The Ruhnke Review 10/10/2022
651-771-8494 aruhnke@stjeromeschool.org
We are Learning About:
Groves/Phonics: We continue reviewing things like: rhyming, knowing the onset (beginning sound), final sound of a word, reviewing the letters and sounds, digraphs (ch, th, sh, wh, & ck), and working on handwriting with 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. It gets more and more difficult to correct the longer it goes on. Thank you. We will begin learning new concepts soon! 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: I hope you all have taken out the Addition flash-cards I gave you either last year or this year on Back-to-School Night. It was in the bag with the Memory/Sight Words, which I hope your child has been practicing every evening! (Both, the Addition flash cards & the memory/Sight words flash cards). We have almost 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. I gave the students a quiz to see how they were doing with this chapter since it is a hard concept to understand, and they needed more practice, so I have been re-teaching much of it and we will finish it on Friday, October 7th or Monday, October 10th. Then we will move on to Chapter 3: Subtraction Facts & Strategies within 10. Vocabulary: subtract, minus -, difference, subtraction equation, subtraction fact, model, zero. Please, take out the Subtraction Flash-Cards now, also! Have 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: 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. 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: Last 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 10, 2022 is
Paschal M.
October , is
June P.
October , is
Po Nay T.
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 9:25 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 9:28 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). 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!
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 October book flyer will come home next week. All Orders are due by October 24th. 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!!
Bathroom
In 1st Grade, we go to the bathroom 4 times each day: right away when they arrive, before lunch, after recess, and before our snack. This should be enough for a 7 hour day. I know there are emergencies, which I understand, but many of the students are saying they have an emergency 2-3 MORE times each day, EVERY day!! This can not be! They are missing too much teaching/learning time!! I have discussed this with the students many times, but would you please talk with your child about this, also? 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 September Reading Log was due on October 3rd. If you have not sent in your child’s, please do so right away! This is now a requirement, not a choice! Your child is in 1st grade and they MUST be reading daily!!! The October 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. 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 be assessing them at the end of each month to listen to them recite the piece! The St. Jerome Pledge came home as the September 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! But, since September got away from me too quickly, they will have until the end of OCTOBER to memorize it!!! Then 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!
4. Prayers. We will continue to work on the prayers that we had in Kindergarten. 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
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 28th 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 19, 20, 21), 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=Music
Thursday=”The Forge”(Science & Art)
Friday=”The Forge” (Science & Art)
Upcoming Events:
10/11 2nd Tally Tuesday—Turn in money $$ that you collected.
10/18 3rd Tally Tuesday—Turn in any money $$ that you collected.
10/25 4th, and Final, Tally Tuesday—Turn in any money $$ that you collected.
10/19—10/21 NO SCHOOL; Fall Break
10/28 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.
10/31 Halloween: I will be sending out a flyer to let you know what we will be doing this year!
11/3 Conferences 4 pm until 8 pm.
11/4 NO SCHOOL: Conferences from 10 am-5 pm