Ruhnke Review 12/5/2025
651-771-8494 aruhnke@stjeromeschool.org
We are Learning About:
Groves/Phonics: We are working on a new blend. This blend is the Digraph consonant blend. This is when there is a digraph (ch, sh, th, wh, or ck) plus another consonant next to the digraph in words such as: throb, shrink, or thrill. We also are continuing to learn about the “Consonant Blend Rule” which is: when 2 or more consonants are next to each other, they say their own sound, but are blended together. An example would be the word flag. The letters f & l each say their own sound, yet they are a blend of the two consonants. We have also been continuing to work on the “Floss Rule”. This is when an f, an s, or an l come after a short vowel, you then double that letter. An example would be the word cuff. The short vowel letter u is followed by an f, so the f is doubled. Another example would be the word bless. The short vowel e is followed by an s, so the s is doubled.
Math: We began Chapter 7: Place Value to 120, this week on Monday, 12/4. The Vocabulary is: value, digit, expanded form, decompose, hundred, 120 chart, order, reasoning. We are still working on Chapter 7. And, when the students come back from Christmas & New Year’s break we will begin Chapter 8. Chapter 8: Addition Facts Within 20. Vocabulary: add, sum, addend, doubles, doubles plus 1, solve, equation. Chapter 9: Subtraction Facts Within 20:Vocabulary: subtract, subtraction fact, difference, whole, part, fact family, related facts, true, false, solve, equation. Chapter 10: Data & Graphical Displays: Vocabulary: data, tally chart, tally mark, picture graph. Chapter 11: Addition: Two-Digit Numbers: Vocabulary: one, ones, ten, tens, addend, count on, two-digit number, sum, expanded form, bar model. Chapter 12: Subtraction: Two-Digit Numbers: Vocabulary: 10 less, difference, count back, guess and test. Chapter 13: Geometry: Vocabulary: two-dimensional shape, closed shape, open shape, square, rectangle, triangle, side, vertex (vertices), corner, circle, hexagon, rhombus, trapezoid, curved, solid shape, three-dimensional shape, cube, rectangular prism, cone, cylinder, sphere, face, edge, flat surface, curved surface, plane shape, logical reasoning. Chapter 14: Equal Shares/Fractions. Vocabulary: equal share (s), whole, half, 1/2, halves, fourth, 1/4, quarter, fourths, quarters. . 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).
Religion: We will be going over to the church to practice for our upcoming Mass on December 17th. If your child has a reading part in the Mass, I will send home the reading with a note asking you to practice with your child at home. It will come home on Monday if your child will be saying a reading part at the mass. PLEASE practice with your child. This is very important so that they know to read very carefully, with good intonation, read it smoothly, and use their voice projection and not mumble, so that it will be heard by all. Thank you for your help.
Chapter 8: “Getting Ready for the Savior.” Lessons: God Sends Prophets, The First Prophet, Rules for Life, The Last Prophet. Chapter 9: “Mary Hears Some Wonderful News.” Lessons: Mary, Full of Grace, Mary Says “Yes” to God, Mary, Our Model, The Rosary is Mary’s Prayer. Chapter 10: “The Savior Is Born” Lessons: No Room at the Inn, The Nativity, Son Of God, Son of Mary, The Celebration of Christmas. Chapter 11: “Three Wise Men Arrive.” Lessons: Three Wise Men Visit Jesus, We Visit Jesus & Worship, A Poor Boy’s Gift, Daily Gifts for Jesus. Chapter 12-”Jesus Grows Up" Lessons: The Early Childhood of Jesus, Saint Joseph—Provider, Protector, and Patron, Jesus Grows Up in Nazareth, The Fourth Commandment. Chapter 13: “Jesus Begins His Work” Lessons: Jesus Taught by Word and Deed, Jesus’ Love for Children, Jesus Calls the Apostles, Jesus’ Work Continues. Chapter 14: “Jesus Tells the Good News.” Lessons: The Good News of God’s Love, Jesus Teaches the Good News, The Bible is the Word of God, The Bible is for All People. Chapter 15: “Jesus Does Wonderful Things.” Lessons: Jesus Feeds the Hungry, Jesus Calms the Storm, Jesus Heals the Sick, Jesus Heals Us, Body and Soul. Chapter 16: “We Believe In Jesus.” Lessons: Jesus Is the Son of God, The Blind Man Sees, Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant, Jesus Desires Our Faith.
Reading/CKLA: “The Human Body.” Lessons 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!
Star of the Week
December 8, 2025
Ehdibell
December 15
Angel
December 22
Margaret
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.
Medical Leave
Parents, I want to let you know that I will be going on Medical Leave beginning December 10th. I have two meniscus tears on my left knee. (Maybe you have seen, or your 1st grader has told you that I have been wearing a knee brace). My doctor said that I need to have surgery to correct this, so I will be out for 6-8 weeks, depending on how it is healing and what my doctor says as to when I will be able to return. I will miss your wonderful children, but I will continue to pray for each of them as I do every day. In the time that I will be gone, there will be three different substitutes that will be here with the 1st graders: Ms. Mu Mu , Mr. Tim Gattman, and Mrs. Kayla Byers, so they will be in good hands! Thank you for your understanding, and please keep me in your prayers. THANK YOU. Please see the note below from Mrs. Gattman.
From Mrs. Gattman:
Dear 1st Grade Families,
I assure you that while Ms. Ruhnke is on medical leave we have planned for smooth and effective coverage throughout her absence. Please join me in praying for a successful surgery and recovery for Ms. Ruhnke.
Three guest teachers, all familiar to the students, will be providing coverage.
December, Ms. Mu Mu (our current Kindergarten assistant teacher) and Mr. Tim Gattman, former teacher and current Law student, will cover the days in December up until Christmas break. Ms. Ruhnke will have left plans for this time.
January: Mrs. Kayla Byers (a former 1st grade teacher at SJS) and Ms. Mu Mu will share each week in January. Mrs. Byers will be planning for each week and Ms. Mu Mu will continue the plans in place.
Mr. Hser Thao, our 1st grade Teaching Assistant, will be with the class for consistency.
I will be providing any needed support during this unexpected time. If you have any questions, please contact me.
Thank you,
Anne Gattman, Principal
Principal, St. Jerome School
651-771-8494 SJS
612-695-5847 cell
Thursday, 12/18/2025, 6pm Evening Christmas Concert Information
Things you NEED to Know:
1.) PLEASE make sure your 1st grader goes to the bathroom BEFORE you bring them to the church. Thank you! 2.) Your child should Wear their “Sunday Best” to the concert. The concert begins promptly at 6pm. 3.) Please bring your child to the lower church at 5:45pm. Mr. Tim Gattman will be there to get the 1st graders lined up and ready. 4.) Parents, keep your child’s coat, hat, mittens with you. 5.) When the concert is over, please come over to Mr. Tim Gattman to pick up your child. He will keep the children with Him where we sit during the concert until you come over and take your child. I do not want any child to get lost &/or Mr. Gattman not know where they are.. Thank you.
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, who, why, when, 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, block, 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
Dress For the Weather
Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately especially for outside. They need to have the correct outerwear at school. Students go outside for recess every day unless it is raining, below 0 degrees, or the windshield is below 0. So, PLEASE make sure they have on ALL 5 of these items: 1) a winter coat/jacket, 2) snow boots, 3) snow -pants, 4) hat, and 5) waterproof mittens/gloves. I always tell the children that they should be wearing all of this to keep warm; not just when there is snow. Also,PLEASE label or put your child’s name on all clothing, boots,etc.. If your child’s name is not on the item, I don’t know whose it is & neither does your child. You may want to have your child leave a pair of shoes at school so that they will always have them here. Students have to wear shoes in the classroom. They are NOT aloud to wear boots in the classroom as they are wet & dirty & then the carpet gets wet & dirty, etc.. You may want to have your child leave their winter outerwear here at school so that they don’t have to worry about not having what they need, or to have to carry them back and forth and potentially forget or lose them. 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! 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 signed, each day. 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.
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:
11/30 First Sunday of Advent
12/4 Report Cards Go Home.
12/7 Second Sunday of Advent
12/10 I begin my medical leave.
12/14 Third Sunday of Advent
12/17 1st Grade Mass. Please come join us for our first 1st Grade Mass! At the church at 9:45 am.
12/18 Christmas Concert/Program. The students should wear their “Sunday Best” for the concert tonight!! The Christmas Concert/Program is @ 6pm. Students-meet me in the basement of the church at 5:45pm!! (See full note above).
12/20—1/4 NO SCHOOL—CHRISTMAS BREAK! Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!!
12/21 Fourth Sunday of Advent.
1/5/2025 Return to School.
1/19 NO SCHOOL-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
1/20 NO SCHOOL-Teacher Workshop Day.
1/24-30 Catholic Schools Week!!