2Grove have worked extremely hard this half term to earn smileys and to fill their smiley cards!
What an amazing reward we had so much fun! We listened to some fun music whilst taking part in an inflatable obstacle course!
Keep up the hard work year 2!
Our digital leaders lead an assembly all about “Operation Kindness”!
We looked at how we could be kind to one another and if something unkind happens, what we should do in this situation. Great discussion year 2!
This afternoon our digital leaders led an assembly all about AI. Our Google Legends helped us understand what AI is and how it can be used. We discussed how AI can learn and create things!
Today we had a very special visit from Bolton Library! We read a story all about trying new things and not giving up! We know it’s ok to make some mistakes as we can learn from them!
We then tried making paper aeroplanes and had a flying contest! We had so much fun!
WOW! This morning was the Year 2 class assembly where we shared with our adults what we have been learning about this half term.
We chanted our English target words and our times table facts with confidence! We sang the continents song and shared our learning in Geography as well as our learning in science and our bug hotels!
You absolutely smashed it year 2! Well done!
Black History Month is a dedicated time to celebrate the amazing achievements, culture, and contributions of Black people throughout history.
At Oxford Grove we are extremely lucky to have so many children from all around the world with different backgrounds, ethnicities and religions and it is important that everyone is celebrated.
Mrs Johnston-Sweeney is currently running a competition as part of the History Curriculum in which children can create a poster, fact file, piece of artwork, biography, model or presentation based on a Black person who has made a difference or inspired them.
What an exciting afternoon in 2Grove! We had a very special visit from an an Author and Poet who has written many books. He used his guitar to sing songs with us and we worked together to find rhyming words. We then used the rhyming words to write our own poems.
Finally we used our fantastic drama skills to act out a story that had us all giggling and smiling! Even the teachers! We are very lucky to have such amazing experiences!
This morning we invited our adults to come and take part in one of our geography lessons. We started the lesson with an RRR of our Year 1 subject knowledge all about The United Kingdom. We then chanted our Year 2 key words and showed off some of the actions we have been learning to remember these. We also introduced our adults to the continents and oceans song which we are sure they will be singing for the rest of the day!
Thank you to all the parents who came and got involved today we had so much fun sharing our learning with you!
As part of our science learning all about “Habitats”, we have been creating and observing our very own big hotels! First we researched what resources we would need and what minibeasts they would attract. Then we created them, and finally we went to observe what minibeasts had entered our habitats!
Can you tell us what you noticed over time Year 2?
This afternoon our Digital leaders led an assembly all about how to stay safe online. It is important that we check everything we see online! We also looked at how we need to make sure we are always kind to each other online.
At Oxford Grove our pupils can apply for lots of different roles across school. In our class we have children who can help teachers and our school in lots of different ways.
These roles are very useful because they teach us lots of different skills that we can use in our lessons and outside of school in our everyday lives. Here are some of us in our roles.
We took part in a very fun and exciting workshop today that brought our geography topic ‘Continents’ to life!
We dressed up as pirates ready to set sail around the world! We used drama, movement songs and props to visit each continent and we had so much fun!
What continent do we live on Year 2? What was your favourite part of the workshop?
This afternoon was our Year 2 sports assembly!
We took part in lots of fun races including the egg and spoon, balancing and running races. We had so much fun and everyone tried their very best to apply their skills!
This half term in our PE lesson we are focussing on fundamentals and athletics which really helped us with our races.
Well done Year 2!
What an eventful first week we have had 2Grove!
In our D&T lessons we have been focussing on cooking and nutrition. We have made bruschetta. We used different methods such as the bridge and claw to chop and slice. We blended the ingredients and discussed where they grow. We also looked at the different food groups and discussed if our meal was healthy and balanced.
During the summer holidays, many of us will spend more time playing games and using the internet. Remember these three simple rules to stay safe:
Have a fantastic summer holiday, stay safe online and enjoy your time with family and friends. We look forward to hearing all about your adventures when you return to school!
Today in our Computing lesson we have talked about privacy and security. We have talked about passwords and why we need them. We know that passwords are used to protect information, accounts and devices. We talked about examples of bad passwords (easy to guess) and good passwords (not easy to guess). We discussed the importance of not sharing our passwords, except with our trusted adults at home or at school who can help us to keep them safe.
Today in our Computing lesson we have looked at managing online information. We know that there are lots of different things online, including information, photos and videos. We know that we can see lots of things online including things we like and don’t like. We also know that some things online are not real or are a joke. We talked about how different people can find different things funny, so someone might enjoy a joke that another person doesn’t like.
We talked about how we can get help if we see things that makes us feel sad, uncomfortable, worried or frightened. We know that the best way to get help is to talk to our trusted adult straight away.
Today in our Computing lesson we have looked at copyright and ownership. We have discussed who different types of work belongs to, and looked at how we can identify who owns something. We know that we can create work both online and offline. We can name our work so that everyone knows who it belongs to. We talked about an important question – if we copy someone’s work and put our name on it, does it belong to us now?
Today in our Computing lesson, we have talked about what information technology is. We have talked about similarities and differences between different devices. We have talked about the different ways we can use different devices, and looked at which devices might connect to the internet. We have reviewed the rules for using the internet, including asking our adults at home for permission to go online and talking to our trusted adults about what things we are doing when we are online at home.
We have been learning all about our class author, Mini Grey, and our new class poet, Dr Seuss. Mini Grey has written books such as Toys in Space, Traction Man and The Pea and the Princess, all of which we will be reading throughout the year. Dr Seuss has written books such as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and The Grinch. We loved looking through the new books and reading the stories together.
Which book are you excited to read Year 2?
Welcome to year 2! This week we have transitioned up to new classes, 1 Oxford has become 2 Grove! Over the next couple of weeks we are going to be settling into our new routine, getting started with our new English and Maths curriculum and spending some time revisiting, recapping and remembering different topics from Year 1.
Your teachers are very excited about getting to know you!
What are you most excited for in our new class?
This week in Design and Technology, we have been learning some important sewing skills. We practised how to thread a needle, tie a knot in our thread and create a running stitch. These are key skill we need to learn to help us as we move through school! We all tried our very hardest and found some parts of it tricky event Miss Ridgway found it hard to thread the needle!
Well done Year 1 you created some amazing running stitches!
Frist we went over some of our key fine motor skills we learnt in Reception:
Then we had a go at threading a needle:
Then we moved on to tying a knot:
Finally we had a go at creating a running:
This week, we were very excited to have our climbing wall Smiley Reward. Everyone had a fantastic time and loved taking on the challenge of climbing. We showed great determination, encouraged our friends, and celebrated each other’s achievements. It was a fun and memorable experience that we all really enjoyed!
This week, 1 Oxford had their attendance award because our class achieved 100% attendance for the whole term. Well done, everyone! To celebrate, we enjoyed time on the Key Stage 2 playground, ate ice lollies, and played lots of fun games with Mrs Sharples and Miss Ridgway. We had a fantastic time celebrating our achievement together!
At Oxford Grove, we are very lucky to have lots of after-school clubs that give us fun and exciting opportunities to learn new skills and try new things.
Some clubs are run by our sports coach, helping us stay active and healthy, while others are linked to our ambassador roles, such as Super Scientists. These clubs let us explore our interests, work together, and have fun after school.
At Oxford Grove, we learn about British Values to help us be kind, respectful and responsible. The five British Values are democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance. We learn about these in our PSHRE lessons and whole school assemblies through stories, discussions and teamwork activities.
At Oxford Grove we are very lucky to have lots of books and special reading areas where we can explore different stories and texts. In English, we enjoy learning about fiction, non-fiction and poetry, helping us to develop a love of reading every day. We love going into our class reading areas, as well as our Year 1 workshop area, to enjoy reading books with our friends or choosing a whole class text to share together at the end of the day.
Today we celebrated Earth Day. We learned about all the ways we can look after our special planet.
We talked about how we can help by putting rubbish in the bin, recycling, and not wasting water. We also learned how turning off lights when we are not using them can save energy.
We know it is important to care for the Earth, protect animals and plants, and keep our world clean and safe for everyone!
We are very proud at Oxford Grove because we work incredibly hard to make sure everyone in our school feels welcome and included.
We have our School Council, who help to share the voices and ideas of all our pupils. We also follow our PSHRE curriculum, where we learn about how to care for one another, show kindness, and respect everyone.
We even have a special award for inclusion, which celebrates people who go out of their way to make others feel happy, safe, and part of our school community.
We understand that everyone is different, and that is what makes our school a special place. We always try to be kind, helpful, and make sure nobody feels left out.
Today in Year 1, we linked our learning in RE to what we already know about Easter. The children enjoyed discussing their ideas and making connections to this special Christian celebration, which is all about new life and hope .
We were also very excited to receive some chocolate lollies from Miss Ridgway to enjoy over the half term – a lovely treat to end our learning!
Have a wonderful half term, 1 Oxford!
Today our Digital Leader helped us with an online safety activity. We learned all about how to manage information online.
We talked about what we should do if we want to find something out, like asking an adult or using safe websites. We also learned what to do if we see something online that might scare us, or if we are ever unsure about anything.
We learned some important ways to stay safe online:
We know it is important to ask for help, make safe choices, and stay safe when using the internet!
Today we had a Geography RRR ready for our new unit of work when we return after the Easter holidays. We went over our key vocabulary and used Google Maps to explore our local area. We also enjoyed looking back at photos from our local area walk and talking about what we could see.
Today we visited the Reception unit to look at all the beautiful flowers that have started to grow. We spotted bright yellow daffodils, pretty cherry blossom on the trees, and lovely bluebells. We thought they were all very beautiful!
Did you know? In spring, the weather starts to get warmer and the days become longer. Lots of flowers begin to bloom, and baby animals like lambs and chicks are often born. Bees and butterflies also come out more to help flowers grow!
This term in PSHRE, we have been learning about setting goals and how we can achieve them. We have focused on making goals clear and realistic, breaking them into smaller steps, and staying positive even when things are challenging. This has helped us understand how to work towards success. We know that when we challenge ourselves it builds our resilience!
Today, 1 Oxford went on a trip to the zoo. We had a fantastic day and everyone represented our Oxford Grove brilliantly.
As we explored the zoo, the children spotted lots of different animals and talked about the animal groups we have been learning about in science, such as mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians. We discussed the features that help scientists group animals, like fur or hair for mammals, feathers for birds, scales for reptiles and fish, and moist skin for amphibians.
The children also shared interesting facts they remembered, such as mammals feeding their babies milk, birds laying eggs, and fish using gills to breathe underwater.
Well done, 1 Oxford — you made me very proud!
Today in Year 1 we celebrated World Book Day, a special day that encourages children to enjoy reading and discover new books.
In English, we wrote our own book reviews, sharing our thoughts about the stories we have been reading. In the afternoon, we each chose a book from our reading area to take home for the weekend. We then went outside to enjoy some reading in the sunshine, making the most of the lovely weather!
Today, Year 1 led their PSHRE assembly and shared what they have been learning in their lessons. PSHRE (Personal, Social, Health, Relationships and Economic Education) helps children learn how to stay healthy, build positive relationships and develop skills for life.
We spoke about how these lessons support their health and wellbeing, and the importance of inclusion in our school—making sure everyone feels welcome, valued and respected.
Thank you to everyone who came along to support the assembly!
Before half term, as a whole school we celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week!
Before half term, we came together as a whole school to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week! This year’s theme was “This is My Place” — a focus on belonging and what it means to feel accepted, valued and included in our school community.
We talked about how important it is that everyone feels like they belong — whether in lessons, on the playground, or when playing games. We reminded each other that being kind and inclusive helps everyone feel comfortable and confident, and that even small actions can make a big difference.
At Oxford Grove we believe:
You belong wherever you feel loved and accepted for who you are — and everyone belongs here!
Today our Digital Leader took us through a special activity all about our learning this half term. We have been focusing on Self-Image and Identity as part of our online safety lessons.
We have learned important things such as:
Understanding feelings online
We know that something I may find funny, my friend might not — and that’s okay.
Trusted adults can help us
We learned that if something online makes us feel sad, worried, uncomfortable or frightened, we can always speak to a trusted adult.
Knowing when to speak up
We talked about when it’s important to tell a trusted adult about something that has happened.
Recognising tricky situations online
We now know there may be people online who could make us feel sad, embarrassed or upset. If we are ever unsure we must tell a trusted adult.
To finish the session, we all answered some questions about Self-Image and Identity to help us remember what we’ve learned!
We’ve loved singing their songs, especially “Dancing Queen” — Miss Ridgway’s favourite!
Here are some fun facts we learned:
ABBA came from Sweden.
They won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with “Waterloo.”
The band had four singers — two men and two ladies.
Thank you to our Music Ambassador for helping with our learning this week!
Today we celebrated Safer Internet Day!
Our Digital Leader led a class assembly using Tech We Can, where we learned why some things online are not always safe.
We looked at:
• Different age ratings on games and why it is important to always check with an adult what we can and cannot play.
• How parents and carers help keep us safe online.
• How to stay safe when watching YouTube or Netflix by making sure we only use children’s sites.
We also talked about AI and what a fantastic tool it can be, but that we must always check the information because it can sometimes make mistakes.
We know that if we are ever unsure, we must always speak to a TRUSTED ADULT.
“I can explain why things one person finds funny or sad online may not always be seen in the same way by others.”
Today we learned that everyone is different and likes different things online. We talked about what makes us laugh and how some things can make others feel sad. We know it’s important to respect people’s feelings and choices. If anything online worries us, we will always tell a trusted adult.
Today, 1 Oxford had a fantastic day at Bolton Schools ICT! We were very excited to explore and take part in lots of fun technology activities, all based around our Computer Science key word — “algorithm.”
We started the day with some unplugged activities. We followed an algorithm to draw a monster, then we created our own monster with an algorithm for our friends to follow and we even used an algorithm to make a jam sandwich… yum! It was great fun learning how important it is to follow instructions carefully and in the correct order. We also followed the teacher’s algorithm to create our very own litter pickers.
With Mrs Lyons, we programmed Bee-Bots, moving them around using algorithms to reach different destinations. It was amazing to see how our instructions made the robots move!
Next, we created algorithms for the Loti Bots, using different tiled pieces to build patterns and sequences. We had to think carefully about the steps needed to make our designs work.
We also had lots of fun moving remote control cars around a track and even guiding remote control cars under a bridge — it took great teamwork and control!
We had the most fantastic day. Mrs Lyons said how impressed he was with how well we listened to instructions and how hard we worked throughout all the activities.
Well done, 1 Oxford — you were amazing!
This term in History we have been learning about the Royal Family and what a monarch is. We looked at King Charles and a monarch from the past. We researched Queen Victoria and found out about her life and reign.
We also learned about the Great Exhibition, a huge event that showed inventions and amazing objects from around the world. It was organised by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, and was held inside a magnificent glass building called the Crystal Palace. Millions of people visited this exciting exhibition.
We enjoyed a trip around the Great Exhibition, looking at all the wonderful inventions that were there.
“I can describe how to behave online in ways that do not upset others and can give examples.”
Today we talked about the importance of being kind to each other online. We discussed different ways we can show kindness and include others when using the internet. We also learned that the rules for being kind online are the same as being kind in real life.
We explored different scenarios where people might feel upset online and talked about how these situations could be solved in a positive way. We learned that our words and actions online can affect others, just like they do face to face.
Most importantly, we know that if we ever have a problem online or feel unsure about something, we should always talk to a trusted adult. Being safe and kind online helps everyone feel happy and included.
So far in RE we’ve learned about Christians and their belief in God. Christians believe God is loving, powerful and the creator of everything. We looked at the story of Jonah, which teaches Christians that God is forgiving and wants people to follow Him, and the creation story, which shows how Christians believe God made the world.
This term in RE we are learning all about Muslims and how they live. Muslims follow the religion of Islam and believe there is one God called Allah. They believe Allah created everything and choose to live in a way that shows their love for Him. Muslims believe Muhammad is a special messenger from Allah and they try to be kind, pray, and remember Allah every day. We have asked some questions about their beliefs and practices, and throughout the topic we will be finding the answers as we go.
We learned about each of the five senses — touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight.
In small groups, we rotated around different sensory tables, doing activities that focused on a particular sense. One of the highlights was the taste station, where we sampled different foods to compare flavours. We tried sweet blueberries and then had some bitter lemon, which definitely surprised some of us!
We used our sense of touch to feel different materials, guess what was in the jars using only our sense of smell, listened carefully to sounds at the sound table, and even practiced observing tiny details to challenge our sight.
“I can describe what information I should not put online without asking a trusted adult first.”
Today we talked about personal information — what it is and why it matters. We learned that some details, like your full name, address, phone number, school name and passwords should never be shared online. We know that if we would like to post photos and videos we need to ask a trusted adult first.
Protecting your personal information keeps you safe!
So far in Year 1, we have been learning all about Computer Science and Information Technology!
In Computer Science, we’ve been creating and following algorithms using Bee-Bots. First, we planned our steps carefully by writing our algorithm on the whiteboards. Then we tried out our instructions on the Bee-Bots. If the robot didn’t do what we expected, we went back to our algorithm to fix and improve it. This helped us think like real computer scientists — testing, debugging, and improving our ideas!
In Information Technology, we have been developing our typing skills on the computers. We’ve practised typing sentences accurately using skills we have learnt in our English lessons. This includes remembering to use capital letters, finger spaces, and full stops — just like good writers do!
