Friday 18th September 2026

Dear Parents, 

In English, we have started a new book called ‘Here We Are, Notes for Living on Planet Earth’ by Oliver Jeffers. The book was written for his newborn daughter to explain little bits of how the world works. The children used the pictures on the front cover to predict what they thought the book was about, whilst focusing on using the correct punctuation in their sentences, including capital letters, full stops and finger spaces. After reading the book, the children generated their own questions about what they wanted to learn and discover about the world, using a range of different question words. They also wrote a detailed setting description, using the five senses to add more detail to their descriptions.

In maths, the children started off writing numbers to 100 in words and in the expanded form. For example, they know that 43 is made up of 40 and 3, so 40 + 3 = 43 (forty-three). They then moved on to using base 10 and part-whole models to partition numbers, thinking about how many different ways they can partition a two-digit number. For example, 27 can be made up of 2 tens and 7 ones, or it can be made up of 1 ten and 17 ones. Lastly, they learnt how to place 10s and 1s on a number line to 100. They were exposed to different start and end point values, as well as the standard 0 to 100 number line. Children used their knowledge of counting in multiples of 10 to label number lines.

In Jewish Studies, the children continued their Yom Kippur learning by exploring the story of Yonah and discussing the important message of teshuvah, learning that it is never too late to say sorry and daven to Hashem. They also learnt about some of the special ways we prepare for and observe Yom Kippur, including why some wear white and how adults fast but not children! The children then learnt about Tashlich and were very excited to take part in this special custom themselves. They went to the stream in the playground and loved throwing pieces of bread into the water, learning that this is a symbolic way of casting away our sins and thinking about the things they would like to improve. We ended our week by learning about this week’s Parsha, Ha’azinu, discovering some of the important messages in Moshe’s final words to Bnei Yisrael. 

In history, in preparation for learning about the Great Fire of London, the children compared London now to the past. We looked at clothing, houses, transport and streets. The children were able to sort the cards from ‘now and then’ and then they drew these comparisons in their books. The children began to have an understanding of how different life was back in that time period. 

In science, we recapped the terms discussed last week, ‘alive’, ‘dead’ and ‘never alive’. They learned the term habitat and then looked at what we might find in our local habitat. After that, we went to the park to find and locate different plants and animals we could see in the park, which the children loved!

In DT, we built our model sukkahs with the ‘junk’ modelling materials that were sent in.  Thank you very much! The children had to think about the words strong, stable and stiff, in order to make the best sukkah. They added decorations and tried to create a strong, stable sukkah.  Next week, we will test out their designs.

In computing, the children worked on logging into Google Docs and then writing about their favourite thing they had done that day. This provided them with the opportunity to become more familiar with the letter placement on the keyboard. They also learnt how to select and highlight their writing, change font size, style and colour. We will continue to work on these essential skills.

In Forest School, the session began with another team building and focus developing game. The children had to observe the patterns being made by people’s hands and follow them in order as quickly as possible. Next, the class played a quick game of Ostrich Tag before a story and circle time. The children were also shown some cards with faces showing different expressions and they discussed what the feelings were. For the rest of the session, some children learnt how to make twisty bracelets out of wool. Others made their own conker shell out of wool using the wet felting method. They showed a great deal of commitment and patience as they worked with the wool. Another group of children used sticks as brooms and broomsticks and were immersed in a Harry Potter-themed narrative, whilst others played with the Forest Friends and made up their own storyline and used voices to act out their story.

Wishing you an easy and meaningful fast and gmar chatima tovah.

The Year 2 team

Friday 11th September 2026

Dear Parents, 

As we conclude our first full week, we are truly impressed by how well the children have settled into Year 2. They have quickly adapted to the routines and are approaching their tasks with focus and perseverance. With such a promising start, we are even more enthusiastic about what the rest of the year will hold. 

In English this week, we have been reading Quest by Aaron Becker. The children explored the story through its illustrations, carefully looking at the pictures and discussing what they could see and how they thought the characters might be feeling at different points in the story. They then used the illustrations as inspiration to write sentences describing what they could see and hear in different scenes. To finish the week, the children used their imagination to write their own quest stories, describing where their quest took them and what they could see, hear and discover along the way. 

In maths, the children were introduced to our topic ‘Place Value’. The children had opportunities to use manipulatives and make drawings on their whiteboards to represent numbers. They learnt about place value tables, and partitioning numbers into tens and ones by drawing it on a Place Value table. They also learnt about part-whole models and how to use these to show tens and ones.

In history, the children started learning about the Great Fire of London. They discussed what they knew about the topic and then what questions they had about the topic. Then the children ordered significant time periods on a timeline. We then discussed where the Great Fire of London would fit on the timeline. 

In science, our topic is ‘Living Things and their Habitats’. The children learned the terms alive, dead (as in an apple from a tree) and never living (a cake). We discussed what processes all living things go through in order to be considered alive, such as food, water, movement and breathing.

In D&T, the children were introduced to the topic, ‘Building a Sukkah’. We discussed what they are used for and why we have them. They learnt the laws of building a sukkah and then they had to design and label a sukkah they would like to build. Their sketches came out so well!

The children had their first music lesson this week together with Year 1 and they began by singing some songs in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. We are very excited that Years 1 and 2 will be participating in the Barnet Infant Music Festival later this term. During our lessons, we will be learning songs all related to the story “The Koala Who Could” by Rachel Bright. This week we began learning the song “Can Do Avenue.” This is a very exciting opportunity for the children and more details will be sent once they are finalised. 

The children also had their first Forest School session. After singing their welcome chant, the children played a game called ‘The Round Circle’. They had to work together to pass a Forest Friend toy around the circle before one of their peers made it all the way around. This game helped to develop the children’s co-operation, teamwork and focus skills. For the rest of the session, the children were eager to reacquaint themselves with the different Forest School resources during their independent play. The craft area had a focus on seeds, where the children explored acorns and conkers. Some children used the traditional wet-felting method to create their own felt acorns. There was also a group of children who were busy working together to build a den using some of the new resources.

Important information:

• Can you please send in any junk modelling you have at home. We need items such as kitchen rolls, cereal boxes, containers and shoe boxes.
• We would like to encourage and promote the mitzvah of giving tzedakah each week. Please send your child in with a small amount of money for tzedakah. Any contribution, big or small, is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your continued support.

Wishing you all a Shana Tova and Shabbat shalom.

The Year 2 Team

Friday 4th September 2026

Dear Parents, 

Welcome back to Kerem! We hope you all had a wonderful summer holiday. 

It has been a fabulous start to the school year. We wanted to wish you a big welcome to Year 2! We can’t wait to teach all the exciting topics we have planned. It has been wonderful getting to know the children so well and we are looking forward to this continuing throughout the term. 

The week started with a whole school assembly and communal davening. They came in with a positive attitude and settled well. The children remembered the school routines and came in well on their first day in Year 2. This week we focused on settling into the new class, with PSHE discussions about how they are feeling being back at school. We also spoke about what a ‘mensch’ is and discussed that we should all aim to become a mensch. We discussed the different components to being a mensch, including how we can show compassion, kindness, and respect towards others.

In art, the children were given half a picture of their face from a photograph and then they had to complete the other half.  The children really enjoyed this and put in a lot of effort and concentration.  These will be on display so you’ll be able to see them when you come in for ‘Meet the Teacher Evening.’

Important information:

• Each child has been given a reading book, along with their reading record book. Please make sure you leave your child’s reading book in their bag daily so the team can hear your children during the week. We don’t want them to miss out on being read with.
• Meet the Teacher evening is on Tuesday 8th September. 
• All communications should be sent via year2@keremschool.co.uk. 

We are so impressed with the children’s attitude to Year 2.  Keep up the hard work and positive attitude!

Shabbat shalom, 

The Year 2 Team