in our Chilton Heroes assembly.

 

Maths

In maths this week, we have been diving into place value, and the children have approached their learning with fantastic enthusiasm and confidence. We began by exploring number lines, including the challenge of estimating where a number would belong on a blank number line. The children showed great reasoning skills, using what they know about numbers to make sensible and increasingly accurate estimates.

We then used our number line knowledge to help us round numbers up and down. The children particularly enjoyed learning our rounding song, which helped them remember the rule in a fun and memorable way:
“1, 2, 3, 4, round it down to the floor.
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, round it up all the time!”
It was wonderful to see how confidently they could apply this when rounding numbers independently.

Later in the week, we moved on to partitioning numbers into tens and ones. The children explored different ways to break numbers apart, using practical resources and clear explanations to show their understanding. They worked brilliantly, explaining their thinking and showing a strong grasp of how numbers are made.

The children have made excellent progress with place value this week, and this strong foundation will really support us as we move into addition next week. We are very proud of their hard work and positive attitudes towards maths!

 

PSHE

In PSHE this week, we have been focusing on our school value of courage. The children have loved learning about Malala Yousafzai and were inspired by her bravery and determination. Through discussion and storytelling, we explored what it truly means to be courageous and how courage can look different for everyone.

We talked about situations where we might need to stand up for ourselves or for others, and the children shared thoughtful ideas about fairness, kindness and speaking out when something doesn’t feel right. These discussions showed great maturity and empathy.

The children also spent time thinking about their own goals and aspirations, and how being courageous can help us achieve them. Whether this meant trying something new, believing in themselves, or not giving up when something feels tricky, the children showed a wonderful understanding of how courage helps us grow.

It has been a really meaningful week of learning, and the children impressed us with their thoughtful contributions and positive attitudes.

Home Learning

This week, our home learning links to our PSHE focus on courage. We would like the children to think about a time when they have been brave, or something they would like to be courageous about.

• Share an example of when they have shown courage (big or small!)

Be creative and have fun!

 

RSPB Big Garden BirdWatch

This term, the whole school is taking part in the Big Schools' BirdWatch to collect data for the RSPB. We are inviting you to take part at home too. Here's what you need to do:

1. ‎Choose an hour between 23 and 25 January

2, Only record the birds that land in your garden

3. Record the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time

4. Sign up online and submit your results to the RSPB. Here's the link: Big Garden Birdwatch

Miss Isaac, who is Chilton's science leader, would love to see any photos of you doing this and also know any particularly interesting birds you saw. Feel free to send her an email: carol.isaac@chiltonprimary.co.uk

Have fun  twitching!

 

Dates to Remember

 

Thursday 15th January – Reception September 2026 application closes 

Friday 6th February – NSPCC number day (Reception and KS1 children to come in dressed in number themed clothes/KS2 to come in dressed as a Times Table Rock Star) 

Friday 6th February – KS2 Countdown assembly at 9am (parents of year group house winners to be invited) Tuesday 10th February – Safer internet day 

Friday 13th February – Non-school uniform day 

Thank you all for your support and we hope you have a lovely weekend! 😊

 

The Year 2 Team

Miss Maddy Kennedy – Team Sapphire – maddy.kennedy@chiltonprimary.co.uk

Mr Josh Belsey - Team Cornflower - joshua.belsey@chiltonprimary.co.uk