Year 1 and 2 would like to welcome you to Church of the Ascension Primary School website!

In our Year 1 and 2 area, we aim to keep you updated with all of the exciting things we do throughout the week and any important information.

Daily Routines and Expectations 

When the bell goes at 8.50am, the children should line up on the key stage one playground everyday. Please be prompt and ensure that your child is equipped for the school day.  It’s always a delight to greet every child each morning.

When the children come into school they must hang their coats and bags up, put water bottles and lunch boxes on the trolley and complete the morning task that has been set. The cloakroom areas are small so we advise that children continue to use their book bag so that it can be stored inside their tray. Children do not need to bring a pencil case as this equipment will be provided for them.

Children will need a water bottle filled with water, a healthy snack for their morning break and you can choose whether your child has a school dinner, school sandwich or a packed lunch from home.  Universal free school meals are available to all children in Reception, year one and year two so this will still be an option for your child.

The school day finishes at 3.20pm and your child will be dismissed onto the key stage one playground so please ensure you are visible so that we can dismiss safely.

Classes and Staffing

Year 1C – Mrs Clarke, Mrs Davies and Miss Skeldon

Year 1/2B – Mrs Bate, Mrs Whitehead and Mrs Devers

Year 2S – Miss Slater (KS1 Co-Ordinator) and Miss Hickman

Year 1 Phonics

The children in Year 1 will continue to follow the ‘Bug Club Phonics’ scheme that they commence in Reception. The children will be assessed regularly and grouped according to their phonetic ability.

Year 2 Reading and Spellings

The children in Year 2 will move onto Twinkl PlanIt Spellings once they have completed the ‘Bug Club Phonics’ scheme. This wonderful pack covers a full year of Year 2 spellings with the intention of ensuring that all the National Curriculum Year 2 spelling requirements have been covered. Alongside this, children will have access to reading books that are in line with our Accelerated Reader programme followed in KS2.

Reading

Bug Club reading books will be changed by an adult in school on Fridays. Books aligned with children’s phonetic ability will also be set on ‘Active Learn’ with the expectation that this is accessed electronically. The book sent home is a book that children should be able to decode and read with some fluency and independence.

Children will also have a book from the ‘Dot Book’ library which they have the responsibility to change on a Monday and a Friday. Please do not use this book as a homework task as it is purely for you and your child to share together and read for pleasure. 

We encourage home reading and recommend that an adult listens to their child read their Bug Club book at least three times a week. We expect this to be recorded in their reading record and this will be checked by staff on a Friday. Children will be rewarded with house points for each time they read. Reading is a key life skill and underpins all of the learning that children do, so we will keep a track of children’s reading and put additional support in place where necessary.

Homework and Spellings

Homework will be sent out on a Friday with the expectation that it is completed and returned on a Tuesday. The homework will alternate between Maths and English each week.

Spellings will also be sent home on a Friday to be tested the following Friday. These will focus on the sounds they have been taught that week, in their differentiated phonics groups.

Mathematics

Please encourage your child/ren to access TT Rockstars and NumBots on a regular basis. This will support their times table knowledge and re call during lessons. We advise that Year 1 focus on NumBots and Year 2 focus on TT Rockstars.

Kinetic Letters

Kinetic Letters® is a handwriting programme for use in primary and secondary schools.

Four main threads of:

• Making bodies stronger,

• Holding the pencil,

• Learning the letters, and

• Flow and fluency

It enables children to develop legible handwriting that is produced quickly and automatically. With the development of automaticity, handwriting becomes a valuable tool and not a hindrance to learning.

PE

We do PE twice a week, on a Monday and Friday. Your child’s PE kit needs to be in school all week, please can all items of clothing be named. They will also need a change of footwear for PE. Earrings must be removed and long hair must be tied back.

If you have any questions you would like to ask, don’t hesitate to talk to any of the Year 1 and 2 support staff on the door or you can email us at:

info@chur-ascen.dudley.sch.uk

We will aim to reply to your emails as soon as we are able to do so.

If you would like to find out about the topics your child will be learning about each term, please click on the link below:

Year 1 Spring Overview

Year 2 Spring Overview

Thank you for your support. We look forward to working in partnership with you and your child/ren.

Miss Slater, Mrs Bate and Mrs Clarke.