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I was truly amazed at mass this past Wednesday. Your children showed their love for God by sharing their special gifts of reading, singing, greeting and bringing up the bread and wine. I love this part of my job so much! There is a class picture of the students in the church at the end of this letter.
The students are enjoying the author study for Mo Willems. We will continue this next week. He has a great website; it is https://pigeonpresents.com/
Next week there will not be a pretest or challenge list for spelling. The words are a little harder next week.
In social studies we are learning about the first Thanksgiving, Native Americans and pilgrims.
The last day to order books for the book order is Wednesday, November 20th.
The school is having a food drive for a local pantry. Students may send non-perishable items anytime before Tuesday, November 26th. There is a note about a “baby bottle collection” for EPS in the Friday folder today.
Today in your child’s GO folder is an important note about some upcoming opportunities to help. Please fill out the note and return it next week if you are able to help. THANKS!
The first grade is collecting diapers for the Open Door Mission/Lydia House. The collection will start December 2nd.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Next week there is no school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, (October 30th, 31st, November 1st). Because of the short week next week, we will not have a spelling list, math homework and I will not send home Friday folders. I will also not send a weekly newsletter.
In the Friday folder this week-new sight words to practice, and some papers from the fundraiser committees regarding more items that are available.
Parent-Teacher conferences are on Wednesday, October 30th. The times are scheduled. For the parent teacher conferences, there is a pretty tight time schedule. I will only be able to spend about 10 minutes with you. I will do my best to be on time!
Mass next week will be on Tuesday, October 29th at 8:30 for grades K-4.
The Eric Carle author/illustrator study was very interesting for the students. I hope they have told you about this amazing author and illustrator. We did some projects that will stay at school for a little while.
Tuesday, October 29th is the last day for students to wear uniform shorts until April 1st.
The students are learning about the election process, at a first grade level in social studies. It is important for students (and adults) to have an open mind about the opinions of others in the voting process. I remind them how hard it would be to have that job.
All of the 1A students will have a job at mass on Wednesday, November 13th. Parents are welcome to attend. Mass starts at 8:30 and is over by 9:15. It is always so special for them to have a job at mass; especially the first one. These are the jobs that first graders get: doing a reading, or being in the choir, greet people as they come in, or bringing up the gifts.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The school calendar states that report cards will be sent home on Monday. First grade does not give report cards for the first quarter, so your child won’t be getting one. I will go over things with you at parent teacher conferences on Thursday.
There are not a lot of papers in the Friday folder again this week. We have been working on finishing some assessments for the end of the first quarter. We often do projects that get hung up in the hallways. You will get to see some of them when you come for parent conferences.
Next week we are doing our first author/illustrator study of Eric Carle. I hope your child will tell you about some of the things we are doing at school. We will be doing some painting next Friday as part of the author study. There is a note in the GO folder about some things that we would like you to send to school.
We have been learning about Nouns; can you believe that? We made a town of nouns called “Noun Town”. Each child made a person, place and some things for our town. See the attached photo below.
The fundraiser is this Saturday. I hope that many of you will enjoy this really fun evening!
Please send a candy wrapper to school with your child. We need them for a special project. It prefer that it is big, not a starburst, or smartie, etc. It should also be in good condition. Fruit snack wrappers and granola bars, etc are fine, too. I would like it to be here by Thursday, October 24th.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Today is the end of the first quarter of the school year. Every year, I’m so surprised at how quickly the days fly by. The students have been working so hard these past weeks.
We don’t give a report card in first grade for the first quarter. The school calendar says that the report cards come home on October 21, but not for us.
There was another packet of sight words or “words of the week” in your child’s GO folder on Thursday. There is also a list of all the words the students will be tested on next week. Thank you for practicing the words with your child. The students made a game to practice these words. It was sent home today on Thursday.
The field trip to the pumpkin patch was a perfect day. Thanks to the parent volunteers for helping! The students have been working hard on a pumpkin book to show what we’ve been doing. It will come home today with your child.
If your child has not returned the homework about my Halloween costume, please send it on Monday. These students have very creative ideas!
A paper with your scheduled parent-teacher conference time was sent home on Thursday. Please complete it and return to school by Monday.
We will be doing our fall nature collage. A note was sent home Thursday with the details. Thanks for your help.
Next week the students will learn about nouns.
I have created a sign up genius page for some miscellaneous needed items, and some things for Halloween. Here is the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DA8A62AA0FD0-52254372-halloween
It is a good idea to send your child to school with a jacket or hoodie for wear for recess. It can be windy and chilly some days.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The field trip to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch is Monday, October 7th.
First grade students should dress down; remember to watch the weather carefully, and follow dress down guidelines. It’s usually a little cooler at the pumpkin patch; especially in the morning.
Tennis shoes are strongly suggested on this day!
1A and 1B will have P.E. class when we return to school.
All students will need a completely disposable lunch. Lunch boxes are too hard to keep track of, as well as “nice” water bottles.
You can send a plastic water bottle that can be refilled and recycled at Vala’s.
The bus will leave school at 9:00 and return at 2:00.
You should not send ANY money with your child.
Your child will get a pumpkin as part of the fee you paid.
We will keep it at school for a few days.
Thank you to the parents who brought items for the taste test. It was very successful.
You will find another packet of new sight words to practice with your child at home.
There is no school on Friday, October 4th.
There will be no math homework next week, but there will be some different homework sent home on Tuesday. There is a note to explain the homework.
Starting this past week the students will have a spelling pretest every week. If a student gets only one word wrong, or no words wrong on the pretest, he or she will be on the “challenge list”. A note was sent home last Monday to explain the pretests.
Next Friday, October 9th is an optional dress down day for a donation that will go to the school fundraiser.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
In your child’s Friday folder, you will find another packet of new sight words to practice with your child at home. Your help is greatly appreciated.
The Friday folder also has information about the fundraiser.
In the GO folder today is a conference time preference sheet for you to fill and return on Monday. The field trip money and permission forms are due Monday, also. I am offering the chance to order books through Scholastic Books. I sent an email home on Friday with information, as well as some flyers in the GO folder today. The orders must be placed by Thursday evening, October 3rd.
There is no school next Friday, October 4th. We will have our spelling test on Thursday.
The field trip isn’t until Monday, October 7th. Detailed information about the field trip will be sent home next Thursday. Here are some reminders:
We will be doing several activities with the students to prepare for our study of pumpkins! It’s going to be a very fun week filled with pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!
Next week mass for first grade will be on Thursday, instead of Wednesday.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It was a very busy week in first grade! I hope your child tells you about some of the things that we have been doing.
I know you saw the spelling test last week, but just to remind you, in the Friday folder you will find your child’s graded spelling test. I count the number of words correct out of 10. I count the bonus words as extra points. I also do not count backward letters wrong. If I cannot tell what a letter is, I do count it wrong. I also give a handwriting (HW) grade. It will be an M, P or N. These are the grades we use in first grade. M=most of the time, P=part of the time or N=not yet. This grade is based on the size of the letters and whether they tried to use the lines to guide their letters.
The field trip form will be sent home on Monday. It is due back to school with the money on the following Monday, September 30th. Any parents who want to volunteer should send that form back by Tuesday, September 24th.
This week we read a story about Ants. The students worked on activities to practice retelling information from the story. In math we are finishing up our first unit on number sense. Our next unit is beginning addition.
A new spelling list will be sent home on Monday, as well as Monday Math homework.
Our class checks out library books every Friday, so please help your child remember to return his/her book.
It looks like fall is coming! Please remember that as you send your child to school with sweatshirts, hoodies, etc. make sure the name is marked in the tag. There are so many in lost and found already!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
This week was a short week, so there are not a lot of things in the Friday folder.
Sunday, September 8th is St. Leo’s parish festival from 11-6. It is always a lot of family fun!
Spelling Lists! The spelling units will start on Monday. Your child will bring a list of spelling words home to practice, along with a note to explain what to do. Our first spelling test will be next Thursday, September 13th.
Earlier in the year, the teachers and staff attended an extremely beneficial presentation about “SMART GEN” society. Monday, September 9th at 7:00 in the parish center, there is a presentation by “SMART GEN” society for parents. Information about this meeting was sent home in the school newsletter! The students will be going to an assembly during the day on Wednesday.
Tuesday, September 10th: Picture Day! It is a dress up day. A note about what students may wear was attached to the picture envelopes that came home last week. You want to make sure they have the appropriate shoes. Please return the picture envelope by Monday.
Next Friday, September 13th there is no school for students.
The first graders will be going on a field trip to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch on Monday, October 7th. Volunteers are welcome to join us, if you have had the Safe Environment training.
All adults 19 or older who work or volunteer at a Catholic parish or school are required to complete Safe Environment Certification. We are offering training for those new volunteers or those needing to renew their out of date certification.
If you need help signing up, please contact your Safe Environment Coordinator (Colleen Ciciulla – St. Pius; Nina Englin – SPSL) to help with registration. Please do not create a new account if you have already been registered/certified in the past.
*** Upcoming Trainings will be at St. Pius X Parish Center on September 12th and 26th.
Please keep in mind that it takes approximately 2 weeks from the start of the process to complete all paperwork. If you would like to go on the field trip, the September 26th date is too late.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
There is no school on Monday, September 2nd for Labor Day!
The students may dress down next Friday, September 6th, to support each parish’s festivals.
Some things we are working on are:
Phonics-Reviewing letter sounds, Reading-Understanding Beginning, Middle and End of stories, Math-understanding numbers, making graphs, Religion-being Catholic, Writing-writing sentences about ourselves, next week: Science-being healthy, and Social Studies-being good citizens.
Please look over the papers in the Friday folder and keep the papers at home!
Looking ahead:
Tuesday, September 10th there are quite a few things to keep in mind:
Picture Day! It is a dress up day. A note about what students may wear is attached to the picture envelopes that are coming home in the FRIDAY FOLDER this week.
The first graders will be going on a field trip to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch on Monday, October 7th. Volunteers are welcome to join us, if you have had the
Safe Environment training. I will send a note later asking for volunteers.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
8-23-24
I am sending a paper copy of this newsletter home in the Friday folder, and I am emailing it to you. If you do not get this letter by email, then something went wrong. Please let me know if you do not get the email.
We made it through our first full week of school! That is a big accomplishment for all of us.
Thank you for helping your child remember to bring a water bottle every day!
The students have been busy doing some “getting to know you” activities. They are also learning many, many procedures and routines. I sent the Friday folder home today. There are not many papers in the folder. Please look them over with your child, keep the papers at home. Two things you will find are a take home page from the religion book and a paper about math. The folder needs to come back on Monday, along with the poetry book.
The Friday folder has ONE very important paper that needs to be signed and returned by Wednesday. It is a permission form that we have all parents sign for their child to receive any extra help in reading and math. The help is for any level of learning; reteaching or enrichment. This way all children are eligible to receive the help they need.
The first graders will be going to weekly mass almost every Wednesday morning. I am so excited for them to get to go to mass with our class and our school. It really builds a sense of community when they see others at mass. Again, if you have any questions about this, please let me know. We will go to mass this Wednesday, August 28th at 8:30. Parents are welcome to attend mass with us, but you will need to sit in the back of the church.
Thanks to all who were able to attend the parent meeting. For those of you who were unable to attend, I have sent the packet of information that was given at the meeting, in the Friday folder.
This weekend I am going to email the presentation from the meeting to everyone, just in case you want it.
Friday, August 30th is a dress down day. Look for more information in the school newsletter.
Thank you all for an amazing start to our school year! Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
August 2024
Dear 1A parents:
I would like to welcome you to our classroom. My name is Mrs. Lisa Wilson and I am your child’s teacher. I am very excited for this school year. It will be a very special year filled with learning, love and laughter. Please take the time to read through this letter to find some important information.
I would like to tell you a little information about me. I have been teaching for 31 years. All but two of those years have been at SPSL, and most of the years have been in first grade. I have a husband, Blake and four adult children. My children went to school at SPSL. The oldest is married and lives in Kansas City. Two of my children are teachers in Omaha. The youngest also lives in Omaha and is an accountant. I also have one dog, and four “grand-dogs”. Our family loves dogs, the Huskers, and the Chicago Cubs.
Please make sure that your child has all of the supplies needed for our grade. Check with your child periodically throughout the year to see if anything needs to be replaced. I also ask that no mechanical pencils or the ones with several lead pieces be brought to school. If there are any other supplies that need to be purchased, I will send a note home. As supplies and other things are sent to school, please, please, please be sure to label all items! Especially sweatshirts!
Your child will have some homework this year. The students will be working very hard to learn addition and subtraction facts to memory. Your help at home will be needed with this. Eventually, spelling lists will be sent home to practice for spelling tests. It is important for your first grader to spend a little time reading at home every day. There will also be “sight words” to practice reading that will be sent home.
I have found the easiest way to have parents sign up to send needed items for the classroom is through “Sign Up Genius”. For this I need to be sure that I have the most accurate email address for you. Some examples of things I might ask for are; paper towels, paper plates, napkins, treats for parties, etc.
The students will be using a daily take home folder. It is a green “GO” folder that will be sent home starting on the first day of school. In the GO folder, you can expect any notes or information from the office or me, as well as homework. The other really important paper in the GO folder is a behavior chart and calendar. The behavior chart will inform you of your child’s choices at school each day. Please initial the calendar each day and leave it in the GO folder. If there is anything else to sign and return, please put it right back in the folder. Some days, it may not have anything in it, except for the calendar. It will need to be returned to school every day!
We will also be using a “Friday folder”. It will be used for any work that was completed during the week. It will need to be emptied and returned the following Monday. I write a weekly newsletter, which I will email to each of you and it will be available on the school website. I write this newsletter to help keep you informed of special happenings in our classroom, and reminders of special school events. Please don’t put notes for me or the office in the Friday folder, as I do not check them as frequently as the GO folder.
Each student will have the opportunity to be the Star of the Week. This is your child’s chance to share all of the things that make him/her unique, and to learn about others in the class. I will send a paper to complete with your child when it is his/her turn.
Student birthdays are announced on the intercom. Your child may bring treats to share with the class, but it is optional. I prefer that the treats be individually wrapped. We have 19 students. Summer birthdays will be announced in May. It is school policy that birthday party invitations are not to be passed out at school.
We are very lucky to have two teacher assistants (T.A.’s) in first grade. Your child will spend quite a bit of time with both T.A.’s. Their names are Mrs. Monica Taylor, and Mrs. Michelle Baldwin.
Communication is very important for a successful year for your child. I hope that you will contact me with any questions or concerns that you might have. I can be reached by phone at school from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm. You can email me at school. My address is: [email protected]. I love to communicate by email, if that works for you. You can also just send a note in your child’s GO folder if there is something you need for me to know!
There is lots of information in this letter. Try to get all forms that need to be returned back as soon as possible. It is going to be a great year. I’m so glad to be a part of all the special things that happen during your child’s first grade year!
God Bless You!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Lisa Wilson
Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you all have a special day with those you love! We had such a busy week; starting with the field trip to the zoo. It was a beautiful day! The students really enjoyed “Spirit Week”. Our class had great participation. The students had a great time at The Race for Education!
In the GO folder on Thursday, I sent home the list of sight words to practice for the 4th quarter. The students will be tested next Monday. Thanks for your help.
On Friday, May 17th from 2:30-3:15 we will be having our end of the year “program” in our classroom. Unfortunately, we will not be able to have siblings who are in school come to the program. The classroom is really not large enough for everyone. Thanks for understanding! If you are coming, please check in at the office first.
Please continue to work on math facts over the summer. Other math skills to work on are; telling time to the hour and half-hour, and counting money (coins).
We will have another spelling test next week, but we will not be having a math facts test.
Next week, please check your child’s backpack and GO folder frequently. I will probably start sending some things home for you to keep at home.
Upcoming Dates to remember:
Friday, May 17th, Memories and Munchies at 2:30 in our classroom.
Monday, May 20th, we are having a special “Read-In” day. The students will be reading much of the day. Look for a note with more information to come home next week.
Tuesday, May 21st: Cleaning day-students will need to bring a paper grocery bag or a reusable grocery bag and a rag for cleaning their desks.
Wednesday, May 22nd: First grade FUN DAY! Students may dress down!
Thursday, May 23rd: Last day of school; Mass at 9:15, 11:00 dismissal.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
“Science Olympics” was a big success! The students loved it. Thank you to those parents who volunteered to help send items and also for volunteering to be here to help.
There is a new list of sight words to practice in the Friday folder.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 6th. If you have not returned your child’s permission slip and money, please send it on Monday.
Next week is an unusual week with Mission Day and having Friday off, so there will not be a spelling list or math facts next week. The following week, we will have both spelling and math. You can obviously keep working with your child on the current math facts they have been learning. Some of the students are money maniacs(very good at counting coins)!
We need more volunteers to send donuts for Mission Day. It is Thursday, May 2nd. You can sign up through sign up genius if you are interested. I have included the link again. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4EAAA922A3F49-49167726-first
Thanks!
Mission Day is Thursday, May 2nd. It is a dress down day! Our focus is recycling. A note was sent home this week asking for recycled items. Please send those by Thursday.
There is no school on Friday, May 3rd.
Please mark your calendars for Friday, May 17th at 2:30-3:15. We will be having an end of the year “program” in our classroom. More details will be coming soon.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The students did a great job at mass on Thursday. It was so nice for them to show their love for God in this way.
The students will be attending a presentation through the “Respect” programs. It is to help remind children to treat others with respect, kindness and how to handle problems when they arise. It will be on Wednesday, April 17th.
There is no school next Friday, April 19th.
Next week we will learn about the author and illustrator, Janet Stevens.
We will be having “Science Olympics” on Monday, April 22nd. If you would like to volunteer, please let me know by Monday if you can help. If you signed up to send items, please send them by April 17th.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 6th. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. Look for the form to come home soon.
Our next unit in math is on money. Counting money can be very hard for some of the students, and others pick it up so quickly. This is a skill that takes a lot of practice. The nice thing about counting money is that it’s easy to do at home, and just takes a few minutes. You can also do it while waiting in the car, or waiting for dinner,etc.
First, they need to recognize pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, and know the worth of each coin. Then, to count groups of the same coin (pennies first, then nickels, dimes and quarters). After they are comfortable with counting only groups of pennies, then do groups of nickels, etc. Then do pennies and nickels, pennies and dimes, then continue to count a variety of coins together. The only way to get better is to practice.
The days are beginning to get very busy. We are trying very hard to keep things as normal as possible as the weeks are winding down. Please encourage your students to work hard, and be kind and respectful to everyone. Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Today is the end of the 3rd quarter. Time is going by so quickly! The students were busy working on some assessments this week. One of the things they did was write a story about catching a leprechaun in our classroom. They worked hard and did such an amazing job! These stories will not be sent home until the report cards go home on March 25th. You can ask them to tell you about the story.
The math facts test is in the GO folder today.
The students may wear crazy socks (with their uniforms) on Thursday, March 21st to recognize and celebrate Down Syndrome awareness. 3/21, World Down Syndrome Day, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which leads to Down syndrome.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 6th. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. The training includes a background check and takes a little time to be completed. So, don’t wait until the last minute. You can find information about the training on the Omaha Archdiocese website.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Thanks to those who have sent in the Race for Education labels, so far! The completed labels are due back to school by Friday, March 1st. If you have any questions, let me know.
There is a packet of words to practice in the Friday folder this week. The puppet show the students made for the story “Did You See Chip?” is in the folder also. It is good practice for the students to retell the story to you.
Next week we will be learning about the author and illustrator Kevin Henkes. He writes stories with great lessons for kids. I need each student to bring a baby picture for a special project. It needs to be 4 x 6 or smaller. It also needs to be a picture that you don’t need back. It will be glued into a book.
Next Friday, March 1st all students can dress down if they wear the color pink and we encourage them to wear as much pink as possible. If students do not have anything to wear in pink or with the color pink, they can wear the closest color possible. The color pink is a color that represents kindness and anti-bullying. This is sponsored by the No Place For Hate group. Donations to the club are appreciated this day.
Spring Break is coming soon. The week after next, March 4-8, the students have no school. I will not be at school Thursday and Friday, February 29th and March 1st. I am having surgery for my neck. I hope to be able to return to school on Monday, March 11th.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 6th. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. You can find information about the training on the Omaha Archdiocese website.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely, Mrs. Wilson
We had a great week of celebrating 100 days of being in first grade.
In the Friday folder today is a new packet of sight words to practice.
We will be having some Valentine’s Day activities on Tuesday, February 13th. Your students may bring Valentines on this day. Just a reminder that it is optional, but if your child chooses to bring them, they need to bring one for every student in the class (20). I have included a list of the student names if you need it. We made Valentine bags for the students to put them in. Your child should not bring a valentine box.
Ash Wednesday there is mass at 8:30 for grades K-4. This is the first day of lent. That is why we are celebrating Valentines Day on TUESDAY, Feb. 13th.
School will dismiss at 12:00 on Thursday, February 15th and there is no school next Friday, February 16th.
There will be a spelling test next week on Thursday.
Starting next week I will not be sending home “worksheets” for Monday math. Instead, the students are going to be working on memorizing addition facts every day (Monday through Thursday), at home. There was a letter in your child’s GO FOLDER on Thursday about this.
The students really enjoyed the performance by the Omaha Symphony. We are very fortunate to have them come to SPSL! Ask your child to tell you about this.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Happy Catholic Schools Week! It was a really nice week for the students.
The 100th day of school is Wednesday. The collections are very creative! Thank you so much for sending them to school. We will be doing many counting, measuring, grouping, and comparing activities with them. If your child has not brought it yet, please send it on Monday.
Today in your child’s GO FOLDER is a very important note for you to fill out and return. It is a conference request form. These conferences are “request only”. The first quarter, we conference with all parents. This time, it is not necessary to do this. Of course, I would love to see all of you again! So, if I request to see you about your child, you will need to fill out a time that works best for you. You can also request to meet with me if there is something you need to discuss. Please return the form by Wednesday, February 7th.
*Valentines are optional! However, if your child decides to bring them, he or she must bring one for everyone in the class.
*Students must write who it is to, and from. It is good practice for them to write their classmates names. The second page of this letter has the list of students in 1A. The valentine exchange will be Tuesday, February 13th, because Ash Wednesday; the first day of Lent is Valentines Day
*We are making special bags here at school to put our valentines in, so your child doesn’t need a decorated valentine box.
In the Friday folder today is a “kindness bingo” sheet for students to work on at home. This is optional! I encourage you to talk with your child about being kind to everyone. Another skill for the students to work on is problem solving; being responsible for themselves and their choices. I notice that some of them have trouble figuring out how to do simple things for themselves. Thanks!
I hope you enjoyed looking through your child’s portfolio and the report card. If you have not returned it to school, please do so by Monday, January 23rd
The students have been learning about the author and illustrator, Jan Brett. We will continue next week. Her books are some of my favorites. She has a website that is amazing. If you are interested you can visit it at: www.janbrett.com.
Catholic Schools Week is the week of January 29-February 2. There are many activities planned. In the school newsletter, you will find more detailed information. I am so thankful that you choose to send your child to our school. I love our school!
Monday, 1/29: Dress down day for students and an all school presentation titled “African Cultural Connection”
Tuesday, 1/30: Mass at St. Pius X church for families with last names A-L is at 8:30. Your child needs to come to the classroom, like a regular school day and check in with me first. You may then take your child to the church. If you have not been to the classroom to pick up your child by 8:20 we will meet you in the church front entry area. You will have donuts in the cafeteria after mass and then bring your child back to the classroom by 9:45.
Wednesday, 1/31: The mass for last names M-Z is at 9:00 on Wednesday at St. Leo church. The students are riding busses and will meet you at St. Leo church. You will be able to sit with your child at this mass. There are donuts after mass in the parish center and return to school by 10:45.
Friday, 2/2: The students will attend the drama club’s presentation of Willie Wonka. They are allowed to wear a favorite sweatshirt with uniform bottoms.
Two big things are coming up in February that you can start thinking about. First is the 100th Day of First Grade. Hurray! This week, I sent a note home with a ziploc bag for the student’s collection of 100 things. Please send the collections next week.
Second is Valentine’s Day.
*Valentines are optional! However, if your child decides to bring them, he or she must bring one for everyone in the class.
*Students must write who it is to, and from. It is good practice for them to write their classmates names. The second page of this letter has the list of students in 1A. The valentine exchange will be Tuesday, February 13th, because Ash Wednesday; the first day of Lent is Valentines Day
*We are making special bags here at school to put our valentines in, so your child doesn’t need a decorated valentine box.
We are getting a new student on Monday. Her name is Chloe Moorlet. We are excited to have her at SPSL!
1A Students (20)
Dutch
Oona
Triton
Beckham
Creighton
Yeron
Fae
Dreya
Kanon
Franklin
Josie
Chloe
Kinsley
Frankie
Eleanor
EmmaRose
Stevie
Juelz
Teddy
Ellie
Teacher Assistants:
Mrs. Taylor
Mrs. Baldwin
Today your child is bringing home his/her portfolio with some work from the 2nd quarter and the report card. Please Look it over this weekend and return to school by Monday or Tuesday.
Beginning today, on the back of the spelling test, I will give a dictation sentence that is also “graded”. I will try to use as many spelling words as I can but I am also looking for the following things in the sentence: words spelling correctly using our phonics skills/rules learned, capital letters and lower-case letters used correctly, and punctuation. Sentence writing is an important skill that we have been working on a lot. You can reinforce these skills at home.
This is important information about the upcoming Catholic Schools Week masses. This special mass is one of the favorite things about Catholic Schools Week. If you are not able to come to the family mass, please let me know and let your child know. I will make arrangements for your child. Families with last names beginning with the letters A-L will attend mass on Tuesday, January 30th at the St. Pius X church at 8:30. Families with last names M-Z will attend mass on Wednesday, January 31st at St. Leo church at 9:00. The students with these last names will ride on a school bus to the church. Parents will meet the students at the church.
The students will be learning about the author and illustrator, Jan Brett next week. She is a very talented person. She has a website that is amazing. If you are interested you can visit it at: www.janbrett.com.
I sent an email with a link for a sign up for Winter fun activities last week. There are still a few things needed if you can help out! . If you are interested in signing up, I have included a link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DA8A62AA0FD0-47203433-winter
If your child wears boots to school, he/she must bring regular uniform shoes to wear during the day. They may change into the boots for recess and dismissal, if they choose.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Wilson
Snow! Snow! Snow! I was hoping to be getting into the routine of being back at school, but that hasn’t worked out this week.
There is no school for students on Monday, January 15th. We will have a spelling test next week. The list will be sent home on Tuesday.
The report cards and portfolios were originally supposed to be sent home on Tuesday. Because of the snow days they will not be sent until January 19th. Everything that is in the portfolio will need to be returned to school on Tuesday, January 23rd.
This is important information about the upcoming Catholic Schools Week masses. This special mass is one of the favorite things about Catholic Schools Week. If you are not able to come to the family mass, please let me know and let your child know. I will make arrangements for your child. Families with last names beginning with the letters A-L will attend mass on Tuesday, January 30th at the St. Pius X church at 8:30. Families with last names M-Z will attend mass on Wednesday, January 31st at St. Leo church at 9:00. The students with these last names will ride on a school bus to the church. Parents will meet the students at the church.
I am giving a link for a sign up for items needed for some Winter fun activities. If you are interested in signing up, here is the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DA8A62AA0FD0-47203433-winter
It is going to be so cold next week, and probably this winter. Many children are not bringing gloves/mittens or hats. Please be sure to send the students prepared to be outside; even for a few minutes. Also, if you have any extra gloves or mittens, or if you would like to pick up some cheap ones please send them to our “borrow” basket. They will be kept at school to be used for recess. It would be greatly appreciated!
Have a nice (extra) long weekend!
Mrs. Wilson
12-07-23
December is my favorite month of the year. The students love learning about the birth of Jesus and how truly special Christmas is. They are also making good progress toward becoming more independent learners.
In the Friday folder today is the last list of new words to practice reading at home for this quarter. I am also including a list of all of the words that the students will be tested on for this quarter. I will be testing next week.
There is no school on Friday, December 9th.
Next week is a very busy week for us! The students will be practicing for the music program. The program is Thursday, December 14th at 7:00. The students need to be at school at 6:40. They will come to the classroom. The students should wear the “costumes” on Wednesday and Thursday to school. They have a performance for school students on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. The first graders need to wear black pants and their yellow shirts. If you have questions, please ask. The students should leave their coats with you before coming to the classroom; because we will not be going back to the classroom after the program.
Thank you to everyone who brought diapers! I am so amazed by the generosity of this school community! It will be so helpful for the families at the Open Door Mission/Lydia House!
Friday, December 15th is a dress down day for students!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The school calendar states that report cards will be sent home on Monday. First grade does not give report cards for the first quarter, so your child won’t be getting one. I will go over things with you at parent teacher conferences on Thursday.
There are not a lot of papers in the Friday folder again this week. We have been working on finishing some assessments for the end of the first quarter. We often do projects that get hung up in the hallways. You will get to see some of them when you come for parent conferences.
Next week we are doing our first author/illustrator study of Eric Carle. I hope your child will tell you about some of the things we are doing at school. In the GO folder.
Also in the GO folder today is letter from the music teacher, Mrs. Fleming about the 1st and 3rd grade music program in December. It has good information and needs to be completed and returned. She will also be emailing the information to you.
We have been learning about Nouns; can you believe that? We made a town of nouns called “Noun Town”. Each child made a person, place and some things for our town. See the attached photo below.
The fundraiser is this Saturday. I hope that many of you will enjoy this really fun evening!
Here is a reminder for the SMART GEN meeting on October 26th, 2023 at 7 p.m. at St. Leo Catholic Church! (1920 N 102nd St, Omaha, NE 68114)
All SPSL parents, regardless of student grade and age, are strongly encouraged to attend as the workshop covers important safety topics, resources, and tools for every age as today’s digital world affects even our youngest children. We are also blessed that Smart Gen Society will also be presenting an age appropriate workshop to our SPSL students on Monday, October 23rd.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
10-6-23
Can you say PUMPKINS? That has been our focus this week. Thank you to the parents who helped us at the pumpkin patch. The students were so happy to get to go on a field trip. And…it was a really great day for everyone!
The students did some math, science, reading and art projects with the pumpkins they got at Vala’s. Thank you to the parents who brought items for the taste test. It was very successful.
You will find another packet of new sight words to practice with your child at home.
There is no school on Monday, October 9th.
Starting this past week the students will have a spelling pretest every week. If a student gets only one word wrong, or no words wrong on the pretest, he or she will be on the “challenge list”. A note was sent home last Monday to explain the pretests.
On Wednesday of next week, we will be making a fall collage. Please go on a walk with your child to look for nature items for this project. The more things that you find, the better. Things that work well are acorns, pinecones, buckeyes, dried flowers, feathers, interesting sticks, seed pods that are not open, cat tails, pine needles, etc. Do not send leaves, however. They are too messy. Let me know if you have any questions.
Next Friday, October 13th is an optional dress down day for a donation that will go to the school fundraiser.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
In your child’s Friday folder, you will find another packet of new sight words to practice with your child at home. Your help is greatly appreciated.
The field trip is Monday, October 2nd. Detailed information about the field trip was sent home on Thursday. Here are some reminders:
The pumpkins will remain at school for a few days after the field trip. We have planned several activities for the students to do with the pumpkin they picked.
It’s going to be a very fun week filled with pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!
Next week mass for first grade will be on Thursday, instead of Wednesday.
The first graders have partners who are 7th graders. They will meet each other next week. It’s one of my favorite things about our school. The students really enjoy having partners in an older grade.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It’s officially the season of fall and I can’t believe it! Time really flies by so quickly.
The field trip permission form and money were due today, Friday, September 22nd. The field trip is Monday, October 2nd. More information about the field trip will be sent home next week. The students are so excited! Just to plan ahead, it is a dress down day for the first graders and they will need a lunch from home. More information will be coming next week. I will be sending home a note for the volunteers, also.
In your child’s Friday folder, you will find our first packet of sight words to practice with your child at home. There is a note stapled to it, so you know what it is. Your help is greatly appreciated.
This week we read a story about Ants. The students worked on activities to practice retelling information from the story. In math we are finishing up our first unit on number sense. Our next unit is beginning addition.
I have included a link for a “sign up genius” for some needed items for upcoming classroom activities. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DA8A62AA0FD0-44536566-first
The students have been going to mass every Wednesday morning. I hope they are able to come home and talk about it with you. We are also so fortunate to have Fr. Craig Loecker come into the classroom to visit with the students each week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It was a very busy week in first grade! I hope your child tells you about some of the things that we have been doing.
Today in the Friday folder you will find your child’s graded spelling test. I count the number of words correct out of 10. I count the bonus words as extra points. I also do not count backward letters wrong. If I cannot tell what a letter is, I do count it wrong. I also give a handwriting (HW) grade. It will be an M, P or N. These are the grades we use in first grade. M=most of the time, P=part of the time or N=not yet. This grade is based on the size of the letters and whether they tried to use the lines to guide their letters.
PLEASE NOTE: We could use a few more volunteers for our field trip to Vala’s. Grandparents who are willing and able may also come, but must be current in the safe environment training. Please let me know by Tuesday morning if you can help. It is October 2nd from 9:30-1:30.
The field trip form will be sent home on Monday. It is due back to school with the money on the 22nd of September.
A new spelling list will be sent home on Monday, as well as Monday Math homework.
Our class checks out library books every Friday, so please help your child remember to return his/her book.
There is an invitation to the school Fundraiser in your child’s GO folder today.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
This week was a very short week, so there are not a lot of things in the Friday folder. There are some important papers regarding the upcoming school Fundraiser in the folder, so please look for them.
Sunday, September 10th is St. Leo’s parish festival from 11-6. It is always a lot of family fun!
Monday, September 11th there are quite a few things to keep in mind:
Picture Day! It is a dress up day. A note about what students may wear was attached to the picture envelopes that came home last week. Our class has PE in the afternoon. You want to make sure they have the appropriate shoes. Please return the picture envelope by Monday.
Spelling Lists! The spelling units will start on Monday. Your child will bring a list of spelling words home to practice, along with a note to explain what to do. Our first spelling test will be next Friday, September 15th.
Math Homework! The students will start having “Monday Math” homework almost every Monday that we have school. There will also be a note to explain homework expectations. It should be returned on Tuesday.
The first graders will be going on a field trip to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch on Monday, October 2nd. Volunteers are welcome to join us, if you have had the Safe Environment training. I sent on Thursday asking for volunteers. The note is due back to school by Wednesday, September 13th. The note also has information about a Safe Environment training session for anyone interested.
A note was sent home asking for wood to be cut for a special project. If you are able to help with this let me know as soon as possible!
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
I am sending a paper copy of this newsletter home in the Friday folder, and I am emailing it to you. If you do not get this letter by email, then something went wrong. Please let me know if you do not get the email.
We made it through our first full week of school! That is a big accomplishment for all of us.
Thank you for helping your child remember to bring a water bottle every day!
The students have been busy doing some “getting to know you” activities. They are also learning many, many procedures and routines. I sent the Friday folder home today. There are not many papers in the folder. Please look them over with your child, keep the papers at home. Two things you will find are a take home page from the religion book and a paper about math. The folder needs to come back on Monday, along with the poetry book.
The first graders will be going to weekly mass almost every Wednesday morning. I am so excited for them to get to go to mass with our class and our school. It really builds a sense of community when they see others at mass. Again, if you have any questions about this, please let me know. We will go to mass this Wednesday, August 30th at 8:30.
I am excited to see all of you at our 1st grade parent meeting. It is Tuesday, August 29th at 7:00. It says on the school calendar that the meeting will be from 7-8:30. I can promise you that it will not last that long. We should be done around 8:00. However, I will stick around to answer any questions afterward. The meeting is in the parish center. Thank you for taking the time to come find out some important information regarding your child’s year in 1st grade. This meeting is for adults only.
SPSL is proud to have an inclusion model for our students. This year Mrs. Chouinard will be hosting play groups in her special education classroom. These will take place at least once a week and will include students with special needs and peer models I will “train” the students on how to interact and play with friends that have autism based off the practices of Project Impact’s lessons. Peer models are an important piece of the inclusion model. Thank you for participating! If you would like your child to participate, please complete the attached link:
Thank you all for an amazing start to our school year! Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
August 2023
Dear 1A parents:
I would like to welcome you to our classroom. My name is Mrs. Lisa Wilson and I am your child’s teacher. I am very excited for this school year. It will be a very special year filled with learning, love and laughter. Please take the time to read through this letter to find some important information.
I would like to tell you a little information about me. I have been teaching for 30 years. All but two of those years have been at SPSL, and most of the years have been in first grade. I have a husband, Blake and four adult children. My children went to school at SPSL. The oldest is married and lives in Kansas City. Two of my children are teachers in Omaha. The youngest also lives in Omaha and is an accountant. I also have one dog, and four “grand-dogs”. Our family loves dogs, the Huskers, and the Chicago Cubs.
Please make sure that your child has all of the supplies needed for our grade. Check with your child periodically throughout the year to see if anything needs to be replaced. I also ask that no mechanical pencils or the ones with several lead pieces be brought to school. If there are any other supplies that need to be purchased, I will send a note home. As supplies and other things are sent to school, please, please, please be sure to label all items! Especially sweatshirts!
Your child will have some homework this year. The students will be working very hard to learn addition and subtraction facts to memory. Your help at home will be needed with this. Eventually, spelling lists will be sent home to practice for spelling tests. It is important for your first grader to spend a little time reading at home every day. There will also be “sight words” to practice reading that will be sent home.
I will be setting up a classroom Facebook page. When it is ready I will send out a permission form and get your information to invite you to join the group.
Page 1
I have found the easiest way to have parents sign up to send needed items for the classroom is through “Sign Up Genius”. For this I need to be sure that I have the most accurate email address for you. Some examples of things I might ask for are; paper towels, paper plates, napkins, treats for parties, etc.
The students will be using a daily take home folder. It is a green “GO” folder that will be sent home starting on the first day of school. In the GO folder, you can expect any notes or information from the office or me, as well as homework. The other really important paper in the GO folder is a behavior chart and calendar. The behavior chart will inform you of your child’s choices at school each day. Please initial the calendar each day and leave it in the GO folder. If there is anything else to sign and return, please put it right back in the folder. Some days, it may not have anything in it, except for the calendar. It will need to be returned to school every day!
We will also be using a “Friday folder”. It will be used for any work that was completed during the week. It will need to be emptied and returned the following Monday. I write a weekly newsletter, which I will email to each of you and it will be available on the school website. I write this newsletter to help keep you informed of special happenings in our classroom, and reminders of special school events. Please don’t put notes for me or the office in the Friday folder, as I do not check them as frequently as the GO folder.
Each student will have the opportunity to be the Star of the Week. This is your child’s chance to share all of the things that make him/her unique, and to learn about others in the class. I will send a paper to complete with your child when it is his/her turn.
Student birthdays are announced on the intercom. Your child may bring treats to share with the class, but it is optional. I prefer that the treats be individually wrapped. We have 20 students. Summer birthdays will be announced in May. It is school policy that birthday party invitations are not to be passed out at school.
Page 2
We are very lucky to have two teacher assistants (T.A.’s) in first grade. Your child will spend quite a bit of time with both T.A.’s. Their names are Mrs. Monica Taylor, and Mrs. Michelle Baldwin.
Communication is very important for a successful year for your child. I hope that you will contact me with any questions or concerns that you might have. I can be reached by phone at school from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm. You can email me at school. My address is: [email protected]. I love to communicate by email, if that works for you. You can also just send a note in your child’s GO folder if there is something you need for me to know!
There is lots of information in this letter. Try to get all forms that need to be returned back as soon as possible. It is going to be a great year. I’m so glad to be a part of all the special things that happen during your child’s first grade year!
God Bless You!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Lisa Wilson
Page 3
Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you all have a special day with those you love! The students really enjoyed “Spirit Week”. Our class had great participation. The students had a great time at The Race for Education!
In the GO folder on Thursday, I sent home the list of sight words to practice for the 4th quarter. The students will be tested next Monday. Thanks for your help.
On Tuesday, May 16th from 2:35-3:15 we will be having our end of the year “program” in our classroom. Unfortunately, we will not be able to have siblings who are in school come to the program. The classroom is really not large enough for everyone. Thanks for understanding! If you are coming, please check in at the office first.
We were supposed to have our last math facts test on Friday. We were so busy we didn’t have time. We will have the test on Monday.
Please continue to work on math facts over the summer. Other math skills to work on are; telling time to the hour and half-hour, and counting money (coins).
We will have another spelling test next week.
Next week, please check your child’s backpack and GO folder frequently. I will probably start sending some things home for you to keep at home.
Friday, May 19th, we are having a special “Read-In” day. The students will be reading much of the day. Look for a note with more information to come home next week.
I am looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday afternoon!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
4-21-23
Happy Earth Day! Our saint for this month is St. Francis of Assissi. He was well known for his love of nature and animals. The students have loved learning about different saints this year.
We will be having “Science Olympics” on Monday morning. The students will be rotating in small groups to a variety of science “experiments”. Thank you to those parents who volunteered to help send items and also for volunteering to be here to help.
There is not a new list of sight words to practice in the Friday folder today.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 1st. If you have not returned the signed form and money, please do so by Monday, April 24th. I will be sending a note with details about the field trip next week. I will also send a separate email to parents who have volunteered to go.
We have a partner mass scheduled on Wednesday, May 3rd. We are partners with the 7th grade. After our mass we are going to have donuts and juice boxes. We need some volunteers to send donuts and juice boxes. Here is a link to the sign up genius site.https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DA8A62AA0FD0-donuts Thank you so much for your help!
Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 16th at 2:30-3:15. We will be having an end of the year “program” in our classroom. More details will be coming soon.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The students did a great job at mass on Wednesday. It was so nice for them to show their love for God in this way.
Next week is appreciation week for our staff and teachers. We are going to be celebrating our wonderful teacher assistants on Thursday, April 20th. We will make something for them in the classroom, but if you would like to send something special for them, it will be on that day. Our TA’s in first grade are Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Baldwin. All of the students work with both of these TA’s. Thanks!
There is a new list of sight words to practice in the Friday folder. You can find your child’s math facts test in the GO folder today.
We will be having “Science Olympics” on Monday, April 24th. There is still time to sign up to send needed items or to help with the activities. Let me know by Monday if you can help.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 1st. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. The form for volunteers was due today.
The student’s permission forms will be sent home on Monday. The form and money are due back to school by next Friday, April 21st. The cost is $13.00. Unfortunately, zoo passes cannot be used for school field trips.
Friday, April 21st is an optional dress down day with donations being given to support the parish festivals at both St. Pius X church and St. Leo church.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
3-17-23
Today is the end of the 3rd quarter. Time is going by so quickly! The students were busy working on some assessments. There are not a lot of papers in the Friday folder this week. One of the things they did was write a story about catching a leprechaun in our classroom. They worked hard and did such an amazing job! These stories will not be sent home until the report cards go home on March 27th. You can ask them to tell you about the story.
The 1st-3rd grade music program is next week. I am separately emailing the note from Mrs. Fleming about the program. The students will perform on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon for school students and on Thursday night for families. There is an invitation in the Friday folder today for grandparents to attend Thursday afternoon if they would like to come. Students need to wear costumes to school on Wednesday and Thursday. The first graders need to be back at school Thursday evening at 6:40. They should come to our classroom. The only entrances that will be open are the gym and by the parish center.
1st Grade Girls Attire
The 1st grade girls are Chorus Line Cows in the musical, so we ask that they wear any combination of black and white. This could be black pants and a white shirt, all black attire, a black and white dress, etc. If shirts have logos/images, we just ask that you turn them inside out. A cow mask and red tutu will be provided for them to wear for the performance and it must be left with the student’s homeroom teacher at the end of the evening performance.
1st Grade Boys Attire
The 1st grade boys are funky chickens in the musical, so we ask that they wear a plain white t-shirt and their navy school pants. If shirts have logos/images, we just ask that you turn them inside out. A chicken mask and black sunglasses will be provided for them to wear for the performance and it must be left with the student’s homeroom teacher at the end of the evening performance.
Next Friday is a dress down day for a donation to support the library and upcoming book fair.
We are out of kleenex, again! If you could send some to school, that would be great!
The math facts test is in the GO folder today.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 1st. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. You can find information about the training on the Omaha Archdiocese website.
The students may bring colored pencils, if they would like. This is optional. If you send them, a box of 12 or 24 is best. More than that is not necessary.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Thanks to all who have sent in the Race for Education labels, so far! The completed labels are due back to school by Friday, March 3rd. If you have any questions, let me know.
A packet of words to practice for the 3rd quarter was sent home on Thursday with your child. The puppet show the students made for the story “Did You See Chip?” is in the Friday folder. It is a good idea to have your child use it to retell you the story.
As a reminder, on Mondays, I will not be sending home a worksheet for Monday Math homework. Instead, the students are going to be working on memorizing addition facts every day (Monday through Thursday), at home. The tests will be on Fridays. I put the test from today in your child’s GO folder. It either says “passed” or “try again”. If it says “try again”, then the child will be working on the same facts for the next week. If your child did not bring the signed practice sheet, please send it on Monday.
We will be working on a lot of different assessments next week preparing for the end of the 3rd quarter. It is not for a few weeks, but with Spring Break coming up, we need to plan ahead.
The first and third grade students will be performing a music program on Thursday evening, March 23rd at 7:00 for families. The first grade students are the singers and the third grade students do the speaking parts. They actually do afternoon performances on Wednesday, March 22 and Thursday, March 23rd for the school students. You will be getting much more information about this from the music teacher, Mrs. Fleming. It is always a super cute program.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 1st. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. You can find information about the training on the Omaha Archdiocese website.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely, Mrs. Wilson
Catholic Schools Week starts January 29th. There are some special things planned for next week. The school is having a paper drive! Paper is really needed at this time.
These are the things that are planned for next week:
Monday: Time with our 7th grade partners AND the students may dress down!
Tuesday: The Amazing Arthur performance
Wednesday: 2 school masses at St. Pius 8:30 (A-L) 10:00 (M-Z) Please see my email from Friday morning regarding details.
Thursday: A visit from a police dog and Rosary decade on the intercom at the end of the day praying for vocations
Friday: Drama club performance for students
For our Valentine’s celebration, the students are allowed to bring Valentines for their classmates. They don’t have to bring any if they choose not to. It is optional, but if they bring them, they must bring one for every child in the class. It’s really good practice for the student to write the name of who it’s to and from. It is okay to send candy along with it, as long as they are individually wrapped. Your child should not bring a valentine box. I have something that we will make at school for this.
For those of you who like to plan ahead, the field trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo is Monday, May 1st. I don’t need to know yet if you want to volunteer. If you do want to volunteer, you have to have the Safe Environment training.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It turned out to be an extra short week of school with a snow day! I am not sending Friday folders home today. We will also use the same list for spelling next week.
I hope you enjoyed looking through your child’s portfolio and the report card. If you have not returned it to school, please do so by Monday, January 23rd
The students have been learning about the author and illustrator, Jan Brett. We will continue next week. Her books are some of my favorites. She has a website that is amazing. If you are interested you can visit it at: www.janbrett.com.
Catholic Schools Week is the week of January29-February 3. There are many activities planned. There are two masses at St. Pius X church for all students/parents to be able to go. The mass for last names A-L is at 8:30 on Wednesday, February 1st. The mass for last names M-Z is at 10:00 also on Wednesday. You will be able to sit with your child at this mass. A request for families that would like to be “ministers” at mass is in the GO folder today. This is optional; you are not required to help if you are unable.
Two big things are coming up in February that you can start thinking about. First is the 100th Day of First Grade. Hurray! On Monday, I will send a note home with a ziploc bag for the student’s collection of 100 things. It will explain everything to you. They will not be dressing like an elderly person. It will be a regular uniform day.
Second is Valentine’s Day.
*Valentines are optional! However, if your child decides to bring them, he or she must bring one for everyone in the class.
*Students must write who it is to, and from. Please email me if you need a list.
*We are making special bags here at school to put our valentines in, so your child doesn’t need a decorated valentine box.
If your child wears boots to school, he/she must bring regular uniform shoes to wear during the day. They may change into the boots for recess and dismissal, if they choose.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Wilson
Happy New Year! We are settling back into the swing of things. It’s nice to get back to a “normal” routine.
There is no school for students on Monday, January 16th.
Beginning today, on the back of the spelling test, I will give a dictation sentence that is also “graded”. I will try to use as many spelling words as I can but I am also looking for the following things in the sentence: words spelling correctly using our phonics skills/rules learned, capital letters and lower-case letters used correctly, and punctuation. Sentence writing is an important skill that we have been working on a lot. You can reinforce these skills at home.
Next Tuesday, January 17th, your child will bring home the report card and portfolio. Everything that is in the portfolio will need to be returned to school by next Friday, January 20th.
The students will be learning about the author and illustrator, Jan Brett next week. She is a very talented person. She has a website that is amazing. If you are interested you can visit it at: www.janbrett.com.
I sent an email with a link for a sign up for Winter fun activities. If you are interested in signing up, I have included a link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DA8A62AA0FD0-winter
Have a nice long weekend!
Mrs. Wilson
This is my last letter for 2022! It has been more like a “normal” school year than the last few years. I hope that 2023 brings you all good things.
The students enjoyed making Christmas crafts and projects the last few weeks. We have been like busy elves in Santa’s workshop.
I did not send the Friday folders home today, but I will send them on Monday.
On Monday the students may bring a board game(non-electronic) to school for a special activity with Mrs. Chattin.
On Tuesday, December 20th, school will dismiss at 12:00. There will be no lunch served that day.
The students will come back to school on Thursday, January 5th. The end of the quarter is January 6th.
A few things for everyone to work on at home: tying shoes, zipping coats, taking off sweatshirts. The students should be able to do these things independently. Thanks for your help with this!
I wish all of you the most special and holy Christmas. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.
Merry Christmas!
Mrs. Wilson
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families! I know that I enjoyed having my family home for a few days!
There is a list of sight words in the Friday folder today. Please be on the lookout for it. Thank you for practicing the words with your student.
The diaper drive continues until Monday, December 5th.
On Thursday I sent a note asking for a few things:
*one of them is empty toilet paper/paper towel rolls for a project for Christmas. Each child will need 12, but please send any that you have by Monday, December 12th.
*any old Christmas cards with religious scenes
*buttons of any size
*it also asked for parents to do various things
Please return the note by Monday, December 5th.
Mass is on Thursday, December 8th at 10:00 for grades K-4. It is a holy day.
Next Friday, December 9th, there is no school for students.
Next week is Gingerbread week. We will be reading a variety of books and doing activities with them.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
There is no school on Monday, November 14th.
I’m not sure I’m ready for cold weather, but ready or not, it’s coming anyway! This is a reminder to make sure your child is prepared to go outside almost every day, if possible. The students should have a warm coat (not just a hoodie or sweatshirt), gloves and a hat. We will not go outside if the windchill is 10 degrees or below, or if it is snowing hard or raining. If we get lots of snow, you may want to send boots with your child to prevent cold, wet feet. There were many children who were cold during recess today. Thank you for your support with this.
Next we are doing an author study of Mo Willems. If you are not already familiar with his books, I’m sure you will be after next week. Some of the books he writes are “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” and other pigeon adventures, The “Elephant and PIggie” books, and many others. A lot of his books are perfect for first graders to read by themselves or with a little help, so they love them.
I did not send a list of sight words to practice this week. I will send it next week. Our story this week reminded us of “The Little Red Hen”, so we read several versions of the story. The students made a puppet show to retell the story. It was sent home with the Friday folders this week.
The school is having a food drive for a local pantry. Students are asked to bring non-perishable food items next week; through November 18th. One suggestion to maybe try, is have your child do something to “earn” the food item they will donate. Ideas might include; setting or clearing the table for dinner, reading to a little brother or sister, helping take out the trash, or raking leaves. This is just an idea to try to make it “personal” for the child.
Today in your child’s GO folder is a project that we really need your help with for science. We are learning about the sun, moon and stars. The best way to learn about the phases of the moon is by observing the moon each night for five weeks. The directions are very clear about what to do. The first night starts this Sunday, November 13th. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Next week there is no school next Friday, October 28th and the following Monday, October 31st and Tuesday November 1. Because of the short week next week I will not send home Friday folders, but we will have a spelling test.
The school calendar states that report cards will be sent home on Monday. First grade does not give report cards for the first quarter, so your child won’t be getting one. I will go over things with you at parent teacher conferences on Thursday.
Thursday is a dress down day for students. Costumes are not allowed.
For the parent teacher conferences, there is a pretty tight time schedule. I will only be able to spend about 10-12 minutes with you. I will do my best to be on time!
The Eric Carle author/illustrator study was very exciting for the students. We did a lot of projects that stayed at school. You will get to see them when you come to school on Friday.
Please remember to send a water bottle with your student every day. Many students have been forgetting to bring one. We only have a refill station, not a drinking fountain.
The fundraiser is this Saturday. I hope to see some of you there!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Today is the end of the first quarter of the school year. Every year, I’m so surprised at how quickly the days fly by. The students have been working so hard these past weeks.
I hope you all enjoyed the fall collage projects. They always turn out to be so cool. The students also wrote the steps of “how to make a fall collage”. I am using this to assess the students’ writing skills for the first quarter. You will get to see this when we meet for parent-teacher conferences. Conferences are scheduled for Friday, October 28th.
There is another packet of sight words or “words of the week” in your child’s Friday folder. Thank you for practicing the words with your child. They will be tested over them soon. I will let you know when that will be.
Next week we are doing our first author/illustrator study of Eric Carle. I hope your child will tell you about some of the things we are doing at school. In the GO folder today is a note about a project we will be doing next Friday. Please look for the note.
If your child has not returned the homework about my Halloween costume, please send it on Monday. These students have very creative ideas!
I would like each child to send a candy wrapper for a special project. Please make sure it is in very good condition. If your child doesn’t eat candy, you can send a “treat” wrapper. Please have them at school by Wednesday, October 19th.
It is a good idea to send your child to school with a jacket or hoodie for wear for recess. It can be windy and chilly some days.
We have been learning about Nouns; can you believe that? We made a town of nouns called “Noun Town”. I will post a photo on the Facebook page when it is finished.
A reminder that the 1A students will be the helpers at mass on Wednesday, November 2nd. The mass starts at 8:30 and should be over by 9:15. You are welcome to attend.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
In your child’s Friday folder, you will find our first packet of sight words to practice with your child at home. There is a note stapled to it, so you know what it is. Your help is greatly appreciated.
The field trip is Monday, October 3rd. Detailed information about the field trip was sent home on Thursday. Here are some reminders:
There is no school on Friday, October 7th.
The pumpkins will remain at school for a few days after the field trip. We have planned several activities for the students to do with the pumpkin they picked. It’s going to be a very fun week. I will post pictures of our activities on our Facebook page.
The school fundraiser is coming up on October 22nd. It is a great chance to meet other parents and have a nice night out. It is at Creighton Prep high school. There is more information on the school website about tickets.
For planning purposes, I wanted to give you plenty of advance notice, that our class will get to be the helpers at mass on Wednesday, NOVEMBER 2nd. Each child will have a job; such as being in the choir, reading, taking up “the gifts” or being a greeter. This is always a very special mass for them. You are invited to come to mass, but you are not required to be there. It starts at 8:30 and will be over by 9:15. If you do come to mass, please sit in the side pews or in the back.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It was a very busy week in first grade! I hope your child tells you about some of the things that we have been doing.
The book order is due on Monday. Thanks so much to all who have ordered. We earn points for free books for the classroom.
Today in the Friday folder you will find your child’s graded spelling test. I count the number of words correct out of 10. I count the bonus words as extra points. I also do not count backward letters wrong. If I cannot tell what a letter is, I do count it wrong. I also give a handwriting (HW) grade. It will be an M, P or N. These are the grades we use in first grade. M=most of the time, P=part of the time or N=not yet. This grade is based on the size of the letters and whether they tried to use the lines to guide their letters.
The request for parent volunteers for our field trip must be returned by Wednesday, September 21st. Remember that you must be current in the safe environment training.
The actual field trip form will be sent home on Tuesday. It is due back to school with the money on the 26th of September. `
There is no school on Friday, September 23rd, so the spelling test next week is on Thursday.
Some of the things we are learning/reviewing are: Religion; Our parish churches. Phonics/spelling; letters and sounds, short vowel a. Reading: Retelling important events in a story, sight words. Math; we are finishing number sense and starting addition next week. Science; health/germs. Social studies; Being a good citizen/following rules.
Some of you have asked about an Amazon wish list or items needed for the classroom. I don’t have a wishlist, but there are some items that we need. Ink cartridges for a color printer and money or gift cards to cover the cost of printing photos. I usually do this at Walgreens, I print many pictures during the school year to post on our wall. The students will turn them into a timeline of the school year. If you are interested in helping with either of these needs, just let me know. It will be greatly appreciated!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
We made it through our first full week of school! That is a big accomplishment for all of us.
Thank you for helping your child remember to bring a water bottle every day!
The students have been busy doing some “getting to know you” activities. They are also learning many, many procedures and routines. I sent the Friday folder home today. There are not many papers in the folder. Please look them over with your child, keep the papers at home. The folder needs to come back on Monday, along with the poetry book.
The first graders will start going to weekly mass almost every Wednesday morning. I am so excited for them to get to go to mass with our class and our school. It really builds a sense of community when they see others at mass. Again, if you have any questions about this, please let me know. We will go to mass this Wednesday, August 31st at 8:30.
I am excited to see all of you at our 1st grade parent meeting. It is Thursday, September 1st at 7:00. It says on the school calendar that the meeting will be from 7-8:30. I can promise you that I will not talk that long. We should be done around 8:00. However, I will stick around to answer any questions afterward. The meeting is in our classroom, 1A. Thank you for taking the time to come find out some important information regarding your child’s year in 1st grade.
The beach party got postponed until Monday, August 29th. Of course it was raining during our “party time”. The beach party is to celebrate a really successful start to our school year. The students are allowed to bring some books and sunglasses from home. I let the students keep the beach towel at school over the weekend. We are obviously not going to the beach, but we are pretty good at using our imaginations! We will go to the grassy area by the parish center. We will spend some time reading and playing some games.
Thank you all for an amazing start to our school year! Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
August 2022
Dear 1A parents:
I would like to welcome you to our classroom. My name is Mrs. Lisa Wilson and I am your child’s teacher. I am very excited for this school year. It will be a very special year filled with learning, love and laughter. Please take the time to read through this letter to find some important information. We are going to work very hard to try to get back to a “typical” school year.
I would like to tell you a little information about me. I have been teaching for 29 years. All but two of those years have been at SPSL, and most of the years have been in first grade. I have a husband, Blake and four children. My children went to school at SPSL. The oldest is married and lives in Kansas City. Two of my children are teachers in Omaha. The youngest also lives in Omaha and is an accountant. I also have one dog, and three “grand-dogs”. Our family loves dogs, the Huskers, and the Chicago Cubs.
School picture day is MONDAY, August 22nd. In the packet you got at Open House you will find a form with information to order pictures and what to have your child wear for this “dress up” day.
Please make sure that your child has all of the supplies needed for our grade. Check with your child periodically throughout the year to see if anything needs to be replaced. I also ask that no mechanical pencils or the ones with several lead pieces be brought to school. If there are any other supplies that need to be purchased, I will send a note home. As supplies and other things are sent to school, please, please, please be sure to label all items! Especially sweatshirts!
Your child will have some homework this year. The students will be working very hard to learn addition and subtraction facts to memory. Your help at home will be needed with this. Eventually, spelling lists will be sent home to practice for spelling tests. It is important for your first grader to spend a little time reading at home every day. There will also be “sight words” to practice reading that will be sent home.
We are very lucky to have two teacher assistants (T.A.’s) in first grade. Your child will spend quite a bit of time with both T.A.’s. Their names are Mrs. Monica Taylor, and Mrs. Michelle Baldwin.
The students will be using a daily take home folder. It is a green “GO” folder that will be sent home starting on the first day of school. In the GO folder, you can expect any notes or information from the office or me, as well as homework. The other really important paper in the GO folder is a behavior chart and calendar. The behavior chart will inform you of your child’s choices at school each day. Please initial the calendar each day and leave it in the GO folder. If there is anything else to sign and return, please put it right back in the folder. Some days, it may not have anything in it, except for the calendar. It will need to be returned to school every day!
We will also be using a “Friday folder”. It will be used for any work that was completed during the week. It will need to be emptied and returned the following Monday. I write a weekly newsletter, which I will email to each of you and it will be available on the school website. I write this newsletter to help keep you informed of special happenings in our classroom, and reminders of special school events. Please don’t put notes for me or the office in the Friday folder, as I do not check them as frequently as the GO folder.
Each student will have the opportunity to be the Star of the Week. This is your child’s chance to share all of the things that make him/her unique, and to learn about others in the class. I will send a paper to complete with your child when it is his/her turn.
Student birthdays are announced on the intercom. Your child may bring treats to share with the class, but it is optional. The treats must be individually wrapped. We have 20 students. Summer birthdays will be announced in May. It is school policy that birthday party invitations are not to be passed out at school. School directories will be available to purchase from the office soon.
I will be setting up a classroom Facebook page. When it is ready I will send out a permission form and get your information to invite you to join the group.
Communication is very important for a successful year for your child. I hope that you will contact me with any questions or concerns that you might have. I can be reached by phone at school from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm. You can email me at school. My address is: [email protected]. I love to communicate by email, if that works for you. You can also just send a note in your child’s GO folder if there is something you need for me to know!
There is lots of information in this letter. Try to get all forms that need to be returned back as soon as possible. It is going to be a great year. I’m so glad to be a part of all the special things that happen during your child’s first grade year!
God Bless You!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Lisa Wilson
This is my final newsletter of the school year. It’s so unbelievable that our year is almost over!
The students did a terrific job at our end of the year program. It was so nice to see so many of you there!
There are some important things happening next week:
Monday, May 23rd, the students will be cleaning out their desks and bringing home most of their supplies. Each student should bring a paper grocery bag and a disposable rag for cleaning.
Tuesday, May 24th, is our FUN DAY! It is a dress down day for the 1st graders. On Tuesday, I will send home the student portfolios. You may keep it.
Wednesday, May 25th is the last day of school. We have mass outside in the south parking lot at 9:15. The first graders will be sitting on the ground. Please send a beach towel for your child to sit on. School will dismiss at 11:00. Your child will bring home the report card.
You should keep the Friday folders, poetry books, and anything else that comes home with your child.
This has been a great year! Thank you for all of your support this year. I hope you all have a wonderful summer!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The students really enjoyed “Spirit Week”! There are pictures on the class FaceBook page for you to see some highlights of the week. The Race for Education is always a fun day, too. There are so many things happening during this time of year.
There is another new list of sight words to practice in the Friday folder.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 9th. There is a note with all the information you need to know in your child’s GO folder today. It is a dress down day and students need to bring a sack lunch. It’s going to be a really great day! Parent volunteers please look for the note I sent home in the GO folder for you, also.
Thursday, May 12th is Mission Day. The first graders will be talking about and doing some recycling projects around the school with their 7th grade partners. It is a dress down day, also. I sent a note home on Thursday requesting some things for this project.
There is no school on Friday, May 13th. We will not be doing a math facts test, or a spelling test next week.
A math skill your child is working on is counting money. This is something that students really need to practice to get better. And, everyone has coins at home to practice with. Start by asking what each coin is and how much it’s worth. Some kids are not very familiar with the coins, their names and value. When counting coins start with pennies and nickels, then pennies and dimes. Then those three coins together. It’s just really “counting up”. Eventually, add quarters and do the same. I used to practice with my own children at restaurants while waiting for our food. The other thing to remember is; you don’t need very much time in one sitting to practice. This would be great to practice over the summer, as well as addition and subtraction facts, and telling time. These are important life skills. If you need more ideas, let me know.
Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 17th at 2:40-3:15. We will be having an end of the year “program” in our classroom.
Have a wonderful weekend! Happy Mother’s Day to all moms out there!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
What an awesome performance by our first and third graders on Thursday! The students worked so hard this week. It was really the first “program” for these kids, and they were so excited! It was so good to be able to have a program and have parents come. I will post some pictures on the Facebook page.
Next week is a short week so we will not be doing a spelling test, math facts test, Friday folders or a Friday letter. I will send the math fact bags home after Easter. There will be a test that Friday.
There is no school Wednesday, April 13th-Monday, April 18th for Easter. I hope you enjoy some special time with your family.
For religion we have been talking about the Stations of the Cross. They are making a book to go along with it. As you go to mass this weekend for Palm Sunday, I hope your child will say “oh yeah, we’re talking about this at school”.
This week the students learned about the author and illustrator, Janet Stevens. Her books are not as well known as some of the others we have studied. Because of the author study, we do not have a new list of sight words to practice this week.
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 9th. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. You can find information about the training on the Omaha Archdiocese website. After Easter, I will be sending home a form asking for volunteers.
Just to remind you that parents, guests are allowed at mass now. You are asked to sit in the back in the chairs. Our class will get to be the helpers at mass on April 27th at 8:30. I wanted to give you time to plan ahead if you would like to come.
I wish you a very holy and blessed Easter.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Today is the end of the 3rd quarter. Time is going by so quickly! The students were busy working on some assessments. There are not a lot of papers in the Friday folder this week. One of the things they did was write a story about catching a leprechaun in our classroom. They worked hard and did such an amazing job! These stories will not be sent home until the report cards go home on March 28th. You can ask them to tell you about the story.
The first grade and third grade have a music program together. It is on April 7th at 7:00. Your child will need to be at the evening program. They have been working on their songs a lot! I wanted to make sure that you were aware. More information from the music teachers is going to be sent home next week.
The students have a flier for the book fair. It doesn’t actually start until March 27th. Friday, March 25th is an optional dress down day with the donations helping to support the school library.
The math facts test is also in the GO folder today. I am missing many students’ math facts bags. It is so helpful for me, if you initial the practice sheet, and send back the bag every Friday.
Starting next week, March 21st, the student council is sponsoring a “penny/change drive” for the family of Jimmy Moran, a fourth grade student at SPSL, who has been diagnosed with cancer. I think an email will be sent from the office about this.
**with money being sent for dress down day on Friday, and money for the Morans, please make sure to put a note and tell your child what it is for. The students can get confused!
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 9th. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. You can find information about the training on the Omaha Archdiocese website.
I told the students that they may bring colored pencils, if they would like. This is optional. If you send them, a box of 12 or 24 is best. More than that is not necessary.
Have a wonderful break!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Thanks to all who have sent in the Race for Education labels, so far! The completed labels are due back to school by Friday, March 4th. If you have any questions, let me know.
There is a packet of words to practice in the Friday folder this week. The puppet show the students made for the story “Did You See Chip?” is in the folder also.
As a reminder, on Mondays, I will not be sending home a worksheet for Monday Math homework. Instead, the students are going to be working on memorizing addition facts every day (Monday through Thursday), at home. The tests will be on Fridays. I put the test from today in your child’s GO folder. It either says “mastered” or “try again”. If it says “try again”, then the child will be working on the same facts for the next week. Please send the bags back to school on Fridays. I put the wrong day on the label on the bag. It said Thursdays instead of Fridays. If your child did not bring the bag or the signed practice sheet, please send both of them on Monday.
Our author study on Kevin Henkes is off to a good start. Some of the projects are hanging up in the hall, so they won’t be sent home for a while. His books have great lessons for kids; in storybook form.
I sent home the information for you to have your child work on “IXL” at home. It’s a great way to reinforce concepts in Math and Reading.
Our supply of copy paper is running very low. If you could send some to school, it would be greatly appreciated!
The first grade field trip to the zoo is scheduled for Monday, May 9th. If you would like to volunteer to help supervise a small group of students, you will need to have current Safe Environment training. You can find information about the training on the Omaha Archdiocese website.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely, Mrs. Wilson
The first graders had another very exciting week. We celebrated the 100th day of school! Hurray! We also got to exchange Valentines. We even got to meet our 7th grade partners. What a week! If you have not checked our classroom Facebook page recently, you should. There are lots of good pictures.
There is no school on Friday, February 11th and Monday, February 14th.
On Tuesday, February 15th, the students will be getting a loaf of soda bread. The envelopes were sent home today in the student’s GO folders. An email from the office will be sent explaining what needs to be done.
Please send the envelopes back to school with a donation on Tuesday.
I sent home a “time capsule” envelope with your child this week. It is basically some papers that the students completed about things that they like as a first grader on 2/2/22. The idea is to keep it somewhere special and open it on 3/3/33, which should be during their senior year of high school.
Have a nice, long weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It was a very special week for the students and staff! I am blessed beyond words to get to spend my days with your children. Thank you for sending them to SPSL!
Next week is a short week. School will dismiss at noon on Thursday, February 10th. The students will have the spelling test on Thursday. I will not be sending home Friday folders. There is no school on Friday and Monday, February 11th and 14th.
For our Valentine’s celebration, the students are allowed to bring Valentines for their classmates. They don’t have to bring any if they choose not to. It is optional, but if they bring them, they must bring one for every child in the class. It’s really good practice for the student to write the name of who it’s to and from. I have included the names at the end of this letter. It is okay to send candy along with it, as long as they are individually wrapped. Please send the valentines by February 10th. We will exchange them that day. Your child should not bring a valentine box. I have something that we will make at school for this.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
1A students
Chris
Sophia
Drew
Hay Gay Eh
Jensen
Rosa
Addie
James
Korbyn
Zola
XuXa
Liam
Peter
Caroline
Greta
Henry
Evie
Kole
Willa
Mia
Frances
Briggs
Eva
TA’s
Mrs. Taylor
Mrs. Baldwin
Catholic Schools Week starts January 30th. There are some special things planned for next week.
These are the things that are planned for next week:
Monday: The students may dress down!
Tuesday: All-school virtual rosary
Wednesday: Omaha Street percussion performance
Thursday: Mass and donuts (unfortunately, parents are still not coming to mass, unless your child has a “reading” part.)
Friday: Drama club performance for students
There is another new set of sight words to practice with your child in the Friday folder today.
On Monday, your child will have a note for you to fill out and return. It is a conference request form. These conferences are “request only”. The first quarter, we conference with all parents. This time, it is not necessary to do this. Of course, I would love to see all of you again! So, if I request to see you about your child, you will need to fill out a time that works best for you. You can also request to meet with me if there is something you need to discuss. We can meet in person or virtually, it is your choice. Please return the form by next Friday, February 4th.
For our Valentine’s celebration, the students are allowed to bring Valentines for their classmates. They don’t have to bring any if they choose not to. It is optional, but if they bring them, they must bring one for every child in the class. It’s really good practice for the student to write the name of who it’s to and from. It is okay to send candy along with it, as long as they are individually wrapped. Please send the valentines by February 10th. We will exchange them that day. Your child should not bring a valentine box. I have something that we will make at school for this.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
1A Weekly News
1-21-22
We have a lot of things coming up in the next few weeks. Catholic Schools Week starts January 30th. Our 100th day of first grade and Valentine’s Day are right around the corner.
In the Friday folder today you will find a new set of sight words to practice with your child at home. This week on the back of the spelling test I gave them a “dictation sentence”. I am looking for spelling words correctly, spaces, capital letters used correctly and punctuation. They should be doing these things when they write any sentences now.
I sent home a bag with a note about a collection of 100 things on Thursday. Please see the note for details. The bag is due back to school on Monday, January 24th. The 100th day isn’t for a while, but we like to have it ahead of time to start some activities.
Each student will need to bring a shoebox for a special project next Tuesday. If you have extras, you can send them. We can always use them.
For our Valentine’s celebration, the students are allowed to bring Valentines for their classmates. They don’t have to bring any if they choose not to. It is optional, but if they bring them, they must bring one for every child in the class. It’s really good practice for the student to write the name of who it’s to and from. I have included the names at the end of this letter. It is okay to send candy along with it, as long as they are individually wrapped. Please send the valentines by February 10th. We will exchange them that day. Your child should not bring a valentine box. I have something that we will make at school for this.
I know I’ve said it a lot, but please make sure your child is able to tie shoes. I’m also noticing a lot of masks not being worn correctly and I have to give many reminders. Please make sure your child has a mask that fits correctly. If you could give reminders to your child about wearing it correctly, that would be helpful. I realize that it is not the most fun thing in the world, and we are all getting tired of wearing masks.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
1A students
Chris
Sophia
Drew
Hay Gay Eh
Jensen
Rosa
Addie
James
Korbyn
Zola
XuXa
Liam
Peter
Caroline
Greta
Henry
Evie
Kole
Willa
Mia
Frances
Briggs
Eva
TA’s
Mrs. Taylor
Mrs. Baldwin
This is my last letter for 2021! It has been an interesting year, that’s for sure. I hope that 2022 brings you all good things.
The students enjoyed making some Christmas gifts for you in the last few weeks. We have been like busy elves in Santa’s workshop.
The students will come back to school on Tuesday, January 4th. The end of the quarter is January 7th.
I did not send the Friday folders home with the students today. The spelling “test” from today is in the GO folder today.
A few things for everyone to work on at home: tying shoes, zipping coats, taking off sweatshirts. The students should be able to do these things independently. Thanks for your help with this!
I wish all of you the most special and holy Christmas. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.
Merry Christmas!
Mrs. Wilson
December is my favorite month of the year. The students love learning about the birth of Jesus and how truly special Christmas is. They are also making good progress toward becoming more independent learners.
Next week I will not send home Friday folders. I will send things home as we finish them, especially lots of Christmas projects. I did not have time to correct the spelling tests from today (Friday). I will send them home on Monday.
We will have a spelling unit next week, but it is for FUN! It will not be counted as a grade, so you don’t have to worry if some of the words are hard.
Thank you to everyone who brought diapers! I am so amazed by the generosity of this school community! The students brought in 5,920 diapers to donate! It will be so helpful for these families!
The first grade will get to watch the 2nd/4th grade program/musical on Wednesday, December 15th. It will be fun to see a school program!
Friday, December 17th is a dress down day for students!
A few things for everyone to work on at home: tying shoes, zipping coats, taking off sweatshirts. The students should be able to do these things independently. Thanks for your help with this!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families! I know that I enjoyed having my family home for a few days!
The students did a great job at mass on Wednesday. I was so impressed with how excited they were! I did post some pictures and videos on Facebook.
There is a list of sight words in the Friday folder today. Please be on the lookout for it. It will be the last list before Christmas, so you will have lots of time to practice.
Thanks to all who donated food for the food drive. Our class was so close to winning, but we were a little short. Thanks again!
Now we are having a diaper drive, which is being organized by 1st grade and the student council. Any diaper donations would be greatly appreciated! Please send them to school by Thursday, December 9th.
The students will need empty toilet paper/paper towel rolls for a project for Christmas. Please send any that you have by next Monday, December 13th.
Next Friday, December 10th, the students are dismissed at noon. No lunch will be served.
When you have finished the moon observation project for science, you should send it back to school.
We are so lucky to have had such nice weather this week!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Thanksgiving is coming up so quickly! There is no school Wednesday-Friday, November 24-26th. Let’s hope we can all stay healthy! Since it is a short week, we will not have a spelling test, I will not send Friday folders, or a newsletter.
This week we had an author study of Mo Willems. I hope you enjoyed hearing about Pigeon, Elephant and Piggie, and maybe even Knuffle Bunny. A lot of his books are perfect for first graders to read by themselves or with a little help, so they love them.
There is a list of sight words in the Friday folder today.
The school is having a food drive for a local pantry. Students are asked to bring non-perishable food items the week of November 15-23rd. One suggestion to maybe try, is have your child do something to “earn” the food item they will donate. Ideas might include; setting or clearing the table for dinner, reading to a little brother or sister, helping take out the trash, or raking leaves. This is just an idea to try to make it “personal” for the child. The 1A students have brought in quite a few items already, but keep them coming, if you can!
Tuesday, November 23rd is a dress down day.
The 1A students get to be the helpers at mass on Wednesday, December 1st. They are very excited about this. Unfortunately, parents are still not able to join us for mass. Thank you for understanding.
I also want to remind you to try to keep up with the moon observation project. I know it’s easy to forget.
Sadly, we are not able to have as many things at our Friendship Feast on Monday. If you are supposed to send any type of bread, or muffins, you don’t need to this time. We will still have popcorn and juice boxes.
I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope you get to spend some time with loved ones. I am thankful for your children and for each of you. It is a blessing to get to spend my days with these precious children.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
I’m not sure I’m ready for cold and snow…but ready or not, it’s coming anyway! This is a reminder to make sure your child is prepared to go outside almost every day, if possible. The students should have a warm coat (not just a hoodie or sweatshirt), gloves and a hat. We will not go outside if the windchill is 10 degrees or below, or if it is snowing hard or raining. If we get lots of snow, you may want to send boots with your child to prevent cold, wet feet. There were many children who were cold during recess today. Thank you for your support with this.
Next we are doing an author study of Mo Willems. If you are not already familiar with his books, I’m sure you will be after next week. Some of the books he writes are “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” and other pigeon adventures, The “Elephant and PIggie” books, and many others. A lot of his books are perfect for first graders to read by themselves or with a little help, so they love them.
I did not send a list of sight words to practice this week. I will send it next week. Our story this week was called Boots for Beth. The students made a poster to help retell the story. They all worked very hard on this poster. We did a lot of it together. They should be able to retell the story to you using the poster.
The school is having a food drive for a local pantry. Students are asked to bring non-perishable food items next week, November 15-23rd. One suggestion to maybe try, is have your child do something to “earn” the food item they will donate. Ideas might include; setting or clearing the table for dinner, reading to a little brother or sister, helping take out the trash, or raking leaves. This is just an idea to try to make it “personal” for the child.
I also want to remind you to try to keep up with the moon observation project. I know it’s easy to forget.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
I loved getting to see and talk with everyone at parent-teacher conferences last week. Being able to meet in person is so nice! If you have not returned your child’s portfolio, please do so by Tuesday, November 9th.
The Friday folders are pretty full after not being sent home last week. There is a new list of sight words to practice with your child.
We had some fun with the story, The Little Red Hen this week. We read a variety of versions, and made a puppet show to retell the story. It is being sent home today.
Next week there is no school on Monday, November 8th.
On Wednesday, November 10th, the students may bring their favorite pair of shoes to school. They will not be wearing them all day, so have them bring them to school in their backpack and wear their regular shoes. They will get to wear them for part of the day. These shoes can be any shoes they want, flip flops, slippers, dress up shoes, soccer cleats, or just their regular school shoes. It is a day that we have PE, so make sure they have tennis shoes.
In science we have started a unit on the sun, moon, Earth and stars. A moon observation project (with directions) is in your child’s GO folder today. The first night to look at the moon is Sunday, November 7th.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Today is the end of the first quarter of the school year. Every year, I’m so surprised at how quickly the days fly by. The students have been working so hard these past weeks.
I hope you all enjoyed the fall collage projects. They always turn out to be so cool. The students also wrote the steps of “how to make a fall collage”. I am using this to assess the students’ writing skills for the first quarter. You will get to see this when we meet for parent-teacher conferences.
In your child’s GO folder today is an important paper about parent-teacher conferences. It tells your scheduled time for conferences. There is a portio
n of the page to sign and return. It is fairly self-explanatory, but please be on the lookout for it. Please complete and return it by Monday, October 18th. Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 28th.
So, I made a mistake…please don’t keep track of all of them! Ha ha ha! There is one more list of words to practice for the sight word test. I mistakenly thought last week was the last list. Please add these new words to the list. I have included a list of the sight words in your child’s Friday folder, just in case. Thank you for your help with this. The test will be Tuesday, October 19th.
The SPSL fundraiser is Saturday, October 16th at Creighton Prep. The fundraiser booklet was sent home last Friday. There are lots of things that you can “buy/bid on” without being present. We made a book for our class. You can buy breakfast with me and a friend, or be my assistant for part of the day. I think there is even an extra recess that can be purchased. I am looking forward to seeing some of you there!
Next week we are doing our first author/illustrator stud
y of Eric Carle. I hope your child will tell you about some of the things we are doing at school.
For our Halloween “party” we will not have any volunteers in the classroom. I am going to use the papers that I sent home to volunteer to send something for our pumpkin taste test, to send something for the party. There were many people who offered to se
nd something, so I will use the volunteers I didn’t use for pumpkin stuff. I hope this makes sense. If I ask you to send something, and you can’t do it, please let me know and I can find someone else. I will send those next week. Thanks!
If your child has not returned the homework about my Halloween costume, please send it on Monday.
I would like each child to send a candy wrapper for a special project. Please make sure it is in very good condition. If your child doesn’t eat candy, you can send a “treat” wrapper. Please have them at school by Wednesday, October 20th.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It was a very busy week in first grade! I hope your child tells you about some of the things that we have been doing.
I will be submitting the book order later tonight (Friday around 8:00), so if you haven’t ordered yet and still want to order books, you have some time. Thanks so much to all who have ordered. We earn points for free books for the classroom.
Today in the Friday folder you will find your child’s graded spelling test. I count the number of words correct out of 10. I count the bonus words as extra points. I also do not count backward letters wrong. If I cannot tell what a letter is, I do count it wrong. I also give a handwriting (HW) grade. It will be an M, P or N. These are the grades we use in first grade. M=most of the time, P=part of the time or N=not yet. This grade is based on the size of the letters and whether they tried to use the lines to guide their letters.
You will also find another packet of new sight words to practice with your child at home. There are fewer words this week. You don’t need to return this to school.
In your child’s GO folder today is the invitation to the school fundraiser.
Our Math book provides a practice page in addition to every page we do at school. I will sometimes give the students the option to take them home and do them. If they bring it home, it will be on the KEEP AT HOME side of the GO folder. It is a GREAT way to reinforce what we do. Do not send it back to school. However, on Mondays, there will be a Monday Math homework page that must be returned. It will be on the RETURN to SCHOOL side of the folder. It will look different than the pages from the book. It will usually be a photocopied page. If you’re unsure, you can have them do the page, send it to school, just in case.
The request for parent volunteers for our field trip must be returned by Wednesday, September 22nd. Remember that you must be current in the safe environment training.
The actual field trip form will be sent home next week. It is due back to school with the money on the 27th of September.
continued…
Our class checks out library books on Monday, so please help your child remember to return his/her book.
Thursday, September 23rd is a dress down day. For a donation to the school fundraiser, students may dress down.
There is no school on Friday, September 24th, so the spelling test next week is on Thursday.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
We made it through our first week of school! That is a big accomplishment for all of us.
Thank you for helping your child remember to bring a water bottle every day! I know that it’s hard to remember everything.
The students have been busy doing some “getting to know you” activities. They are also learning many, many procedures and routines. Being able to eat lunch in the cafeteria was a big deal for some of the students. Most of them had never eaten in the cafeteria before, since they ate in the classrooms last year. It’s becoming a little more
“normal” every day!
Picture Day is Tuesday, August 31st. The information and picture envelopes were sent home Thursday. Please return them on Monday, August 30th. It is a “dress-up” day for students. Please refer to the information sheet regarding appropriate attire for picture day. Shorts and jeans are not allowed. If you have any questions, please let me know.
The first graders will start going to weekly mass almost every Wednesday morning. I am so excited for them to get to go to mass with our class and our school. It really builds a sense of community when they see others at mass. Again, if you have any questions about this, please let me know. We will go to mass this Wednesday, September 1st at 8:30.
I am excited to see all of you at our 1st grade parent meeting. It is Thursday, September 2nd at 7:00. It says on the school calendar that the meeting will be from 7-8:30. I can promise you that I will not talk that long. We should be done around 8:00. However, I will stick around to answer any questions afterward. The meeting is in our classroom, 1A. Thank you for taking the time to come find out some important information regarding your child’s year in 1st grade.
Monday, August 30th, the first graders are having a BEACH PARTY! The beach party is to celebrate a really successful start to our school year. The students are allowed to bring some books and sunglasses from home. We will use the beach towels they brought for mass. We are obviously not going to the beach, but we are pretty good at using our imaginations! We will go to the grassy area by the parish center. We will spend some time reading and playing some games. Let’s hope for a nice day. If not, we may move it to Tuesday. I will let your child know if that happens.
Thank you all for an amazing start to our school year! Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
WOW! That’s about all I can say. The year is coming to a close so very quickly, too quickly, actually. The students have been working so hard, even in these last days of school.
Please look carefully through the Friday folder today and the portfolio when it comes home on Monday. There are some special things that you will want to see. You may keep the Friday folder and the poetry book at home.
I did send a new email with the edited video with the Reader’s Theater plays, and some special memories of first grade. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
We have been working on an author/illustrator study of Eric Carle. They made some very cool projects. I hope you enjoy looking at them. Have your child tell you all about him. He has a very unique style of illustrating.
Here is some information about next week:
Monday, May 24th is our FUN DAY! The students may dress down! Depending on the weather, you may want to apply sunscreen in the morning, and send some with your child, if necessary.
I will be sending the portfolios full of your child’s work for this school year. You do not need to return it. It’s yours to keep.
Tuesday, May 25th: Cleaning day! Please send a big brown grocery bag for your child’s supplies/books/etc. It is usually a pretty heavy bag, which is why the brown paper grocery bags work best. Also, if you could send a rag for cleaning, that would be great. It needs to be one that can be thrown away. I don’t send the wet ones home with them.
Wednesday, May 26th: Last day of school… School will dismiss at 11:00. We will go to mass, which is going to be outdoors. Please send a beach towel for your child to sit on. First grade will be sitting on the ground. Your child will also receive his/her report card this day.
This is my last newsletter for this school year. It’s been such a special year.
I will miss these children so much! You have all raised such beautiful children. They have been such a blessing to me.
Have a beautiful summer!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The students enjoyed “Spirit Week” so much! It was fun to see them dressed in the theme ideas. Thanks for helping the students participate. It was a busy week. The Race for Education was wet for us, but we all survived and had a pretty fun time!
We have been working very hard on the “Reader’s Theater” presentations this week. We recorded on Thursday. I can’t wait for you to see how great they all did! The video and email will be sent out sometime next week.
Reader’s Theater is a great way for students to use their voices and expression to show how great they have become at reading. It’s also nice because they don’t focus on memorizing their lines, they use a script. AND… there are no costumes required. YAY! The focus is simply on reading with fluency and expression.
I may start sending some things home a little at a time. Start checking backpacks and GO folders daily. You may keep anything at home that I send.
Don’t tell the students, but this was the last week for math fact tests. I will surprise them on Monday with “no homework”. We will have a spelling test, however.
PLEASE NOTE: on Monday, May 17th, we will be doing a painting project. I would like each student to bring a “paint shirt”. They could also bring items that will create a texture. Things like; plastic silverware, straws, a comb, golf ball, etc. These things will not be returned, as we are going to use them to paint and can’t possibly get all of the items washed. So, don’t send anything that you need to have returned. (The paint shirt will be sent home).
The painting project goes along with our author/illustrator study of Eric Carle.
On Friday, we will be having a special “READ-IN” day. The students will be reading all day. They get to bring sleeping bags or blankets and books. I will send a note home about this next week to remind you.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms on Sunday!
Today was “Mission Day”. First grade students made placemats for the Servants of Mary Motherhouse. This is the order of nuns who helped start our school. We also made a book for a special officer that we have been praying for. Lastly, there was a food drive for the parish pantries.
There is no school on Friday, May 7th.
In your child’s Friday folder there is the LAST list of sight words to practice! They will be tested on these words next week. Please practice all of the words that have been sent home this quarter.
Next week is Spirit Week. An email was sent home from the office about this special week. Here is the theme for what students may wear each day:
The first grade students will be going to mass again next Wednesday, May 12th.
Have a great three day weekend! Happy Mother’s Day!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
I really can’t believe that May is almost here. The days are flying by!
Thursday, May 6th is an optional dress-down day with a donation for the St. Pius and St. Leo parish festivals. I think more information was sent from the office about this.
Thursday is also our “Mission Day”. First grade students will be making placemats for the Servants of Mary Motherhouse. This is the order of nuns who helped start our school. We will also make cards for a special officer that we have been praying for. Lastly, a food drive will also be happening for the whole school. An email will be coming from the office regarding the food drive, also.
There is no school on Friday, May 7th. We will have our spelling test and math facts test on Thursday, May 6th.
In your child’s Friday folder there is a list of sight words to practice. There will only be one more list for this year.
Next week we will start practicing some Reader’s Theater plays. We will be perfecting these plays and performing them on video. We will do a few other things, too. The video will then be sent to you to enjoy. We usually have a special classroom celebration in May for parents called “Memories and Munchies”. This is when they would perform the plays and share memories. However, we can’t do it this year. So, we will do it at school and send it to you as a video. I will let you know when to expect it.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
This may be the shortest Friday letter I have ever written. There is not a lot to tell you this week.
There is not a list of vocabulary words for this week. You can just practice the ones you already have. We will have a list of words next week.
We will start the chapter on money next week. Please practice with your first grader at home.
Wednesday is “Staff Appreciation Day”. It’s our opportunity to thank all of the extra staff in our school that help make this school awesome. If you would like to send a card or something, our teacher assistants in first grade are Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Baldwin. I do not know what we would do without them. The students work with both of our assistants.
We celebrated Earth day this week. The students learned about recycling, reusing and reducing. Hopefully they came home and told you all about it (or maybe even gave you some tips).
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The students got to attend mass on Wednesday. They were so happy to go. It was a very nice mass. They were so well behaved. You can remind them how proud of them I am.
There is no school on Monday, April 19th.
We are currently working on telling time to the hour and half-hour in math. Please keep working on this at home with your child. We will finish that chapter next week. The following chapter is on money. The students will be expected to identify pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars. They also need to know what each is worth. By the end of the chapter, they should be able to count groups of mixed coins. The more help your child can get at home, the better. The only way to get better at counting money, is to practice with real money. This is something you can start working on now. You can work on it all summer long. It’s actually pretty easy to do at home. We used to do it with our kids at restaurants while waiting for our food. That might not work very well right now.
The students learned about Janet Stevens this week. They really enjoyed her style of illustrating.
The virtual book fair ends Thursday, April 22nd.
An email from the office regarding masks, will be sent home soon. It’s a reminder to make sure your child is wearing a mask as they enter the building each day. Also, each child should bring an extra mask in the backpack every day. They get sweaty, wet, etc. The office needs more masks, if you have any to donate.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It’s been a nice start for spring, thankfully. I hope you all had a very special Easter with your family. It has occurred to me that these students are really maturing all of a sudden. I LOVE this time of the school year with first graders. They are capable of doing so many amazing things. I am truly blessed to spend my days with them.
The Friday folders are positively packed full today. The work from last week and this week are in the folder. There are lots of good things to look for. You will find the weekly sight words to practice at home. There were no words last week.
Next week we will be working on an assessment project for Social Studies. It is the “Delightful Destination” brochure. Your child might be talking to you about it at home.
We also have our first mass in the church next Wednesday, April 14th. We have been watching mass through the live stream, and now we finally get to go. The students are pretty excited for this.
The students will learn about the author and illustrator, Janet Stevens next week. She writes the books; The Great Fuzz Frenzy, Tops and Bottoms, and lots of others. The students are not as familiar with her books as some of the other authors we’ve studied.
The virtual book begins Friday, April 9th-22nd. A flier was sent home with directions on how to order books. If you need additional information, let me know.
Please continue to practice the math flashcards that come home on Mondays. It’s really important to return the bag with the flashcards and the signed practice sheet on Fridays so I can prepare them for the next week.
We are finishing the chapter on geometry in Math. Our next chapter is telling time. It’s a great skill to practice at home.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The students came back to school excited to work on Monday. They were even more excited to play with friends from other classrooms at outside recess! However, Monday and Tuesday were rainy and they didn’t get to go outside.
Next week is a short week because of Holy Week. There is no school on Thursday, April 1-Monday, April 5th. I will not be sending Friday folders or a weekly newsletter. We will not have a spelling unit next week, either. You child will not be getting a new set of flashcards until after Easter.
We will actually be going into the church (yay) one day next week for the Stations of the Cross. Palm Sunday is this Sunday, already.
The students will bring home portfolios and report cards on Monday. Please look them over and return them by Wednesday, March 31st. This quarter flew by. Each student wrote a story about “Catching a Leprechaun in Our Classroom”. They did a great job. Please remember to send back everything that is in the portfolio.
Starting April 1st, students are allowed to wear uniform shorts, if they choose.
I hope you all have a blessed Easter.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Thank you to everyone who has sent in labels for the Race For Education fundraiser. You can still send in labels after March 5th, if you have additional addresses.
There is no school next week; March 8th-15th. Remote learning will begin on Tuesday, March 16th. It will be fairly similar to the week we had in January. Your child is bringing home a folder with all of the papers that he/she will need. They are in order by day. I have asked the students to please not take them out of the folder, so as not to mix them up. I am also sending home the blue literature book.
In the Friday folder are the word list pages or the “home school connection” pages for our sight words for this week’s story. This is the last set that will be on the 3rd quarter test. During the week of remote learning, the students will make a game to practice reading all of the words from this quarter. So, that will help you know what the words are, in case you have questions. The week after remote learning there will be a test over these words.
The students had another math facts “test”. It is in the Friday folder. I will write the correct number out of 10, and “passed” or “keep trying” at the top. I am not sending the bags home over the long break away from school. You should keep practicing with your child the flashcards you already have. The next set will be addition with 6’s. So, you could start practicing without the cards. The next set of cards will come home on the 22nd of March.
This week the students wrote stories about “how to catch a leprechaun in our classroom”. They all worked so very hard on these stories. I am so proud of everyone! Ask them to tell you about their story. You will not actually get to see/read the story until report cards/portfolios go home later this month.
Monday, March 22nd our school is celebrating “World Down Syndrome Day”. The students may wear CRAZY socks for this special day.
I hope you have a very relaxing spring break! I am going to Florida today, actually, and won’t be back until March 15th. The students will probably end up with a seashell from the beach-my favorite place!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Thank you to everyone who has sent in labels for the Race For Education fundraiser. If you haven’t sent them in yet, you have until Friday, March 5th. This fundraiser is very important for our school, so your help and support is greatly appreciated.
Today, the students had the first math facts “test”. It is in the Friday folder. I will write the correct number out of 10, and “passed” or “keep trying” at the top. As a reminder, I will not be sending home “worksheets” for Monday math. Instead, the students are going to be working on memorizing addition facts every day (Monday through Thursday), at home. You need to return the flashcards on Friday. The flash cards will be sent back home on Monday. Thank you for your help with this!
This week was our author study on Kevin Henkes. His website is very good and kid friendly. It is www.kevinhenkes.com. His books are very fun for first graders. Many of the projects the students did are still at school, hanging on the walls. They will be sent home eventually. The project with the baby picture is in your child’s Friday folder. I hope you really enjoy looking at it. They are one of my favorite projects to send home.
Students from Creighton’s Occupational Therapy school are doing a virtual “handwriting camp” with our students. We are lucky to have this. It is once a week for about 30 minutes. You may notice handwriting papers, things that are sent home. None of it needs to come back to school.
With summer approaching, I wanted to share with you some information about some summer camps that you may or may not be aware of. As a first grader, your child is old enough at the end of this school year to attend the City of Omaha Parks and Recreation summer day camps. They are one week long from around 9:00-4:00. One camp a lot of families from SPSL know about is Hummel Day Camp. They usually have bussing available for this camp. The other camps do not have bussing. These are Camp Hanscom or Camp Zorinksky. You can register online at the Parks and Rec website. Look for the “Activities” section. Then scroll down to find Hummel Day Camp or Summer Day Camps (for Hanscom or Zorinsky). This will get you to the registration. The first day to register is sometime in early April. These camps fill up so fast! There is a fee for each of the camps. I wanted to let you know about these camps because when my oldest was in the younger grades I didn’t know about them. Also, my daughter Betsy works at the Zorinsky camp as a counselor. She loves it and believes it’s a great outdoor adventure for kids. This is just a personal suggestion from me, personally. Obviously, it is not something your child has to do!
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
We made it to the 100th day of school, finally! It was a very exciting day for all of us!
Today, in your child’s GO folder, is all of the information and mailing labels for the Race For Education fundraiser. Please read over the information being sent home. It explains everything that you need to know. All mailing labels are due back to school by Friday, March 5th. This fundraiser is very important for our school, so your help and support is greatly appreciated.
For the rest of the year, I will not be sending home “worksheets” for Monday math. Instead, the students are going to be working on memorizing addition facts every day (Monday through Thursday), at home. There will be a letter in your child’s GO FOLDER about this on Monday. It will explain what I need you to do with your child and how to do it. The flash cards will be sent home on Monday, also. Thank you for your help with this!
Next week we are doing an author study on Kevin Henkes. Some of the books he has written are “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse”, “Owen”, “Wemberly Worried”. His books are very fun for first graders.
I need each child to bring a baby picture by Wednesday. Please make it 4 by 6 inches or smaller. You will not be getting this picture back. It is going to be glued into a book. It is for a special project to go along with the author study.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Happy Valentine’s Day!
There is no school on Friday, February 12th and Monday, February 15th. I hope you enjoy a nice long weekend!
There will be a spelling test next week. The list will be sent home on Tuesday.
The 100th day of school is finally happening next Wednesday! Hurray! We will be doing many activities next week to celebrate being in school for 100 days! It really is kind of a big deal this year.
For the rest of the year, I will not be sending home “worksheets” for Monday math. Instead, the students are going to be working on memorizing addition facts every day (Monday through Thursday), at home. There will be a letter in your child’s GO FOLDER about this on Tuesday. It will explain what I need you to do with your child and how to do it. The flash cards will be sent home on Tuesday, also. Thank you for your help with this!
Ash Wednesday is Wednesday, February 17th. One of the priests will be coming to each classroom to distribute ashes, since we are unable to attend mass.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Happy Catholic Schools Week! It was a really nice week for the students, even though it was different than our usual activities. We are certainly able to adjust, aren’t we?
There is not a lot of work in the Friday folder this week. You will find the Word List pages (they say Home-School connection at the top), and the ZAP cards are stapled on the front in an envelope. Please remember to practice these words with your child. This list of words is our second one for the 3rd quarter. Also, on the spelling test, you will notice on the back of the test that the students wrote a dictation sentence. This sentence is graded on: spelling, capital letters, spacing and punctuation. There is also a puppet show to help retell the story from this week “Did You See Chip?” that your child can share with you.
The 100th day of school is coming soon. The collections are very creative! Thank you so much for sending them to school. We will be doing many counting, measuring, grouping, and comparing activities with them.
If your child chooses to give Valentines, the valentine cards must be at school by Monday, February 8th. Please remember to have your child write who it is to, and who it’s from. The list of names is the second page of this newsletter, for those who need another one.
There will be a spelling test next week. The test is Thursday.
The students will be dismissed at 12:00 on Thursday, February 11th. There is no school Friday, February 12th and Monday, February 15th.
It looks like next week will be quite cold. When the wind chill is above 10 degrees, we try to get outside for recess. Please make sure your child has gloves, hats, etc.
Have a nice weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
How about those snow days! We have had a lot of snow already this year.
In your child’s GO folder today, please look for a green paper. It is the conference request form. It is fairly self explanatory, but if you have any questions, please email me. Conferences for mid third quarter are by request only. I can request a conference, but you can also request one with me. If I don’t request a conference, then I feel that your child is making acceptable progress in all areas. You can request a conference if you feel there are things you need to discuss with me. Please fill out the form and return to school by Wednesday, February 3rd. The dates and times for conferences are listed on the paper that is being sent home.
In your child’s Friday folder today, there is only work from three days, so there is not very much. You will find the Word List pages (they say Home-School connection at the top), and the ZAP cards are stapled on the front in an envelope. Please remember to practice these words with your child. This list of words is our first one for the 3rd quarter. Also, on the spelling test, you will notice on the back of the test that the students wrote a dictation sentence. This sentence is graded on: spelling, capital letters, spacing and punctuation.
Next week is Catholic Schools Week! Thank you for sending your child to SPSL! An email was sent from the office regarding all of the special things happening at school.
This is a brief overview of next week:
Monday, February 1st: Optional Dress Down Day with a donation
Tuesday, February 2nd: Whole school virtual rosary
Wednesday, February 3rd: Virtual assembly with Wildlife Adventures
Thursday, February 4th: Virtual Q and A with the parish priests
Friday, February 5th: Panther Family Feud (virtual)
The 100th day of school is coming soon. The first grade students are asked to bring a collection of 100 things. I sent home a ziploc bag with a letter explaining what to do. Many of you sent them already, which is great! Please send them by Friday, February 5th.
If your child chooses to give Valentines, the valentine cards must be at school by Monday, February 8th.
If your child has snow/rain boots, you may want to send them. The area where we have recess will have a lot of water while snow is melting. Make sure to send regular school shoes to change into.
Have a nice weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
I hope you enjoyed looking through your child’s portfolio and the report card. If you have not returned it to school, please do so by Monday, January 25th.
Thank you to all of the parents who have sent money to help fund our January/February activities! We wouldn’t be able to do it without your help!
In your child’s GO folder today is a form from the office. It is very important that you complete it and return it next week. Thanks!
This week the children learned about the amazing author and illustrator, Jan Brett. Her books are so enjoyable. I hope your child can tell you a few things about her. If you are interested in checking out her website, you can visit it at: www.janbrett.com. Because of the author study, there are no sight word pages to practice this week.
The 100th day of school is coming soon. The first grade students are asked to bring a collection of 100 things. Today I am sending home a ziploc bag with a letter explaining exactly what you need to do.
The school is running out of copy paper. There is currently a paper drive happening. If you would like to send some, that would be great!
I am also including the same information that I gave you last week about valentines.
If you are wondering about Valentine’s Day in the classroom, here is what I have planned for our class. Thanks to Covid, we have some limitations, but we will make the best of it.
*The students will get to exchange valentines on Wednesday, February 10th. *The valentines should be cards only; no candy/treat/pencils etc.
*Students must write who it is to, and who it is from.
*Valentines are optional! However, if your child decides to bring them, he or she must bring one for everyone in the class.
*We are making special bags here at school to put our valentines in, so your child doesn’t need a decorated valentine box.
*Lastly, the valentine cards must be at school by Monday, February 8th.
Have a nice weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a very special Christmas with your family. I thoroughly enjoyed having my children all home together for the first time in a long time.
Today is the end of the second quarter. The students will be doing a variety of assessments/tests next week. The only thing that you can really do to help them prepare is practicing the words from the word list pages. The SPLAT game that was sent home for work this week has ALL of the words that your child will be tested over. So, please help your child with this because I will be testing them on Monday, January 11th. They only have to be able to read them, not spell them.
Students will return to regular classes at school on Monday, January 11th. You need to send all of the work, books, folders, etc back to school with your child on Monday. Your child should have completed ALL of the work sent home by Sunday evening at the latest. You should still turn it in on Google Classroom, if you have not done so. On Google Classroom it says that all work is due by tonight (Friday). I will give you until Sunday. If you have circumstances that prevent this from being possible, please email me ASAP. The religion pages from the religion book do not need to be turned in on Google Classroom. For those who have not tried downloading to Google Classroom, I have included a link with directions on how to do this. Once you get used to it, it’s much easier. Here is a link to a short video to help with attaching work in Google Classroom.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ck9F5uh9edHVJ4wMnxbsSVhyhedYMCV6/view?ts=5fb33a6d
I’m so excited for the students to come back to our classroom!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
We made it to Christmas! I can’t believe it’s really here! I hope you enjoy some of the Christmas projects that we have been working on the last few weeks.
Your child’s backpack was pretty heavy today with materials for remote learning. I sent home the yellow folder containing all of the papers, etc. There is also the religion book and literature book in the backpack. Your child also has the Friday folder and Go folder, as usual. I suggest putting all of these things in a safe place where they will not get lost or damaged. We did not send home additional envelopes with work for the weeks after, like we did after Thanksgiving.
*the assignments will be posted on Google Classroom on Sunday, January 3rd at 5:00.
Please practice shoe tying, if your child has not mastered this skill.
There is no school until January 5th. January 5th-8th the students will be learning at home. Students will return to regular classes at school on Monday, January 11th.
I want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. It is such a beautiful time of year.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Happy Advent!
Thank you so very much for a great week of at home learning. It isn’t what we prefer, but it worked well for this week. The first week in January will be basically the same.
If you have not submitted your child’s work in Google Classsroom, please do so. I am including the link again, for directions on how to do that. I also want you to return all of the work. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ck9F5uh9edHVJ4wMnxbsSVhyhedYMCV6/view?ts=5fb33a6d
Please send back EVERYTHING that was sent home, except the Advent wreath.
There really isn’t much else to tell you this week. There will be no additional word lists before Christmas. Next week we are having Gingerbread Week.
Upcoming Dates to note:
Back to school (at school): Monday, December 7th
Friday, December 11th: NO SCHOOL
I truly appreciate your help this week.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Thank you to all who donated for the Diaper Drive for the Lydia House. I am continually amazed at this generous community. Thank you for supporting this cause.
I was almost ready to assign skills on IXL, when the announcement for distance learning was made. I simply have not had time to do this. I am hopeful that next week I will be able to. In the meantime, keep working on diagnostics as long as it will let you.
There is a set of word list pages for your child to practice in the Friday folder this week.
Just to remind you to tell your child not to work ahead in any of the books that were sent home.
Upcoming Dates to note:
NO SCHOOL: Monday through Friday November 23-27th (Thanksgiving week)
Remote learning at home: Monday-Friday, November 30th-December 4th.
Back to school (at school): Monday, December 7th
I am thankful every day for these children, and for you, the supportive parents. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
I am sure you have all heard the news about the upcoming plans for the next few weeks of school. I am just so glad we have been in school for as long as we have. The plans for first grade “at home learning” are not finalized yet. We will get the information to you as soon as we have it ready. We will be sending lots of things home with your child next Friday, November 20th. Your child will need to be able to connect with me through Google Classroom. The students have been working on learning to do this with Mrs. Preston in our digital literacy class. More information will be emailed to you regarding what will be expected of your child. If you have not read or received the email from school about this news, please do so.
**there is a VERY important form for you to complete and return as soon as possible in your child’s GO folder today. Even if you think we have the information already, please fill it out. Thanks so much!
We are having a collection for first grade only for the Diaper Drive for the Lydia House. This year we are not able to have students bring diapers, but we are asking for monetary donations so that the teachers can purchase and deliver the diapers. The money is due on Friday, November 20th. Thank you for supporting this cause.
We are reading a story about shoes next week. On Tuesday, November 17th please have your child bring his/her favorite shoes to school. They can be any type of shoe; flip flops, slippers, dressy, soccer shoes, etc. However, if they don’t follow our uniform guidelines, please send them in their backpack. We will be wearing them most of the day, but will change at recess and to go home.
Please try to have your child work on this at least 10 minutes daily for the next week. This should give me good information to assign specific skills. Thank you for your help with this. If you have any problems, please email me.
There is another set of word list pages for your child to practice in the Friday folder this week.
Upcoming Dates to note:
Friday, November 20th: Donations for Diaper Drive are due
NO SCHOOL: Monday through Friday November 23-27th (Thanksgiving week)
Remote learning at home: Monday-Friday, November 30th-December 4th.
Back to school (at school): Monday, December 7th
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The Friday folders are pretty full this week. Lots of things to look at! If I haven’t said it previously, this group of students work so hard! They are a really special group of students who are so happy to be at school. I am so thankful for them!
Please return the “Disguised Turkeys” by Wednesday, November 11th.
The students have enjoyed learning about Mo Willems, the author and illustrator. His books are perfect for first graders.
Thank you for remembering to send your child with coats, gloves, hats, etc. We really try to go outside almost every day; unless the wind chill is ten degrees or less, or it is snowing/raining. Girls are allowed to wear sweat pants/pajama pants under jumpers/skorts when we go outside. Make sure all items are marked with your child’s name.
Speaking of gloves/mittens, we will not have a collection for children to borrow from if they forget this year. In years past, we always have, but it’s not feasible this year. So, please make sure they are prepared for colder weather.
Thursday, I sent home a letter with the IXL information. Please try to have your child work on this at least 10 minutes daily for the next week. This should give me good information to assign specific skills. Thank you for your help with this. If you have any problems, please email me.
There is a new set of word list pages for your child to practice in the Friday folder this week. This will be the first set of words for the new quarter. We start over with new words each quarter.
Remember to check the moon each evening and record your observations.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Pumpkins galore! We had such fun learning about and investigating pumpkins. I hope your child shared some of the things we did this week. I posted a lot of photos on the Facebook page.
Next week is a short week because of parent-teacher conferences. There is no school, Thursday, Friday and Monday; October 29th, 30th and November 2nd.
There is no spelling unit/test next week because of the short week. I will not send Friday folders either.
There are no word list pages to practice in the Friday folder this week.
Just a reminder that the first grade students will not be getting a report card for the first quarter. So, if you see it on the school calendar, that is for upper grades. I will be sending home a portfolio of your child’s work. You will be able to look over your child’s work. I will also be referring to it when we have our parent-teacher conference. It was sent home on Thursday, October 22nd. Everything in the portfolio must be returned back to school after you’ve conferenced with me.
Wednesday, October 28th we will have lots of Halloween fun. Students are not allowed to wear costumes. Please do not send any candy or treats for your student to pass out to classmates. Treats have been purchased with the leftover “fall activity funds” It is a regular uniform day, and the LAST day to wear uniform shorts until April 1st.
There is a science project about phases of the moon in your child’s GO folder today. There are directions attached that explain what to do. The first night to observe the moon is Sunday, October 25th.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Today is the end of the first quarter!
Each first grade student will be tested over ALL of the words on the Word List pages. The word list pages have been coming home in your child’s Friday folder. The last list for this quarter is in the Friday folder today. Please practice all of the words with your child. They only need to be able to read them, not spell them. The test will be Tuesday, October 20th.
Next week we’ll be learning about pumpkins. We were able to purchase a small pumpkin for each student in first grade using the money that was sent for the “fall activities” donations. We are so excited about this! Your child will get to bring the pumpkin home when we are finished.
A reminder about recess toys; they must fit in and be sent in a large (gallon size) ziploc bag. Thanks for your cooperation. It’s getting cooler, so please be sure to send a jacket/sweatshirt, etc.
The first grade students will not be getting a report card for the first quarter. So, if you see it on the school calendar, that is for upper grades. I will be sending home a portfolio of your child’s work. You will be able to look over your child’s work. I will also be referring to it when we have our parent-teacher conference. Please look for it on Thursday, October 22nd. Everything in the portfolio must be returned back to school after you’ve conferenced with me.
I am sending an email to inform you of your specific conference time. I am asking you to reply to your specific email so that I know you received it. If you have not received the email by Saturday, please let me know!
Thanks for bringing items for the fall collages! I hope you enjoy them!
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Next Friday is the end of the first quarter! It’s so hard to believe we have been in school that many days already. A big thank you to all who sent money for our fall projects/etc. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
The students worked so hard this week. They amaze me every day!
There is no school Monday, October 12th.
Each first grade student will be tested over ALL of the words on the Word List pages. Please practice them with your child. They only need to be able to read them, not spell them. I will be testing them in a few weeks. I will let you know when it gets closer to the exact date.
The students will be making a special project next week. For this project your child will need to bring in a collection of “fall nature things”. The following items would be acceptable things to bring: dried flowers, acorns, pinecones, seeds, buck-eyes, etc. Please DO NOT SEND ROCKS OR LEAVES! Also, please send it to school on Wednesday, October 14th. A note with more information is in your child’s GO folder today.
On Thursday, I sent home the conference request letter. Please complete it and return to school by Wednesday, October 14th.
Next week, we will start having a pretest on Spelling words. The pretest will be on the first day of the week. Students who get all words correct, or miss only one word, will be given a more challenging list. Your child will bring home his/her pretest that day with the list of words. More information will be sent home with the pretest on Tuesday.
Enjoy the long weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It’s starting to feel like fall! I really can’t believe it’s October already! As the weather is getting cooler, please make sure your child has a coat/jacket, etc. We try to get outside whenever we can.
A note was sent home yesterday about monetary donations. Your help is appreciated, if you are able. Please send donations by Friday, October 9th. You can send cash or checks made out to SPSL.
The lunch program will offer alternates in addition to the main option and yogurt/cheese option. Please discuss with your child each option if he/she is having “hot” lunch. It saves a lot of time in the mornings, if they know which one they want. Thanks for your help.
Again, in the Friday folder are the Word List pages with the word cards. These are the “sight words” that we work on each week. Please practice these words with your child.
You are able to check out library books for your child if you are interested. Just go to the school website and find the library page. It will give you directions on how to do this.
Please ask your child if he or she needs a new small bottle of hand sanitizer. Some of them are running out quickly. Also, remember to send a filled water bottle daily.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
There is no school Friday, September 25th.
Today in the Friday folder you will find your child’s graded spelling test. I count the number of words correct out of 10. I count the bonus words as extra points. I also do not count backward letters wrong. If I cannot tell what a letter is, I do count it wrong. I also give a handwriting (HW) grade. It will be an M, P or N. These are the grades we use in first grade. M=most of the time, P=part of the time or N=not yet. This grade is based on the size of the letters and whether they tried to use the lines to guide their letters.
Also, in the Friday folder are the Word List pages with the word cards. These are the “sight words” that we work on each week. Please practice these words with your child.
I would like each child to bring a wrapper from his/her favorite candy or treat. We will use it for a special project, so please make sure that it is in very good condition. You might want to “reward” your child for working so hard and handling all of the changes this year so well. Please send the wrapper by Tuesday, September 29th.
If your child does not know how to tie his/her own shoes, please start working on this very important life skill. My goal is for all 1A students to know how to tie shoes by Christmas.
Have a wonderful 3 day weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
It was a very busy week in first grade! I hope your child tells you about some of the things that we do.
This week we had an author study of Leo Lionni. The students enjoyed his stories!
Your child has a special assignment in his/her GO folder. Your child should do the writing, but you may help them spell words correctly. Your child should color the pictures around the paper. If you have a small photo of your child, you can glue it on the picture part. If not, your child may color a picture of themself. Please return the finished paper by Tuesday, September 22nd.
Great news! We will start spelling units next week. Look for a spelling list to come home with your child on Monday in the Go folder. There will be an informational paper stapled to the list. The spelling test will be on Thursday, September 24th.
Our Math book provides a practice page in addition to every page we do at school. I will sometimes give the students the option to take them home and do them. If they bring it home, it will be on the KEEP AT HOME side of the GO folder. It is a GREAT way to reinforce what we do. Do not send it back to school. However, on Mondays, there will be a Monday Math homework page that must be returned. It will be on the RETURN to SCHOOL side of the folder. It will look different than the pages from the book. It will usually be a photocopied page. If you’re unsure, you can have them do the page, send it to school, just in case.
There is no school on Friday, September 25th!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
1A Weekly News
Friday, September 11, 2020
Hello Parents:
It was a rainy and chilly week, which is great for the earth. But, it did interfere with some of our recess time; which the students desperately need at this time.
The virtual first grade parent meeting in the form of a Google slideshow will be emailed to you on Monday, September 14th after school. Unfortunately, we are unable to meet in person this year.
Today your child is bringing home the Friday folder. I hope you enjoy looking over your child’s hard work. Some weeks there are not a lot of things that come home. This was a short week, so it may look pretty empty today.
I have prepared a plastic bag with some of your child’s school supplies. These supplies are to be set aside and used if we have to do distance learning at home, like last spring. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen. In that case, I will ask you to send the bag of supplies back before the last quarter begins.
I have sent a book order home in your child’s Friday folder today. All of the information that you need is on the note stapled to the book order fliers. The last day to order is Friday, September 18th.
Next week the students are going to learn about the children’s book author, Leo Lionni. In first grade, your child will get to learn about several authors. A few books you might recognize by Leo Lionni are the books, Swimmy, and Fish is Fish. You might want to ask your child next week about this amazing author and illustrator.
We started working on basic addition this week. The students are learning the vocabulary (addition, sum, plus, addition sentence/equation, addend) and what addition is. In science we are learning about health(starting with germs). Also in social studies, we are going to start citizenship next week. There should be a “take home” page from our religion book to keep you informed.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The students are really figuring out the routines of being hard-working 1st graders! It’s so great that we are back at school, even with all the changes.
There is no school tomorrow, Friday, September 4th and Monday, September 7th.
Today your child is bringing home his/her “Friday folder”. You will see most of the work that we have done in your child’s Friday folder. Don’t forget to empty them and return them on the first day of the next week.
Today your child is also bringing home their poetry book. We will glue a poem in each week. Your child will draw an illustration to go with each poem and then bring it home to share the poem with you. This is another opportunity to listen to your child read!
In the Friday folder you will find a stapled packet with a note. It contains an envelope of words to practice. It also has sentences and some other word practice. Read the note for more information. Thanks for your help in practicing these words.
This year the parent meetings will not be happening. In place of the meeting, the first grade teachers will be creating a video/slideshow of the items that would be discussed. You can look for this in an email on Monday, September 14th.
It would be a good idea to make sure that your child has an extra mask in his/her backpack. Please check to see that all masks fit correctly also.
Keep in mind the following day off from school; Friday, September 25th.
I am so happy that I was able to come to school a little bit this week. It was such a joy to get to be in the classroom. I will be at school full days next week.
Thanks for your patience and understanding with my knee issues. It has been a long road to recovery.
Have a wonderful long weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
August 2020
Dear 1A parents:
I would like to welcome you to our classroom. My name is Mrs. Lisa Wilson and I am your child’s teacher. I am very excited for this school year. It will be a very special year filled with learning, love and laughter. Please take the time to read through this letter to find some important information. We are going to work very hard to make this year as normal as possible.
I am starting the year off in an unusual way. I apologize for the bad timing. I had a total knee replacement at the end of June. My ability to bend my knee hasn’t gone as planned, so I had an additional surgery, right before school started. I will miss the first week and a half of school. I am excited to get to school and be with the students!
Please make sure your child has a mask, individual size bottle of hand sanitizer, and water bottle each day. It is a good idea to have extra masks available in your child’s backpack. The water bottles should be a squeeze type of bottle or a bottle with a straw. These should be filled when they come to school each day. Our drinking fountains are no longer community drinking fountains, but refill stations. When your child comes in the building each morning they should be hands free. Eveything should be in your child’s backpack so they can stop and have their temperature taken and get hand sanitizer before heading to the classroom.
In addition, please make sure that your child has all of the supplies needed for our grade. Check with your child periodically throughout the year to see if anything needs to be replaced. I also ask that no mechanical pencils or the ones with several lead pieces be brought to school. If there are any other supplies that need to be purchased, I will send a note home. As supplies and other things are sent to school, please, please, please be sure to label all items! Especially sweatshirts!
Your child will have some homework this year. The students will be working very hard to learn addition and subtraction facts to memory. Your help at home will be needed with this. Eventually, spelling lists will be sent home to practice for spelling tests. It is important for your first grader to spend a little time reading at home every day.
The students will be using a daily take home folder. It is a green “GO” folder that will be sent home starting on the first day of school. In the GO folder, you can expect any notes or information from the office or me, as well as homework. The other really important paper in the GO folder is a behavior chart and calendar. The behavior chart will inform you of your child’s choices at school each day. It will need to be initialed by you and left in the GO folder. If there is anything else to sign and return, please put it right back in the folder. Some days, it may not have anything in it, except for the calendar. It will need to be returned to school every day!
We will also be using a “Friday folder”. It will be used for any work that was completed during the week. It will need to be emptied and returned the following Monday. I write a weekly newsletter, which will be available on the school web site. I can also send it in the Friday folder for those that prefer a hard copy. I write this newsletter to help keep you informed of special happenings in our classroom, and reminders of special school events. Please don’t put notes for me or the office in the Friday folder, as I do not check them as frequently as the GO folder.
The students will get to have specials this year. The specials teachers will be coming into our classroom. This is our schedule:
Monday: Music
Tuesday: Rotating weeks: Music week 1/ PE week 2
Wednesday: Digital literacy(technology learning)
Thursday: PE
Friday: Rotating schedule with all specials
Each student will have the opportunity to be the Star of the Week. This is your child’s chance to share all of the things that make him/her unique, and to learn about others in the class. I will send a paper to complete with your child when it his/her turn.
Communication is very important for a successful year for your child. I hope that you will contact me with any questions or concerns that you might have. I can be reached by phone at school from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm. or you can e-mail me at school. My address is: [email protected]. I love to communicate by e-mail, if that works for you. You can also just send a note in your child’s GO folder if there is something you need for me to know!
There is lots of information in this letter. Try to get all forms that need to be returned back as soon as possible. It is going to be a great year. I’m so glad to be a part of all the special things that happen during your child’s first grade year!
God Bless You!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Lisa Wilson
Dear Families,
We can’t believe this is it for the year. It’s been so strange these last months and we’ve all missed you so much.
When you pick up your student materials please be sure to look in the bag for your child’s portfolio, report card, Math Summer Solution book, and photos. Be sure to look through everything.
On Thursday, May 21st you will receive the Distance Learning Exit Report for your child. It will be emailed to you.
Thank you again for all of your work with your children this year in First Grade! Our hope is that you will continue some routine learning over the summer months. This will help your child transition to Second Grade with much more confidence. Below, we hope you can find some activities that you can use. In addition to these, please take any and all opportunities for your child’s learning on a daily basis. There are many teachable moments in which you can include your child. Cooking together, playing games, taking turns, practicing good manners, talking math,
*Freckle
You will be able to continue this until July 1st.
*EPIC-you can continue using this throughout the summer.
*Education.com Offers learning packets to download and some online games
https://www.education.com/home-learning/?cid=10.177
*Learning Without Tears 90 day free trial
*This mom posts lots of free things and fun ideas!
https://frugalfun4boys.com/best-summer-activities-for-kids/
*Scholastic Learn at Home
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
*Summer Solutions Math Book (This will be in the bag of items you will need to pick up from school with all of your child’s items.) Your child will need to return the completed book in the fall.
*Work on memorizing basic addition and subtraction facts. (You will be able to continue using Freckle until July 1st if you wish.)
*Practice counting money and telling time.
*Read silently and aloud daily.
*Journal about their day or write stories. Encourage correct letter formation, letters between appropriate lines, finger space between words and capitalization and punctuation.
*Make sure your child can tie their shoes.
*Students should know their home address and a phone number to contact parents.
We hope you have a healthy and safe summer! We hope you will stop by to see us in first grade when we can return to school in the fall. God bless and keep you!
If you are interested in having your child work with a tutor this summer here is a list of tutors that are available. If you are interested please contact one of the tutors and they will work with you to set up times and cost per session. It is not required, but can be helpful to help with the summer slide.
SPSL 2020 Tutor List
Karen Burns
K-5
Reading/Math via Zoom (unless restrictions have been lifted)
402-515-0737
Natalie McGovern
PreK-6 via Zoom (unless restrictions have been lifted)
All subjects
402-812-3434
Kelli Swift
PreK-2 via Zoom
(unless current restrictions have been lifted)
All Subjects
402-650-7651
Jenny Hanna
Pre K-2nd via Zoom (unless restrictions have been lifted)
All Subjects
402-659-6122
Shannon Buttell
K-3 via Zoom
(unless restrictions have been lifted)
All subjects
402-917-5662
Becky Galvan
PreK- 3rd via Zoom (unless current restrictions have been lifted)
All Subjects
402-981-1815
Anita Petersen
K-4
All subjects
402-968-6631
Jennifer Thompson
All subjects via Zoom or Google Meet (preferred)
PreK-6
720-289-7733
Carin Andrew
All subjects via Zoom (unless restrictions have been lifted)
K-5
402-761-0709
Kimberly Swassing
PreK- 8
All subjects
402-571-6641 (home) or 402-670-8495 (cell)
Michelle Wilson
All Subjects via Zoom
K-8
402-686-1868
Jordan Moser
PreK-8
All subjects
402-639-7654 (cell)
Dear Families,
Hello everyone! We hope you are all hanging in there. Just like every year, this time becomes much more challenging to stay focused on learning. Be sure to keep posting your work for us. Remember the balance of work/play and KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB YOU’RE DOING!!!
We hope you’ve enjoyed the Map activities. Next week we are going to study animals. There are some interesting books to read and videos to watch. May 4th would have been our field trip to the zoo, and we usually have the children look for the animal they studied. Have fun choosing an animal to study and then next Friday on Flipgrid the children will share the information they learned!
In Religion we have been working on prayer books. When we finish our prayer books we will begin talking about Mary and the Rosary. As the need for prayer in our world increases we hope you and your family find time to pray together.
Continue working in Freckle on Math and ELA. In math we would like you to work on Geometry and Measurement. On ELA we would like you to work on Capitalization and Punctuation.
If you have questions or need help with anything just let us know.
Watch for emails about Spirit Week (which is next week)!
Enjoy your weekend!
First Grade Teachers
April 17, 2020
Dear Families,
We hope you are all staying well through these weeks. We are all fine and staying home to stay safe! We miss your children so very much and we love seeing them on Flipgrid and looking at their activities on Google Classroom. Please remember that if there is anything we can do to help, let us know!!
Next week in Freckle we have added Measurement in Math and Skills Practice- Capitalization and Punctuation. We would like the children to start with the From Your Teacher button and spend most of their time in that area. These are skills that we would have covered at school and we’d like them to be exposed to them before 2nd grade. We also added an option to work on, Reading Fiction or NonFiction area that we’d like them to have the option to practice.
Today we are adding some resources for you and your family.
Explore More!
*The Boystown website is a great resource for families. You can follow them on Facebook and/or go to
https://www.boystown.org/parenting/Pages/csp-resources.aspx
*Free resources for handwriting can be found at
https://www.lwtears.com/programs/distance-learning
https://1plus1plus1equals1.net/2015/06/choose-your-own-writing-paper-printable-pack/
*If there is a silver lining to COVID-19 closings, it’s that our favorite children’s book authors are now doing virtual storytimes!
https://coolprogeny.com/2020/03/operation-storytime/
*These are card games you can play that also help with Math skills
https://drive.google.com/a/spsl.net/file/d/1X7K1JHtMkhHLjRkSwNY1z1C0PzuJtipY/view?usp=drivesdk
*As the world asks more of families and teachers, TIME for Kids salutes you, and we’re here to support you! TIME for Kids is in the unique position to help kids understand this unprecedented moment. Turnkey teaching tools, with worksheets and quizzes for families or teachers.
First Grade Teachers
Dear Families,
We made it through another week!!! We hope you are staying well and enjoying your time with your kids. We miss seeing them in person, but love seeing their videos on FlipGrid. Next week one of our assignments is to record a video on FlipGrid. If you have not joined yet please do so. If you have questions just let your teacher know!
Next week is a short week. We will only have lesson plans for Monday – Wednesday. We are on Easter break from Thursday 4/9 – Monday 4/13. Lessons will resume on Tuesday 4/14. There will be no newsletter next week. Lessons for the week of April 14-17 will be posted on Google Classroom on Sunday April 12th at 5:00. We hope you and your family have a blessed Easter.
You will be receiving your child’s Progress report by email today. There is a paragraph at the top of the form that explains why we are doing progress reports rather than report cards. If you have any questions let your teacher know.
Don’t forget to check the daily announcements on our school website. It will give you links for our weekly prayer services and special prayers on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Have a wonderful weekend!
First Grade Teachers
Explore More
*mysteryscience.com/live – Mystery Doug will be live on Wednesday, April 7th at 12:00pm. He will answer real kids’ questions about the current situation we’re all dealing with, as well as share a few fun surprises. Can’t make it live? View the recording at mysteryscience.com/live after the event.
*Dav Pilkey (author of Dogman series and Captain Underpants) can be found onloc.gov/engage. He is giving drawing lessons like Mo Willems.
*For Extra Math work you can go to
https://www.sadlierconnect.com/sadliermath
This is the Math book that we use at school.
On the left you will see a list of the book’s chapters.
Click on the chapter you’d like to look at.
Each chapter is broken into lessons and each lesson has
The Essential Question for the Chapter
Problem of the Day (interactive)
Mental Math (interactive)
Practice/Additional Practice (printable)
Cloze Reading in Math (printable)
Games and Study Aids
Parent Resources
You are welcome to use any of these at home for your child.
March 27, 2020
Dear Families,
Well we survived our first week of Distance Learning. Thank you for all of your patience and cooperation. If you have any questions just let us know.
Google Classroom will look a little different this week. Instead of everything in one folder, we have listed the materials and assignments under each subject. Start by looking at the weekly plans at the top. Everything you need will be under the subject headings. If you are not able to print the pages, go ahead and write the information on a piece of paper. We are definitely learning as we go! Work will be posted Sunday evenings at 5:00.
We would like you to TRY to return work to us via Google Classroom, if possible. Watch for an email with specific directions for posting work on Google Classroom. It’s actually a video that you can watch. In the long run, this will be easier for everyone. You can turn in work all at once on Friday or daily if you choose.
For math, we will be using an app called Freckle. Please see below for instructions on signing in. Our hope is that you’ll have to print less, but we can keep moving forward with our Math concepts. We would also like the children to continue focusing on the flashcards sent each week as well.
To sign onto Freckle go to student.freckle.com. It will then ask you to put in your class code.
1A use code 5b7g6w
1B use code kurteb
1D use code ybj3m7
Once you have put in the code find your name and select that pig. Then select Math and either choose Number Facts or Fact Practice. Follow the online directions from there. We are planning for you doing only 1-2 sessions each day.
Have a great weekend!
The First Grade Team
Dear Families,
We hope this finds you all well! We have been working very hard
to get distance learning set up for everyone. It’s been quite an adventure for us and we know it has been for you! Thank you for your support and understanding as we endure this together!
If you have not joined your child’s Google classroom or EPIC, please do so by Sunday. The plans for the week will be posted on Google classroom on Monday mornings at 8:15 a.m. The assignment will have a page that is called week 1 plans. This is a guideline for daily assignments. If you are able to print the assignments great, but if not just do the best you can on a piece of paper (but don’t use toilet paper. You may need that). You will see that there are some assignments we ask you to take a picture and email it to your teacher.
These plans should take about an hour each day to complete. We have also included a sheet of extra resources that you can use to fill other times during the day.
We hope you will use this time to connect with your family. Enjoy your time together. Play games, watch movies, talk to each other, create, sleep in. Have fun!
If you have any questions please let us know. We will do our best to help you, or find someone else who can! Also, please know that we are praying for you, our school/parish communities and our country daily.
First Grade Teachers
The 1st and 3rd grade students did an amazing job preparing for the program. It was so enjoyable! They all worked so hard this week.
There is no school next week, March 9th-16th. Enjoy your spring break!
There is mass the following Wednesday, March 18th, at 8:30.
Thank you for your help with the math facts! I will keep the flashcard bag until after Spring Break. I don’t want anyone to worry about losing the bag. I am sending the word list book home to keep until after Spring Break. The children will be tested on them at the end of the quarter.
The week after Spring Break we will be working on the Social Studies assessment.
The date for the Zoo field trip is Monday, May 4th for those of you who want to plan ahead. We can take as many parent volunteers that want to go, as long as you’ve had the safe environment training! You don’t need to let me know yet if you want to help! I’ll send a separate note, as we get closer.
Have a wonderful spring break!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
The first and third grade program is next week. It is very exciting for the students. They will perform a matinee for school students on Wednesday, March 4th and Thursday, March 5th. They will need to wear their “program clothes” both days to school, and again for the Thursday night performance.
Mrs. English sent a note in regards to what she wants students to wear for “program clothes”. The boys will wear a plain white short sleeve t-shirt and their uniform pants. The girls are asked to wear black leggings and the black t-shirt that I will send home on Tuesday, March 3rd.
The students need to be in classroom 4A at 6:40 on Thursday, March 5th. It is directly behind the stage. The students will know how to get there. Please keep your child’s coat with you. We won’t be going back to that classroom afterward. Your child must stay up on the risers until you come to get him/her. I don’t want anyone to get lost.
Please send in your address labels for the Race for Education! They are due back to school by Friday, March 6th. Thanks for your support of this fundraiser.
The students will begin working on a Social Studies assessment the week after Spring Break. There will be a note in your child’s GO folder on Monday, March 2nd. Please send the note back by Wednesday, March 4th.
This week we learned a lot about Dr. Seuss and enjoyed his books. One web site your child might be interested in is: suessville.com. We will continue this next week, also.
There is mass for grades K-4 on Wednesday, March 4th.
The date for the Zoo field trip is Monday, May 4th for those of you who want to plan ahead. We can take as many parent volunteers that want to go, as long as you’ve had the safe environment training! You don’t need to let me know yet if you want to help! I’ll send a separate note as we get closer.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Next week the students will be learning about Dr. Seuss.
There is mass on Wednesday, February 26th at 8:30 for grades K-4. It is Ash Wednesday.
Because of the BOOK FAIR next week, we will not have library. Please don’t return books until the following week. The students will get a chance to visit the book fair during our library time on Wednesday. You can send money with your child, if you want. The Pancake Man will be at school Thursday, February 27th from 5-7 pm. The book fair is also open during this time. There is more information about the book fair on the school website.
There is an informational letter and address labels for our school’s “Race for Education” in your child’s GO FOLDER today! The last day to send in the completed labels is Friday, March 6th.
For the rest of the year, I will not be sending home “worksheets” for Monday math. Instead, the students are going to be working on memorizing addition facts every day (Monday through Thursday), at home. There is an important letter in your child’s GO FOLDER about this today. It will explain what I need you to do with your child and how to do it. The flash cards will be sent home on Monday. Thank you for your help with this!
The date for the Zoo field trip is Monday, May 4th for those of you who want to plan ahead. We can take as many parent volunteers that want to go, as long as you’ve had the safe environment training! You don’t need to let me know yet if you want to help! I’ll send a separate note, as we get closer.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Happy Valentine’s Day!
There is no school tomorrow, Friday February 14th or Monday, February 17th. Enjoy the nice long weekend!
There is mass on Wednesday, February 19th at 8:30 for grades K-4.
Next Friday, February 21st is an optional Dress Down Day to support the library and the book fair. A flier with information was sent home on Wednesday about the book fair and dress down.
Upcoming Dates to note:
Thursday, March 5th at 7:00: 1st and 3rd Grade Music Program “Bugs”.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilson
Wow! What a week! We celebrated the 100th day of school!
Next week will be a short week for the students. We will not be having a spelling test.
Every student will need a shoebox for a project on Monday, February 10th. If you have any extras, you could send them. I know we could use them.
There is mass on Wednesday, February 12th at 8:30 for grades K-4.
Our celebration of Valentine’s Day is Thursday, February 13th! Students may bring valentines if they want. It is not required! I only ask that if the students do bring valentines that they bring one for every student in our homeroom. There are 20 students in our class. I also ask that the students WRITE the names on the valentines. It is good practice writing and reading their classmates names. Students should bring a gift bag or a box for their valentines. If you choose to send a decorated box, just make sure that the student is able to open it. Make sure that your child’s name is on the box or bag.
School will dismiss at noon on Thursday, February 13th. Parent-teacher conferences will be held from 1:00-6:00 in the classroom. These conferences are by request only. I will send a reminder note home with your child next week with the time of each conference.
There is no school on Friday, February 14th or Monday, February 17th. It should be a nice long weekend for the students!
I have included on the back of this newsletter another list of student names, in case you lost last week’s.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Wilson
I have had the pleasure of teaching children at SPSL for 28 years. It is a community that reminds me of the small central Nebraska town where I grew up. I am very passionate about teaching and helping children to be the best that they can be. My husband Blake and I have four adult children and a dog. I am proud to say that our kids all graduated from SPSL with a great introduction to education.
