2016-2017
Chick news!
Yipeeee exciting news today- One of Mavis' eggs has hatched. Welcome to the world little chick! As you can see it isn't a yellow chick, but yellow and brown. The breed is called a Cream Legbar hen. Lovely addition to our last week of school :-)
Smalley's Summer Show 2017
Well done children, what a super show.
Thank you for all of your hard work and effort.
'Eggciting' times ahead!
As you may have seen, we are expecting chicks in the last week of term! Mavis currently has a clutch of 7 eggs that she is incubating and doing a very good job with. Today she has been moved into a separate hutch so that she can incubate in peace and get ready for her chicks.
Incubation and chick development takes 21 days which is amazing that a new life can be made in just 3 weeks. Today is day 10 so we have carefully checked the eggs development. This is called 'candling'. To candle an egg you need to shine a torch at the bottom of the egg in a very dark room. As you can see, by day 10 the egg will show lots of veins and blood vessels- this is called mapping.
Mavis has done a good job so far and her chicks are developing. The eggs are half way there so keep your fingers crossed for the due date!
If you have anything you'd like to know about the hens, or Mavis and her eggs just remember you can ask Miss Tulley or Mrs Reckless :-)
Super science at Shipley Park!
Ready, Steady, GO!
Much fun was had during our EYFS and Key Stage 1 Potted Sports event this morning. Thank you to all the children who worked so hard to gain points for their team and thank you to all the supporters who came to spectate. A special thank you to our PTFA for providing the refreshments and for our Sports Leaders from Heanor Gate School; we couldn't have done it without you!
Please enjoy some of the action shots......
100 dots!
Team 2 had great fun creating pictures with exactly 100 dots - we tried hard to keep count!
Super symmetry
Here is the link to the super symmetry games we have been exploring in class.
Have fun!
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=symmetry
3d Shapes in Class 2
This week in our Mathematics lessons we have been examining 3D shapes. We've had great fun stacking the shapes into super tall towers as well as finding out which ones roll and which ones do not.
We have been using some great online games too. Here are the links:
https://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/earlymath/shapes_shoot.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/maths/shape_space/3d_shapes/play/
We have been using the important language and recognising shapes just from their description.
We have been using
vertex vertices faces edges curved straight
circular square triangular rectangular
To earn a merit I wonder if you can create a riddle to see if we can guess what the shape is.
Here is an example:
I have 3 faces.
One of my faces is curved and the other two are circular.
I have two curved edges and I can be stacked.
What am I?
(Scroll down to find the answer)
A cylinder
Afternoon tea with my Mummy!
How wonderful to welcome our Mummies and special ladies to our afternoon tea today.
We wanted to say a special thank you for all that you do, each and every day.
Mummies and other special ladies in our lives, including Grannies and Aunties, were treated to some lovely singing, presentation of special work, a poem, a gift of flowers and piano music. Our special guests also enjoyed freshly baked scones, baked with our own Smalley eggs (thank you Mrs Mason), shortbread with strawberries (thank you Mrs Straw), freshly baked cakes (thank you Mrs Pace) and of course plenty of hugs and time to chat. The children enjoyed their freshly baked biscuits made by our kitchen staff - thank you.
Thank you so much everyone for coming - it was really super to see you all. If you were unable to make it, we hope you enjoyed your special gifts.
Happy Mother's Day xx
Balanceability 2017!
And we're off!
Class 2 are looking forward to our exciting day! Thank you to everyone for getting the children to school early with all their things. We're all very excited and currently singing the zoo song!
Reading for Life!
During Book Week 2017, special assemblies were held with lots of special guests. Our guests included Lucy Truman, who came to speak to the children on Tuesday about her work as an illustrator. Lucy also gave a masterclass to Class 4, where they designed some beautiful book covers. On Wednesday Tess, Oliver and Iris spoke about their favourite books, visiting Heanor library and making bookmarks. On Thursday, we welcomed Mr Huntington, who is the headteacher at Heanor Gate Science College; he came to read his favourite children's book 'The Highway Rat' by Julia Donaldson. Our very own Dr Shelton shared her wonderful book that she had written as part of her studies - she spoke to the children about everyone having the potential to write a book and that everyone has a book inside them
On Friday, we held a special whole school assembly where each class shared the work they had been doing.
Thank you to everyone who visited our school and to everyone who shared their work during our assemblies this week.
World Book Day 2017 - Where's Wally?
Thank you for all of the gorgeous costumes, ideas and super reading this week children. Thank you to all the parents for your support too.
Fractions in Class 2
Well done children for working hard on fractions of amounts this week. We used equipment and drawings to help us work out the answers. We found a quarter, three quarters. Some of us worked out a third and two thirds of an amount.
Here we are solving word problems:
If there were 12 cows in a field and a quarter were standing up , how many cows were standing?
Three quarters of the 12 cows were lying down, how many cows were lying down?
Reading challenge
We read 132 books in a week! Well done children for taking part in the reading challenge.
Reading, enjoying, sharing....
Where's the owner?
I have a scarf and three pairs of Wally glasses left in the classroom from last week. Are they yours? Please come and collect them. Thank you.
Where's Wally?
What a wonderful Where's Wally day we had in Class 2 as we celebrated the twentieth year of World Book Day. It was really funny as you tried to spot the different children as all you could see was Wally!! Brilliant! Here are the children holding a book that they discovered during the morning - it was wonderful to see the children enjoying their time together and celebrating such super books!
Book Week - Teacher Swap
As part of our book week in school, we held a teacher swap! Teachers went into other year groups to share their love of reading. This was enjoyed by pupils and staff alike.
Homework projects to be proud of!
I've been wowed this week by all of the super animal projects that have come into school. What a pleasure to listen to the children sharing their work with pride. I'm looking forward to all of the children sharing their masterpieces with the whole school in Gold Book in the morning. Well done children!
Safer Internet Day 2017
This afternoon in Class 2, we celebrated all of the GREAT things about the internet. We thought about all the uses it has and how we can use it in our everyday lives.
We also thought about the dangers that it can have and how to keep ourselves safe online.
We watched this video to help us to think about some of the problems. Please watch it at home and talk to your parents about the important messages.
Thank you children for your clever and careful thinking today.
Super spelling investigation
As part of our spelling work, we did a group investigation today to see where certain /er/sounds were in words. We tried to spot whether there was a pattern to where particular /er/ choices were in a word - sometimes in the middle of words, some at the end and occasionally at the beginning.
We decided that /er/ was mostly the spelling choice at the end of words and that if the sound was in the middle of words it was likely to be /or/, /ir/ or /ur/. We then tried to see which one looked right....... durt, dirt or dort?
I love my life!
We enjoyed thinking about the lyrics of this song in our assembly today. Please enjoy and share at home too.
En garde
Class 2 have been really enjoying their fencing lessons. Their tutor thought that they are learning so well that today was the day to introduce masks and foam swords (a foil) - great work children!
Interesting insects!
In Science today, Class 2 have been learning the scientific names for the different body parts of an insect - we even sang a song about them!
Your challenge:
Can you make a list of 10 insect names? To earn a merit, either make a comment on the website or write it down on a piece of paper and bring it back into school.
Gold Book January 2017
Well done children! Brilliant place value mathematicians, independence and self confidence were the qualities celebrated in Gold Book today in Class 2.
Year 2 Spring Term briefing letter
Please find attached the briefing letter for this term, which highlights some of our key areas of learning.
Many thanks
Mrs Reckless
Pantomime Fun with Cinderella!
Today we welcomed the production of Cinderella into school. The children enjoyed singing and dancing along as well as the boos and cheers! There were lots of opportunities to say "Oh YES there is!" and "He's behind you!" too!
Thank you children for being a super audience.
Hey Ewe!
Well done to all of the children in Class R, 1 and 2 for the super production of Hey Ewe! Here are some photographs of the children in Year 2 in their costumes- well done everyone!
Collecting data
The children in Class 2 have been busy surveying which Christmas character is the most popular. The children worked hard on using tally marks to show this information clearly and then adding up how many people they had asked altogether.
Christmas is coming!
Happy 1st of December everyone - we worked as a team to put up our class Christmas tree today - what fun we had!
Hey Ewe!
We're very excited that the tickets for our production of Hey Ewe have gone on sale.
We can't wait to show you all of our teamwork in our baaaarilliant production!
Some parents have been asking for the tunes to accompany the song lyrics; due to licensing laws we are unable to put the full versions of the songs onto the website. However you can access a 'taster' of the songs on the Out of the Ark website. Please follow the link below:
Doubling & Halving
As requested children!
A link to 'Hit the Button'. We have been using this game to help us with doubling and halving.
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
Remember when you double the answer gets bigger than the number you started with and when halving the answer get smaller than what you started with.
We can use our doubles to help us with our halves:
Double 5 is 10 and half of ten is 5.
Double 50 is 100 and half of 100 is 50.
Odd or even?
We have been recapping on what odd and even numbers are.
What do odd numbers end in? What do they have in their ones column?
What do even numbers end in? What do they have in their ones column?
Challenge:
Write a post with 5 even numbers and 5 odd numbers on - remember to challenge yourself with your number choices.
Here is a game we have been using in class - have a go!
http://www.doorwayonline.org.uk/number/oddandeven/
Fraction Action!
We have been learning lots of fraction skills this week. Here is a recap:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/fractions/fracTut1.swf
Please follow this link to play a selection of fraction games.
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/earlymath/fractions_shoot.swf
Good luck!
Once upon a time.......
Class 2 have really enjoyed reading some traditional fairy stories including Rapunzel and Hansel & Gretel. We have also learnt to navigate through a power point presentation. Please share the story of Hansel & Gretel together by following the link below:
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=fairy%20tales
Our Reading Workshop 15.11.16
Thank you so much to all of the parents and children who attended our reading workshop this evening; it was wonderful to see so many of you.
We hope the information was helpful and the classroom activities and handouts gave you an insight into current expectations around reading.
Together we can help your child be the best reader that they can be.
Together we can help your child be life long readers.
Here is the link to the video which helps with the pronunciation for segmenting and blending words:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwJx1NSineE
Here is the link to Oxford Owl where you can register free and access over 250 online books. This website also supports Mathematical learning.
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/
Here are the the links which Mr Redgrave mentioned for great book recommendations:
Please let us know what you think.
Thank you again for your continued support.
We remember
Thank you for this special Lego homework to commemorate Remembrance Day 2016, Jack.
Time Talk!
This week in Year 2 we have been doing lots of work on TIME! In Class 2 we are learning to tell the time quarter past and quarter to the hour.
Can you remember where the big long hand has to be children?
Here the children were working in teams to match the definitions with the units of time and then sequencing them from the smallest unit of time to the largest - great team work!
Great sport Mr Willdig!
A special thank you to Mr Willdig for coming to work with Mrs Reckless & Class 2 every Wednesday afternoon as part of the Sports Initiative for Schools. Last term the children were taught some super Athletics skills, we were so lucky with the weather and we were able to have our lessons outside. We've now come into the warmth of the hall as Mr Willdig teaches Class 2 some Basketball skills. This week children have been working in pairs to dribble. They have been getting themselves into position at the gates and then passing the ball by bouncing and chest passing. The children even tried a front and back through the leg bounce and a finger spin!
Fabulous books!
Classes 2-6 have been lucky to have a visit from Kathy, a local librarian with extensive knowledge about children's books. Kathy set each class a challenge to discuss, evaluate and recommend the best children's picture book. She told the children about her involvement in the Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Book Awards, where she helps to choose the nominations for the best children's books. Thank you so much Kathy for working with our children - there was a wonderful buzz about books!
Class R and Class 1 - it's your turn tomorrow! Enjoy!
Searching for the conspirators!
Class 2 had super fun in History as they hunted for the 13 conspirators involved in the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. The children imagined they were the guards and had to capture the names of the men. One man tried to evade us but Dixie found him! Can you see who she caught?
Great fun children - thank you for taking part so brilliantly!
Great holiday reading!
In assembly today, I was able to give out lots of certificates to children who had done lots of reading over the half term holiday. I asked the children to try to read at least 5 minutes every day and write it in their reading diary. One little girl noted that she read for 63 minutes! Well done everyone.
Remember this half term, up until Christmas, when you read at least FIVE seperate times at home in a week (Thursday -Thursday) you can earn a reading certificate.
Gold Book 4/11/16
Well done children, this week we celebrated super money counting, great clay work, helpfulness, thoughtfulness, kindness and always being ready to learn.
Film Night - October 2016!
The PTFA held their first film night of the academic year with the children watching the very apt 'Chicken Run' following our new arrivals!
The children had a fantastic time and the event raised almost £300!
A huge thank you to Mrs Ufton, Mrs Worth and all the staff who supported this event.
Lizzie in class 5 won the competition that evening to pick the next film!
We look forward to seeing you there.
Enjoy some pictures below!
Wishing you all a Happy Harvest!
On the last day of term we enjoyed performing our Harvest assembly. The hall was bursting as parents, children and bags of Harvest gifts filled the hall.
Our Reception, Class 1 and Class 2 children led the festival with an array of beautiful songs, smiles and poetry. Our Key Stage 2 children and Performance Club also supported this special Smalley tradition.
Thank you so very much for all of the generous Harvest gifts - as you can see from the photos, the kindly donated Tesco banks were filled to the brim and distributed to the nominated people in our local community. This year we asked our school children and parents to nominate special people in our local community who may have been ill, suffered a sadness or just go above and beyond. I know from the bags that I delivered, the gifts certainly put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces.
Wishing you all a Happy Harvest and a safe half term.
Poem practise......
This week children in Class 2 have been busy practising our Harvest poem ready to perform in our Harvest assembly on Friday. We're really pleased with how it's going so far and we have seen lots of improvement in the words we are reading and how we are using our voices to make it sound exciting.
Here is a copy of the poem incase you need it:
Hello......is there anyone there?
Such a buzz of excitement in Class 2 this week as telephones in all shapes, sizes and designs have made their way into school. Today we had a go with some of the creations and talked about why the phones worked, using words like 'vibrations' to explain.
We had so much fun even though some of our wires did get in a tangle!
We can't wait to try out the other designs!
Competition: Can you find out what Alexandra Graham Bell said to Thomas Watson as he tested the telephone? What date did this happen? Make a comment and prizes will be handed out next Wednesday to children who have submitted the correct answer - good luck!
Gold Book celebrations!
Well done children - Gold Book celebrations today for careful and detailed painting, independence and surprise cheesecake treats! All of these certainly brought a smile to Mrs Drury's and my face - thank you. An extra well done to Olivia for receiving the headteacher's award for resilience in her learning.
Groundhog or a woodchuck?
In our Autumn poem we learnt some new words and found out what they meant. We also came across the animal name 'woodchuck'. What can you find out about a woodchuck? Please post your comment for a merit - good luck.
Sharing local Harvest news
How lovely to visit our local chapel this week. Reverend Rex told us a super story about Casper the mouse and the sunflower seed. We all sang 'Day by Day' together beautifully and looked at the harvest gifts that people had brought to church. Our children were really well mannered, it was a pleasure to be out and about in our community.
Super Superheroes
Children, you all looked fabulous on our Superhero day - thank you for all of your wonderful efforts.
Gold September Festival 2016!
Friday was a very special day that will live long in the memory of those that attended. As part of our awareness raising this month for Gold September a mini festival was held after school. There were a number of fun stalls, crafts and games as well as a very popular BBQ!
During the afternoon we unveiled our new playground in memory of Eddy Parry, a very special boy who attended our school and tragically lost his life to Bone Cancer. We were very pleased that Eddy's parents; Jon and Claudia, were able to attend the playground and open it with us.
Part of the playground are two new personalised basketball nets, located in the area which Eddy loved to play. A huge thank you to Jamie Eaton for his support with this.
Also, our past pupil Sam came to present a huge cheque after his amazing achievement cycling from London to Paris during the Summer holidays. It was brilliant to see him.
Jon, Claudia, Sam, Martin from Derby Wheelblazers and myself all took shots to officially open Eddy's Court.
A few children then attempted wheelchair basketball and took some more shots along with trustee of the charity, Graham Salisbury.
It was a fitting tribute and occasion for a very special boy. During the last month well over £1000 has been raised for Gold September. This is a wonderful amount of money and a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way.
A few pictures are attached below and a more comprehensive video will be posted very soon.
Superhero staff at Smalley!
On Superhero day for Gold September, it was clear to everyone that we have superhero staff who go that extra mile each and every day! What a team!
Massive thank you to all!
Saturday spaghetti treat!!
After providing a healthy clutch of eggs, we thought our girls deserved a tasty treat, so today our hens enjoyed MARMITE SPAGHETTI! They loved it and even chased each other with it in their mouths!
Shed building!
Today our gardening development project acquired a new addition! A shed for storing all of the chicken supplies, like food and bedding and also some of our gardening equipment in. My Dad (rather a clever handyman!) has been busy making it at home and then we built it up at school this afternoon. We're rather pleased with it - what do you think?
Thank you for the kind offer of slabs from Mrs Pancisi and Mrs Meek - I'll be in contact soon.
Gold Book
It was the first Key Stage 1 Gold Book for this term and I was super proud to share some magical maths, sentences using commas and kindness. We also said a special well done for football success with two boys getting man of the match last weekend and also a member of our class being invited to join Skate Academy.
Well done children!
A tasty class treat from Miss Tulley & our hens!
How exciting! In Gold Book today, Miss Tulley presented each class with a vanilla sponge to share. Miss Tulley had baked the cakes with our very own Smalley Chook Nook eggs! Thank you Mavis, Matilda, Betty, Blossom, Gracie & Goldie and of course our Star Baker - Miss Tulley! What a team!
Reading homework
This week in Class 2, I set your first piece of Year 2 homework. The children have been speaking about their favourite books and their ideas. Thank you to these children who have brought their work in and shared it with the class today. You have earned yourself a merit.
Roald Dahl Day in Class 2
What a phizziwhizzing, swashboggling day we've had celebrating 100 years of the fabulous author, Roald Dahl.
To earn a merit, please find something interesting out about Roald Dahl and leave a comment on the website.
We've been enjoying the story 'THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE'.
Children, can you tell your Mummy & Daddy something about the crocodile?
Thank you for all of your hard work today, I'm looking forward to continuing our Roald Dahl adventure tomorrow.
Number words in Class 2
In our Mathematics lesson this week, we are practising one of the important jobs in Year 2.
We need to be able to read and spell all the numbers from one to hundred. We've played games to help us today.
Here is a weblink which can help to learn these.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/counting-names-100.html
Happy practising at home too.
Introducing...
After reading through hundreds of name ideas, we have finally decided on 6 names for our new school chickens.
Introducing: Mavis, Matilda, Betty, Blossom, Goldie and Gracie!
Visiting Smalley School
Thank you for making us feel really welcome on Friday and for sharing good practice.
It was so lovely to look around and see everyone again.
I'll name that chicken in 1!
We have had a fabulous first week back at school and so have our new arrivals!
The children arrived back this week to the surprise of seeing that we are now the home to six new chickens.
They have settled very quickly and are already laying eggs.
It has been lovely to see children, staff, parents and grandparents go over to the chickens and meet them over the course of the week.
A huge thank you to the team that gave up their holidays to ensure the chickens have a fabulous new home.
Also, thank you to the PTFA for providing the funding for this.
They have been an instant hit!
The children were set a challenge by Miss Tulley today to name the chickens.
The names will be announced in due course alongside a picture so we can all call them by name!
What a brilliant start to the new year! Enjoy some pictures below!
Year 2 Autumn Briefing Letter
Welcome back!
Please find attached a copy of the briefing letter for this term which outlines some of the fun things we will be learning about in Class 2.
Alphabetical order
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/literacy/alphabetical_order/play/