First Grade Goal and Homework Philosophy
Homework is assigned every evening. The function of homework in first grade is to insure that the skills that have been taught are reviewed daily and practiced each night. I rely heavily on your help and support as we delve into the curriculum and your support facilitates a smooth learning process for your child. Homework also gives you a chance to see what your child is doing in class and to participate in this part of their learning. It can alert you to difficulties that we may need to discuss or just give you an opportunity to give a big high five for all the great work and effort you are seeing. Homework is often in the form of written assignment(s) and reading/reviewing information from the YCF (Yellow Clip Folder) or supplemental materials I have sent home. I will post the HW everyday by 4 PM. Please be sure to look every night as assignments are given based on extra help I may think they need, an assignment I plan to give the next day that I'd like them to prepare for, an assessment I plan to give, or a subject game we might be playing that I feel review will help with. Assignments are not lengthy but they are important.
HW may be a transitional first grade moment, especially if your homework expectations have been different in the past. It won't take long for you and your child to fall into a rhythm. If your child has persistent HW difficulties, this may need to be a discussion we have. You should not have to introduce a topic to your child via homework.
The goal of first grade is to pace your child's developmental maturity with their social, academic, emotional, and spiritual maturity in order to ultimately prepare them for the increasing demands of 2nd grade. ( No small task ;) ). 1st grade is not an extension of Kindergarten. It is a journey of tremendous growth and independence, with expected bumps in the road, but will yield a rich and rewarding outcome. Please be patient with your child, yourself, and with me as we get to know each other and negotiate the journey together.
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New Announcements ( and things you need to know :)
10/6/2026 Tomorrow is: A Day
First Grade Harvest Festival letter came home last week in your child's SUS folder. Please fill out and return cut off portion by tomorrow so I know who is attending with your child. Thank you to those who returned them already! Still waiting for 2.
Please be sure to read the Harvest Festival Parent Letter sent home yesterday in your child's SUS folder.
Information for the OCT book project came home yesterday in the SUS folder. Pumpkin is posted on your child's GC. I already see some pumpkins getting some decorations! See below how to log onto Google Classroom.
October Scholastic order forms can still be "turned in" through tomorrow.
**If you are planning to attend the Harvest Festival with your child, you will need to be Raptored and receive a badge/sticker. The link is in the What’s Ahead Wednesday. Please wait outside the classroom quietly until it is time for us to attend.
When you get a chance, please help your child log on to GC and accept my invitation to join. It will help a lot! Thank you to those who have already accepted.
A reminder that you will only be able to access the class list on GC from your child's GC account. Their log on info is taped to the inside pocket of their SUS folder. This info is what you will use to accept the Google classroom invitation I have sent via their email and access any documents on GC.
Link: Scholastic website to order books . You will have to connect your child with his/her teacher on the Scholastic website for our class to get the rewards. Prompts are easy to follow.
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Religion~ Tell your parents about our virtue of the month: Faithfulness. Name one way you can show your faithfulness. You can use the information in your SUS folder to help you remember.
* Ask your child: What did you do today that made Jesus smile?
Before bed: Pray:
Dear God,
Help me to grow in faithfulness each day.
Help me to keep my promises, tell the truth, and do what is right.
Give me a faithful heart that loves You and others.
Amen.
Remember to bless yourself correctly before and after you pray. Remember to use your right hand.
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Math- Complete p. 228 and number 5 on p. 227 in SUS folder. Some students may need to make corrections on p. 227. Return to school tomorrow.
When practicing flashcards, students should place the big number in their heads and count back or on to get the answer. This is an important skill that they will need going forward.
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Reading~ Read bk # 30 ( inflectional S) out loud to a grown up. Follow along with your finger as you read. Blend words out loud slowly as needed. Return to school tomorrow.
** This week's fluency skills are Accuracy & Rate. Can I read the words correctly and at a smooth, steady pace.
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Phonics ~
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Grammar~ Complete worksheet p. 44 in SUS folder. Follow the directions as stated, then underneath each one write the other. For example: if you said it was a statement, re-write it underneath as a question. etc. A question should be re-written as a statement. We did this in school may times so students shou know how. Remember, to begin and end your sentences correctly. Return to school tomorrow.
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Spelling~
Parents, please make sure to study spelling and vocabulary words from the current unit and previous units every night and at least once on the weekends before returning to school. The students are responsible for knowing ALL words that we have covered up to date and will be assessed frequently through objective measures as well as sentence writing and creative writing assignments.
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Science/SS~
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** Accessing Google Classroom directions
1.Go to classroom.google.com and click Go to Classroom. This works best in the
chrome browser, but you can use others.
2. Enter your username and click Next. Username is year of graduation first initial
last name @stursula.org. For example, a second grader with the name of Robert
Smith would be 2026rsmith@stursula.org.
3. Enter your password and click Next. Each student either already knows their
password, has the letter that went to them at the beginning of the school year
with their password, or has written it down at the direction of their teacher. If you
have trouble, please email jzimmerman@stursula.org.
4. Once students have logged into Google Classroom, they can access each of their
classes from the dashboard.