St. Joseph Catholic School

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Hello, 
I’m Mrs. Sharon Shute and this is my 16th year here at St. Joseph School! I am thrilled to be your child’s teacher this year and so excited to be leading them on their journey of wonder and wisdom. A bit of background about myself- I have been an early childhood educator for 35 years beginning as a preschool teacher in Chicago. My love of children grew and so6 did my education! I began teaching Montessori preschool and then went to school and earned an Early Childhood Degree from Kendall College (then in Evanston)with a minor in Psychology. I have been very fortunate to teach in two Catholic schools in Chicago before coming to St. Joe's. I have brought the spirit of my Chicago experiences to this vibrant, thriving, and flourishing school and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity of working at such a wonderful school. I have been nominated for The Golden Apple Award from my work here at St. Joe's and at St. Stanislaus in Chicago.
 
Though this is my 16th year at St. Joe's, I taught first grade for 14 of those years and now love teaching third grade. Lots of new things this year: Chromebooks, Media class with Mrs. Hoglund and Spanish class with Mrs. Leonhardt, and team building activities every Friday. So excited to journey into Third Grade with such caring and kind parents and students. Thank you for letting your child be a part of our school family. 
 
Please feel free to email me through the website or at [email protected]. Also, feel free to contact me regarding any questions or concerns that arise throughout the school year. 
 
This school year, our class will consist of: Reading, Spelling, Math, Language Arts, Religion, Social Studies, and Science. I will be teaching Social Studies to both 3rd grade classes. Miss Kaitson will be teaching Science to both classes. We switch classes twice a week. 
 
I feel so blessed to have been successful at piloting flex seating (with desks also) last year in my third grade class. Looking forward to this year with half flex seating and half traditional. Thanks to a wonderful parent for donating some of our flex seating and making this new venture possible. 
 
I feel so honored and blessed to be a part of your child's journey this year! 
Most Sincerely,
Mrs. Sharon Shute
 
We are going peanut free in the classroom. Please read for snack: Thanks!

Our aim is to provide a safe learning environment for all people in our school Community. To support this, SJCS is designating your child’s classroom as “nut-free”. This policy aims to increase our community awareness in order to minimize the risk for children with documented allergies to nut products. Our school has developed and will maintain a whole-school action and implementation plan when dealing with students who have critically life-threatening allergies.  


WHY? Anaphylaxis is a severe form of allergic reaction which is potentially life-threatening. It can be fatal within minutes; either through swelling that shuts off airways or through a dramatic drop in blood pressure. There are many causative agents for anaphylaxis with nuts often being the precipitative factor.  Anaphylaxis is preventable.  Avoidance of specific triggers is by far the best option. Management is via immediate injection of epinephrine and emergency transport to the hospital. 


Allergy to peanuts appears to be on the rise in children. According to a FARE-funded study, the number of children in the U.S. with peanut allergy more than tripled between 1997 and 2008. Studies in the United Kingdom and Canada also showed a high prevalence of peanut allergy in school children.  

Based on recent studies, an estimated 25-40 percent of people who have peanut allergy are also allergic to tree nuts. In addition, peanuts and tree nuts often come into contact with one another during manufacturing and serving processes. For these reasons, allergists usually tell their patients with peanut allergy to avoid tree nuts as well.  


Trace amounts of peanut can cause an allergic reaction. Casual contact with peanuts, such as touching peanuts or peanut butter residue, is less likely to trigger a severe reaction. Casual contact becomes a concern if the area that comes into contact with peanuts then comes into contact with the eyes, nose or mouth (for example, a child with peanut allergy gets peanut butter on her fingers, and then rubs her eyes).  


What does this mean for me?  

  • Your child’s classroom will remain a “peanut/nut-free zone.”  Please do not send in any food items to be consumed in the classroom that contains peanuts, nuts, peanut butter, nut butters, or peanut products. 
    • This includes almonds, filberts, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nut, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts.
    • Read labels carefully to make sure the products are nut free.  
    • This includes labels that read “May contain traces of peanuts/nuts” or “processed in a facility that processes products that contain peanuts/nuts.”  Food labels and ingredients change over time, so always read the label each time before purchasing snacks. 
    • NO HOMEMADE TREATS MAY BE BROUGHT INTO THE CLASSROOM. All treats/snacks brought to the classroom must have an ingredient label.

  • A peanut free table will be designated in the lunch room for all students with peanut/nut allergies.  
  • Peanut butter and peanut/nut products may be packed in your child’s lunch, but CANNOT be eaten in the classroom, or at the peanut/nut free lunch table.  

Thank you for your continued support with keeping our students safe.

Mrs. Wegener        

 

 




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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TIME

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

7:30 – 7:34

Homeroom

Homeroom

Homeroom

Homeroom

Homeroom

7:35 – 8:15

Spanish

Math 

Math

PE

Prayers, Devotions, Intentions, Songs

8:17 – 8:57

Music

Math

8:30 Mass

Math Groups/ ELA

Math 

Spelling, Reading Tests

8:59 – 9:39

Math

9:20- 9:50- PE

Art

Math Groups/ ELA

ELA

9:41 – 10:21

Math Groups

Math/ Begin ELA

ELA

ELA/ Lit Circles

Lit Circles

10:23 – 11:03

ELA

ELA

SS Switch Classes

SS Switch Classes

STEAM

11:05 – 11:45

Lunch Recess

Lunch Recess

Lunch -

Lunch Recess

Lunch Recess

11:47 – 12:27

ELA Lit Circles/ Workshop

11:37- Lit Circles/ Workshop

ELA Lit Circles/Workshop

Library/ Media

Religion

12:29 – 1:09

Library/ Media

12:19- ELA Lit. Circles/ Workshop

Lit Circles/ Workshop

ELA Lit Circles/ Workshop

Social Studies My Class

1:11 – 1:50

Religion-Gratitude Journal

Finish Lit Circles

Gratitude Journal/ SS My Class

Religion

Gratitude Journal

Religion

Gratitude Journal

Fun Friday Team Building Activities

Gratitude Journal

1:50 – 2:00

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Posts

Homework for Thursday, 10/12/23

Homework for Thursday, 10/12/23
-- Spelling Stories- Use at least 6 spelling words in your story, please (or more) to practice for tomorrow's spelling test.
Dress down day tomorrow! Thanks to all the donations for the food pantry! So grateful to all of you!
 
Tomorrow:
-- Spelling, Reading, and Religion tests-
Fun Friday!- We will be creating Halloween paintings with watercolors and June has a Halloween Bingo she will play with the class. Hopefully we'll have time for silent ball, too.
STEAM also tomorrow.
 
Have a lovely day,
With Gratitude,
Mrs. Shute

Homework for Wednesday, 10/11/23

Homework for Wednesday, 10/11/23
-- Spelling sentences worksheet to help practice for Friday's spelling test.
If possible, a donation to the food pantry would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
 
Tomorrow:
--Gym first period
--Library after recess
--Complete Hispanic Heritage report- Most kids finished today. I learned so much today about Messi, Ronaldo, Frida Kahlo, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ellen Ochoa!
I was very proud of the wonderfully informative research going on today. Great team work, too!
Back to Lit Circles and workshop tomorrow.
 
Have a lovely evening,
With Gratitude,
Mrs. Sharon Shute

Homework for Tuesday, 10/10/23

Homework for Tuesday, 10/10/23
-- Spelling Text Messages homework
 
Tomorrow:
-- Art day!
-- Hispanic Heritage Day! Students will research a famous Hispanic American and complete a research sheet about the person. Later- they will create a Google slides presentation in Media with Mrs. Hoglund. Exciting day tomorrow- we will not have Lit Circles due to research time. Please make sure everyone has a Chromebook (charged) so they are ready to research.
 
Thanks so much,
Mrs. Shute
 

Homework for Monday, 10/9/23

Homework for Monday, 10/9/23
--Spelling h/w- Write new spelling words on worksheet-
-- For parents- a letter detailing our new math chapter- subtraction
Just a friendly reminder: October book report- Decorate a pumpkin as a character from a book- due 10/31.
 
Tomorrow:
-All school Mass at 8:30
-Gym 
-Reading- Read a new story about nomadic people in the desert
- Math- Lesson 2 in Subtraction
 
Have a lovely Fall day!
With Gratitude, 
Mrs. Shute
 
 

Week at a Glance: October 9-13, 2023

Week at a Glance: October 9-13, 2023

Highlights of the Week: 

Reading: Non-fiction story about people living in the desert

Spelling: Focus on vowel digraphs

Writing: Using conjunctions in sentences

Math: Begin Chapter 3 Subtraction 

Religion: Jesus’ Good News

Social Studies: Continue Geography and Hispanic Heritage project


Other Highlights:

  • All school Mass Tuesday at 8:30
  • Lockdown practice- Wednesday afternoon

Reading: Unit 1 Week 4:

Spelling Words: peaches, owner, charcoal, asleep, dream, braided, maintain, agree, shadow, display- bonus words: freedom, entertain, tomorrow

High Frequency Words: voice, south

Develop Vocabulary Words: shield, lack, exposure, nomadic, landscape

Unit Vocabulary Words: competition, solve, occasion, organization, custom

Question of the Week: What creative solutions do people come up with to survive in their environment?

Learning goals for the week:

  • I can learn more about themes concerning environments by analyzing text features in an informational text.
  • I can develop knowledge about language to make connections between reading and writing.
  • I can use elements of narrative text to write a personal narrative (pn)

Objectives:

  • Use text evidence to support an appropriate response.
  • Interact with sources in  meaningful ways such as: note taking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating.
  • Identify can compare how people in different communities adapt to or modify the physical environment in which they live such as deserts, mountains, wetlands, and plains.
  • Generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information. 
  • Make connections to personal experiences, ideas in text, and society.

Writing:

  • Daily writing entries in October journal
  • Daily entries in Spelling Menu Packet
  • Daily entries in Daily Oral Language Packet
  • Daily writing Simple Solutions Grammar packet
  • Writing about a famous Hispanic American 


Math: Begin Chapter 3- Subtraction:

Math vocabulary: difference, subtract, estimate, inverse operations, regroup

Monday- Show what you know about subtraction page-

Monday also, Lesson 1- Subtract mentally: Use strategies to subtract mentally

Tuesday- Lesson 2- Estimate Differences- Estimate differences using rounding to the nearest ten or hundred.

Wednesday: Lesson 3- Problem Solving Investigation: Estimate or exact answer: Determine whether an estimate or an exact answer is needed to solve a problem.

Thursday- Lesson 4- Hands on: Subtract with regrouping: Model subtraction with regrouping.

Thursday- Check what you know: Half way through the chapter recheck on past lessons

*Each day, students will work on math enrichment activities in Simple Solutions and daily worksheets to reteach lessons.


Religion: Begin Unit 2 Session 6- Jesus’ Good News- Jesus the Son teaches us about the Kingdom of God the Father through parables.

Jesus tells parables through which he reveals the Kingdom of God to us. In the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast, Jesus the Son compares the kingdom to tiny things that become large manifestations of God the Father’s love. He teaches us to serve the kingdom by showing our love of God, our neighbors, and ourselves through acts of kindness.

Here is the link for 

Here is the link for Session interactive questions/ Daily prayers, songs, and devotions


Social Studies:

We are taking a day this week to focus on Hispanic Heritage Month. Students will conduct research on a famous Hispanic American person and later make a Google slide about that person. We will share our research with Mrs. Leonhardt for Spanish class. 

Also: Continuing our Geography chapter: 

Essential question- Where in the world is our community?

Objectives:

  • Locate key geographical features on a map of Earth: the equator, the prime meridian, the four hemispheres, the five oceans, and the seven continents.- Review this
  • Identify countries on the map of North America.
  • Identify states and communities on a map of the southeastern United States.
  • Review Continents

Language Arts in SS-

  • Correctly write the name of one’s own community and state.
  • Write a journal entry relating to the experiences of an explorer.

Develop key vocabulary: border, capital, continent, country, equator, geography, government, ocean, prime meridian, state.

Goal this week: Make a map of the world with labels on paper-

Next week: Lesson 2- Finding Places in the United States- If time permits, we’ll begin this lesson this week.

Thursday Homework: 10/5/23

Homework for 10/5/23
-- Spelling Stories- Use as many spelling (+ bonus, if possible) to make a story. I always look forward to these- they are so creative!
-- Math- Addition and rounding worksheet
--SeeSaw assignments- I will not assign any tomorrow so kids can catch up.
 
Tomorrow:
-- Spelling, Religion, and Reading Tests-
--Noodle jar party- Everyone bring a blanket(flashlights are optional) to have fun making forts and telling spooky stories. Fun time!
 
 Sincerely,
Mrs. Sharon Shute

Homework for Tuesday, 10/3/23

Homework for Tuesday, 10/3/23
-- Spelling text message h/w- These are so entertaining and creative!
--Math- Math the correct property of addition with the number sentence- if you don't have glue, students can draw lines.
 
Tomorrow:
--Art day!
-- More autobiography presentations
--Science switch day
 
Have a lovely day!
With Gratitude,
Mrs. Shute

Homework for Monday, 10/2/23

Homework for Monday, 10/2/23
-- Spelling Words- Please write new spelling words on the worksheet-
 
Tomorrow:
--Gym; Buddy Mass
 
We completed 3 more autobiographies today! They are spectacular!
New October book report information going home tomorrow!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Shute

Week at a Glance: October 2-6, 2023

Highlights of the Week:

Monday- Tornado Drill

Tuesday- 8:30 Mass

Wednesday- Completion of Autobiography presentations 

Thursday- Carmel Co-Choir performs

Friday- Fire drill w/fire dept.


Spelling Words: moving, beginning, carried, easier, begged, noisier, angriest, dragging, emptied, using

  • Develop Vocabulary: dreams, amazing, bored, amazing, discovery, proud
  • Unit academic vocabulary: competition, solve, custom, occasion, organization
  • Daily practice with spelling words in October spelling menu

Reading: Unit 1 Week 3- Goals:

  • Students can learn about themes concerning environments by analyzing characters in realistic fiction.
  • Students can develop knowledge about language to make connections between reading and writing.
  • Students can use elements of narrative text to write a personal narrative.
  • Students will explore a rainforest environment
  • Students will make inferences and use evidence to support understanding.
  • Understand how humans adapt to various environments.
  • Recognize and analyze genre-specific characteristics, structures and purposed within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.
  • Understand meanings of base words and apply word endings- /-ed/, /-ing/, /-er/, /-est/
  • Review word endings from last week- -s, -es, -ies
  • Use text evidence to support an appropriate response

Writing:  Daily writing in October journal and October quick prompts in notebooks.

Students will write a personal narrative using an organizer to help organize their thoughts.

Also, daily entries in gratitude journals

Morning Work: Daily writing in Daily Oral Language packet, Simple Solutions Grammar-


Math: Continuing and Completion of Chapter 2 Addition Strategies:

Monday- Fluency Practice with addition regrouping

Tuesday- Review for test in book

Wednesday- Further Review of Chapter 2 completed independently

Thursday- Chapter 2 Assessment

Vocabulary words to know:

Associative property of addition, estimate,parenthesis, regroup, bar diagram, Identity property, pattern, unknown, Commutative Property, mental math, reasonable

Also: Daily practice with Prodigy, SeeSaw math enrichment activities,and Simple Solutions Math


Religion: Session 5- Ordinary Time:

Ordinary Time is a time to grow and be grateful that we belong to our Church community-

We celebrate Ordinary Time on the Sundays between the Christmas season and Lent and from Pentecost to the First Sunday of Advent. There may be 33 or 34 Sundays in Ordinary Time. There are the Sundays in which the Church reflects on Jesus’ life. During this time, we celebrate Jesus’ presence in our lives, receiving him in the Eucharist. We live our commitment to Christ through the community of the Church as a sign of Christ’s presence in the world. During other seasons, we anticipate and celebrate the central aspects of the Paschal Mystery- the birth, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ. During Ordinary Time, we celebrate Jesus’ life and our life in the Church. The Mass is the center and the source of that life.

*** Tuesday- All School Mass at 8:30 with buddies

Session 5 Outcomes:

  • Discuss how we grow in God’s love in Ordinary Time.
  • Explain that in Ordinary Time, we are grateful to belong to our Church Community.
  • Discuss how we grow in community by being Chirst to the world.
  • Define community and missal

Daily songs, prayers, and devotion- 


Social Studies: Continuing with Geography:

Essential question- Where in the world is our community?

Objectives:

  • Locate key geographical features on a map of Earth: the equator, the prime meridian, the four hemispheres, the five oceans, and the seven continents.- Review this
  • Identify countries on the map of North America.
  • Identify states and communities on a map of the southeastern United States.
  • Review Continents

Language Arts in SS-

  • Correctly write the name of one’s own community and state.
  • Write a journal entry relating to the experiences of an explorer.

Develop key vocabulary: border, capital, continent, country, equator, geography, government, ocean, prime meridian, state.

Goal this week: Make a map of the world with labels on paper-

Homework for Wednesday, 9/27/23

Homework for Wednesday, 9/27/23
-- Write sentences with spelling words to practice for Friday's test.
--Autobiographies due Friday- We'll begin presentations on Friday and continue the following week. Please email me if you have any questions/ concerns.
 
Ms. Han and Mrs. Walsh visited our class today to discuss bump shrinkers, playdough brain and lots of other things to make us smile.
 
Tomorrow:
--Gym and Library day
 
Have a lovely day!
With Much Gratitude,
Mrs. Sharon Shute

Homework for Tuesday, 9/26/23

Tomorrow is purple day in memory of Charlotte Frank- thanks!
 
Homework for Tuesday, 9/26/23
-- Spelling messages- Include as many spelling words as you can in your messages.
--Autobiographies due Friday- 
 
Tomorrow:
--Art day!
--Discussing our topics for our first writing assignment- personal narratives.
 
Have a lovely afternoon,
With Gratitude,
Mrs. Shute
 
 

Homework for Monday, 9/25/23

Homework for Monday, 9/25/23
-- Spelling words homework- please write spelling words and bonus words in the spaces provided. Thanks!
-- Friendly reminder- Autobiography book reports due this Friday- you can send them in early. 
 
Tomorrow:
**We have a speaker in the morning regarding online safety.
**At 12:30 we have Eucharistic Adoration at Church
**Also, busy day with gym in the morning.
 
Have a lovely afternoon!
With Gratitude,
Mrs. Shute
 

Week at a Glance: September 25-29, 2023

Week at a Glance: September 25-30, 2023

Highlights of the Week:

    • Monday- Morning Prayer in gym
    • Tuesday- Eucharistic Adoration at 12:30 in Church
    • Tuesday- Online safety speaker
    • Fun Friday/ Noodle Jar Party!
  • Friday, 9/29- Autobiography book report due (poster project)

Reading: Unit 1 Week 2

Writing: Preparing to write a personal narrative

Phonics: Words ending in /es/

Math: Continuing with Addition strategies

Religion: Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesday

Social Studies: Continuing Geography


Spelling: inches, pitches, dishes,glasses, spies, fries, cities, pennies, families, faxes

High frequency words: story, draw

Vocabulary words: preparations, magnificent, brooded, rejoicing, satisfied

Unit Academic Vocabulary: competition, solve, custom, occasion, organization


Reading: Goals for the week:

  • I can learn more about traditional tales and infer theme in folktale.
  • I  can develop knowledge about language to make connections between reading and writing. 
  • I can use elements of narrative text to write a personal narrative

Students will …

  • make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society.
  • Interact with sources in meaningful ways such as note taking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating.
  • demonstrate knowledge of distinguishing characteristics of well known children’s literature such as folktales, fables, fairy tales, legends, and myths.
  • use print or digital resources to determine meaning, syllabication, and pronunciation.
  • identify, use and explain the meaning of idioms, homophones, synonyms, and antonyms in text.

Writing: 

  • Students will write a personal narrative about their favorite place/ memory of summer.
  • Students will write daily in September creative writing journal
  • Students will write daily in notebooks w/ September prompts
  • Students will write daily in September Spelling Menu packet
  • Students will write daily in their gratitude journals

Phonics/ Grammar: 

  • Spiral review: Syllable pattern VC/CV 
  • Plural nouns/ possessive nouns ending in /es/ or /s/

Daily work in Simple Solutions Grammar and Daily Oral Language packet 

Math: Continuing with Chapter 2- Addition Strategies:

Math Vocabulary: reasonable, regroup, unknown, 

  • Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
  • Reason abstractly and quantitatively
  • Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
  • Attend to precision.
  • Look for and make use of structure.
  • Model with mathematics.
  • Use appropriate tools strategically.

Monday- Lesson 6-Students will use models to explore adding 3 digit numbers.

Tuesday-Lesson 7- Add 3 Digit Numbers- Students will add 3 digit numbers and use estimation to check for reasonableness.

Wednesday- Lesson 8- Add 4 Digit Numbers- Students will explore adding 3 digit numbers to four-digit numbers.

Thursday- Lesson 9- Problem Solving Investigation- Students will check for answers for reasonableness.

Friday- Math games to reflect lessons of the week-

--Daily writing in Simple Solutions Math packet


Religion:  Unit 1- Session 4- Jesus is with Us-God the Father sends his Son, Jesus, to save us.

The salvation promised in the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus means “God saves.” Christ means “the anointed one,” or the one especially chosen by God to be our Savior. Mary

Became the mother of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Joseph responded to God’s call to be the foster father of Jesus.

Outcomes of Session 4:

  • Retell Jesus’ miracles of the loaves and fishes.
  • Pray the next part of the Apostles’ Creed.
  • Explain the meaning of Jesus’ different names.
  • Define Scriptures.
  • Daily prayers, religious devotions, and songs.
  • Daily intentions for everyone on our Secret Agents of Kindness list

Social Studies: Continuing with Geography:

Essential question- Where in the world is our community?

Objectives:

  • Locate key geographical features on a map of Earth: the equator, the prime meridian, the four hemispheres, the five oceans, and the seven continents.- Review this
  • Identify countries on the map of North America.
  • Identify states and communities on a map of the southeastern United States.
  • Review Continents

Language Arts in SS-

  • Correctly write the name of one’s own community and state.
  • Write a journal entry relating to the experiences of an explorer.

Develop key vocabulary: border, capital, continent, country, equator, geography, government, ocean, prime meridian, state.


Activity: Students will make a map to represent planet Earth and label parts of the world. 

Summary of Lesson 1: Students learned how to tell where places are on Earth using maps. The names of the hemispheres, continents, countries, and states all help us to say where a place is located. Maps show borders of places. Some borders are made by mountains and rivers, but others are decided on by people. 











Homework for Wednesday, 9/20/23

Homework for 9/20/23
Spelling sentences- Plug the spelling words into your own creative sentences.
Also, spelling and reading test tomorrow since there's no school on Friday.
 
Tomorrow:
-- Gym and Library- Please bring library books back- 
-- We switch for science/ social studies tomorrow, also
Busy day indeed!
 
Have a lovely afternoon,
Sincerely,
Mrs. Shute
 

Tuesday, 9/19/23

Tuesday, 9/19/23
Homework- Spelling text messages with 10 spelling words- bonus words are optional.
Tomorrow:
-- Art day
There are two packets from Third Grade Angels in your child's folder. We finished the book before completion of one of the packets. You don't need to send it back. 
 
Have a lovely day,
With Gratitude,
Mrs. Shute