Welcome back to Term 2 Elf Owls!

Our topic this term is 'How do we Celebrate?!'

PE: Monday/ Forest School: Friday

Monday 2^nd November 2026

Dear Elf Owl Families,

We hope you all had a great half term break! We have an exciting, busy term ahead and our new topic, ‘How do we celebrate?’ is perfect for this time of year! We will begin by discussing our experiences of different celebrations, before focussing on Bonfire Night, Remembrance Day, Diwali, Advent, Christmas and Hanukkah. Parent/ Teacher evenings will take place on Monday 2^3rd and Wednesday 25^th November. These provide a great opportunity to share your child’s learning and progress so far in Elf Owls. You will receive a parent mail to sign up for a time slot with Mrs Ray and Miss Taylor.

Monster Phonics

The children have got off to a great start with their phonics! They have been learning single letter sounds and a few digraphs (2 letters to make one sound, such as ck). This term we will continue to learn the remaining single letter sounds, as well as introducing further digraphs. Below is a weekly overview of what we will teach before Christmas.

W.B. 2^nd Nov: Graphemes: j v w x / High frequency words: if off you my they for

W.B. 9^th Nov: Graphemes: y z zz q/ High frequency words: was will all went from help

W.B. 16^th Nov: Graphemes: ch sh th ng/ High frequency words: too her with are yes

W.B. 23^rd Nov: Graphemes: oo Cool Blue/ High frequency words: then them this that said

W.B. 30^th Nov: Graphemes: ar Tricky Witch/ Practise all high frequency words learnt so far

W.B. 7^th/14^th Dec: Assess and consolidate

Reading, Book Bags and Learning Missions

Thank you for your support with reading at home. The children will continue to bring home a new Monster Phonics book every Wednesday, along with a book of their choice to share and read at home throughout the week. Please support your child at home by reading the books with them for 10 minutes each day. Regular reading at home is important as it provides children with the opportunity to consolidate their learning at home on a 1: 1 basis. We will continue to read with the children individually and in groups as well as sharing lots of stories in school.

Please find our 'Learning Missions' document below, as well as some other useful links and resources, to continue your learning at home!

Maths

This term we will focus on finding different shapes in the environment, describing and naming 2D shapes, as well as describing position and direction. We will also concentrate on number which will include finding totals, recognising numbers, counting sets and finding one more or one less than a given amount. We will also continue to have a big focus on ‘subitising’. This is when we ‘say the amount without having to count’ and can be likened to throwing the die during a board game and instantly recognising five without counting. Subitising builds a strong foundation for number sense.

P.E Day and kit

P.E this term will be taught by Mrs Ray on Mondays. The children should come to school wearing their P.E kit each Tuesday. This includes a white t-shirt, black joggers/ leggings, a dark sweater or hoodie and plimsolls or trainers. Our focus for this term will be Manipulation and Coordination which will include balloon (week one) and ball handling skills, rolling and retrieving, and kicking a ball. We will also practise hopping, jumping and stepping in some fun coordination games.

Forest School and Outdoor Learning

As well as daily outdoor opportunities, the children will have Forest School on Friday afternoons with their Hawk Owl Buddies. They should come to school in normal school uniform and get changed into their forest school clothes after lunch. Please make sure your child has full kit in school for this:

• A waterproof suit/trousers and jacket.
• A woolly hat/ gloves.
• Wellies.
• A change of old clothes (including layers in cold weather).

We look forward to a brilliant term ahead! As always, please do come and chat to us if you have any queries or concerns.

With our warmest wishes,

The Elf Owl Team

Mrs Ray, Miss Taylor, Mrs Quartermain, Miss John and Miss Wilkinson