WELCOME TO FIRST GRADE.

My name is Miss Leslie Westhouse. I have a wonderful class! We are learning many new things this year as well as sharpening our printing skills. Would you like to find out more about us? Keep reading to learn about our activities and learning materials.

This year we are striving to develop the many talents God has given us. We are very good artists, authors, singers, actors, scientists, and mathematicians. We are becoming accomplished readers. Did you know that we've read over 100 books already? We are participating in the Book-It Program sponsored by Pizza Hut.

The First Graders and the Seventh Graders are buddies. We get together every month to do special activities. We've made special art projects, shared Johnny Appleseed Day fun and written stories together. Every month it's something new to look forward to.

During the school year we celebrate birthdays because everyone is a special gift from God and we appreciate each person in our class and school. We believe in learning to follow school rules because we want to learn to be good citizens. We attend mass every Monday morning and we remember to say our prayers every morning, before meals, and at the end of our school day. The first graders of room 1-2 also join with Mrs. Haugh's first graders for field trips, to watch a special movie , to sing in the Christmas concert, and to celebrate special occasions. First Grade is a lot of work, but it 's also lots of fun! We sometimes place orders for books through the Scholastic Book Clubs. One can never have enough books!

Each student in my class takes a turn being the "Student of the Week ." They prepare a special poster all about themselves and present it to the class. We hang the poster up and they receive a special award sticker. The children enjoy learning facts about each other. We also take turns with our classroom jobs. Everyone is needed to make our classroom function smoothly. Our jobs include line leaders, weather reporters, a time keeper, calendar person, teacher helper, days of the week poster people, and many other jobs.

 

 

Classroom rules

 

1. Listen carefully to what the teacher is saying.

 

2. Raise your hand to ask a question.

 

3. Follow directions.

 

4. Work quietly.

 

5. Respect the right of others to learn.

 

6. Respect school property and the things of others.

 

Specials

The first grade students have special classes every day. They participate in Music on Monday and Thursday. Tuesday is our day for Art and Computer class. Physical Education classes are on Wednesday and Friday. Library is on Thursday.

	Music- Monday @ 1:50 - 2:20 P.M.
	Art- Tuesday @ 10:35- 11:20 A.M
	Library- Thursday @ 10:15 - 10:45 P.M.
	Computer-Tuesday @ 1:35 - 2:20 P.M.
	Gym- Wednesday @ 1:50 - 2:20 P.M.
	Music- Thursday @ 1:50 - 2:20 P.M.
	Gym- Friday @ 1:50 - 2:20 P.M.

 

Label everything!

 

Please remember to label everything that your child brings to school. Pencils, crayons, folders, markers,scissors and glue all look the same! Without names, it is hard to know who owns what.

 

 

 

Homework

Yes, there is homework in the First Grade. I try to keep it as painless as possible! Homework consists of word lists, math papers, spelling lists, and reading books. If your child is unable to complete the assigned homework, there is no penalty. Just have your child complete the assignment and turn it in the following day. I do not need a note.

 

The First Grade curriculum includes Religion, Reading, Phonics, Spelling, Handwriting, English, Math, Science and Social Studies. The students also write every day. They will be progressing from simple sentences to full paragraphs.

Religion- We are using the We Believe Series by Sadlier. Copyright 2004. Our book is called God Loves Us. We learn about Jesus, the Mass, sharing God's love, Mary and the Saints, Christmas, Advent, Easter , Lent and the Church. We learn prayers, we sing songs, we do art projects and role-play stories as we learn about the Catholic faith. We also read a weekly magazine called Promise by Pflamm Press.

Reading- Our current reading series is published by Harcourt Brace. It is called Signatures and consists of five textbooks and related materials. It has a 1999 copyright. The books are arranged with stories centered around themes of discovery and friendship.

Phonics- Published by Harcourt Brace with a focus on consonants, short vowels, long vowels, consonant clusters, digraphs, contractions, inflected endings and r-controlled vowels.

Spelling- Our text is called Spelling and Vocabulary. It is published by Houghton Mifflin and caries a 2004 copyright. The students have list words to learn and practice. They complete many activities with the words and are given weekly spelling tests and writing assignments.

Handwriting- We employ the Zaner-Bloser handwriting program. The first grade book focuses on the correct formation of lowercase and uppercase printed letters. The title of our text is Handwriting: A Way to Self-Expression, published in 1993.

English- Our English program incorporates writing and grammar. We use Voyages in English by Loyola Press. It has a 1999 copyright. The series introduces the children to nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, sentences, poems, capitalization and punctuation.

Math-We are using McGraw-Hill Mathematics, copyright 2000. This series provides instruction and practice in problem-solving, addition, subtraction, place value, geometry, probability & statistics, graphing, time and money concepts, and practice for mastery of addition and subtraction facts. We also have been known to supplement the program with movement and games.

Science- We try whenever possible to incorporate lab type activities into our studies of Life science, Physical science and Earth science. The children make models to help explain concepts, do simple experiments, observations and reports. Our textbook , McGraw-Hill Science provides our basic instruction in scientific terminology, processes and content. We study plants, animals, the human body, matter, the sky, weather, space, and caring for the Earth.

Social Studies- Our curriculum combines the study of Economics, Citizenship, Geography, Culture, Science, Technology and Society under the title of Social Studies. This may sound overwhelming, but everything is scaled down to the developmental abilities of children ages six-seven. We study our cultural heritage, family, Christmas Around the World, Famous Americans, Symbols of America, Government and Rules, Timelines and how things change over the years, as well as map and study skills. We study different types of communities and transportation. Our text is Macmillan/McGraw-Hill People and Places, copyright 2005. We also subscribe to Weekly Reader and enjoy the timely topics and activities it provides us.

As you can tell, First Grade is a very important year in your child's education. This is the year they are introduced to homework, book reports, test preparation, and beginning study skills. We need everyone practicing the sight words, facts, counting by ones, fives, tens, twos and reading at home. First Grade students need a lot of support, encouragement and our faith that they can do more and more things for themselves. They are continually changing and maturing and we need to allow them to grow as quickly as they can in developing not only academic skills, but strong self-esteeem, responsibility, and social skills as well. We have class rules for everyone to adhere to. They are listed under Classroom Rules.

Coming up in February will be Dental Health and Heart Month, the Hundredth Day of School Celebration,Famous Americans, and of course, Valentine's Day!

Field Trip

updated4-2-08