April 1, 2015
Dear Parent(s),
The days of March have flown by; it’s hard to believe April is already here. April highlights
follow:
Religion
We have completed our study of Lent and The Stations of the Cross. All students will take
part in an all-school prayer service on April 2nd. We will also have a short retreat with the first grade
students during Holy Week. Students will attend the Mazzachelli Mime in church on April 1st at 8:50.
We will attend liturgies on April 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th. Please note that on April 22nd the first grade
students will prepare the liturgy. We hope you can join us. We will study the Easter Season later in
the month. A big THANK YOU for all of your donations for Bingo prizes and to the many parent
drivers and helpers that were with us at Stonehill. We couldn’t have done it without you. We were
very proud of the children as their interacted with the residents.
Reading
The children have started work in Theme 9. We will work on the following phonics skills:
sounds for y, base words and the -ed and -ing endings. The comprehension skills will include noting
details and adjusting your reading rate when necessary. By putting to use the decoding skills we
have learned and applying the comprehension strategies, the children are working toward becoming
more independent readers. The children have set new AR goals for the rest of the year. They
are very pleased with themselves when they reach their goal. Reading on a regular basis will build
vocabulary and improve reading fluency.
Writing
Throughout the school year we have been working on writing skills, including brainstorming,
free writing and using inventive spelling in order to get ideas flowing. The children have been using
the writing process to write a story about a leprechaun. They started with some brainstorming, and
then used those ideas to write a rough draft (sloppy copy). As part of the proofreading process,
students received some help to check their work for complete sentences, correct use of capital
letters and ending marks, correct spelling and spacing between words. They have been working
hard to type their story on the laptops. The next step will be to add illustrations to complete their
book.
Handwriting
Students continue to practice proper letter formation of lower case letters and numbers, with
the emphasis on upper case letters for the remainder of the year. We are focusing on good posture
for writing, correct letter formation, making letters the correct size, and keeping letters on the writing
line. We are also stressing the importance of using a functional grip on their pencil, using a finger
space between words and a carry-over of handwriting skills to their daily work.
Math
During April we will study telling time to the hour and half hour, using a calendar, estimating
and measuring length, capacity and weight. We continue to work on addition and subtraction facts,
and have added on the facts through 20. To encourage speed with facts, we do give timed tests.
Knowing facts quickly and accurately is a building block for more difficult computation and problem
solving. A goal to reach by the end of the year is to average 4 seconds per problem.
Science
We continue with our study of the weather. Before the end of the month we will begin a new
unit titled Animals and Their Needs. In this unit the children will study animals and their habitats,
focusing on goldfish.
Social Studies
We are excited to have Junior Achievement volunteers in 1st grade! This is a five week
program, in which the children learn about neighborhoods, wants and needs and careers.
Other
 We hope the new homework sheet is going well. Please help your child remember to have
their green homework sheet in their folders each morning, filled out and signed.
 We are excited to attend The Berenstain Bears Live! production at the Heritage Center at the
University of Dubuque on April 17th. Be looking for more information to come.
 April 23rd, Spring Concert at 1:45 and 6:30.
April promises to be yet another busy month for us with much activity and many opportunities
for learning. Many Easter blessings to you and your family.
Mrs. Burke & Mrs. Weig