Ruhnke Review 1/10/2025

651-771-8494 aruhnke@stjeromeschool.org

We are Learning About:

Groves/Phonics: We are now learning the LONG VOWELS. (Long vowels say their own name. So, the a says ‘a',’ the e says, ‘e,’ the i says, ‘i',’ the o says, ‘o,’ and the u says, ‘u’). The rule for long vowels is: If the word has VCe (Vowel, Consonant, e), then the e at the end of the word is silent which makes the vowel before the consonant LONG. We have been working on suffixes: the suffix -s & the suffix -es. When there is a verb (an action word/something you can do, it’s a verb), the suffix -s can be added to the verb which means the action is taking place right now. For example: take the word jump (a verb/an action), add -s then it is “jumps” which means it is happening right now. Or, if a word ends in s, x, z, ch, sh, then add-es. For example: box. Since it ends with an x you would add -es if there is more than 1 box, to make it plural (more than 1). We continue to work on the “Consonant Blend Rule” which is: when 2 or more consonants are next to each other, they say their own sound, but are blended together. An example would be the word flag. The letters f & l each say their own sound, yet they are a blend of the two consonants. We are also learning the “Floss Rule”. This is when an f, an s, or an l come after a short vowel, you then double that letter. An example would be the word cuff. The short vowel letter u is followed by an f, so the f is doubled. Another example would be bless. The short vowel e is followed by an s, so the s is doubled. With all these phonics rules, it gets difficult to remember everything, but the students are really doing a fabulous job!! I’m so proud of them!!!!!

Math: We are on Chapter 7: Place Value to 120. Vocabulary: value, digit, expanded form, decompose, hundred, 120 chart, order, reasoning. Chapter 8: Addition Facts Within 20. Vocabulary: add, sum, addend, doubles, doubles plus 1, solve, equation. Chapter 9: Subtraction Facts Within 20:Vocabulary: subtract, subtraction fact, difference, whole, part, fact family, related facts, true, false, solve, equation. PLEASE, if you haven’t already, take out your Addition flash-cards that were on the 1st Grade supply list. (You can purchase addition & subtraction flash cards at the Dollar Store)! Please, help your child practice 10 minutes every evening!! We will be taking addition timed-quizzes 0-12 later in the school year (around January/February).

Religion: Chapter 11: “Three Wise Men Arrive.” Lessons: Three Wise Men Visit Jesus, We Visit Jesus & Worship, A Poor Boy’s Gift, Daily Gifts for Jesus. Chapter 12-”Jesus Grows Up" Lessons: The Early Childhood of Jesus, Saint Joseph—Provider, Protector, and Patron, Jesus Grows Up in Nazareth, The Fourth Commandment. Chapter 13: “Jesus Begins His Work” Lessons: Jesus Taught by Word and Deed, Jesus’ Love for Children, Jesus Calls the Apostles, Jesus’ Work Continues. Chapter 14: “Jesus Tells the Good News.” Lessons: The Good News of God’s Love, Jesus Teaches the Good News, The Bible is the Word of God, The Bible is for All People. Chapter 15: “Jesus Does Wonderful Things.” Lessons: Jesus Feeds the Hungry, Jesus Calms the Storm, Jesus Heals the Sick, Jesus Heals Us, Body and Soul. Chapter 16: “We Believe In Jesus.” Lessons: Jesus Is the Son of God, The Blind Man Sees, Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant, Jesus Desires Our Faith. Some of your children will be bringing home a reading in the next week or two for our upcoming 1st Grade Mass on February 5th. Please have your child practice and work with him/her so that he/she will be able to read the passage smoothly & to annunciate each word carefully so that the congregation will hear what is being read. THANK YOU! When it is time for us to begin practicing for our mass, we will put the religion lessons “On Hold” until the mass is over. Thank you for your understanding.

Reading/CKLA: “The Human Body.” Lessons will include: Everybody has a Body, The Body’s Framework, Marvelous Moving Muscles, Chew, Swallow, Squeeze, & Churn, The Body’s Superhighway, Control Center-The Brain. This unit is also where November’s memorization poem comes from!

Star of the Week

January 13

Harmony P.

January 27

Karina M.

February 3

Brocc B.

A couple of times a month we will have a “Star of the Week” student in our classroom. This entitles the student to be the line-leader, to lead the morning calendar routine, to share/tell all about him/herself by filling in a small poster sheet. This will come home a couple of days, or so, before they are the star. Please have your child fill in the information about themself & color it to make it look nice.

Welcome Back to School in 2025!!

Now that we have been back in school for about a week, I want to wish you all “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Excellent Christmas Concert!

I know this is a little late, but I wanted to Thank you, parents, for bringing your children to the wonderful Christmas Concert! It was a magical evening & it was all because of your children!! They were fantastic!!

Make sure your Child is getting Enough Sleep,PLEASE!

Please make sure your child is getting enough sleep. Quite a few 1st graders are falling asleep during lessons! First graders (6-7 year olds) should be getting around 9 hours of sleep every night! Yes, you read that right—9 hours of sleep each night! Please put your 1st grader to bed early enough so they have at least 9 hours of sleep every night! THANK YOU!!

NWEA TESTING

We will be taking our NWEA Assessments this coming Tuesday, January 14th & Wednesday, January 15th. Please make sure your child is:

In school on these days.
Has eaten a good breakfast (if they eat at home, otherwise if they eat here at St. Jerome School, we will make sure they eat well!
Has a good night’s sleep (At least 9 hours, as stated above), so that will be able to concentrate.

Memory/Sight Words:

Again, this year your child will be working on Memory/Sight words. I will list them here as we do them so that you can work with your child at home, also. We have begun with some review words from last year. We will continue learning more each week. Memory/Sight words are words we find in every sentence we read. Students must know these words to be able to read a sentence. Students should memorize these words, NOT sound them out. Please practice these words every day, both reading them and spelling them.

a, I, and, the, is, was, as, has, to, do, go, no, me, be, we, see, you, are, her, his, or, for, said, of, my, by, like, one, he, she, have, they, were, there, where, from, what, come, some, new, any, many, out, our, saw, how, now, look, old, cold, hold, sold, child, wild, mild, find, kind, mind, bolt, colt, jolt, post, most, two, should, would, could, so, both, put, over, under, after, here, your, once, give, live, shove, again, against, been, does, goes, know, very, every, too, talk, walk, down, into, want, only

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK!!

Catholic Schools Week is based on the 5 Pillars of our school Mission for this school year: BELIEVE, BELONG, GROW, LEARN, & LOVE. This is the schedule for each day:

1/25 Catholic Schools Week Begins with Mass at 4:30 pm. Please come join us!!

1/26 Catholic Schools Mass at 9:30 am followed by a Pancake Breakfast!

1/27 “LEARN” Students should “Dress Your Best” or wear their School Uniform. We will be going to the Adoration Chapel to pray today.

1/28 “LOVE” Dress in class colors: 1st graders should wear clothes the color ORANGE. Students will work with a student from another grade to make posters/signs that reflect the message of Love. Then the posters will be given to residents in nursing homes.

1/29 “BELIEVE” Wear their good school uniform for Mass today. Saint Thomas Academy Crack-Drill Squad will come to perform for the all the students in the afternoon. 1st Graders will be going over to Rosoto to play BINGO with the elderly residents!!

1/30 “GROW” Dress as what you want to be when you grow up. So, “Dress for the Future.” Also, “Saint Jerome Winter Games” Open House is tonight: 6:30-8 pm. All current students & prospective students are encouraged to come!

1/31 “BELONG” Dress in “School Spirit” wear. We will go Bowling for our Field Trip! Then Talent Show in the afternoon!!! Please make sure the Permission Form is signed & brought back to school so that your child may attend!!!

Scholastic Book Orders:

A Scholastic Book Flyer will come home on Monday. All orders are due by January 26th. I am recommending you have Leveled books A-H at home for your 1st grader to read every day! They usually come in a package deal of about 12 books for about $24 dollars. Your child will be reading at these levels this school year, and you will need to have these leveled books for your child. Orders are due by January 26th. If you would like to place an order, the easiest way to do so is online. Use code RGVYW. If you would rather circle the books you are purchasing on the flyer your child brought home, then please send it back to me in an envelope with cash or a check marked “Scholastic Book Order'' and your child’s name on it. Remember to include a check or cash in the envelope for the total $ amount. Thank you!!

Dress For the Weather

Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately especially for outside. They need to have the correct outerwear at school. Students go outside for recess every day unless it is raining, below 0 degrees, or the windshield is below 0. So, PLEASE make sure they have on ALL 5 of these items: 1) a winter coat/jacket, 2) snow boots, 3) snow -pants, 4) hat, 5) and waterproof mittens/gloves. I tell the children that they should be wearing all of this to keep warm; not just when there is snow. Also, PLEASE label or put your name on all clothing, boots, etc.. If your child’s name is not on the item, I don’t know whose it is & neither does your child. You may want to have your child leave a pair of shoes at school so that they will always have them here. Students have to wear shoes in the classroom. They are NOT aloud to wear boots in the classroom as they are wet & dirty & then the carpet gets wet & dirty, etc You are also welcome to have your child leave a pair of boots or snow pants or any other clothing item here at school so that they don’t have to carry them back and forth and potentially forget or loose them. THANK YOU!!

HOMEWORK

In 1st Grade, the students will have homework most nights. This is what to expect:

1. Math. Almost every night your child will have 1-2 math worksheets to do. Please help your child so that they understand what they are doing (if you have trouble with it, look at the sheets we did together in class. This will show you what/how to do the problems on the homework sheets).

2. Daily Reading. Your child should be reading 20-30 minutes every day! As I stated above, fill out the Reading Log every day with how many minutes your child read, then sign it (or initial it), and send it back to school at the end of each month. Sr. Audrey, our Reading/Literacy Specialist will be giving your child a book in a bag every day. Your child should read the book at home, then return it to school the next day, and Sr. Audrey will give your child a new book to read. This reading will count towards minutes read on the “Reading Log” also!!

3. Monthly Memorization. This is usually a poem of some sort. Each month (although September & October are together), I will send a memorization piece home with your child. Please work on it each day for 10 or so minutes until your child memorizes it. I will be listening to each student recite the poem at the end of every month. The St. Jerome Pledge came home for the September & October Memorization poem. All students that were at St. Jerome School last year in Kindergarten said it every day , so they should know much of it already! In November, I will send home another poem or memorization piece for them to know by the end of November. Thank you for helping your child learn these!

September & October: Saint Jerome School Pledge. November: “Dr. Welbody’s Heroes,“ December: “Star Light, Star Bright” January: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” February: “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” March: “The Pasture” April: “Rope Rhyme” May: “The Swing”

4. Prayers. We will continue to work on the prayers that your child began learning in Kindergarten. I sent home a sheet with the prayers your child needs to work on. PLEASE don’t throw it away, or lose it! This could be kept on the refrigerator for all to see, and so that your 1st grader and your family can say these payers together daily. This way, not only are they learning the prayers, but they will also be praying to God and with the entire family!! What more could you ask for??!! Here are the prayers your child should practice/say: 1) Sign of the Cross 2) Glory Be 3) Hail Mary. 4) Our Father. 5) Grace (Prayer) before Meals. 6) Angel of God.

Specialist Schedule

Monday=Phy. Ed/Gym

Tuesday=Phy. Ed/Gym & Music

Wednesday=”The Forge”(Science & Art)

Thursday=Music

Friday=”The Forge” (Science & Art)

Upcoming Events:

1/14 & 1/15 NWEA Testing. Please make sure your child: Is in school these days, Has a good night’s sleep, & Eats a good breakfast if they eat at home (otherwise we will make sure they eat well here).

1/20 NO SCHOOL-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

1/21 NO SCHOOL-Teacher Workshop Day.

1/25 Catholic Schools Week Begins with Mass at 4:30 pm. Please come join us!!

1/26 Catholic Schools Mass at 9:30 am followed by a Pancake Breakfast! Scholastic Book Orders Due TODAY!

1/27 “LEARN” Students should “Dress Your Best” or wear their School Uniform. We will be going to the Adoration Chapel to pray today.

2/5 1st Graders will have the Mass. Please come see your child, and ALL the 1st Graders help with this mass!!

2/17 NO SCHOOL-President’s Day

Annette RuhnkeJanuary 10, 2025