Welcome to Squirrels!
Hello, I’m Miss Gradwell and I’m very happy to be the teacher of Squirrels Class. We are very lucky to have the fabulous Mrs Woodward and Mrs Cross who supports us with our learning. Squirrels is all about enthusiasm for learning and developing independence. In Squirrels we put 100% effort into our learning and have lots of fun while doing so. We have the same 3 rules throughout the school which makes it easy for us to follow them. They are: Keep safe, Use your Values and Be the best that you can be” We learn about and practice these rules every day.
In Squirrels we have daily phonics, Math and English lessons, as well as reading activities. During maths, we focus on using fluency and reasoning for problem solving. Every week we have Guided Reading, where we read in groups, and enjoy discussing different books. In the afternoons we learn about History, Geography, RE and PE. On Tuesday afternoons we have Art and Design Technology with Mrs Webster.
In Squirrels we have our playtime at 10:30-10:45 and our lunchtime at 12:00-13:00.
Growth Mindset is very important to us in Squirrels. We work hard to feel comfortable with making mistakes, and using these to further our learning. We also develop an understanding that we are responsible for our own learning.
In May, Year 2 take part in SATs, these consist of two maths tests and two reading tests. The children’s final assessments are based on their learning throughout the whole year, not just the SATs.
Each week we have two PE lessons during which we learn lots of different skills, as well as how to keep our bodies healthy through diet and exercise. We take part in a daily fitness session, either outside or in our classroom. Sometimes we link our fitness to maths, counting while we exercise! Every day after lunch we have mindfulness time, this help us to relax ready for the afternoon lessons.