First Grade
Welcome to the first grade classroom with Mrs. Elizabeth Stewart!
Academic, Social, and Emotional Growth:
Your Child at School:
- Academic, Social, and Emotional Growth
- Working Together in a Community, and Enjoyment
- Learn Social Skills and Work Habits.
- Play with friends (Social and Emotional)
Your Child at Home:
- Continued Learning with Family (Review & Practice; Homework).
- Read with the Family.
- Play with friends and/or siblings (Social and Emotional).
Homework Folder: Weekly Homework Packet is to be completed nightly with family. Green Homework Folder will be checked daily for completion and parent signature. No homework assigned on weekends.
Nightly Reading: Please support your child’s reading skills by reading at home for at least 15 minutes every night. Have fun reading with/to your child. Focus on modeling the excitement of reading. Public Library - borrow books and access online books. Get your child interested in reading in first grade by talking about books that your child has read and would like to read.
Student Belongings:
- Students are not permitted to bring toys to school including toy keychains on backpacks. Any toys found will be confiscated and given back at the end of the day.
- Please label your child’s sweatshirts/sweaters.
- Your child is encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle into the classroom: big enough to drink for a few hours before refilling. Big opening at the top for easy refilling. No disposable bottled water to avoid spills. Please label the bottle with your child’s name.
Conferences and Communication:
- My preferred method of communication is email at [email protected]. Outside of emergencies, please allow 24 hours for a response.
- I am available from 7:30-7:55 and 3:00-3:30 if you’d like to talk before and/or after school hours.
- For longer appointments we can set a time that works for all.
- Weekly email
Student Evaluation:
- Based on oral and written work and class observations. I continually check for understanding and accuracy.
- Students are expected to share ideas with the group and/or the class, complete their work in class and at home, and participate in class discussions and activities.
Technology:
We are a 1 to 1 classroom. Each student will have access to an iPad while at school. Ipads will be used to enhance learning, engage students, and learn about how technology can be used as a learning tool.
Field Trips/Volunteers:
Field trips will be planned to visit safe locations in order to engage and advance student learning. My goal is to take the students on 4 field trips in first grade. Chaperons must complete fingerprinting and Virtus training. I will also welcome parent volunteers in the classroom.
Christmas Pageant:
As with tradition each year, first grade will host the Christmas Pageant which tells the story of Jesus’ birth to the school community on Dec. 19. Families will host a luncheon in the Small Hall following the pageant which will serve as the students’ class Christmas party.
First Grade Classroom Expectations:
- Listening Bodies: I will listen and follow directions.
- Focused Eyes: Eyes on the Speaker.
- Raised Hands: I will raise my hand to share ideas.
- Helping Hands: I will use my hands for helping and not hurting.
- Caring Hearts: I will use kind words and care for others.
Service Learning Projects:
Students will participate in a service learning project this year. Looking for a parent volunteer to partner with.
Birthday Celebrations:
Birthdays will be celebrated in the classroom with a song and special recognition throughout the day. Please do not bring food, drinks, or snacks into the classroom. Goodie bags may be passed out to all students at the end of the school day. Please let me know in advance what your child would like to do.
School Supplies:
Students will have a pencil bag with individual crayons, scissors, glue sticks, and colored pencils. All other supplies will be shared. Additional school supplies may be requested throughout the year. Please look for a request via email.
Assumption School Norms:
- Respect yourself, others, and things
- Respect your teachers, your peers, and yourself.
- Take care of school space, school supplies, belongings, and equipment.
- Contribute to the learning environment
- Allow others to work and play without interruptions.
- Listen and follow directions.
- Pay attention.
- Follow procedures
- Move in a quiet and orderly way.
- Follow specific teacher and school expectations.
Behavior Management:
We will focus on positive reinforcement to manage classroom behavior. I will use various incentive techniques including a “Blurt Jar” where the students will have the opportunity to earn class and individual rewards.
Discipline:
Discipline is approached positively. The children are always encouraged to be a part of the group. However, if a child harms others or disrupts the class, that child may be taken aside to sit out to think about their actions. Otherwise, discipline is an opportunity to teach and understand behavior and how to communicate effectively and appropriately. Positive discipline and logical consequences also allows the child to think about their actions, how it may have affected their peers, and gives them the chance to connect the consequence to their behavior. Students will be encouraged to use the Calm Down Center when they feel the need.
First Grade Curriculum:
Phonics: Elizabeth Stewart
Text: Bridge to Reading, Foundational Skills for First Grade
Learning Objectives: Decoding words, Phonemic Awareness, Sound to Symbol, Sound Blending, Spelling, Consonants, short and long vowels, and high frequency words.
Reading and Writing (Language Arts): Elizabeth Stewart
Text: (1) Reading Street by Scott Forseman, (2) Opinion, Information and Narrative Writing (Writing Pathways) by Lucy Calkins, and (3) Simple Solutions, Standard-Based English
Learning Objectives: Both independent and guided reading, reading fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) and text comprehension skills (strategies, compare and contrast, sequence of events, etc.) along with phonics, grammar, spelling, and literary appreciation. We will also run a writer’s workshop where the students will plan, write, and revise opinion, information, and narrative pieces.
Handwriting: Elizabeth Stewart
Text: Handwriting Without Tears, My Printing Book
Math: Elizabeth Stewart
Text: Envision Mathematics
Learning Objectives: Addition, subtraction, numbers, word problems, 2D and 3D geometry and shapes, data analysis and measurements, money, and time.
Social Studies: Elizabeth Stewart
Text: School and Family, Houghton-Mifflin
Learning Objectives: People everywhere, where we live, world of work, everything changes, understand what it means to be a good citizen.
Religion: Elizabeth Stewart
Text: We Believe: God Loves Us, Sadlier Family Life, RCL Benziger
Learning Objectives: Creation, The Bible, Saints, The Story of Jesus, Church, The Sacraments, The Holy Spirit, Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, The Parish, and God’s Forgiveness.
Art: Maureen Keeler
Please have your child bring one old t-shirt to school that can be worn over their uniform shirt as needed.
Subject Matter: The art curriculum for transitional kindergarten (TK) through 3rd grade is designed to nurture creativity, develop fundamental artistic skills, and encourage self-expression. The activities are designed to be age-appropriate and engaging, helping students to develop confidence in their artistic abilities while having fun. Here’s an overview of what you might expect in an art curriculum for these early grades:
Learning about famous artists and imitating various art styles
Appreciating diversity in art and understanding different perspectives
Encouraging students to express their own ideas and emotions through their artwork
Understanding and applying the elements of art such as line, shape, color, texture, and space
Using art tools effectively
Creating projects with mixed media and using materials like watercolor, oil pastels, and washable tempera paint
Focusing on process, not perfection
Science: Maureen Keeler
Curriculum: Foss [hands-on program aligned to the new NGSS standards], Mystery Science, Generation Genius
Subject matter: Throughout TK-3, the focus of science is on fostering curiosity, developing basic scientific skills, and encouraging a love for exploration and discovery. Students will learn what science is and what scientists do. They will engage in engineering design. Concepts, subject matter, and expectations advance throughout the grades. Here's an overview of subject matter: Investigate and describe how light and sound travel, observe the sun, moon, and stars and make predictions, and describe relationships between plant and animal parts and their functions
Expectations: Students will be expected to fully participate in all hands-on and written science activities and discussions. They will be required to utilize higher level thinking skills as they learn to scientifically explore and discover the world around them. Students will be required to follow instructions carefully and practice safe procedures during all investigations.
Assessments: Assessments are designed to be age-appropriate and to provide insights into students' understanding and abilities in a supportive, engaging way. Examples of assessments include observation, work samples, written reflections, quizzes, and tests.
Motor Skills: (Mrs. Andrea Contreras)
In addition to our school’s physical education curriculum, perceptual-motor activities are offered to students in grades TK-1. The perceptual-motor activities are conducted indoors and involve the use of basic equipment (bean bags, blindfolds, balance beams, tumble mats, etc.) In this program, students are presented with a wide variety of movement experiences designed to improve physical coordination, enhance basic sensory functioning, and promote a positive self image.
For the safety and maximum benefit of participants, it is required that all children remove their shoes and socks before a lesson begins. The clothing that children wear to school on the days that this program is offered is very important to successful, safe, and comfortable performance. It is recommended that girls wear pants or shorts to school on the days the program is conducted and that tights are not worn on these days. Tights are very slippery and lead to accidents. Long dresses or skirts are also especially hazardous.
Grading: Grades will be based on class participation.
Computer Science and Technology: Elizabeth Stewart
Learning Objectives: Using Computers and Technology to learn and discover.
Music: Bill Vaughan
Welcome back!! I have planned an exciting year of music for our school and class sponsored Masses, the Fall Festival, our Christmas and Spring concerts.
Subject Matter: Students have two music classes each week. One class is music theory, music history and liturgy, where they learn how to read music, study composers of the past and present, and study the parts of the Mass. The other class is a practicum, spent singing, using their God-given instrument, the voice, to get ready for the various parish/school Masses and concerts throughout the year. The goal of music class is not only to study music, but also to perform music.
Expectations: Active participation through singing and memorization of the score in class is primary. Good behavior in the classroom and church is absolute. Attendance with an animated spirit at all school sponsored Masses, Fall Festival, Christmas and Spring Concerts is mandatory.
Grading: Grading will be based on assessments made at the time of a ‘performance,’ and quizzes afterwards. Along with these assessments, I also review behavior in the classroom and church, active class participation, and attendance at mandatory liturgies/concerts.
Materials: Up and coming anthems that all classes will be singing can be found on our school website under Music and also on Google Classroom (6-8 grades). This way, students can be prepared before they come to class. Let’s get started!!
Nearpod, Edpuzzle, Google Classroom, Zoom, Loom, Seesaw
Spanish: Spanish: (Mrs. Andrea Contreras)
Subject Matter
Students will:
-Recognize and recite classroom words
-Talk about wants and needs
-Recognize animals in Spanish
-Recognize food in Spanish
-Recite the alphabet, colors and numbers in Spanish
-Practice how to greet and introduce themselves
-Discuss in Spanish the things they need and want for their class
-Discuss the calendar and weather
-Describe themselves and personality traits
-Describe the items in their rooms and pictures
-Describe how they prepare themselves for school
-Describe extended family and family life in general
-Students will recite and translate prayers
New vocabulary, books, games, and music will be introduced around the theme of activities and personal traits.
Grammar: Students will learn vowels, adjectives, gender, cognates, infinitives, negatives, structures to express agreement and disagreement.
Cultural Perspectives: Students will learn about several Spanish-speaking Countries and cultural differences. They will also learn about Holidays (Independence Day, Day Of The Dead, Christmas, Cesar Chavez Day and Cinco De Mayo, Children’s Day, Three Kings Day).
Expectations: Students are encouraged to participate in classroom activities and projects, and communicate with other students and I in Spanish.
Grading: Grades will be based on class participation as well as completion of homework.
P.E.: Mike Shimabukuro
Subject Matter: Students will learn the basic fundamentals of sports (football, baseball, kickball, basketball, soccer, hockey, Lacrosse, volleyball) along with team building activities in which they will be working in small and large groups. Students will also learn many life lessons that are created during class activities.
Expectations: Students will be expected to participate to the best of their ability while showing respect to their classmates as well as their teacher. They are also expected to have as much fun as possible during physical
Education!
Grading: Students will be graded based on effort, participation, and how they treat others during their physical education classes.
Library: Mrs. Katherine Rubio
Breathtaking religious stained glass windows provide the perfect backdrop for an enriching library experience. Grades T/K – 3 check out books for [1] week.
In addition to providing students with a variety of reading adventures, the library hosts an annual book fair through Scholastic in the spring. This event sparks a lot of excitement and enthusiasm—it’s like having our very own bookstore for a week!
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Students will be expected to adhere to the usual rules you would have in any other public library. Additionally, sometimes books do get lost or damaged. The policy for this school library is that in the event that this happens, the book would either need to be replaced with another book [in excellent condition] of equal value or remit a check made out to Assumption School that covers the cost of the book.
