Ruhnke Review 9/30/2024
651-771-8494 aruhnke@stjeromeschool.org
We are Learning About:
Groves/Phonics: We continue to review the letters & sounds they make and review much of what they learned in Kindergarten: concepts like rhyming, knowing the onset (beginning sound), final sound of a word, and then working on handwriting each letter/sound. 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. Both of these become more and more difficult to correct the longer these go on. Thank you.
Math: We have finished Chapter 2: More Addition With 10. Vocabulary is: group, solve, doubles, doubles plus 1, addition strategy, related addition fact, count-on, add, doubles plus 1 fact, bar model, unknown addend. Now we will begin: Chapter 3: Subtraction Facts & Strategies within 10: Vocabulary: subtract, minus -, difference, subtraction equation, subtraction fact, model, zero. Please, take out your Subtraction Flash-Cards now, also! Have your child practice 10 minutes every evening!! 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 your Addition & Subtraction flash-cards that were on the 1st Grade supply list. You should be helping your child practice 10 minutes every evening!! We will be taking addition timed-quizzes 0-12 later in the school year ( around December or January). 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 prizes/toys!! The students love working toward this goal and having something special at the end!!
Religion: We have been learning about how much God loves us and why & how we (humans) are made: In God’s Image, Body & Soul. This is a curriculum called, “Revealed.” When we finish with the 9 lessons, then we will move into our regular religion curriculum beginning with: Chapter 1: “God is our Father.” The Lessons we will learn about are: We have a Father in God, God our Father Gives Us Good Gifts, Thanking God Our Father, We Pray To God Our Father. Chapter 2: “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. 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: In 1st Grade, we will learn about Ancient Greece!! We have already learned about the Minoans and how they brought their children up to learn how to jump bulls!! Ask your child about this. They all thought it would be fun until they learned that many of the children lost their lives trying to jump a bull. We have also learned some about the Mycenaean Culture and how they loved to make many Grecian Vases! Next we will learn about the Trojan War, then the Phoenician Civilization and the Alphabet, then Israel Divides into Two Kingdoms, and Homer and Greek Mythology, the Olympics, Founding of Rome, Greece Colonized & Democracy Begins, Israel & Judah Fall, Prophets of God, Roman Republic Developed, the Persian War, Pericles & the Peloponnesian War, Greek Philosophers, Nehemiah & the Jewish Return, Alexander the Great, Architectural Advances in Rome, Rome Rises to World Power, Reign of Julius Caesar.
Reading/CKLA: This reading curriculum is so rich in literature! We just LOVE it!! We began reading/listening to the story/fable, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf!!” A fable is a story with a title, characters, a setting, a plot, and a moral or a lesson that is learned. Ask your child what the moral/lesson of this story is! (They should know)!! We will read these stories in the coming up weeks: “The Maid and the Milk Pail,” “The Goose and the Golden Eggs,” “The Dog in the Manger,” “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” “The Fox and the Grapes,” “The Little Half-Chick,” “The Crowded, Noisy House,” “The Tale of Peter Rabbit!”
Star of the Week
October 7, 2024
Rachel V.
October 21
Makayla H.
October 28
Karina 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.
Breakfast:
Breakfast is served from 9:00 am to 9:30 am. Students should arrive between 9 & 9:15 am (or when the bus gets to school), so they have plenty of time to eat and finish by 9:25 am.
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). St. Jerome will provide a healthy fruit or vegetable for snack on M-W, although if you prefer to send your child with a snack, then 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.
Take-Home Folder:
Please make sure you are checking your child’s Take-Home Folder & removing any papers inside every day. 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, 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
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! Sr. Audrey, our Reading/Literacy Specialist, will send a “Book in a Bag” home with your child every day. Sign or initial the Reading Log, (that will be in the bag with the book) every day, then send it back to school. Sr. Audrey will then give your child a new book to read. Please make sure the book is put back in your child’s backpack each day. Thank you!
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
Help your Child with Shoe Tying:
Many 1st Graders need their shoes tied several times a day. I will gladly help them, but to tie many sets of shoes several times a day takes much of our learning time. So, if you would please work with your child to help them learn how to tie, it would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you.
Rake-A-Thon
The Rake-a-Thon is a way for St. Jerome School to earn money for books, Field Trips, and materials needed in the classroom. ALL students should participate. Students should collect $$ money from family members-Grandparents, parents, cousins, Aunts & Uncles, friends, neighbors, etc. then bring the $$ money into school. On Friday, October 25th the entire school will go out into the neighborhood and rake lawns for those people unable to rake themself. This is a way we can give back to our community and earn money for our school. We ask that each student bring in whatever amount of $$$ money they can-$1.00 or $100.00+ dollars, or whatever they are able to give. We want 100% participation! If we get 100% participation, then we will get to play Turkey Bingo with all the students at St. Jerome!! And if our class has 100% participation, then we will get something special just for our classroom! So, please have your child collect & bring in whatever amount of $$ money they can to help our school. THANK YOU!
Kid’s Korner
If you need care for your child on No School Days (October 16, 17, 18), Kid’s Korner will be open. Please call to reserve your child’s spot. 651-771-1023.
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:
9/26 Rake-a-Thon Kick-Off!
9/27 Pajama Day!! (1st graders only).
10/1 First Tally Tuesday—-Turn in money $$ that you collected for the Rake-a-Thon.
10/8 2nd Tally Tuesday—Turn in money $$ that you collected.
10/15 3rd Tally Tuesday—Turn in any money $$ that you collected.
10/16, 17, & 18th NO SCHOOL; Fall Break
10/22 4th & Final Tally Tuesday—Turn in any money $$ that you collected.
10/25 Rake-a-Thon. School dismissal is at 11:45am. If your child doesn’t ride the bus, Please make sure you have arrangements made to pick up your child by 11:45am! Kid’s Korner will be open IF you need your child to stay. Please call to reserve a spot. 651-771-1023.
11/7 Conferences 4 pm until 8 pm.
11/8 NO SCHOOL: Conferences from 9 am-5 pm