The Ruhnke Review 10/31/2022
651-771-8494 aruhnke@stjeromeschool.org
We are Learning About:
Groves/Phonics: We continue reviewing rhyming, knowing the onset (beginning sound), final sound of a word, the letters and sounds, digraphs (ch, th, sh, wh, & ck), and working on handwriting with each letter/sound. We finished all the lower-case letters, and are now working on the Capital/Upper-case letters. The students learn to write the letters correctly in their handwriting practice book. This can be difficult for many especially if your child hasn’t had practice with this. Please encourage your child to write the letter(s) the correct way so they will not have to relearn it. Also, please make sure your child holds the pencil correctly. It gets more and more difficult to correct the longer it goes on. Thank you. We have begun learning new concepts such as the “Floss Rule” which is: when 2 or more consonants are next to each other, they say their own sound, but are blended together. this is called a consonant blend. An example would be the word flag. the letters f & l each say their own sound, yet they are a blend of the two letters.
Math: We have begun Chapter 4: Addition & Subtraction Relationships within 10. Vocabulary: related subtraction facts, related addition facts, fact family, related facts, bar model, missing addend, how many more, how many fewer, more, fewer, model. PLEASE, if you haven’t already, take out the Addition & Subtraction flash-cards I gave you either last year or this year on Back-to-School Night. They are in the bag with the Memory/Sight Words, which I hope your child has been practicing every evening! You should be helping your child practice 10 minutes every evening!! We will begin to take addition timed-quizzes 0-12, then when your child finishes with the addition, he/she will move on to subtraction timed-quizzes 0-12! Each step he/she passes will earn him/her a part of an ice-cream sundae!! For example, if he/she finishes the zero addition timed quiz within 1 minute, then he/she will earn the bowl for the sundae. If he/she finishes the ones, he/she will earn the spoon. If he/she finishes the twos, he/she will earn the first scoop of ice-cream and so on. The students love working toward this goal and getting to have a fun treat besides!!
Religion: We have been going over to the church to practice for our upcoming Mass on November 9th. If your child has a reading part in the Mass, I sent home the reading with a note asking you to practice with your child at home. This is very important so that they will know to read carefully, with good intonation, reading it smoothly, and using their voice projection and not mumbling, so that it will be heard by all. Thank you for your help. Because of our need to practice for the mass, our Chapter 2 Religion lessons have been put on “hold” until we no longer need to practice. When we do get back to Chapter 2, it is about: “Heaven is Our Home.” The Lessons we will learn about are: Heaven is God’s Home, Heaven is Our Home, The Sign of the Cross, The Mass is our Foretaste of Heaven. In Chapter 3: “God Watches Over Everything.” The lessons are: Qualities of God, God is the Creator of All Things, God Creates, We Make, Angels & Devils.
Humanities: Because of our mass practicing, we have put Humanities on “hold” until after the mass is done. year, in Kindergarten, we learned about Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia. This year, in 1st Grade, we will learn about Ancient Greece!! We will now move on to learning about ! Next we will learn about Israel Divides into Two Kingdoms, Homer and Greek Mythology, The Olympics, Founding of Rome, Greece Colonized, Democracy Begins, Prophets of God, Israel & Judah Fall.
Reading/CKLA: The unit on Fables is almost done. We are wrapping things up within the next week or so. We have LOVED the stories and are hoping the next unit is just as exciting! A fable is a story with a title, characters, a setting, a plot, and a moral or a lesson that is learned. We will read “The Crowded, Noisy House,” & “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” then we will be on to Unit 2: 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.
Star of the Week
for October 31, 2022 is
Po Nay T.
for November 7 is
Christopher M.
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.
Snack:
Most days (Sorry, but not on Thursdays) we have a snack time, (although there will be exceptions. Some days we run out of time and we don’t get to our snack time). This doesn’t happen often, but I just want you to be aware of this. Thank you for your understanding). Please send a healthy snack (No chips, candy, cookies, or cakes, etc.), and a water bottle (for water only), to school with your child. We will eat snack in the afternoon.
Water Bottles:
Please send a water bottle to school for your child. Since the drinking fountains are not in use (because of Covid-19), if your child has a water bottle, we do have a water-bottle fill station. The ONLY liquid students may bring to school is WATER. NO Kool-Aid, no flavored water, no pop/soda, no Gatorade, etc Make sure to put your child’s name on the bottle!
Halloween, Monday October 31st
A paper sheet went home with in your child’s Take-Home-Folder two weeks ago giving you the information for what we are doing in 1st grade for Halloween. Please have your child wear their gym uniform and over that they should wear their Halloween costume! We will parade through the school to show-off our costumes then the students will take them off for some academics and mass practice. When we are done with that, we will have a party! If you would like, you may send in a treat your child will share. There are 15 students and two adults in our classroom. Thank you!
Take-Home Folder:
Please make sure you are checking your child’s Take-Home Folder & removing papers that don’t need to be returned every day. (Of course make sure your child brings back any homework & return any papers that you need me or the office to have). Then make sure your child brings his/her folder back to school with any homework each day. If you need to let me know something, feel free to write a note and put it in the folder for me to read.
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, to, the, in, it, is, at, as, on, and, you, was, has, do, go, no, me, be, we, see, are, her, his, or, for, said, of, my, by, like, look, any, many, out, our, should, would, could, new, saw, post, most, how, now
Scholastic Book Orders:
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 $15-$24 dollars. Your child will be reading at these levels beginning this school year, and you will need to have these leveled books for your child. The November book flyers will come home this week. All Orders are due by November 21st, this is early, but I have to order early to make sure we receive the books before Christmas break. Which, if you are looking for Christmas Gifts for your child(ren), Books make Great Gifts!!! If you would like to place an order, the easiest way to do so is online. Use code RGVYW. If you would rather fill in your order using the flyer, please send it back to school in an envelope marked “Scholastic Book Order” with your child’s name on it. Put a check or cash in the envelope for the total $ amount. Thank you!!
Reading Log
Your child should be reading simple, Level A, B, C, or D books by now. They have to be reading 20-30 minutes daily! The October Reading Log is due on November 1st. This is a requirement, not a choice! Your child is in 1st grade and they MUST be reading daily!!! The November Reading Log went home with your child in their Take-Home-Folder last week. PLEASE keep this up-to-date and keep your child reading!! Each day write how many minutes they read, then you/parent (or another adult), should sign (or initial) the sheet. At the end of each month, send the completed sheet back to school with your child. I will then send the following month’s Reading Log home. 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 should 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/Reading Log: 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 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 listen and assess them at the end of each month. Thank you for helping your child learn these!
4. Prayers. I sent home a small prayer booklet with your child in the Take-Home-Folder. PLEASE don’t throw it away, or lose it! This should be kept in a safe place and you and your family should be saying these payers 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??!!
Rake-A-Thon
Thank you, parents, for you & your child’s participation! Our class had 100% participation so they have earned something exciting! I’m not sure what yet, though. I need to talk with them to find out what they would like: it might be a class party, extra recess, a movie, free time, or something else they may want. Also, the entire school earned a day will get to play, “TURKEY BINGO!” They earned this by everyone in the school, 100%, participation in the Rake-a-Thon!!!
Specialist Schedule
Monday=Phy. Ed/Gym
Tuesday=Phy. Ed/Gym & Music
Wednesday=Music
Thursday=”The Forge”(Science & Art)
Friday=”The Forge” (Science & Art)
Upcoming Events:
10/31 Halloween: 1st graders should wear their gym uniform and put their Halloween costume over it. Party in the afternoon!
11/1 October Reading Log is due!
11/3 Conferences 4 pm until 7 pm.
11/4 NO SCHOOL: Conferences from 10 am-5 pm
11/9 1st Graders will be helping to celebrate the Mass. If your child is reading something at the mass, please PRACTICE with your child. Thank you! Please come! Mass begins at 9:45am in the church.
11/11 Picture Retakes. If your child is having their picture re-taken, or they missed the first picture day, they may be out of uniform today.