A few classroom happenings -

Handwriting - The first graders are plugging along.  We work on one letter at a time.  We are working on forming the letters the correct way and getting them in the correct places.  The second graders work on two letters at a time.  They only have a few letters left, and then they are going to start learning cursive.

Reading - The last two weeks our word work has been practicing spelling words.  We've been practicing the words by making letters out of play-doh and wikki sticks.  We've also been rainbow writing the words, as well as working on Spelling City.  Three of our six groups were working on plays.  They had to create characters and practice, practice, practice.  They finished those up this week.  Blank cards - If anyone has blank cards, we'd love some more!  The students love writing cards to others in work on writing.

Religion - We finished the entire rosary this week.  We've been praying one decade at a time.  This week we also worked on the chapter of our book that discussed Adam and Eve and the first sin.  We also read the story of Adam and Eve out of the Children's Bible.  Next Thursday we have Mass.  I just received the parts today.  The students chose their parts this afternoon.  I'll type up the parts and send them home tomorrow.  The parts are -
Greeters - Misha, Brett, Ella, Heath, Katey, Rowen
Cross - Enzo
Bible - Kate
Introduction - Hannah
First Reading - Keegan, Max
Responsorial Psalm - Cassie, Reese
Petitions - Mia, Cullan, Megan, Mary, Kyan, Teddy, Zak, Ruby, Dylan
Bread - Landon
Wine - Madison

First Grade Math - We have been learning about tens and ones.  We've been using base ten blocks and writing out ten sticks and ones.  We leaned about how to add numbers and subtract numbers using the plus one and minus one method with doubles.  (Ex. What is 8+7?  I know 8+8=16.  7 is one less than 8.  The answer must be one less that 16.)

First Grade Phonics - We started unit 6 this week.  We are leaning about basewords and suffix s.  Our new trick words today - are and were.

Social Studies - We have been working out of our book.  We are learning about landforms and different types of bodies of water.  We also learned how to identify them on maps.  We also read two Scholastic Newspapers.  One was about veterans, and one was about Thanksgiving, the pilgrims, and the first feast.

Tomorrow, November 14, is a Packer Dress Down Day.  :)

Here are a few updates from a few other teachers...

Mrs. Van Zeeland-

The second grade math class is learning about place values up to hundreds.  This will help us in adding 2- and 3- digit numbers next week.  We are also drawing pictures to represent numbers.  Boxes are hundreds, sticks are tens, and circles or dots are ones.  We have homework two or three nights a week, but sometimes students finish it before they leave school. Our math class needs old magazines if you happen to have any you haven't recycled.  Thanks!!

In phonics, we just learned about the suffixes -ed, -s, -es, -ing, -er, -ing.  We spend a little time each day working on spelling our "trick" words (words that don't follow the rules).  Coming up we will be working on vowel teams -oa, -oe, and 

-ow.  We will on occasion have phonics homework.  

Mrs. Ihlenfeldt - 

Grades 1/2 are in the midst of doing a painting in the style of Piet Mondrian. His style uses basic lines, colors and shapes. In this project we are learning to use a ruler to draw straight lines, and practicing painting skills using liquid tempera paints. We are working on our clean up routine after painting. It will take some practice but I know we will improve each time we paint.

Miss Diericks -

¡Saludos de la clase de español!

 We've been working on counting to 30, Greeting and Goodbyes, days of the week, months of the ,

year, alphabet, and colors at an advanced level.

All classes studied The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) and how this celebration coincides

with All Saints and All Souls Days in the Catholic Church.

Have a great night!  :)