April 1, 2016
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. The children enjoyed
taking part in a first grade retreat during Holy Week as well as watching the Mazzuchelli Mime.
We will also have a short retreat with the first grade students during Holy Week. During April we will
attend liturgies on April 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th. Please note that on April 13th will be a mass offered
especially for all of the volunteers. We hope you can join us. During the month of April we will study
The Eucharist, celebrating the Mass and caring for God’s creation.
Reading
The children have started work in Theme 8. We will work on the following phonics skills:
vowel pairs ou and ow, base words and the –s, -ed and -ing endings. The comprehension skills will
include categorize and classify, topic, main idea, finding details, summarizing, drawing conclusions
and making predictions and inferences. By putting to use the decoding skills we have learned and
applying the comprehension strategies, the children are working toward becoming more
independent readers. We were so proud of all of the first graders; everyone reached their AR goal
for the 3rd quarter! The children have set new AR goals for the rest of the year. We encourage
the children to choose ‘good-fit’ books so they are able to practice their reading. 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 are working hard to
type and illustrate their story.
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. We will also work on
representing data using bar graphs, picture graphs and tally charts. We continue to work on addition
and subtraction 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.
 April 21st, 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