A new term!

Please join us on Tuesday 10 September for our Pre-Prep Open Evening. This will be a brilliant opportunity to meet the team and find out a little bit more about the year ahead in Year 2. Individual parent consultations will be taking place later in the term, on Thursday 7 November.

This term our topic is

‘What is Extreme?’

The children will be learning about extreme climates, sports, animals and moments in History. As part of their learning, we’re really excited to be taking the children on a trip to Marwell Zoo! In the second half of the term the children will focus specifically on the Great Fire of London; they will meet characters from history and will go on a very interesting treasure hunt which we are sure you will hear all about.

Please do support our topic in any way you see fit. A trip to London over the half term is a brilliant way to excite the children about the topic; a trip down Pudding Lane and a visit to the Monument fits in well with other sightseeing activities!

You can see more detail in our topic tree here.

We will continue with the Read Write Inc. phonics programme throughout the year, which is aligned with the rest of Pre-Prep and delivered during timetabled sessions every day. Parents are invited to a Read, Write, Inc Phonics Workshop on Monday 30 September to learn more about the scheme, and how you can support your child’s reading at home.

Each Friday we will be sending home a Learning Journal for you to share and complete with your child at home. In it will be homework tasks, which are designed to help reinforce the learning that has taken place in the classroom that week. The journal is also a way of keeping you informed about your child’s learning journey. We ask that homework tasks are completed and returned by the following Wednesday at the latest, unless otherwise specified, so that they can be marked and the journals prepared with the next task to be sent home again on Friday.

The children are expected to read to an adult daily at home and we ask that you record this reading in your child’s reading record. Practise at home is really important!

Your child will bring home weekly spellings on a Friday, ready for a test on the following Thursday. These are very important and we hope that all children will actively engage with this more formal way of working.

Your child will also receive a mental Maths task from time to time. This may include number bond work or times tables to learn. Again, this is a more formal approach but this rapid recall is vital for Mathematic success!

This term we have 2 trips planned for our Year 2 children!

We’re so excited to be able to offer the children some real-world experience of what they are learning in school. Trips are a brilliant way of making learning more tangible and memorable, as they enable the children to engage with the material in a more active and immersive way than can often be possible in the classroom. They are a powerful tool for broadening the children’s horizons, and also a lot of fun; we cannot wait to enjoy these days out over the Autumn Term!

• Tuesday 24 September – Year 2 will visit Marwell Zoo.
• Thursday 12 December – We will be taking the children to the theatre to see Robin Hood.

More information will follow nearer to the dates.

For all absences, please complete the absence request form via the Parent Portal. Please see the guide here on how to request an absence for your child.

Please ensure your child is well enough to attend school each day. If they’ve required Calpol in the morning, they aren’t well enough for school, so please don’t send them in. If in any doubt, please contact Matron to discuss your concerns.

If your child will need any prescribed or over-the-counter medication administered during the school day, please complete the following form here. No medication can be administered without this form.

Water bottles will stay in school for the week. These will be washed at the end of each day by your class teacher. During the weekends, water bottles can be taken home for a ‘deeper’ clean if needed. It is very important that the children drink water throughout the day, and using bottles in the classrooms helps to prevent spillages! If you do forget a bottle, just let us know and we can ensure that children have a cup to drink out of.

Children may be brought to the Year 2 classrooms via the rear classroom doors between 8:15am – 8:25am for registration, so please make sure your child is in school ready to start by this time. Children arriving earlier should be booked in for breakfast from 7:30am or join our Early Birds in the Pre-Prep Hall from 8:00am. When the children enter their classroom in the morning, we will ask them to take responsibility for putting their own belongings away. Independence is a key life skill, and will be important when moving on into the Prep school.

Collection at the end of the day is at 3.25pm. Please wait to meet your child outside the Year 2 classrooms at the rear of the Pre-Prep building, and make sure your child has ‘blobbed out’ with their teacher.

Children in Reception, and Years 1 & 2 may remain supervised in class until 4:00pm in ‘Free Fun Club’. If they are going to Supper Club, or a hobby, the children will be taken to that directly from the classroom. 

If you’d like your child to join us for breakfast, or stay beyond 3:30pm for hobbies or after school supervision/supper club, please contact extendedday@pennthorpe.com to arrange this.

As well as your pocket-sized diary, parents can also view the Autumn Term calendar via the website and Parent Portal.

Please do have a look through and pop important dates in your diary.  Of course, sometimes plans need to be updated, and so any changes will be updated on our electronic calendar and communicated to you as soon as possible.

The key events for our Year 2 parents include:

• Please join us for a Settling In Tea & Talk for Pre-Prep Parents on Thursday 5 September at 8:30am.
• Parents are invited to our Pre Prep Open Evening on Tuesday 10 September between 7:00-8:30pm.
• We will be hosting a PSHEE & RSE Tea & Talk for Reception – Year 4 Parents on Thursday 19 September.
• The Year 2 children will visit Marwell Zoo on Tuesday 24 September.
• Individual & Sibling Pupil Photographs are scheduled for Tuesday 24 September.
• We will be hosting a RWI & Phonics Workshop for Year 1 & 2 Parents on Monday 30 September after drop off.
• There will be a Pupil Wellbeing Tea & Talk for Parents on Thursday 10 October.
• Save the date for Year 2’s ‘Bring Your Parent to School’ Day on Friday 18 October
• Years 1 & 2 Class Teacher Parents’ Evening is scheduled for Thursday 7 November between 4:00-7:30pm.
• Our Whole School Remembrance Service will be held on Monday 11 November at 10:30am.
• Parents are invited to our Year 1 Showcase & Celebration Huddle on Friday 22 November at 10:30am.
• Please join us on Wednesday 4 December at 9:30am for our Christingle Service for children in Beehive to Year 4.
• Our Carol Service in the Chapel @ Christ’s Hospital for Families of Pupils in Year 1 – 8 is on Tuesday 10 December.
• Save the date for our annual Pre-Prep Christmas Production on Wednesday 11 December at 9:00am.
• We will be taking the children to see Robin Hood at The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre on Thursday 12 December.
• Carols Around the Tree takes places on Thursday 12 December at 4:00pm.
• Friday 13 December is the end of term with school finishing for Year 2 children at 11:50am.

Children can wear either summer or winter uniform until half term, after which all children should switch to winter uniform.

Please make sure your child’s uniform is labelled with their name, as it does make it a lot easier to reunite lost items with their owners.

Whilst the sun is shining, please apply sun cream to your child at home, before the beginning of their session as we will be outside as much as possible. We cannot provide sun cream in school so it is essential that children bring this in themselves.

On a Monday and Wednesday, the children have their Games and PE lessons.  On these days, we ask that the children come to school wearing their Games Kit to reduce the amount of time spent changing. Normal uniform is not required at all on these days.

All children in Year 2 will be playing tag rugby and uni-hockey during the academic year, and mouthguards are optional (it is non contact).

Swimming is on a Friday afternoon, and the children will be taken to Billingshurst Leisure Centre by minibus and return in time for school pick up time. A reminder that ALL children need a swimming hat as part of their kit, and boys should wear elastic ties unless they are able to tie their own. All children will swim unless there is a medical reason that has been discussed with your Class Teacher and Matron.

The children should have their play coat, waterproof clothing and wellies in school at all times, as we will get outside in all weathers at break times, as well as for our Forest School session on a Tuesday (you may want to pack an extra pair of socks on these days just in case!). If things get particularly muddy, these will be sent home to be washed, but please can they be returned to school as soon as possible.

If you have any uniform requirements, please place an order via our website here. You can also book an appointment at the Uniform Shop by contacting uniform@pennthorpe.com or drop in during the times below:

• Monday 8:30am – 9:30am
• Tuesday 3:30pm – 4:30pm
• Wednesday 3:30pm – 4:30pm
• Thursday CLOSED
• Friday 8:30am – 9:30am

Please do not park in the drop-off lanes at the front of school if you are coming past the gates to drop your child into school, or collect them from the Pre-Prep. These lanes are intended for dropping-off only!

Instead, please park up in the car park, or find a safe place to park on the neighbouring roads (being considerate of our neighbours, especially with regards parking near to junctions or driveways).

Our Wellbeing Ambassadors, who are children in Year 8, are available to support families at the busy drop off time by walking children from Reception to Year 2 down to the Pre-Prep. Please do use this option if you are in a rush and need to drop your child and leave.