Ruhnke Review 11/10/2023
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. We have begun learning new concepts such as the “Floss Rule” or the “Consonant Blend” rule which is: when 2 or more consonants are next to each other in a word, each letter says its own sound, but they are blended together & it 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. We are also learning about Digraph-Blends. This is when there is a digraph (ch, th, sh, wh, or ck) with another consonant next to the digraph in a word such as throb, shrink, thrill.
Math: We are on Chapter 5: Measurement & Length. Vocabulary: length, shortest, longest, compare, measure, unit, estimate, ruler, inch & inches, inch ruler. The students will be ordering objects from shortest to longest or longest to shortest using 1st, 2nd, 3rd. They will be using a small paper clip to measure objects or connecting cubes to measure. They will also be using a ruler measuring by the inch or inches. If your child comes home with any of these items to use for their homework, please make sure that it is returned to St. Jerome each day. We will need them to continue our lessons at school. Thank you. 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). We may do some practice quizzes before Thanksgiving!! Chapter 6: Place Value to 100. Vocabulary: tens, ones, ten rod, tens number, two-digit number, hundred chart, count by 2’s, count by 5’s, count by 10’s. Students will be breaking down numbers. for example: the number 32 would be 3 tens and 2 ones, or the number 76 is 7 tens and 6 ones, etc.
Religion: Chapter 4:“God’s Special Gifts.” The Lessons are: Our Bodies, Our Souls, Our Path to Heaven, Our Guardian Angels. Chapter 5: “Adam & Eve” The Lessons are: Creation of Adam & Eve, Taking care of God’s Gifts, The Gift of Grace, & Children of God.
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!
Pajama Day: Friday, November 10th!!
The 1st Grade Students have earned a Pajama Day by filling our jar with marbles because they followed directions, they were good listeners during lessons, and they were very respectful, etc., so they chose to do another Pajama Day!! I will also have a special treat for them!!
Our First, 1st-Grade Mass on November 8th
Our First, 1st-Grade Mass this past Wednesday, November 8th went so smoothly! The students that did the readings did FANTASTIC!! Even Fr. Seraphim mentioned how well they did!! This is such high praise coming from the priest!! What an accomplishment 1st Graders!! I am SOOOOO proud of you!! (THANK YOU, Parents, for helping your child practice their reading part. I couldn’t have done it without you)!
Scholastic Book Orders:
Books Make Great Christmas Gifts!!!
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 came home this week. All Orders are due by Monday, November 13th, 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!!
Field Trip to Youth Performance Company to see “Elf”
We will be going to the Youth Performance Company on December 1st to see the play “Elf” We LOVE going to see plays performed by the Youth Performance Company! They do such a nice job with their plays and it’s always exciting for the students to attend a play. A field trip form will be coming home next week. Please make sure to send it back with your signature so that your child can go. Thank you.
Star of the Week
November 13, 2023
Ophelia L.
November 27
Johnson C. Z.
December 4
Naw Dah C.
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.
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
Reading Log
Almost ALL of the October Reading Logs were returned to me, filled out and signed!! THANK YOU, PARENTS for helping your child achieve this reading goal. With your help, your child can & WILL succeed!!!
The November Reading Log was in the conference folder I showed you at the conference. Your child should be reading simple, Level A, B, C, or D books by now. They should be reading 20-30 minutes daily! PARENTS: Please, Each day write how many minutes they read, then you/parent need to 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 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.
Rake-A-Thon
THANK YOU!
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 to play, “TURKEY BINGO!” They earned this by having everyone in the school participate. We had 100% participation in the Rake-a-Thon!!!
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:
11/10 Picture Retakes. Students in 1st grade may wear their pajamas today!! They have earned this by working together as a class by following directions, working hard, and being respectful, etc. If you are having your child do a picture re-take today, have them come to school in the outfit you would like them to wear for the pictures, and send their pajamas with them so that they can change when they are done with the pictures.
11/15 Give Day & Harvest Meal
11/21 Turkey Bingo in the afternoon!!! End of 1st Trimester.
11/22, 23, & 24th NO SCHOOL-THANKSGIVING BREAK. Let’s give thanks to God for all that we have.
11/30 Report Cards come home today.
12/1 Field Trip to the Youth Performance Company to see the play “Elf” Please send back the field trip form signed so that your child may come with.
12/21 Christmas Concert/Program
12/22—1/2 NO SCHOOL—CHRISTMAS BREAK! Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!!
1/3 Return to School