This Week's News - March 20, 2020
Ummm... I'm not really sure where to start. The temporary closing of the school was a very unexpected event. Thank you to everyone for their patience and hard work in making sure your children receive their education. Packet pick-up went well, and everyone should have received all of their child's work for the next several weeks. As mentioned, the main focus for the first graders will be language arts and math.
In Reading, we worked on the sounds of "ar" and "or". There were a few game options for practicing these sounds with your child. You may want to hang on to the game boards from the various games. In the event of a longer closure, you can use those boards to practice different words from upcoming units. We also did some work with pronouns. Pronouns can be tricky, even though we use them all the time without even thinking about them. Next week, we will be learning about the "ir", "er", and "ur" sounds. There is a really fun "Land of Oz" game included in the packet that I think the children will enjoy!
The children had a "My Favorite Animal" book to complete. These are always fun for the children to do. I always enjoy seeing the final product!
In Math, we worked on counting tens and ones. We also worked on showing the same number in different ways. This skill can be very easy for some children, and more difficult for others. The best way to help your child is to make physical groups of ten. This could be stacks of pennies or groups of toothpicks. Start by showing the most common way to show a number. For example: if the number is 45, the most common way to show this is with 4 tens and 5 ones. Then take a group of tens and break it up into ten ones. Move them over to the ones place. If you did this with the number 45, you would have 3 tens and 15 ones. Many times, the physical model helps the children to understand the concept better. Next week, the children will be working on comparing numbers using the "greater than" and "less than" symbols.
The children worked on making timelines this week. I can't wait to see them!
What's Happening Next Week?
Please continue to send in your weekly updates letting me know how things are going for your child.
I will be sending another picture clue next Friday. Be sure to take a guess at what I am working on...
The school will be closed until Monday, April 13th due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Spring break has been moved one week earlier to the week of April 6-10. If you have plans to be out of town during the originally scheduled week of spring break, just let us know and arrangements can be made to accommodate you and your family. Please continue to check your email for updates from Mrs. Bartholomew.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - March 13, 2020
We reviewed and took our unit Reading test this week. They are coming home in folders today. Please look them over and return the signed test to school. We played a fun sight word path game to practice sight words this week! The children really enjoyed it! We also worked on reading fluently this week. This means reading smoothly, stopping at periods, pausing at commas, and making a question sound like a question. Next week we will be reviewing the sound of "ar". We will also be learning about the sound of "or".
In Math, we worked a lot on counting tens and ones. The children are doing a really good job with this. They practiced both counting tens and ones in a group and showing the number of tens and ones in a given number. We will be continuing to work on tens and ones next week. We will be learning about different ways to show the same number using tens and ones.
The children finished their crosses for Lent this week. They turned out beautiful! They are on display in the classroom. Feel free to stop in and take a look!
All of the children who have reading parts for Wednesday's Mass received their parts this week. Please have your child practice reading several times over the weekend. There are some difficult parts in the readings next week. Everyone is invited to attend!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Auction scheduled for Saturday, March 14th is being redesigned due to the coronavirus outbreak. Please watch for details regarding online bidding. There are lots of great items available!
The first graders will be doing all of the readings at Mass on Wednesday, March 18th! Everyone is invited to attend!
There will be early release on Friday, March 27th. The children will be dismissed at 11:00. No After School Care will be available.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - March 6, 2020
We started the week with Read Across America. The entire school read books for enjoyment in the gym with their favorite blanket. Everyone had fun reading simply to enjoy a good book.
In Reading, we learned about compound words. We also worked with the sound of "ar". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "car" and "start". The class did well with both of these skills. We played a fun "Tricky Sharks" game to practice the "ar" sound. The children had a great time! Next week, we will be reviewing our unit and taking our test.
In Math, we finished reviewing and took our chapter test. The tests came home earlier in the week. This was a difficult chapter, but the class did very well on the test. We also started our next chapter on counting tens and ones. Next week, we will be working heavily on tens and ones.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. The children learned some different ways of praying. The learned a special M&M prayer that helped them to focus on those that they would like to pray for. A copy of the prayer came home on Friday. They all really enjoyed it!
We ended the week by getting together with our big buddies to play a few rounds of Tenzi. The kids had a ton of fun! It is a super easy dice game that anyone can play. There is an expansion set of cards available that you can use to add variety to the game. There are lots of great variations that can help to practice some simple math skills. (There are also a lot of variations that are just plain fun.) :)
What's Happening Next Week?
We will be starting to talk about our March service project next week.
Our Auction will be on Saturday, March 14th! This is a very important fundraiser for our school. I hope everyone is able to attend!
The first graders will be doing all of the readings at Mass on Wednesday, March 18th! Everyone is invited to attend!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - February 28, 2020
In Reading this week, we worked on the sound of long "o" made by the "oa" and "ow" patterns. This is the sound that can be heard in words like "boat" and "snow". "oa" is usually seen when the long "o" sound is in the middle of a word. "ow" is usually seen when the long "o" sound is heard at the end of a word. We also learned about contractions made with the words "have" and "are". Contractions are always difficult for first graders, but they did a pretty good job with this skill! Next week, we will be learning about compound words. We will also be working with the sound of "ar".
In Math, we learned about different facts that have the same sum or difference. The children had fun determining whether or not math sentences were true or false. We also started to review our chapter. Next week, we will finish reviewing our chapter, and then we will take our chapter test. We will begin our next chapter on tens and ones following our test.
In Religion, we learned about Ash Wednesday and Lent. We attended Ash Wednesday Mass and received ashes to remind us that we are all sinners, and we can all work on becoming more like Jesus. We buried the Alleluia on Tuesday to remind us that Lent is a solemn time when we think about the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Next week, we will be making some "stained glass" crosses to remind us to live like Jesus during Lent and always. They will be on display in the classroom next week.
In Science, we have been learning about the weather. The children made some weather booklets that they brought home earlier in the week.
What's Happening Next Week?
We will be participating in Read Across America on Monday, March 2nd. Children are invited to bring along a blanket or towel to sit on while we read in the Gym. They may also bring along a special book(s) from home to read during that time.
The children will be making some crosses in Religion to remind us to live like Jesus taught us during Lent and always.
Our Auction will be on Saturday, March 14th! This is a very important fundraiser for our school. I hope everyone is able to attend!
The first graders will be doing all of the readings at Mass on Wednesday, March 18th! Everyone is invited to attend!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - February 21, 2020
In Reading this week, we learned about the sound of long "a" made by the "ai" and "ay" patterns. The class did a good job with these patterns. We played a fun game to practice this sound. We also reviewed our sight words with a Presidents Day Bump game. Next week, we will be learning about the sound of long "o" made by the "oa" and "ow" patterns.
In Math, we worked heavily on fact families and related facts. The children are doing a much better job with this! We also worked on story problems requiring either addition or subtraction. The children had to decide which operation was required and then solve the problem. This is always a difficult concept for first graders. They did pretty well with it. We will continue to revisit this concept throughout the year. Next week, we will be learning about different facts that have the same sum or difference. We will also be reviewing our chapter. If we have time, we will be taking our chapter test. If not, we will take it the following week.
We learned about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in honor of Presidents Day this week. We watched a fun video that told about their lives and how they helped our country.
We had our Adventure Party Friday afternoon to celebrate the children finishing their Reading Scavenger Hunts! We watched a Veggie Tales adventure movie and enjoyed snacks and juice. The children had a lot of fun. Great job reading, everyone!
The children made some cute bird nest projects to celebrate spring coming soon. They are on display in the classroom. Feel free to stop in and take a look!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Auction will be on Saturday, March 14th! This is a very important fundraiser for our school. I hope everyone is able to attend!
The first graders will be doing all of the readings at Mass on Wednesday, March 18th! Everyone is invited to attend!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - February 13, 2020
It was a short, but busy week! The children made some cute Valentine's Day heart projects. They turned out great and they had a fun time making them!
We had our Valentine's Day celebration with our big buddies on Thursday afternoon. We enjoyed snacks, games, and good times!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of long "e" made by the "ee", "e_e", and "ea" patterns. We also practiced our sight words by playing a Valentine's Day sight word game. Next week we will be learning about using the "ai" and "ay" patterns to make the sound of long "a".
In Math, we worked on fact families. Fact families are made up of two addition and two subtraction sentences that use the same three numbers. For example: 2+3=5, 3+2=5, 5-2=3, and 5-3=2 would all belong to the same fact family. This can be a very tricky concept for many children. We will be continuing to work on this next week.
In Religion, we learned about Saint Valentine and how he married couples even though it was against the law at the time. The children said a special St. Valentine prayer and colored pictures of Saint Valentine.
Thank you to everyone who donated food for the food drive! Thanks to your generosity, we were able to collect a very large amount of food that is greatly needed.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our class adventure party will be on Friday, February 21st. Scavenger hunt sheets can be turned in as soon as your child has finished the reading challenges.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - February 7, 2020
Our class has been hit hard with illnesses this week. There are some very nasty bugs going around. Please be on the lookout for fever, headache, and stomach upset. The children are ending up staying out of school for close to a week or more. If your child does become ill, please be sure he/she stays home long enough to fully recover. They need to be free of fever and vomiting for 24 hours (without the help of medication) before they are able to return to school. Thank you!
In Reading, we reviewed and took our unit test. I will be correcting them and sending them home next week. We also learned about the sound of long "o" made by the "o_e" pattern. This is the sound that can be heard in words like "home" and "pole". We also did some work with the "u_e" pattern to make the long "u" sound. We hear this sound in the word "mule". Next week, we will be learning about the sound of long "e". We will be using the "ee", "ea", and "e_e" patterns.
In Math we reviewed and took our chapter test. I will be correcting the tests and sending them home next week. Please watch for them in your child's folder. We started to learn about related facts, too. We played a math Uno game to practice addition and subtraction facts. The kids really enjoyed it! We will be working heavily on related facts next week.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. This is always a great experience for the children, and they really enjoy it!
We completed our February service project this week. The children made valentines that will be delivered to a local nursing home. The residents always enjoy receiving something special from the children.
We had our field trip to the museum on Friday. Everyone had a great time and saw lots of wonderful exhibits!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our class Valentine's Day party will be on Thursday, February 13th. Please have you child bring a decorated bag or box to collect his/her valentines. The box and your child's valentines should be brought to school Thursday morning. We will be doing some fun activities with our buddies, too!
There is no school on Friday, February 14th. The teachers will be attending meetings on standards based grading.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - January 31, 2020
It was a whirlwind of a week with all the Catholic Schools Week activities going on! There were special activities every day, with the highlight being our bowling field trip! It was an exhausting, but fun, week.
In Reading, we learned about the "er" and "est" endings. We also started to review our unit. Since we had so many activities this week, we ran out of time to take our unit test. We will finish our review next week and then take our test. We will also start our new unit. We will begin by learning about the long "o" sound made by the "o_e" pattern.
Information came home this week about our Scavenger Hunt reading incentive. The kids are looking forward to it! Our adventure party will be on the afternoon of Friday, February 21st. Keep on reading!
In Math, we reviewed part of our chapter on subtraction strategies. We will finish reviewing next week and then take our chapter test. We will also be starting our next chapter on addition and subtraction relationships.
We started working on our class auction project. The children are helping to make a lawn dice set. We are almost finished with them. We will finish the painting next week. Thank you to everyone who donated items for our basket! We have a great class basket!
Report cards came home on Thursday. Please look them over and return the signed envelope to school. The report card is your copy to keep.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our field trip to the museum is Friday, February 7th. Children need to wear their red St. Gabriel shirt and bring a bag lundh in a disposable bag (no soda). Please be sure to turn in your child's permission slip and payment for the museum field trip if you haven't yet.
Our class Valentine's Day party will be on Thursday, February 13th. Please have you child bring a decorated bag or box to collect his/her valentines. The box and your child's valentines should be brought to school Thursday morning. We will be doing some fun activities with our buddies, too!
There is no school on Friday, February 14th. The teachers will be attending meetings on standards based grading.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - January 24, 2020
We have had a lot of sickness in our room/school these past couple of weeks. The bug that is going around is a nasty one. Besides practicing good hygiene, it is important to remember to keep your child home while he/she is sick in order to prevent the spread of disease. Your child needs to stay home until he/she is free from fever and vomiting for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing meds. The meds only temporarily lower the fever. They do not stop your child from being contagious. It is a very bad flu season with children being hospitalized and worse. We all need to do our part to stop the spread of it. Thank you!
In Reading, we learned about the sound of long "i" made by the "i_e" pattern. This is the sound that can be heard in words like "kite" and "time". We did several Smart Board activities, read stories, and played some games to practice this sound. Next week, we will be reviewing our unit and taking our unit test. There will not be a new Weekly Word List coming home next week. There will be one coming home again the following week.
In Math, we reviewed "counting back" as a subtraction strategy. We also learned to use known addition facts to help with subtraction facts. The children learned to "count up" as a strategy when the number they are subtracting is a larger number. For example: If you have the fact 12 - 9, you would start with 9 and count up (10, 11, 12) until you reach 12. The number that you counted (3) is the answer to the subtraction fact. Many children found this to be a helpful strategy for them. This is a fairly short chapter. Next week, we will be reviewing our subtraction strategies and taking our chapter test.
We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week. The children learned how he fought peacefully so that everyone can be treated fairly. We watched a great video of a Reading Rainbow clip in which LaVar Burton read a story and talked about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was a very well-done piece.
We attended a STEM presentation by MSOE this week. The children paired up and engineered some zip lines. They had to make sure the zip lines were safe, and they had to figure out how to make them go as fast as possible. They did a great job! There were a lot of creative ideas from the children!
Thank you to everyone who have donated items to our class auction basket! It is really coming along nicely. If you have any items that you are still planning to donate, please send them in early next week because the basket needs to be turned in on Friday. If you are waiting for an item to arrive, please let me know so that I can let the basket coordinator that additional items are coming. The children will be making their dice game next week. Thanks again to everyone for their generosity!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Open House and pancake breakfast is on Sunday, January 26th! Everyone is invited to tour the school and enjoy a pancake breakfast!
Catholic Schools Week is January 27th - 31st. There are lots of great activities planned. Please check your schedule for all the info!
Information will be coming home on Monday about a special reading incentive that we will be doing over the next few weeks. Please look for it in your child's folder.
Our class color for Friday will be purple! Please wear purple if you have it. If you do not have anything purple, please do not go out and buy something. Your child may wear something close to purple.
Report cards will be coming home on Thursday, January 30th. Please look them over and return the signed envelope to school. The report card is your copy to keep.
Please be sure to turn in your child's permission slip and payment for the museum field trip if you haven't yet. It is due on Friday.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - January 17, 2020
The children did a wonderful job at Mass on Wednesday! They worked very hard, and it showed! Way to go! The first graders' next Mass will be on March 18th. The first graders will be doing all of the readings at that Mass.
In Reading, we started to learn about our first long vowel pattern. We worked on the sound of long "a" made by the "a_e" pattern. The children did pretty well with this. Starting long vowels is always difficult for first graders because they now have new sounds and spelling patterns for the vowels. We will continue to work on these sounds and their different patterns for the remainder of the year. We also did a fun sentence writing activity that uses dice to create the different parts of the sentences. Next week, we will be learning about the sound of long "i" made by the "i_e" pattern.
In Math, we reviewed and took our chapter test on addition strategies. I will be correcting them over the next few days and sending them home. Please watch for them in your child's folder. We also started our next chapter on subtraction strategies. We started with "counting back". Counting back is much like counting on, but in reverse. If you have the math sentence 10 - 3, you would start by saying the first number (10) then count back three (9, 8, 7). The last number you say is the answer. We will be continuing with this strategy for a good part of next week. We will also be starting to use the strategy of using addition to help with subtraction.
We worked on our January service project this week. The children made thank-you cards to attach to packets of hot chocolate. They will be given to the special people who help out at the school.
The children made some cute hot cocoa mug to display in the classroom. Be sure to stop in and check them out!
What's Happening Next Week?
Activity pictures will be taken on Wednesday, January 22nd. If your child is in scouts, please send his/her uniform along to school. He/She will be able to change into it for the picture.
Representatives from MSOE will be here on Thursday to do some special STEM activities with the children. We are all looking forward to it!
There will be Early Release on Friday, January 24th. The students will be dismissed at 11:00. No after school care will be available.
If time permits, we will be working on our class auction project next week. If not, we will work on it the following week.
Our Open House and pancake breakfast is on Sunday, January 26th! Everyone is invited to tour the school and enjoy a pancake breakfast!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - January 10, 2020
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and enjoyed your break!
In Reading this week, we worked on the digraphs "sh", "wh", and "ph". We also learned about contractions made from "is" and "not". We also reviewed words with short vowels. Next week, we will begin learning about our first long vowel pattern! We will be learning about the sound of lang "a" made by the "a_e" pattern. It is always exciting to start long vowels. Even though they can be quite tricky, many children start to have some big gains in their reading once we start long vowels.
In Math, we reviewed our addition strategies. We also worked on making a ten to help with addition. The way this works is: If you have the addition sentence 9 + 5, you can borrow one from the 5 and give it to the 9 (making the 9 into a 10). Your new addition sentence would be 10 + 4. This is helpful because it is usually easier to add with a ten. We also learned a new game called Quixx (available on Amazon). It is a great family game which is wonderful for practicing addition. Next week, we will review all of out strategies and take our chapter test. We will then start our new chapter on subtraction strategies.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. It was a wonderful experience for the children. This month it focused on celebrating the birth of Jesus!
The children received their Mass parts for next week's Mass. Anyone with a reading part had a copy of their part sent home on Friday. Please be sure to practice with your child over the weekend.
Thank you to the families who have donated items for our auction basket! We have had some wonderful items donated! It is greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate, but aren't sure what might be a good addition to our basket, I have created a registry on Amazon with a few items that might be fun contributions for our basket. Here is the link: https://smile.amazon.com/baby-reg/2RQYOYYEW1KOE Hopefully, the works. It is accidentally listed as a baby registry. Oops! No. I am NOT pregnant...
What's Happening Next Week?
The first graders will be helping with Mass on Wednesday. Each child will have a part of some sort. Everyone is invited to attend!
We will be starting our January service project next week.
Have a great weekend! Good luck digging out from the snow!
This Week's News - December 13, 2019
The children did a wonderful job singing at the Christmas concert Thursday evening! What a wonderful way to celebrate the season!
In Reading, we learned about the sound made by the "ch" and "tch" patterns. We also reviewed our sight words that we have learned so far this year. Next week, we will be reviewing skills that we have learned thus far this year. We will be revisiting vowels, endings, and digraphs. There will not be a new list of sight words coming home next week. There will be a new list coming home again after Christmas break.
The children took their Star Reader tests again this week. This is the test that determines your child's AR reading level. I will be going through the results over the weekend and sending your child's updated AR level home on Monday. Please watch for it in your child's folder.
In Math, we reviewed our strategies for figuring out unknown addition facts. We also started to learn about making a ten to help us add. This can be a difficult strategy for many children. We will be continuing this strategy next week.
The children participated in the Hour of Code on Friday. This is a time to learn skills related to computer programming. The children enjoyed activities that helped them to think in ways similar to programming.
We worked on our December service project this week. The children made stockings for the residents at the nursing home. We will be filling the stockings next week, and then I will deliver them to the nursing home. I know the residents will be very grateful to receive them!
Our final Rock Star was Viven! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family this week!
What's Happening Next Week?
We will be attending Jolly Old St. Nick at the Schauer Arts Center on Monday, December 16th. Children should wear their red St. Gabriel shirts. Any bottoms are fine to wear. We will not have snack in the morning. Please have your child eat a good breakfast.
We will be working on several secret Christmas projects next week!
I will be gone Wednesday afternoon for an appointment. Mrs. Rauch will be filling in for me.
Permission slips and payment for bowling are due on Thursday, December 19th. Please be sure to turn them in if you haven't yet. Thank you!
We have early release on Friday, December 20th. The children will be released at 11:00 to start Christmas break! Classes will resume on Monday, January 6th.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - December 6, 2019
It sounds like everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!
In Reading this week, we worked on the sound of "th". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "think" and "with". We also learned about the "ed" and "ing" endings. We played a fun new game to practice some of these skills! Next week, we will be learning about the sound of "ch".
In Math, we reviewed "counting on" as a strategy for figuring out unknown addition facts. We also learned about using "doubles" and "doubles plus one" as strategies. The children practiced their strategies by playing a fun addition game on fun4thebrain.com. Next week we will be reviewing strategies and starting to learn about making a ten to add.
We started our December service project this week. The children are making stockings that we will fill and then send to the nursing home. I am told that the residents there really enjoy receiving handmade projects from the children. It really brightens their day! We will be finishing the stockings next week.
The children made some beautiful Christmas tree projects this week. They had lots of fun using hole punchers and sequins! The projects are on display in the classroom. Be sure to stop in and take a peek the next time you are at school.
We are learning about Advent in first grade. The children are working on doing good deeds to prepare their hearts for Jesus. They made calendars that they are using to record their good deeds at school. A calendar of suggestions also came home this week for your family to use at home during Advent if you would like.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. This is always a wonderful experience, and the children really enjoy it!
Our Rock Star this week was Everett. We enjoyed learning all about him and his family!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our last Rock Star will be Vivien! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
Our Christmas concert will be on the evening of Thursday, December 12th. The concert begins at 6:30 in the church. Students should arrive at 6:15. Please have your child use the bathroom prior to coming over to our section of pews. Thanks!
We will be attending Jolly Old St. Nick at the Schauer Arts Center on Monday, December 16th. Children should wear their red St. Gabriel shirts. Any bottoms are fine to wear. We will not have snack in the morning. Please have your child eat a good breakfast.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - November 22, 2019
We worked on several Thanksgiving activities this week. We learned about the first Thanksgiving and discussed the many things that we are thankful for. The children made some turkeys and colored some posters that showed the things that they are thankful for.
In Reading, we reviewed and took our unit test. We also did some extra work with the sound of "th". I will be correcting the tests and sending them home next week. Please watch for them coming home in your child's folder. Next week we will be reviewing many of the skills we have learned up to this point.
In Math, we started learning about addition strategies. We learned to add in any order. This means that if you know that 2 + 4 = 6, then you also know that 4 + 2 will also equal 6. We also learned about counting on. This is always a very useful strategy for the children. If you have the math sentence 7 + 3, you would say the greater number (7) and then count on the smaller number (8, 9, 10). The last number you say is the answer (10). The class did well with this and liked that it makes some addition facts so much easier to figure out! We will be practicing these two strategies next week. A sheet came home on Friday that shows the different strategies that we use to help with addition. Keep it handy so you can help you child to figure out unknown facts. :)
We have decided on our November service project. We will be making dog treats for the Humane Society! The children are looking forward to it!
Our Rock Star this week was Thomas! We enjoyed learning about him and his family!
What's Happening Next Week?
There will not be a Rock Star next week because it is such a short week. When we return from Thanksgiving break, Everett will be our Rock Star! We look forward to learning more about him next week!
There will not be a newsletter next week because it is such a short week. There will be one again the following week.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - November 14, 2019
It was such a short week this week. It went so fast!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "u". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "bug" and "sun". We played a new game called "Bug on a Rug" to practice short vowel sounds. The kids really enjoyed it. We also did some review of complete sentences. Next week we will be reviewing our unit and taking our unit reading test. There will not be a new Weekly Word list coming home next week. There will be a new list coming home the following week.
In Math, we reviewed and took our chapter test on subtraction. I will be correcting them over the weekend. Next week, we will be starting our next chapter on addition strategies. We will be starting by learning about adding in any order. We will also be learning to count on next week.
We had a safety drill on Tuesday. The children practiced locking down in the classroom in the event of danger in the building. They did a great job!
Our Rock Star this week was Claire! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Thomas! We look forward to learning more about him next week!
I will be out of the building on Monday. Mrs. Rauch will be filling in for me.
We will be discussing our November service project in class next week. The children will be voting on which project they would like to do.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - November 8, 2019
Winter seems to have arrived early this year. The children have been going outside for recess, so please be sure that your child has warm recess clothes. Many times children come in from recess with wet gloves. Their gloves are then wet for afternoon recess and pick-up. You may want to send along an extra pair of gloves/mittens so that he/she has a dry pair for later in the day.
In Reading this week, we worked on the sound of short "e". We played a fun Thanksgiving themed game to practice sight words and short vowel words. The children are really coming along nicely with these skills! We also learned about plurals this week. Next week we will be working some more on the sound of short "u".
In Math, we learned about the different ways to subtract from a given number. We also started to review our chapter. Next week we will be finishing our review and then taking our chapter test. We will then be starting our next chapter on addition strategies. We will be learning a variety of strategies to figure out the answer to unknown addition facts.
We went to Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. It is always a beautiful experience for the children, and they really enjoyed it!
Report cards came home on Thursday. Please look them over and return the signed envelope to school. The report card is your copy to keep. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Our Rock Star this week was Mary! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Claire! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
Thursday, November 14th will be an Early Release day. The children will be dismissed at 11:00. Parent/Teacher conferences will be held the remainder of the day and evening.
There is no school on Friday, November 15th. Conferences will be held during the day.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - November 1, 2019
There were lots of things going on this week! The snow was an unexpected addition to Halloween this year! Thank you to everyone for sending snow pants and boots with your child. The school rule is that children need to have both snow pants and boots in order to be in the snow. If they are without either of these items, they need to stay on the blacktop. Please be sure to continue to send these items with your child when there is snow on the ground. Please also send an extra change of clothes (including socks,underwear, and a second pair of gloves) to school to be kept in your child's backpack. Many times children come in wet from recess even though they were wearing snow pants and boots. This way, your child will have dry clothes to put on after recess. Thanks!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "o". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "pot" and "dog". We also reviewed sight words and learned about synonyms and antonyms. The last of the children finished up their Halloween books and brought them home this week. They worked hard on the books and did a good job! Next week, we will be reviewing the sound of short "e" and learning about plural nouns.
The children's Book Projects turned out great! There are some very talented children (and parents) in this class! The children shared their projects with the class. Some pictures of the projects will be posted soon. Be sure to check them out.
In Math, we continued to work on finding out "how many more" and "how many fewer" in a story problem. We also learned about subtracting all or zero in a math sentence. This was much easier for the children. :) We also made graphs of the various ingredients in some 'Witch's Brew" on Halloween. The children had fun with this activity! Next week, we will be learning about the different ways to subtract from a given number. We will also be starting to review our chapter.
In Science, we have been learning about life cycles. The children did a writing activity about the life cycle of a pumpkin this week. They came home on Thursday.
In Social Studies, we have been learning about communities. The children made dioramas of a community this week. Most of them have come home. A few children are still finishing up their projects, and they will be coming home next week.
Our Rock Star this week was Kate! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Mary! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
Book orders will be due on Monday. Please have your order in by noon if you plan to order any books. I will be submitting the order in the afternoon. Thanks!
We have Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday morning in the church. This is always a wonderful experience for the children!
Report cards will be coming home on Thursday. Please watch for them in your child's folder. The signed envelope needs to be returned to school, but the report card is your copy to keep. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - October 25, 2019
Lots of fun was had by all at the Halloween celebration! We got together with our big buddies and enjoyed treats, played games, and paraded in our costumes. It was lots of fun! Some pictures will be posted on our class picture page. Be sure to take a look!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "i". We also practiced our sight words. We did not get a chance to learn about synonyms yet, but we will work on them next week. We will also be learning about antonyms, as well as the sound of short "o".
The children started some Halloween books this week. The books are almost finished, and they will be coming home next week.
We have a new volunteer helping out in our classroom! His name is Grandpa Kaul. He will be providing some extra reading practice for the children on most Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In Math, we learned about using subtraction to figure out "how many more" and "how many fewer" in story problems. This was difficult for many of the children. One way that you can help your child at home is by telling your child a story problem that asks these questions. Then have your child write the math sentence that goes with it. Your child should also be able to make a model that goes along with the story problem. We will be spending some more time on this next week. We will also be learning about subtracting all or zero in a math sentence.
The children did an amazing job at Mass on Wednesday! They worked so hard, and it really paid off. Thank you to all the parents who came to Mass. I know the children really appreciated it. Our next Mass is tentatively scheduled for January 15th. Everyone is invited to attend.
We had our first safety drill of the year this week. The children practiced locking down in the classroom in the event of a threat in the school. The children did a good job. We will be having other safety drills during the year.
Our Rock Star this week was Tyler! We enjoyed learning about him and his family!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Kate. We look forward to learning all about her next week!
Thursday will be a black and orange day for anyone who would like to wear black and orange for Halloween.
Book Projects are due on Friday, November 1st. I can't wait to see them!
We will be having Mass on Friday instead of Wednesday because of All Saints Day. The children only need to wear their Mass uniforms on Friday.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - October 18, 2019
The weeks are flying by! It's hard to believe that we are almost finished with our second month of school...
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "a". We also learned about writing complete sentences. This is always a difficult concept for first graders. We made some fun "silly sentence" books this week to help with this concept. The children had a lot of fun reading the silly sentences that they made! Next week we will be working on the sound of short "i". We will also be learning about synonyms.
Reading tests came home this week. Overall, the class did very well on this test. Please be sure to look over your child's test, sign it, and return the test to school. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
In Math, we worked on the "part, part, whole" model to help with addition and subtraction in story problems. The idea is that the two parts add up the whole number. You can also figure out the missing part if you know the whole number and one of the parts. This model can be very useful for many children. We will be doing a little more work with this next week. We will also be learning about figuring out "how many more" and "how many fewer".
The children made some cute Frankensteins this week! There are a couple of pictures posted on the class picture page. Be sure to take a look!
The children have been busy practicing their parts for next week's Mass! Each child will have a small part for Mass. Everyone is invited to attend on Wednesday.
Information came home regarding our annual Halloween celebration on Friday, October 25th. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Our Rock Star this week was Landon! We enjoyed learning all about him and his family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Tyler! We look forward to learning more about him next week.
We will be practicing some lockdown drills next week so that the children know what to do in case of an emergency.
The first graders will be helping with Mass on Wednesday, October 23rd! Every child will have a part. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Our all-school Halloween celebration and costume parade will be on the afternoon of Friday, October 25th. The children will be participating in some fun activities and enjoying caramel apple sundaes with their big buddies. The costume parade will be at the end of the day. Information came home with the details of the party and parade. Parents are invited to arrive at 2:30 if they would like to watch the parade. If you plan on taking your child home right after the parade, please send me a quick note letting me know. Please ask if you have any questions.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - October 11, 2019
It was nice to see the sunshine again this week! It was good for the kids to get back outside to run around and enjoy the nice weather (before the snow this weekend...)
In Reading, we reviewed and took our chapter test. We have a little bit to finish up next week. I will be correcting the tests and sending them home by the end of the week. Next week, we will be starting our second unit in Reading. We will be reviewing the sound of short "a". We will also be focusing on complete sentences.
In Math, we worked on subtraction from numbers up to ten. We made models to go along with story problems and wrote the math sentences that went along with them. Next week, we will be working using the "part, part, whole" model to help with subtraction. Be sure to continue to practice both addition and subtraction facts with your child at home. It will be very important that these facts become automatic as the children progress into more difficult math concepts.
The children did a fun STEM activity in Science this week. They had to build part of a playground following step-by-step directions. Then they had to design some modifications for it. They did a great job and came up with some creative ideas!
Information came home on Thursday regarding our first Book Project. I think the children will really enjoy this project! Finished projects are due on Wednesday, October 30th. I can't wait to see them!
There have been several children out this week with various illnesses. Please keep an eye on your child. If your child becomes ill, please allow them to rest and recover at home. Children need to be free from fevers (without the aid of fever-reducing meds) and vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school. Hopefully we can stop the spread of these illnesses before they spread to others. Thanks!
Our Rock Star this week was Leighton! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Landon! We look forward to learning more about him next week.
I will be out of the building on Monday. Mrs. Rauch will be filling in for me. If you have any urgent matters, such as changes to pick-up routines, please call the office so Mrs. Fassbender can let Mrs. Rauch know.
Picture retakes will be on Tuesday. All children will have their pictures retaken. The company has asked everyone to return their original pictures, if possible. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
There is no school on Friday, October 18th. The teachers have meetings again.
The Soles for Education walk will be on Saturday, October 19th! I hope to see you there!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - October 4, 2019
Where did the week go? It seems like it was just Monday. We have been busy all week with lots of things going on.
In Reading, we learned about the sound of short "u". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "bus" and "run". We did several activities and played various games to practice this sound. We also went on a short vowel scavenger hunt through the school to look for things with short vowels in their names. The children made books of the items they found. Next week we will be reviewing the skills we have learned in this unit and taking our unit test. There will not be a new list of sight words coming home. There will be a list coming home again the following week.
In Math, we finished our chapter test and started our next chapter on subtraction. Subtraction is always more difficult for first graders than addition. We will be working hard on subtraction over the next few weeks.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday morning. This is always a wonderful experience for the children, and they really enjoyed it!
We made St. Francis posters on Friday in honor of the feast of St. Francis. The children who finished their poster brought them home already. The ones who still need to finish them will bring their posters home next week.
Progress reports came home on Thursday. Please be sure to look them over. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
We had a wonderful time at the Shalom Wildlife Park! We walked the entire park and had a chance to feed some of the animals. I think the weather cleared up just for us. It was a beautiful day!
We had a pep rally in honor of the Soles for Education walk. It's not too late to sign up and walk with our school! It is a wonderful event, and all money raised comes right back to our school.
Our Rock Star was Josie! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family this week.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Leighton! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
There is no school on Friday, October 11th. The teachers have an inservice meeting. Enjoy your long weekend!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - September 27, 2019
In Reading this week we learned about the sound of short "e". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "bed" and "get". We did some Smart Board activities, read some stories, and played a couple of fun games to practice this sound. We also started to learn about adjectives and how they describe nouns. Next week, we will be learning about the sound of short "u". We will be going on a scavenger hunt to look for short vowels in our school! We will also be doing some more work with adjectives.
In Math, we finished our chapter on addition. We reviewed and took our chapter test. We need to finish the last bit of our test on Monday, then I will be correcting them and sending them home. Please watch for your child's test coming home in his/her folder by mid-week. The remainder of the week will be spent starting our next chapter on subtraction concepts.
The children met their big buddies this week! Everyone was excited to meet their new buddy. We will be getting together many times during the year for various activities.
Our Rock Star this week was William! We enjoyed learning all about him and his family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Josie! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
We will have Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday, October 3rd. in the church.
Progress Reports will be coming home on Thursday. Please watch for them coming home in your child's folder.
We have our field trip to Shalom Wildlife Park on Friday, October 4th! Please be sure your child is dressed for the weather including comfortable walking shoes because we will be outside. Any child who did not order a bag lunch from the school needs to bring a lunch in a disposable bag with a drink (no soda). Please write your child's name on the bag.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - September 20, 2019
Today was applesauce day! The kids had lots of fun learning about apples and making applesauce. Thank you to everyone for bringing in the apples! There are some pictures posted of the activity. Click on the "class pictures" button to view them. If you would like the recipe, click on the "applesauce recipe" tab to view the recipe.
To go along with our applesauce, we did an apple graphing activity, and we learned about Johnny Appleseed. We also learned that there is one remaining tree that Johnny Appleseed planted in Ohio!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "o". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "stop" and "dog". We sang a vowel song, read some stories, and played some games to practice this sound. We also learned about verbs this week. Next week we will be leaning about the sound of short "e". We will also be working on adjectives.
In Math, we learned about switching the addends around in a math sentence. We also learned that there are different ways to add and get the same sum. For example: 0+5, 1+4, 2+3, 3+2, 4+1, and 5+0 all equal 5. Next week we will be reviewing our chapter and taking our chapter test.
We had a pep rally Friday afternoon to get everyone excited about the Soles walk! Be sure to sign up and walk with our school. It is a fun event, and registration is still free!
Our Rock Star this week was Kolby! We enjoyed learning all about him and his family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be William! We look forward to learning more about him next week.
Beginning Wednesday morning, I will be offering extra reading practice for anyone who needs some extra help with reading. It will begin at 7:40. You do not need to sign up ahead of time. Just bring your child to the classroom on the Wednesday mornings you would like him/her to practice reading.
There will be early release on Friday so that the teachers can meet regarding technology. Children will be released at 11:00. No after school care will be available.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - September 13, 2019
We have made it though our first full week of school! The children are starting to get into a routine, and things are going more smoothly. :)
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "i". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "sit" and "tip". We did several activities on the Smart Board, read stories, and played some games to practice this sound. We played a fun "Bump" game to practice our sight words for the week. We also learned about possessive nouns. Next week we will be working on the sound of short "o". We will also be learning about verbs.
The children are working on a First Weeks of School book at school. They will be bringing it home as soon as we are finished with it.
In Math, we continued to work on addition with sums up to ten. We also learned about adding with zero. We practiced these facts by doing some activities on fun4thebrain.com. This is one of the sites that we talked about at the parent meetings last week. The children really enjoyed the games! This is a great way to practice facts at home with your child. Next week we will be learning about adding in any order. We will also be learning about the many different facts that add up to the same sum.
In Social Studies, we are learning about our state. The children have started to make some Wisconsin posters in class. We will be finishing them up next week, and then they will be coming home!
Permission slips for our field trip to Shalom Wildlife Park came home on Monday. Please be sure to return your child's signed permission slip and payment to school by September 25th.
Our Rock Star this week was Ashlyn! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family this week.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Kolby. We look forward to learning about him next week!
We will be doing a special activity for Science class next week. Please watch for information coming home in your child's folder on Monday!
Please remember that our class is tree nut-free. In order to keep all of our students safe, please only send pre-packaged treats to school so that there is no risk of accidental cross-contamination of tree nuts. Thank you!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - September 6, 2019
It was nice to see so many of you at the Parent Meetings on Tuesday! If your family was unable to attend, the information came home with your child on Wednesday. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
In Reading, we learned about the sound of short "a". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "sat" and "man". We did some activities on the Smart Board and played a fun game to practice this sound. We also did some reading of stories with this sound in them. We learned about nouns this week, too. Our first list of sight words and vocabulary words came home on Monday. Please be sure to practice reading the sight words with your child. These are words that your child needs to know how to read by sight. We played a fun "Bump" game to practice these words at school. Next week, we will be learning about the sound of short "i". We will also be working with possessive nouns.
In Math, we worked on addition up to ten. We also practiced using the plus sign. In addition to our practice pages, we played a "Bump" game to practice this skill. Please be sure to practice these addition facts with your child at home so that they eventually become memorized. Next week, we will be continuing to work on addition. We will also be learning about adding with zero.
We finished our September service project this week! The children finished their "Welcome" cards for the newcomers to St. Gabriel School and delivered them to everyone on Friday. The class felt good about making others feel good! Our next service project will be in October, and we will be buddying up with our big buddies to organize a school-wide project.
In Religion, we worked on a Character Builder about respecting others. The children enjoyed the character builder a lot. We usually do about one a month in first grade.
Families are doing a good job returning the Nightly Reading Sheets. Please remember to have your child read each evening and return the sheet to school each day. I will check off the sheets and send them back home each day.
School pictures were taken on Friday. They will be coming home in a couple of weeks. If you forgot to order pictures but would like to, please contact the school office. Mrs. Fassbender has the information about ordering additional pictures online.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our first Rock Star will be Ashlyn! We look forward to learning about her and her family next week!
Information about our field trip to Shalom Wildlife Park will be coming home next week. Please watch for it in your child's folder.
The children will be starting to go to Library next week Monday. They will be bringing three books home with them. Library books will be due the following Monday.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - August 30, 2019
Our first week was off to a great start! The children settled in right away, and they are starting to get into a routine already.
We were all excited to welcome a new student to our class this year! His name is William, and everyone is so happy to have him join our group. Welcome, William!
We took a lot of time learning about school procedures and rules, but we also spent a lot of time learning about each other! The children shared their summer mementos with each other. It sounds like everyone had a great time over the summer! If your child did not get a chance to bring in his/her memento yet, feel free to bring it in next week and will share it with the class.
We played several games this week. One game was a name game to help learn everyone's name. It was a fun memory game on the Smart Board.
In Reading, we started to learn about the sound of short "a". We learned a fun game called "Tricky Anteaters" to practice this sound. The children enjoyed it a lot! We also learned a "Bump" game to practice sight words. I have several of these games to practice various skills during the year. Next week, we will be working heavily on the sound of short "a". We will also be doing some work with nouns next week. Children will start bringing home Weekly Word lists next week. These are lists of sight words and vocabulary words that we are working on for that week. Please practice these words at home with your child. The more children practice, the better readers they become!
In Math, we started to work on addition concepts. We began by reviewing some of the skills taught in Kindergarten. Next week, we will be working more on addition. We will also be starting to use the plus sign. It will be very important to practice addition and subtraction facts with your child. The goal is for your child to have all of the addition and subtraction facts taught in first grade memorized by the time the children reach second grade. It will make it so much easier for them once they begin more difficult math concepts. There will be some information coming home next week regarding our First in Math program. This is a computer-based program geared towards helping children learn their math facts and practice various math skills.
In first grade, we do a small service project each month to help learn about the importance of serving others. We started our September project this week. The children are working on making "Welcome to St. Gabriel School!" cards for the students who are new to the school this year. We will be finishing them up and delivering them next week.
Thank you to everyone for their cooperation to make our class "tree nut-free"! Your help in keeping all of our students safe is greatly appreciated! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
There are a couple of pictures posted from the first week of school. Click on the Class Pictures button to view them!
What's Happening Next Week?
There is no school on Monday in honor of Labor Day. Enjoy your long weekend!
Parent meetings for the first grade parents will be on Tuesday, September 3rd. Please plan on meeting in the Parish Hall first at 6:30. Parents will then go to their child(ren)'s classroom(s) for grade specific meetings. There will be a second session following the first for families with multiple children. Please note that there is no longer a separate session for new families.
Information will be coming home next week regarding First in Math, Student Rock Stars, and Book-in-a-Bags. We will also be going over these things at the parent meetings.
Have a great weekend!
Ummm... I'm not really sure where to start. The temporary closing of the school was a very unexpected event. Thank you to everyone for their patience and hard work in making sure your children receive their education. Packet pick-up went well, and everyone should have received all of their child's work for the next several weeks. As mentioned, the main focus for the first graders will be language arts and math.
In Reading, we worked on the sounds of "ar" and "or". There were a few game options for practicing these sounds with your child. You may want to hang on to the game boards from the various games. In the event of a longer closure, you can use those boards to practice different words from upcoming units. We also did some work with pronouns. Pronouns can be tricky, even though we use them all the time without even thinking about them. Next week, we will be learning about the "ir", "er", and "ur" sounds. There is a really fun "Land of Oz" game included in the packet that I think the children will enjoy!
The children had a "My Favorite Animal" book to complete. These are always fun for the children to do. I always enjoy seeing the final product!
In Math, we worked on counting tens and ones. We also worked on showing the same number in different ways. This skill can be very easy for some children, and more difficult for others. The best way to help your child is to make physical groups of ten. This could be stacks of pennies or groups of toothpicks. Start by showing the most common way to show a number. For example: if the number is 45, the most common way to show this is with 4 tens and 5 ones. Then take a group of tens and break it up into ten ones. Move them over to the ones place. If you did this with the number 45, you would have 3 tens and 15 ones. Many times, the physical model helps the children to understand the concept better. Next week, the children will be working on comparing numbers using the "greater than" and "less than" symbols.
The children worked on making timelines this week. I can't wait to see them!
What's Happening Next Week?
Please continue to send in your weekly updates letting me know how things are going for your child.
I will be sending another picture clue next Friday. Be sure to take a guess at what I am working on...
The school will be closed until Monday, April 13th due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Spring break has been moved one week earlier to the week of April 6-10. If you have plans to be out of town during the originally scheduled week of spring break, just let us know and arrangements can be made to accommodate you and your family. Please continue to check your email for updates from Mrs. Bartholomew.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - March 13, 2020
We reviewed and took our unit Reading test this week. They are coming home in folders today. Please look them over and return the signed test to school. We played a fun sight word path game to practice sight words this week! The children really enjoyed it! We also worked on reading fluently this week. This means reading smoothly, stopping at periods, pausing at commas, and making a question sound like a question. Next week we will be reviewing the sound of "ar". We will also be learning about the sound of "or".
In Math, we worked a lot on counting tens and ones. The children are doing a really good job with this. They practiced both counting tens and ones in a group and showing the number of tens and ones in a given number. We will be continuing to work on tens and ones next week. We will be learning about different ways to show the same number using tens and ones.
The children finished their crosses for Lent this week. They turned out beautiful! They are on display in the classroom. Feel free to stop in and take a look!
All of the children who have reading parts for Wednesday's Mass received their parts this week. Please have your child practice reading several times over the weekend. There are some difficult parts in the readings next week. Everyone is invited to attend!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Auction scheduled for Saturday, March 14th is being redesigned due to the coronavirus outbreak. Please watch for details regarding online bidding. There are lots of great items available!
The first graders will be doing all of the readings at Mass on Wednesday, March 18th! Everyone is invited to attend!
There will be early release on Friday, March 27th. The children will be dismissed at 11:00. No After School Care will be available.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - March 6, 2020
We started the week with Read Across America. The entire school read books for enjoyment in the gym with their favorite blanket. Everyone had fun reading simply to enjoy a good book.
In Reading, we learned about compound words. We also worked with the sound of "ar". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "car" and "start". The class did well with both of these skills. We played a fun "Tricky Sharks" game to practice the "ar" sound. The children had a great time! Next week, we will be reviewing our unit and taking our test.
In Math, we finished reviewing and took our chapter test. The tests came home earlier in the week. This was a difficult chapter, but the class did very well on the test. We also started our next chapter on counting tens and ones. Next week, we will be working heavily on tens and ones.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. The children learned some different ways of praying. The learned a special M&M prayer that helped them to focus on those that they would like to pray for. A copy of the prayer came home on Friday. They all really enjoyed it!
We ended the week by getting together with our big buddies to play a few rounds of Tenzi. The kids had a ton of fun! It is a super easy dice game that anyone can play. There is an expansion set of cards available that you can use to add variety to the game. There are lots of great variations that can help to practice some simple math skills. (There are also a lot of variations that are just plain fun.) :)
What's Happening Next Week?
We will be starting to talk about our March service project next week.
Our Auction will be on Saturday, March 14th! This is a very important fundraiser for our school. I hope everyone is able to attend!
The first graders will be doing all of the readings at Mass on Wednesday, March 18th! Everyone is invited to attend!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - February 28, 2020
In Reading this week, we worked on the sound of long "o" made by the "oa" and "ow" patterns. This is the sound that can be heard in words like "boat" and "snow". "oa" is usually seen when the long "o" sound is in the middle of a word. "ow" is usually seen when the long "o" sound is heard at the end of a word. We also learned about contractions made with the words "have" and "are". Contractions are always difficult for first graders, but they did a pretty good job with this skill! Next week, we will be learning about compound words. We will also be working with the sound of "ar".
In Math, we learned about different facts that have the same sum or difference. The children had fun determining whether or not math sentences were true or false. We also started to review our chapter. Next week, we will finish reviewing our chapter, and then we will take our chapter test. We will begin our next chapter on tens and ones following our test.
In Religion, we learned about Ash Wednesday and Lent. We attended Ash Wednesday Mass and received ashes to remind us that we are all sinners, and we can all work on becoming more like Jesus. We buried the Alleluia on Tuesday to remind us that Lent is a solemn time when we think about the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Next week, we will be making some "stained glass" crosses to remind us to live like Jesus during Lent and always. They will be on display in the classroom next week.
In Science, we have been learning about the weather. The children made some weather booklets that they brought home earlier in the week.
What's Happening Next Week?
We will be participating in Read Across America on Monday, March 2nd. Children are invited to bring along a blanket or towel to sit on while we read in the Gym. They may also bring along a special book(s) from home to read during that time.
The children will be making some crosses in Religion to remind us to live like Jesus taught us during Lent and always.
Our Auction will be on Saturday, March 14th! This is a very important fundraiser for our school. I hope everyone is able to attend!
The first graders will be doing all of the readings at Mass on Wednesday, March 18th! Everyone is invited to attend!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - February 21, 2020
In Reading this week, we learned about the sound of long "a" made by the "ai" and "ay" patterns. The class did a good job with these patterns. We played a fun game to practice this sound. We also reviewed our sight words with a Presidents Day Bump game. Next week, we will be learning about the sound of long "o" made by the "oa" and "ow" patterns.
In Math, we worked heavily on fact families and related facts. The children are doing a much better job with this! We also worked on story problems requiring either addition or subtraction. The children had to decide which operation was required and then solve the problem. This is always a difficult concept for first graders. They did pretty well with it. We will continue to revisit this concept throughout the year. Next week, we will be learning about different facts that have the same sum or difference. We will also be reviewing our chapter. If we have time, we will be taking our chapter test. If not, we will take it the following week.
We learned about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in honor of Presidents Day this week. We watched a fun video that told about their lives and how they helped our country.
We had our Adventure Party Friday afternoon to celebrate the children finishing their Reading Scavenger Hunts! We watched a Veggie Tales adventure movie and enjoyed snacks and juice. The children had a lot of fun. Great job reading, everyone!
The children made some cute bird nest projects to celebrate spring coming soon. They are on display in the classroom. Feel free to stop in and take a look!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Auction will be on Saturday, March 14th! This is a very important fundraiser for our school. I hope everyone is able to attend!
The first graders will be doing all of the readings at Mass on Wednesday, March 18th! Everyone is invited to attend!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - February 13, 2020
It was a short, but busy week! The children made some cute Valentine's Day heart projects. They turned out great and they had a fun time making them!
We had our Valentine's Day celebration with our big buddies on Thursday afternoon. We enjoyed snacks, games, and good times!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of long "e" made by the "ee", "e_e", and "ea" patterns. We also practiced our sight words by playing a Valentine's Day sight word game. Next week we will be learning about using the "ai" and "ay" patterns to make the sound of long "a".
In Math, we worked on fact families. Fact families are made up of two addition and two subtraction sentences that use the same three numbers. For example: 2+3=5, 3+2=5, 5-2=3, and 5-3=2 would all belong to the same fact family. This can be a very tricky concept for many children. We will be continuing to work on this next week.
In Religion, we learned about Saint Valentine and how he married couples even though it was against the law at the time. The children said a special St. Valentine prayer and colored pictures of Saint Valentine.
Thank you to everyone who donated food for the food drive! Thanks to your generosity, we were able to collect a very large amount of food that is greatly needed.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our class adventure party will be on Friday, February 21st. Scavenger hunt sheets can be turned in as soon as your child has finished the reading challenges.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - February 7, 2020
Our class has been hit hard with illnesses this week. There are some very nasty bugs going around. Please be on the lookout for fever, headache, and stomach upset. The children are ending up staying out of school for close to a week or more. If your child does become ill, please be sure he/she stays home long enough to fully recover. They need to be free of fever and vomiting for 24 hours (without the help of medication) before they are able to return to school. Thank you!
In Reading, we reviewed and took our unit test. I will be correcting them and sending them home next week. We also learned about the sound of long "o" made by the "o_e" pattern. This is the sound that can be heard in words like "home" and "pole". We also did some work with the "u_e" pattern to make the long "u" sound. We hear this sound in the word "mule". Next week, we will be learning about the sound of long "e". We will be using the "ee", "ea", and "e_e" patterns.
In Math we reviewed and took our chapter test. I will be correcting the tests and sending them home next week. Please watch for them in your child's folder. We started to learn about related facts, too. We played a math Uno game to practice addition and subtraction facts. The kids really enjoyed it! We will be working heavily on related facts next week.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. This is always a great experience for the children, and they really enjoy it!
We completed our February service project this week. The children made valentines that will be delivered to a local nursing home. The residents always enjoy receiving something special from the children.
We had our field trip to the museum on Friday. Everyone had a great time and saw lots of wonderful exhibits!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our class Valentine's Day party will be on Thursday, February 13th. Please have you child bring a decorated bag or box to collect his/her valentines. The box and your child's valentines should be brought to school Thursday morning. We will be doing some fun activities with our buddies, too!
There is no school on Friday, February 14th. The teachers will be attending meetings on standards based grading.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - January 31, 2020
It was a whirlwind of a week with all the Catholic Schools Week activities going on! There were special activities every day, with the highlight being our bowling field trip! It was an exhausting, but fun, week.
In Reading, we learned about the "er" and "est" endings. We also started to review our unit. Since we had so many activities this week, we ran out of time to take our unit test. We will finish our review next week and then take our test. We will also start our new unit. We will begin by learning about the long "o" sound made by the "o_e" pattern.
Information came home this week about our Scavenger Hunt reading incentive. The kids are looking forward to it! Our adventure party will be on the afternoon of Friday, February 21st. Keep on reading!
In Math, we reviewed part of our chapter on subtraction strategies. We will finish reviewing next week and then take our chapter test. We will also be starting our next chapter on addition and subtraction relationships.
We started working on our class auction project. The children are helping to make a lawn dice set. We are almost finished with them. We will finish the painting next week. Thank you to everyone who donated items for our basket! We have a great class basket!
Report cards came home on Thursday. Please look them over and return the signed envelope to school. The report card is your copy to keep.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our field trip to the museum is Friday, February 7th. Children need to wear their red St. Gabriel shirt and bring a bag lundh in a disposable bag (no soda). Please be sure to turn in your child's permission slip and payment for the museum field trip if you haven't yet.
Our class Valentine's Day party will be on Thursday, February 13th. Please have you child bring a decorated bag or box to collect his/her valentines. The box and your child's valentines should be brought to school Thursday morning. We will be doing some fun activities with our buddies, too!
There is no school on Friday, February 14th. The teachers will be attending meetings on standards based grading.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - January 24, 2020
We have had a lot of sickness in our room/school these past couple of weeks. The bug that is going around is a nasty one. Besides practicing good hygiene, it is important to remember to keep your child home while he/she is sick in order to prevent the spread of disease. Your child needs to stay home until he/she is free from fever and vomiting for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing meds. The meds only temporarily lower the fever. They do not stop your child from being contagious. It is a very bad flu season with children being hospitalized and worse. We all need to do our part to stop the spread of it. Thank you!
In Reading, we learned about the sound of long "i" made by the "i_e" pattern. This is the sound that can be heard in words like "kite" and "time". We did several Smart Board activities, read stories, and played some games to practice this sound. Next week, we will be reviewing our unit and taking our unit test. There will not be a new Weekly Word List coming home next week. There will be one coming home again the following week.
In Math, we reviewed "counting back" as a subtraction strategy. We also learned to use known addition facts to help with subtraction facts. The children learned to "count up" as a strategy when the number they are subtracting is a larger number. For example: If you have the fact 12 - 9, you would start with 9 and count up (10, 11, 12) until you reach 12. The number that you counted (3) is the answer to the subtraction fact. Many children found this to be a helpful strategy for them. This is a fairly short chapter. Next week, we will be reviewing our subtraction strategies and taking our chapter test.
We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week. The children learned how he fought peacefully so that everyone can be treated fairly. We watched a great video of a Reading Rainbow clip in which LaVar Burton read a story and talked about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was a very well-done piece.
We attended a STEM presentation by MSOE this week. The children paired up and engineered some zip lines. They had to make sure the zip lines were safe, and they had to figure out how to make them go as fast as possible. They did a great job! There were a lot of creative ideas from the children!
Thank you to everyone who have donated items to our class auction basket! It is really coming along nicely. If you have any items that you are still planning to donate, please send them in early next week because the basket needs to be turned in on Friday. If you are waiting for an item to arrive, please let me know so that I can let the basket coordinator that additional items are coming. The children will be making their dice game next week. Thanks again to everyone for their generosity!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Open House and pancake breakfast is on Sunday, January 26th! Everyone is invited to tour the school and enjoy a pancake breakfast!
Catholic Schools Week is January 27th - 31st. There are lots of great activities planned. Please check your schedule for all the info!
Information will be coming home on Monday about a special reading incentive that we will be doing over the next few weeks. Please look for it in your child's folder.
Our class color for Friday will be purple! Please wear purple if you have it. If you do not have anything purple, please do not go out and buy something. Your child may wear something close to purple.
Report cards will be coming home on Thursday, January 30th. Please look them over and return the signed envelope to school. The report card is your copy to keep.
Please be sure to turn in your child's permission slip and payment for the museum field trip if you haven't yet. It is due on Friday.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - January 17, 2020
The children did a wonderful job at Mass on Wednesday! They worked very hard, and it showed! Way to go! The first graders' next Mass will be on March 18th. The first graders will be doing all of the readings at that Mass.
In Reading, we started to learn about our first long vowel pattern. We worked on the sound of long "a" made by the "a_e" pattern. The children did pretty well with this. Starting long vowels is always difficult for first graders because they now have new sounds and spelling patterns for the vowels. We will continue to work on these sounds and their different patterns for the remainder of the year. We also did a fun sentence writing activity that uses dice to create the different parts of the sentences. Next week, we will be learning about the sound of long "i" made by the "i_e" pattern.
In Math, we reviewed and took our chapter test on addition strategies. I will be correcting them over the next few days and sending them home. Please watch for them in your child's folder. We also started our next chapter on subtraction strategies. We started with "counting back". Counting back is much like counting on, but in reverse. If you have the math sentence 10 - 3, you would start by saying the first number (10) then count back three (9, 8, 7). The last number you say is the answer. We will be continuing with this strategy for a good part of next week. We will also be starting to use the strategy of using addition to help with subtraction.
We worked on our January service project this week. The children made thank-you cards to attach to packets of hot chocolate. They will be given to the special people who help out at the school.
The children made some cute hot cocoa mug to display in the classroom. Be sure to stop in and check them out!
What's Happening Next Week?
Activity pictures will be taken on Wednesday, January 22nd. If your child is in scouts, please send his/her uniform along to school. He/She will be able to change into it for the picture.
Representatives from MSOE will be here on Thursday to do some special STEM activities with the children. We are all looking forward to it!
There will be Early Release on Friday, January 24th. The students will be dismissed at 11:00. No after school care will be available.
If time permits, we will be working on our class auction project next week. If not, we will work on it the following week.
Our Open House and pancake breakfast is on Sunday, January 26th! Everyone is invited to tour the school and enjoy a pancake breakfast!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - January 10, 2020
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and enjoyed your break!
In Reading this week, we worked on the digraphs "sh", "wh", and "ph". We also learned about contractions made from "is" and "not". We also reviewed words with short vowels. Next week, we will begin learning about our first long vowel pattern! We will be learning about the sound of lang "a" made by the "a_e" pattern. It is always exciting to start long vowels. Even though they can be quite tricky, many children start to have some big gains in their reading once we start long vowels.
In Math, we reviewed our addition strategies. We also worked on making a ten to help with addition. The way this works is: If you have the addition sentence 9 + 5, you can borrow one from the 5 and give it to the 9 (making the 9 into a 10). Your new addition sentence would be 10 + 4. This is helpful because it is usually easier to add with a ten. We also learned a new game called Quixx (available on Amazon). It is a great family game which is wonderful for practicing addition. Next week, we will review all of out strategies and take our chapter test. We will then start our new chapter on subtraction strategies.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. It was a wonderful experience for the children. This month it focused on celebrating the birth of Jesus!
The children received their Mass parts for next week's Mass. Anyone with a reading part had a copy of their part sent home on Friday. Please be sure to practice with your child over the weekend.
Thank you to the families who have donated items for our auction basket! We have had some wonderful items donated! It is greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate, but aren't sure what might be a good addition to our basket, I have created a registry on Amazon with a few items that might be fun contributions for our basket. Here is the link: https://smile.amazon.com/baby-reg/2RQYOYYEW1KOE Hopefully, the works. It is accidentally listed as a baby registry. Oops! No. I am NOT pregnant...
What's Happening Next Week?
The first graders will be helping with Mass on Wednesday. Each child will have a part of some sort. Everyone is invited to attend!
We will be starting our January service project next week.
Have a great weekend! Good luck digging out from the snow!
This Week's News - December 13, 2019
The children did a wonderful job singing at the Christmas concert Thursday evening! What a wonderful way to celebrate the season!
In Reading, we learned about the sound made by the "ch" and "tch" patterns. We also reviewed our sight words that we have learned so far this year. Next week, we will be reviewing skills that we have learned thus far this year. We will be revisiting vowels, endings, and digraphs. There will not be a new list of sight words coming home next week. There will be a new list coming home again after Christmas break.
The children took their Star Reader tests again this week. This is the test that determines your child's AR reading level. I will be going through the results over the weekend and sending your child's updated AR level home on Monday. Please watch for it in your child's folder.
In Math, we reviewed our strategies for figuring out unknown addition facts. We also started to learn about making a ten to help us add. This can be a difficult strategy for many children. We will be continuing this strategy next week.
The children participated in the Hour of Code on Friday. This is a time to learn skills related to computer programming. The children enjoyed activities that helped them to think in ways similar to programming.
We worked on our December service project this week. The children made stockings for the residents at the nursing home. We will be filling the stockings next week, and then I will deliver them to the nursing home. I know the residents will be very grateful to receive them!
Our final Rock Star was Viven! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family this week!
What's Happening Next Week?
We will be attending Jolly Old St. Nick at the Schauer Arts Center on Monday, December 16th. Children should wear their red St. Gabriel shirts. Any bottoms are fine to wear. We will not have snack in the morning. Please have your child eat a good breakfast.
We will be working on several secret Christmas projects next week!
I will be gone Wednesday afternoon for an appointment. Mrs. Rauch will be filling in for me.
Permission slips and payment for bowling are due on Thursday, December 19th. Please be sure to turn them in if you haven't yet. Thank you!
We have early release on Friday, December 20th. The children will be released at 11:00 to start Christmas break! Classes will resume on Monday, January 6th.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - December 6, 2019
It sounds like everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!
In Reading this week, we worked on the sound of "th". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "think" and "with". We also learned about the "ed" and "ing" endings. We played a fun new game to practice some of these skills! Next week, we will be learning about the sound of "ch".
In Math, we reviewed "counting on" as a strategy for figuring out unknown addition facts. We also learned about using "doubles" and "doubles plus one" as strategies. The children practiced their strategies by playing a fun addition game on fun4thebrain.com. Next week we will be reviewing strategies and starting to learn about making a ten to add.
We started our December service project this week. The children are making stockings that we will fill and then send to the nursing home. I am told that the residents there really enjoy receiving handmade projects from the children. It really brightens their day! We will be finishing the stockings next week.
The children made some beautiful Christmas tree projects this week. They had lots of fun using hole punchers and sequins! The projects are on display in the classroom. Be sure to stop in and take a peek the next time you are at school.
We are learning about Advent in first grade. The children are working on doing good deeds to prepare their hearts for Jesus. They made calendars that they are using to record their good deeds at school. A calendar of suggestions also came home this week for your family to use at home during Advent if you would like.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. This is always a wonderful experience, and the children really enjoy it!
Our Rock Star this week was Everett. We enjoyed learning all about him and his family!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our last Rock Star will be Vivien! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
Our Christmas concert will be on the evening of Thursday, December 12th. The concert begins at 6:30 in the church. Students should arrive at 6:15. Please have your child use the bathroom prior to coming over to our section of pews. Thanks!
We will be attending Jolly Old St. Nick at the Schauer Arts Center on Monday, December 16th. Children should wear their red St. Gabriel shirts. Any bottoms are fine to wear. We will not have snack in the morning. Please have your child eat a good breakfast.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - November 22, 2019
We worked on several Thanksgiving activities this week. We learned about the first Thanksgiving and discussed the many things that we are thankful for. The children made some turkeys and colored some posters that showed the things that they are thankful for.
In Reading, we reviewed and took our unit test. We also did some extra work with the sound of "th". I will be correcting the tests and sending them home next week. Please watch for them coming home in your child's folder. Next week we will be reviewing many of the skills we have learned up to this point.
In Math, we started learning about addition strategies. We learned to add in any order. This means that if you know that 2 + 4 = 6, then you also know that 4 + 2 will also equal 6. We also learned about counting on. This is always a very useful strategy for the children. If you have the math sentence 7 + 3, you would say the greater number (7) and then count on the smaller number (8, 9, 10). The last number you say is the answer (10). The class did well with this and liked that it makes some addition facts so much easier to figure out! We will be practicing these two strategies next week. A sheet came home on Friday that shows the different strategies that we use to help with addition. Keep it handy so you can help you child to figure out unknown facts. :)
We have decided on our November service project. We will be making dog treats for the Humane Society! The children are looking forward to it!
Our Rock Star this week was Thomas! We enjoyed learning about him and his family!
What's Happening Next Week?
There will not be a Rock Star next week because it is such a short week. When we return from Thanksgiving break, Everett will be our Rock Star! We look forward to learning more about him next week!
There will not be a newsletter next week because it is such a short week. There will be one again the following week.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - November 14, 2019
It was such a short week this week. It went so fast!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "u". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "bug" and "sun". We played a new game called "Bug on a Rug" to practice short vowel sounds. The kids really enjoyed it. We also did some review of complete sentences. Next week we will be reviewing our unit and taking our unit reading test. There will not be a new Weekly Word list coming home next week. There will be a new list coming home the following week.
In Math, we reviewed and took our chapter test on subtraction. I will be correcting them over the weekend. Next week, we will be starting our next chapter on addition strategies. We will be starting by learning about adding in any order. We will also be learning to count on next week.
We had a safety drill on Tuesday. The children practiced locking down in the classroom in the event of danger in the building. They did a great job!
Our Rock Star this week was Claire! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Thomas! We look forward to learning more about him next week!
I will be out of the building on Monday. Mrs. Rauch will be filling in for me.
We will be discussing our November service project in class next week. The children will be voting on which project they would like to do.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - November 8, 2019
Winter seems to have arrived early this year. The children have been going outside for recess, so please be sure that your child has warm recess clothes. Many times children come in from recess with wet gloves. Their gloves are then wet for afternoon recess and pick-up. You may want to send along an extra pair of gloves/mittens so that he/she has a dry pair for later in the day.
In Reading this week, we worked on the sound of short "e". We played a fun Thanksgiving themed game to practice sight words and short vowel words. The children are really coming along nicely with these skills! We also learned about plurals this week. Next week we will be working some more on the sound of short "u".
In Math, we learned about the different ways to subtract from a given number. We also started to review our chapter. Next week we will be finishing our review and then taking our chapter test. We will then be starting our next chapter on addition strategies. We will be learning a variety of strategies to figure out the answer to unknown addition facts.
We went to Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday. It is always a beautiful experience for the children, and they really enjoyed it!
Report cards came home on Thursday. Please look them over and return the signed envelope to school. The report card is your copy to keep. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Our Rock Star this week was Mary! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Claire! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
Thursday, November 14th will be an Early Release day. The children will be dismissed at 11:00. Parent/Teacher conferences will be held the remainder of the day and evening.
There is no school on Friday, November 15th. Conferences will be held during the day.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - November 1, 2019
There were lots of things going on this week! The snow was an unexpected addition to Halloween this year! Thank you to everyone for sending snow pants and boots with your child. The school rule is that children need to have both snow pants and boots in order to be in the snow. If they are without either of these items, they need to stay on the blacktop. Please be sure to continue to send these items with your child when there is snow on the ground. Please also send an extra change of clothes (including socks,underwear, and a second pair of gloves) to school to be kept in your child's backpack. Many times children come in wet from recess even though they were wearing snow pants and boots. This way, your child will have dry clothes to put on after recess. Thanks!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "o". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "pot" and "dog". We also reviewed sight words and learned about synonyms and antonyms. The last of the children finished up their Halloween books and brought them home this week. They worked hard on the books and did a good job! Next week, we will be reviewing the sound of short "e" and learning about plural nouns.
The children's Book Projects turned out great! There are some very talented children (and parents) in this class! The children shared their projects with the class. Some pictures of the projects will be posted soon. Be sure to check them out.
In Math, we continued to work on finding out "how many more" and "how many fewer" in a story problem. We also learned about subtracting all or zero in a math sentence. This was much easier for the children. :) We also made graphs of the various ingredients in some 'Witch's Brew" on Halloween. The children had fun with this activity! Next week, we will be learning about the different ways to subtract from a given number. We will also be starting to review our chapter.
In Science, we have been learning about life cycles. The children did a writing activity about the life cycle of a pumpkin this week. They came home on Thursday.
In Social Studies, we have been learning about communities. The children made dioramas of a community this week. Most of them have come home. A few children are still finishing up their projects, and they will be coming home next week.
Our Rock Star this week was Kate! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Mary! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
Book orders will be due on Monday. Please have your order in by noon if you plan to order any books. I will be submitting the order in the afternoon. Thanks!
We have Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday morning in the church. This is always a wonderful experience for the children!
Report cards will be coming home on Thursday. Please watch for them in your child's folder. The signed envelope needs to be returned to school, but the report card is your copy to keep. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - October 25, 2019
Lots of fun was had by all at the Halloween celebration! We got together with our big buddies and enjoyed treats, played games, and paraded in our costumes. It was lots of fun! Some pictures will be posted on our class picture page. Be sure to take a look!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "i". We also practiced our sight words. We did not get a chance to learn about synonyms yet, but we will work on them next week. We will also be learning about antonyms, as well as the sound of short "o".
The children started some Halloween books this week. The books are almost finished, and they will be coming home next week.
We have a new volunteer helping out in our classroom! His name is Grandpa Kaul. He will be providing some extra reading practice for the children on most Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In Math, we learned about using subtraction to figure out "how many more" and "how many fewer" in story problems. This was difficult for many of the children. One way that you can help your child at home is by telling your child a story problem that asks these questions. Then have your child write the math sentence that goes with it. Your child should also be able to make a model that goes along with the story problem. We will be spending some more time on this next week. We will also be learning about subtracting all or zero in a math sentence.
The children did an amazing job at Mass on Wednesday! They worked so hard, and it really paid off. Thank you to all the parents who came to Mass. I know the children really appreciated it. Our next Mass is tentatively scheduled for January 15th. Everyone is invited to attend.
We had our first safety drill of the year this week. The children practiced locking down in the classroom in the event of a threat in the school. The children did a good job. We will be having other safety drills during the year.
Our Rock Star this week was Tyler! We enjoyed learning about him and his family!
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Kate. We look forward to learning all about her next week!
Thursday will be a black and orange day for anyone who would like to wear black and orange for Halloween.
Book Projects are due on Friday, November 1st. I can't wait to see them!
We will be having Mass on Friday instead of Wednesday because of All Saints Day. The children only need to wear their Mass uniforms on Friday.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - October 18, 2019
The weeks are flying by! It's hard to believe that we are almost finished with our second month of school...
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "a". We also learned about writing complete sentences. This is always a difficult concept for first graders. We made some fun "silly sentence" books this week to help with this concept. The children had a lot of fun reading the silly sentences that they made! Next week we will be working on the sound of short "i". We will also be learning about synonyms.
Reading tests came home this week. Overall, the class did very well on this test. Please be sure to look over your child's test, sign it, and return the test to school. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
In Math, we worked on the "part, part, whole" model to help with addition and subtraction in story problems. The idea is that the two parts add up the whole number. You can also figure out the missing part if you know the whole number and one of the parts. This model can be very useful for many children. We will be doing a little more work with this next week. We will also be learning about figuring out "how many more" and "how many fewer".
The children made some cute Frankensteins this week! There are a couple of pictures posted on the class picture page. Be sure to take a look!
The children have been busy practicing their parts for next week's Mass! Each child will have a small part for Mass. Everyone is invited to attend on Wednesday.
Information came home regarding our annual Halloween celebration on Friday, October 25th. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Our Rock Star this week was Landon! We enjoyed learning all about him and his family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Tyler! We look forward to learning more about him next week.
We will be practicing some lockdown drills next week so that the children know what to do in case of an emergency.
The first graders will be helping with Mass on Wednesday, October 23rd! Every child will have a part. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Our all-school Halloween celebration and costume parade will be on the afternoon of Friday, October 25th. The children will be participating in some fun activities and enjoying caramel apple sundaes with their big buddies. The costume parade will be at the end of the day. Information came home with the details of the party and parade. Parents are invited to arrive at 2:30 if they would like to watch the parade. If you plan on taking your child home right after the parade, please send me a quick note letting me know. Please ask if you have any questions.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - October 11, 2019
It was nice to see the sunshine again this week! It was good for the kids to get back outside to run around and enjoy the nice weather (before the snow this weekend...)
In Reading, we reviewed and took our chapter test. We have a little bit to finish up next week. I will be correcting the tests and sending them home by the end of the week. Next week, we will be starting our second unit in Reading. We will be reviewing the sound of short "a". We will also be focusing on complete sentences.
In Math, we worked on subtraction from numbers up to ten. We made models to go along with story problems and wrote the math sentences that went along with them. Next week, we will be working using the "part, part, whole" model to help with subtraction. Be sure to continue to practice both addition and subtraction facts with your child at home. It will be very important that these facts become automatic as the children progress into more difficult math concepts.
The children did a fun STEM activity in Science this week. They had to build part of a playground following step-by-step directions. Then they had to design some modifications for it. They did a great job and came up with some creative ideas!
Information came home on Thursday regarding our first Book Project. I think the children will really enjoy this project! Finished projects are due on Wednesday, October 30th. I can't wait to see them!
There have been several children out this week with various illnesses. Please keep an eye on your child. If your child becomes ill, please allow them to rest and recover at home. Children need to be free from fevers (without the aid of fever-reducing meds) and vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school. Hopefully we can stop the spread of these illnesses before they spread to others. Thanks!
Our Rock Star this week was Leighton! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Landon! We look forward to learning more about him next week.
I will be out of the building on Monday. Mrs. Rauch will be filling in for me. If you have any urgent matters, such as changes to pick-up routines, please call the office so Mrs. Fassbender can let Mrs. Rauch know.
Picture retakes will be on Tuesday. All children will have their pictures retaken. The company has asked everyone to return their original pictures, if possible. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
There is no school on Friday, October 18th. The teachers have meetings again.
The Soles for Education walk will be on Saturday, October 19th! I hope to see you there!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - October 4, 2019
Where did the week go? It seems like it was just Monday. We have been busy all week with lots of things going on.
In Reading, we learned about the sound of short "u". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "bus" and "run". We did several activities and played various games to practice this sound. We also went on a short vowel scavenger hunt through the school to look for things with short vowels in their names. The children made books of the items they found. Next week we will be reviewing the skills we have learned in this unit and taking our unit test. There will not be a new list of sight words coming home. There will be a list coming home again the following week.
In Math, we finished our chapter test and started our next chapter on subtraction. Subtraction is always more difficult for first graders than addition. We will be working hard on subtraction over the next few weeks.
We had Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday morning. This is always a wonderful experience for the children, and they really enjoyed it!
We made St. Francis posters on Friday in honor of the feast of St. Francis. The children who finished their poster brought them home already. The ones who still need to finish them will bring their posters home next week.
Progress reports came home on Thursday. Please be sure to look them over. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
We had a wonderful time at the Shalom Wildlife Park! We walked the entire park and had a chance to feed some of the animals. I think the weather cleared up just for us. It was a beautiful day!
We had a pep rally in honor of the Soles for Education walk. It's not too late to sign up and walk with our school! It is a wonderful event, and all money raised comes right back to our school.
Our Rock Star was Josie! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family this week.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Leighton! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
There is no school on Friday, October 11th. The teachers have an inservice meeting. Enjoy your long weekend!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - September 27, 2019
In Reading this week we learned about the sound of short "e". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "bed" and "get". We did some Smart Board activities, read some stories, and played a couple of fun games to practice this sound. We also started to learn about adjectives and how they describe nouns. Next week, we will be learning about the sound of short "u". We will be going on a scavenger hunt to look for short vowels in our school! We will also be doing some more work with adjectives.
In Math, we finished our chapter on addition. We reviewed and took our chapter test. We need to finish the last bit of our test on Monday, then I will be correcting them and sending them home. Please watch for your child's test coming home in his/her folder by mid-week. The remainder of the week will be spent starting our next chapter on subtraction concepts.
The children met their big buddies this week! Everyone was excited to meet their new buddy. We will be getting together many times during the year for various activities.
Our Rock Star this week was William! We enjoyed learning all about him and his family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Josie! We look forward to learning more about her next week.
We will have Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday, October 3rd. in the church.
Progress Reports will be coming home on Thursday. Please watch for them coming home in your child's folder.
We have our field trip to Shalom Wildlife Park on Friday, October 4th! Please be sure your child is dressed for the weather including comfortable walking shoes because we will be outside. Any child who did not order a bag lunch from the school needs to bring a lunch in a disposable bag with a drink (no soda). Please write your child's name on the bag.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - September 20, 2019
Today was applesauce day! The kids had lots of fun learning about apples and making applesauce. Thank you to everyone for bringing in the apples! There are some pictures posted of the activity. Click on the "class pictures" button to view them. If you would like the recipe, click on the "applesauce recipe" tab to view the recipe.
To go along with our applesauce, we did an apple graphing activity, and we learned about Johnny Appleseed. We also learned that there is one remaining tree that Johnny Appleseed planted in Ohio!
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "o". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "stop" and "dog". We sang a vowel song, read some stories, and played some games to practice this sound. We also learned about verbs this week. Next week we will be leaning about the sound of short "e". We will also be working on adjectives.
In Math, we learned about switching the addends around in a math sentence. We also learned that there are different ways to add and get the same sum. For example: 0+5, 1+4, 2+3, 3+2, 4+1, and 5+0 all equal 5. Next week we will be reviewing our chapter and taking our chapter test.
We had a pep rally Friday afternoon to get everyone excited about the Soles walk! Be sure to sign up and walk with our school. It is a fun event, and registration is still free!
Our Rock Star this week was Kolby! We enjoyed learning all about him and his family.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be William! We look forward to learning more about him next week.
Beginning Wednesday morning, I will be offering extra reading practice for anyone who needs some extra help with reading. It will begin at 7:40. You do not need to sign up ahead of time. Just bring your child to the classroom on the Wednesday mornings you would like him/her to practice reading.
There will be early release on Friday so that the teachers can meet regarding technology. Children will be released at 11:00. No after school care will be available.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - September 13, 2019
We have made it though our first full week of school! The children are starting to get into a routine, and things are going more smoothly. :)
In Reading, we worked on the sound of short "i". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "sit" and "tip". We did several activities on the Smart Board, read stories, and played some games to practice this sound. We played a fun "Bump" game to practice our sight words for the week. We also learned about possessive nouns. Next week we will be working on the sound of short "o". We will also be learning about verbs.
The children are working on a First Weeks of School book at school. They will be bringing it home as soon as we are finished with it.
In Math, we continued to work on addition with sums up to ten. We also learned about adding with zero. We practiced these facts by doing some activities on fun4thebrain.com. This is one of the sites that we talked about at the parent meetings last week. The children really enjoyed the games! This is a great way to practice facts at home with your child. Next week we will be learning about adding in any order. We will also be learning about the many different facts that add up to the same sum.
In Social Studies, we are learning about our state. The children have started to make some Wisconsin posters in class. We will be finishing them up next week, and then they will be coming home!
Permission slips for our field trip to Shalom Wildlife Park came home on Monday. Please be sure to return your child's signed permission slip and payment to school by September 25th.
Our Rock Star this week was Ashlyn! We enjoyed learning all about her and her family this week.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our Rock Star will be Kolby. We look forward to learning about him next week!
We will be doing a special activity for Science class next week. Please watch for information coming home in your child's folder on Monday!
Please remember that our class is tree nut-free. In order to keep all of our students safe, please only send pre-packaged treats to school so that there is no risk of accidental cross-contamination of tree nuts. Thank you!
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - September 6, 2019
It was nice to see so many of you at the Parent Meetings on Tuesday! If your family was unable to attend, the information came home with your child on Wednesday. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
In Reading, we learned about the sound of short "a". This is the sound that can be heard in words like "sat" and "man". We did some activities on the Smart Board and played a fun game to practice this sound. We also did some reading of stories with this sound in them. We learned about nouns this week, too. Our first list of sight words and vocabulary words came home on Monday. Please be sure to practice reading the sight words with your child. These are words that your child needs to know how to read by sight. We played a fun "Bump" game to practice these words at school. Next week, we will be learning about the sound of short "i". We will also be working with possessive nouns.
In Math, we worked on addition up to ten. We also practiced using the plus sign. In addition to our practice pages, we played a "Bump" game to practice this skill. Please be sure to practice these addition facts with your child at home so that they eventually become memorized. Next week, we will be continuing to work on addition. We will also be learning about adding with zero.
We finished our September service project this week! The children finished their "Welcome" cards for the newcomers to St. Gabriel School and delivered them to everyone on Friday. The class felt good about making others feel good! Our next service project will be in October, and we will be buddying up with our big buddies to organize a school-wide project.
In Religion, we worked on a Character Builder about respecting others. The children enjoyed the character builder a lot. We usually do about one a month in first grade.
Families are doing a good job returning the Nightly Reading Sheets. Please remember to have your child read each evening and return the sheet to school each day. I will check off the sheets and send them back home each day.
School pictures were taken on Friday. They will be coming home in a couple of weeks. If you forgot to order pictures but would like to, please contact the school office. Mrs. Fassbender has the information about ordering additional pictures online.
What's Happening Next Week?
Our first Rock Star will be Ashlyn! We look forward to learning about her and her family next week!
Information about our field trip to Shalom Wildlife Park will be coming home next week. Please watch for it in your child's folder.
The children will be starting to go to Library next week Monday. They will be bringing three books home with them. Library books will be due the following Monday.
Have a great weekend!
This Week's News - August 30, 2019
Our first week was off to a great start! The children settled in right away, and they are starting to get into a routine already.
We were all excited to welcome a new student to our class this year! His name is William, and everyone is so happy to have him join our group. Welcome, William!
We took a lot of time learning about school procedures and rules, but we also spent a lot of time learning about each other! The children shared their summer mementos with each other. It sounds like everyone had a great time over the summer! If your child did not get a chance to bring in his/her memento yet, feel free to bring it in next week and will share it with the class.
We played several games this week. One game was a name game to help learn everyone's name. It was a fun memory game on the Smart Board.
In Reading, we started to learn about the sound of short "a". We learned a fun game called "Tricky Anteaters" to practice this sound. The children enjoyed it a lot! We also learned a "Bump" game to practice sight words. I have several of these games to practice various skills during the year. Next week, we will be working heavily on the sound of short "a". We will also be doing some work with nouns next week. Children will start bringing home Weekly Word lists next week. These are lists of sight words and vocabulary words that we are working on for that week. Please practice these words at home with your child. The more children practice, the better readers they become!
In Math, we started to work on addition concepts. We began by reviewing some of the skills taught in Kindergarten. Next week, we will be working more on addition. We will also be starting to use the plus sign. It will be very important to practice addition and subtraction facts with your child. The goal is for your child to have all of the addition and subtraction facts taught in first grade memorized by the time the children reach second grade. It will make it so much easier for them once they begin more difficult math concepts. There will be some information coming home next week regarding our First in Math program. This is a computer-based program geared towards helping children learn their math facts and practice various math skills.
In first grade, we do a small service project each month to help learn about the importance of serving others. We started our September project this week. The children are working on making "Welcome to St. Gabriel School!" cards for the students who are new to the school this year. We will be finishing them up and delivering them next week.
Thank you to everyone for their cooperation to make our class "tree nut-free"! Your help in keeping all of our students safe is greatly appreciated! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
There are a couple of pictures posted from the first week of school. Click on the Class Pictures button to view them!
What's Happening Next Week?
There is no school on Monday in honor of Labor Day. Enjoy your long weekend!
Parent meetings for the first grade parents will be on Tuesday, September 3rd. Please plan on meeting in the Parish Hall first at 6:30. Parents will then go to their child(ren)'s classroom(s) for grade specific meetings. There will be a second session following the first for families with multiple children. Please note that there is no longer a separate session for new families.
Information will be coming home next week regarding First in Math, Student Rock Stars, and Book-in-a-Bags. We will also be going over these things at the parent meetings.
Have a great weekend!