YEAR 2 - International Schools of Egypt

Primary Year 2
April/May 2015
Year 2
Monthly Newsletter
Tel: 5044489 /5044498
Web: www.ise.edu.eg
Dear parents,
Dates:
28th April- Sports Day
14th May- International
Day.
17th May- Day off
(Labour Day)
28th May- Out of
School Uniform –
Green (Earth Day)
4th June- Pajama Day.
17th June- Last Day of
School/ Dish Party
18th June- Parent
Consultations/ Reports.
21st June- Father’s
Day
Welcome back to the third and final term of year 2. The weather is getting nicer and
the students are eagerly awaiting summer holidays so it is of the utmost importance
that we remain focused as a year 2 team which includes teachers, students and parents
to ensure we finish on a high note! I’m sure you have all heard by now that we had
an absolutely fantastic last day of term 2. It was educational, fun and will surely be a
lasting memory for many of the children. We’ve heard comments after returning
from the trip, during our dish parties and our re-enactment of the great fire of London
that this was their best day in school ever! We are proud as teachers to give the
children such an amazing experience, one that they will cherish for years to come.
Now on to term 3.
Class Blogs
As always, please check the blog regularly as we are posting lots of new and useful
things on there. We have also created 4 new pages containing useful websites,
workbooks for home, vocabulary lists for language growth and some recommended
books to build your home libraries with. Many questions and concerns that we find
in communication books can often be found on the blog and save you time. We can
always respond via email as well if it is urgent so please feel free.
This blog can be accessed from the school website; www.ise.edu.eg/ibsa.
School Newsletters
Each month teachers will update parents on information about each class through a
class newsletter. The newsletter will include information about the topics covered in
class, student of the week and reminders about upcoming school events. The
newsletter will only be available on the school website; www.ise.edu.eg/ibsa. If you
have any problems with accessing the newsletter online please contact the class
teacher or Miss Rain Jones.
Attendance and Punctuality
BE IN SCHOOL
BEFORE 7.45
Please be aware you child needs to be in school every day on time no later than 8am
and school ends at 3pm. Obviously, if your child is seriously ill then they should not
be in school, but activities and appointments should be scheduled for outside of
school hours if at all possible.
Uniform
Students must make sure to come to school fully dressed in their school uniform with the I.B.S.A. logo. Students
must also wear black school shoes. P.E for Miss Lake’s class will be on Wednesday. P.E for Mr. Pilles’ class will be
on Monday and the students must come in the school P.E. uniform and appropriate trainers for outdoor or indoor
activities. Children do not need football boots for P.E. and these should not be worn to school. If new items are
needed they can be purchased from Mr. Adel in the uniform shop. Please make sure all items are labelled with your
child’s name so they can be returned to the rightful owner if lost. In term 2 we have found MANY lost items,
children need to take greater care.
Whole school behaviour policy
This year, IBSA are continuing to make use of the behaviour policy based on a traffic light system. The aim is for
students to stay ‘on green’. Notes will be sent home to inform parents of super behaviour or inappropriate behaviour
that has resulted in a move ‘off green’. All parents have a copy of the behaviour policy in the Parent Handbook. We
would ask for your support in praising your child for the brilliant behaviour we are sure they will display!
Equipment required
Most students have all the equipment required now. However, borrowing does occur and this sometimes causes
problems. Please make sure your child always has their pencils, rubbers, sharpeners, colours and rulers each day in
class. They should not have to waste time borrowing from others; it is their responsibility to be ready each and
every day. Some students request that their parents want their pencil cases brought home with them each day. This
is fine as long as they bring it back each day. Repeated unpreparedness for class will result in the loss of Golden
Time. This is still not happening. Many children aren’t able to begin their work because they don’t have a pencil or
can’t find their rubber. Please ensure they have everything required with a functioning pencil case and remind them
to put things away after use so they don’t get lost. They need to be more responsible to address this ongoing
problem.
Class Novel
As mentioned previously we will be reading the twits third term which most students should have. We will also be
covering another book called The BFG (also by Roald Dahl) and we request that this book is also purchased.
Sleep and Healthy Eating
In order for your child to be alert and ready to learn in the morning, they need to have had a good sleep.
Please support me in making sure that your child has enough sleep every school night. It is recommended
that children need to have between 9 and 10 hours of sleep each night so they can focus fully on their
learning each day. Staying up late and doing extra work for not doing it properly is terrible for a child’s
health, wellbeing and endeavor in school. It will only have negative effects in coming years and their
attitude towards school will not be a good one. They also need to have a healthy breakfast before school.
Key Stage One has a healthy eating policy again this year and children should bring a healthy lunch and
snacks to school. Any chocolates, sweets, crisps or fizzy drink will be confiscated. Children are allowed to
visit the school canteen on Thursdays ONLY, unless special permission is granted by a teacher. This has
not been happening. Children have been coming with canteen tickets saying my mom didn’t pack me a
lunch or didn’t have time. Please try to address healthy eating and its importance at home. The canteen is
meant to be a treat not a routine.
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW (Spring Term)
Literacy
Our literacy this term focuses mainly on the development of reading comprehension using
the Primary Focus textbooks. During the creative writing lesson children will focus on how
to write fictional pieces of work including a beginning, middle and end. We will develop a
variety of skills including comprehension, reading, writing in different contexts, speaking
and listening.
Our grammar components will consist of compound sentences, commas, verbs, question
mark and exclamation marks, speech marks, speech marks and words to use instead of
“said” which will make our story telling more interesting.
Numeracy
Science
Topic:
History/Geography
Art
PSHE
We will also be looking at various fiction and non fiction books to give the children
a taste of as much as possible. We are hoping for big improvements in their writing
this term as they will be learning a lot of new skills which can always be applied to
their writing.
Numeracy in Year 2 is planned using the Abacus Evolve Scheme. It focuses on a
number of topics which the students will learn throughout the year. It is assessed
throughout the lessons and with end of unit and end of block assessments. Times
tables and mental maths are tested every week. We will be focusing during term 2
on the 3, 4 and 6 times tables and will build on these as the year progresses.
Topics this term include; multiplication, division, fractions, measurement, time and
geometry.
We have two exciting topics this term to study, Electricity and Rocks. We will be
learning about what electricity is, what uses it and simple aspects of a circuit. We
will be building our own circuits in class even using batteries, switches, light bulbs,
buzzers, and wires of course. When we study rocks, minerals and soils we learn
about different types of rock and how they are formed, how they change, and where
we can find them. There will plenty of interesting things to learn about and we
hope the children will achieve the same great marks on their assessments that they
did last term.
The term will start with a History unit about the Great Fire of London which
destroyed most of the world famous city in 1666. We will study how the fire
spread, what buildings were like at the time and we will also be building our own
model of what the street looked like where the fire started. This model won’t last
forever though because we are going to light it on fire! We will study journal
entries by Samuel Pepys who lived during that time and recorded detailed accounts
of the fire. The children will also be producing their own journal entries on paper
which we will make look old. They have to pretend they were there.
This term in Geography we will be learning all sorts about maps, water, land and
some related facts. The unit is called an island home which we will discover more
about as we study the maps and our world in further detail.
In Art this term the students shall be completing a selection of activities to help
boost their creativity while developing basic motor skills through cutting, sticking,
painting and colouring. A lot of these activities will be connected to one of the
foundation topics to reinforce what the children have learnt though the previous
geography, history or science lessons.
During PSHE students will be completing a variety of activities all about
themselves; their likes/dislikes; their behavior and how it affects others.
Homework, Reading, Spelling and Times Table practice
We have made just one homework pack this term in one book. The books are the same for every single student
except for one maths page. The pages are similar and cover the exact same concepts there is just a differentiation in
difficulty. This allows for every single student to be doing the same tasks for homework at an appropriate level for
their learning style. The writing task is also in the homework book but must be completed in the blue journal book as
normal.
Handbook
Please keep and refer to your parent handbook that was distributed early in the year and check the blogs for important
updates!! It is possible to subscribe to the blog to get email updates every time something is added.
If you have any concerns or queries feel free to write to us in the communication book, set up an
appointment through the school office or email us on dpilles@ise.edu.eg or elake@ise.edu.eg .
We look forward to continuing the awesome year we’ve had so far. Thanks for your cooperation and
ongoing hard work.
Many Thanks,
Busy Bees and Racing Rabbits
Mr. Dan Pilles and Miss Emily Lake. 
Racing Rabbits