Hi, my name is Miss Coyne, and I am the Year 2 Nightingale Class Teacher.

I have spent over 14 years teaching in Key Stage 1 and have fallen in love with the creativity and breadth of the curriculum. 

At St John's, I lead Phonics, Early Reading and Music, and I am the Team Leader for KS1. 

I have a passion for listening to and playing music as well as competing in sports events. I have represented Ireland twice for different sports; the 100m freestyle event in swimming and Team Twirling at the Baton World Championships!

 

Other staff working in our class are:

Miss. White – Teaching Assistant

Ms Alcock – Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings

Ms Ogle – Friday afternoons

PE coaches – Thursday afternoons

Our weekly timetable: 

Important dates for the diary this term for Nightingale Class:

PE – Every Thursday– Please come to school dressed in the correct PE uniform

5th November - Fire making and den building on the field

5th and 12th November Open days for prospective parents for children starting school in September 2027.

11th November 2026 - Remembrance Day

13th November - Children in Need

4th December - Marlowe Theatre show 1.45 - 2.45pm - The Reluctant Dragon

16th December - Christmas jumper day and Christmas lunch

17th December - KS1 Nativity performance 9.30am

18th December - Christmas Party Day

Our learning in Term 2: 

Our topic this term is 'Explorers'. Year 2 will be exploring the past to identify and understand key events in the life and expedition of Robert Falcon Scott.  The children will learn more about different explorers by using evidence found in secondary sources.  We will also look at Robert Falcon Scott's legacy to answer the Big Question: 'What makes a great pioneer?' 

In English, we will follow the programme Read Write Inc.  The children will learn new phonic sounds each day, practise reading with a partner and then write sentences using sounds they have learnt.

How can I support my child to learn Set 1 sounds and to blend?

• Use pure sounds, not letter names. Watch the ‘how to say the sounds’ parent film on http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/.
• Watch the ‘Reading the stretchy sounds with your child’, ‘Reading the bouncy sounds with your child’ and ‘Reading the digraphs with your child’ parent films on http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/ to see how to teach Set 1 sounds.
• Scan the QR codes sent home each week.  The QR codes share videos supporting the sounds and reading books your child is reading at school.
• In Year 2, children need to read accurately, speedily and with expression.  Please read and re-read your child's phonic book every day to build up reading fluency.  By the end of the year, children should read 90 words per minute accurately and with a story-telling voice, self-corrceting if necessary.

We teach children to read and spell using Fred. He is a toy frog who can say the sounds in words, but not the whole word. Children have to help him.

To help children learn to blend, we say the sounds as Fred and then children repeat the sounds and say the whole word.

Here are two ways you can use Fred Talk at home:

1. play Fred Games together – see Fred Games document on http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/
2. speak like Fred throughout the day e.g. time for l-u-n-ch! Let’s p-l-ay!

 

• Watch the ‘Sound-blending’ parent film on http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

 

How can I support my child to learn Set 2 or 3 sounds?

• Watch the ‘Set 2/3 tutoring’ film on http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/.

In Maths, we will be looking at addition and subtraction within 100. The children will be taught a range of strategies to use when solving maths problems which include, using a number line, a hundred square and exchanging using dienes. This term, we will also be developing our understanding of shape by identifying sides, vertices, edges and lines of symmetry in range of 2D and 3D shapes. 

In Science, our topic is Living Things and their Habitats. We will be discovering more about and comparing different habitats from around the world. The children will look at primary and secondary sources to discover how different habitats provide the basic needs for plants and animals.  

In RE, the children will be learning about Islam. They will be finding out about the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and learning how some Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr.  We will be answering the big question ‘Who is a Muslim and what do they believe?’  

 

Learning at home for Nightingale Class: 

Children are expected to read every night for at least 10 minutes.  Reading records should be signed by an adult and brought back into school each day to be checked by a member of staff. Your child will take home 2 phonics books each day which will be changed every Friday.

Spelling Shed and Numbots can be accessed from home using the logins provided on the inside of your child's reading record.  Spelling assignments will be given out each week, which support the Year 2 spelling curriculum.

Your child will bring home 2 books; a phonic book matched to their phonic ability and a picture book chosen by the child to read for pleasure.  The phonic book will be changed every Friday and the picture book can be changed every day or kept for longer to enjoy!

 

Be ready for learning! In Nightingale Class, your child will need to have these items in school: 

Key Stage One (Years 1 and 2) 

• Book bag (no rucksacks please) 

• PE kit (to be worn on PE day - Thursday) 

• Water bottle (no squash or juice) 

• Lunchbox (if not having school meal) 

• Wellington boots (to leave in school) 

• Coat (weather appropriate) 

Please don’t bring other items into school, as we do not have space to store them, and it can cause upset if things are lost or damaged. 

School Uniform Checklist:

Please label ALL items of clothing and shoes clearly with your child’s name. This helps even our younger children to take responsibility for and look after their uniform. 

 

Highlights from term 1: