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?
Thank you for your continued support with keeping our students safe.
Mrs. Blake
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Mrs. Sharon Shute
First Grade Teacher
St. Joseph Catholic School
 2009 and 2017 National Blue Ribbon Recipient
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Week at a Glance: February 2-4,2026
Highlights of the Week:
Reading: Continue informational story of Jane Goodall
Writing: Continue Informative Paragraphs
Phonics: Fundations
Math: Continue Place Value Chapter
Mystery Science: Animal Survival
Social Studies: Civil Rights Unit/Focus on MLK
Religion: Bible Stories and Songs
Art in the Box- Feb. 4 morning
Feb. 4 100 Day! Students will be engaging in activities to celebrate this grand occasion!
Reading: Return to Jane Goodall- Last week, we focused on informational writing and a few students directed our writing choosing the topics: one of friendship (Elara) and an autobiography of sorts (Jack). We also wrote informational stories based on the book Animal Tongues. Our focus was to follow the “sandwich chart” which includes:
This week, students will write an informational story about Jane Goodall as we reread the book Me…Jane
And pluck out the main idea, key details, and conclusion statement.
We will also continue reading Good Dog by Cam Higgins- We are on chapter 4 of this sweet beginner chapter book. After each chapter, we review the following elements to make sure everyone is understanding the story.
This really helps with comprehension and making sure we are all on the same page.
Writing: Write an informational story about Jane Goodall and writing lessons in our February journal.
Fundations- Phonics-
--- Work in Practice book with lessons for Units 5 and 6
---Work with dry erase boards practicing words, sentences and stories that are recited using trick words and new word families.
Math- Conclusion on Chapter 5- Place Value
Vocabulary- hundreds, tens, ones, regroup, greater than, lesser than, equal to,
Monday- Lesson 13-Numbers to 120- Students will count numerals to 120
Tuesday and Wednesday- Practice place value lessons with math games, worksheets, SeeSaw activities, IXL lessons, IReady lessons, and computer math activities.
Religion- Focus on Bible Stories and Songs
This shortened week, we’ll read some Bible stories and sing some religious songs we began the year with. We’ll also attend the 9:30 Mass on Wednesday with our buddies.
Civil Rights: Celebration of the Life and Times of Martin Luther King Jr. Continuation
Social Studies- Martin Luther King Jr. will be the topic of our discussions in our classroom for the month of January. Throughout the month of January, with the use of videos and stories, students will learn about the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr. Topics including: civil rights, Rosa Parks, slavery, Jim Crow laws, freedom marches, and peaceful protests. More related topics will be discussed and hopefully your child will discuss these important topics with you throughout the month. Our class will participate in these activities and discussions to promote peace and kindness.
Mystery Science:Why do baby ducks follow their mother? Lesson 3 in Animal Super Powers
1-LS1-2
Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.
In this Read-Along lesson, Juan Carlos visits his grandmother who has a backyard full of ducks. The lesson includes a short exercise where students get moving by acting like ducks. If you want to extend the lesson, you can try this optional activity, What’s Going On?, where students watch videos and discover ways that animal parents help their offspring.
Week at a Glance: January 26-30, 2026
Highlights of the Week: Happy Catholic Schools Week!
Monday: Dress as 100 years old. Optional!
Tuesday: Buddy Mass
Wednesday: Teacher’s Day
Thursday:Chemo Care Bag donations due- Ginger or Lemon Chews/ Aquaphor- Thanks!
And Pillow Drive
Friday: Student’s Day Pep Rally in afternoon/ Ms. Han and Mrs. Walsh in a.m.
Academic Highlights:
Math: Continuing Place Value Chapter and IReady Diagnostic Testing**
ELA: Continuing Jane Goodall story and New Reading- Megabat book (volume 1) Whole class Lit Circle after lunch/ recess! Very excited about this!
Writing: informative story about Jane Goodall
Religion: (From last week) Jesus Teaches Us
Science: (from last week) Birds vs. Beaks- What is the difference?
Social Studies: (from last week) Civil Rights- Dr. King
Due to limited class size last Friday, we did not have Social Studies, Science, or Religion (book) so we are hoping for better weather this week to complete plans!
ELA- Wit and Wisdom Reading and Writing:
Focus Question: How did Jane Goodall make discoveries about animals?
Content Framing Question: Wonder: What do I notice and wonder about Jane?
Writing: Why is writing a topic sentence important-
Jane Goodall with the story, Me… Jane by Patrick McDonnell link here to hear the story.
MATH- Chapter 5- Place Value
Vocabulary Words: regroup, place value, tens, ones, greater than, less than, equal to, five, hundred
Monday- Lesson 9- Students will use nickels to count by 5’s;Using place value by counting by 5’s)
Tuesday: Lesson 10- Use models to compare numbers; Students will use models to compare two digit numbers.
Wednesday: Lesson 11- Use symbols to compare numbers; Students will compare two digit numbers using symbols.
Thursday- Lesson 12- Numbers to 120; Students will group hundreds, tens, and ones
Friday- Completion of IReady Math Test and IXL/ SEESAW math activities
Civil Rights: Celebration of the Life and Times of Martin Luther King Jr. Continuation
Social Studies- Martin Luther King Jr. will be the topic of our discussions in our classroom for the month of January. Throughout the month of January, with the use of videos and stories, students will learn about the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr. Topics including: civil rights, Rosa Parks, slavery, Jim Crow laws, freedom marches, and peaceful protests. More related topics will be discussed and hopefully your child will discuss these important topics with you throughout the month. Our class will participate in these activities and discussions to promote peace and kindness.
Mystery Science: Why do birds have beaks? Animal Superpower Unit Continuation
Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
In this lesson, students carry out an investigation to determine the relationship between the shape of different bird beaks and the food each bird eats. In the activity, Find the Best Beak, students experiment with long pointy beaks that are great for picking up seeds and wide flat beaks that are good for scooping. They discover that different beaks are best for different kinds of food.
Vocabulary words: beak, bird, function, experiment, mouth, model, needs,shape, size, structure, stomach, survive, tongue-
Religion: Jesus Teaches Us:Session 7
Session Theme: God’s Son, Jesus, taught us how to pray to God our Father as Jesus prayed.
Outcomes of Session 7:
Jesus placed his trust in the Father and taught us to pray by saying the words “Our Father.”
The first part of the Lord's Prayer contains praise of God and his Holy Name. We pray “thy kingdom come" as a way of asking God to help us live according to his will. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer at Mass, we are connected to one another and to God in a special and powerful way.
Week at a Glance: January 20-23, 2026
Snapshot of the week:
Reading: Jane Goodall stories
Writing: Informational paragraph focus on topic statement
Fundations: Unit 6
Math: Chapter 5:Place Value
Mystery Science: Complete bird/ duck beak
Social Studies: Dr. King
Religion: Jesus Teaches Us
ELA- Wit and Wisdom Reading and Writing:
Focus Question: How did Jane Goodall make discoveries about animals?
Content Framing Question: Wonder: What do I notice and wonder about Jane?
Writing: Why is writing a topic sentence important-
We completed the Seven Blind Mice chapter and moved onto Jane Goodall with the story, Me… Jane by Patrick McDonnell link here to hear the story.
In this lesson, students are introduced to a new text, Me…Jane, which documents the life of Jane Goodall from a young age. They notice and wonder about this text and also practice a new skill: signaling unknown words. Adding to the vocabulary instruction in this lesson, students also use the strategy of Outside-In to determine the meaning of a word. Students build upon their work with informative paragraphs in previous lessons by doing a closer examination of topic statements.
Learning Goals:
Mystery Science: Why do birds have beaks? Animal Superpower Unit Continuation
Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
In this lesson, students carry out an investigation to determine the relationship between the shape of different bird beaks and the food each bird eats. In the activity, Find the Best Beak, students experiment with long pointy beaks that are great for picking up seeds and wide flat beaks that are good for scooping. They discover that different beaks are best for different kinds of food.
Vocabulary words: beak, bird, function, experiment, mouth, model, needs,shape, size, structure, stomach, survive, tongue-
MATH- Chapter 5- Place Value
Vocabulary Words: regroup, place value, tens, ones
Tuesday- Lesson 5 Tens and Ones- Understand place value- Students will make tens and ones
Wednesday- Lesson 6-Make a Table- Understand place value-Students will make a table to solve problems.
Thursday- Lesson 7- Numbers to 100-students will complete h/w during class time-Students will write numbers to 100 in different ways.
Civil Rights: Celebration of the Life and Times of Martin Luther King Jr. Continuation
Social Studies- Martin Luther King Jr. will be the topic of our discussions in our classroom for the month of January. Throughout the month of January, with the use of videos and stories, students will learn about the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr. Topics including: civil rights, Rosa Parks, slavery, Jim Crow laws, freedom marches, and peaceful protests. More related topics will be discussed and hopefully your child will discuss these important topics with you throughout the month. Our class will participate in these activities and discussions to promote peace and kindness.
Religion: Jesus Teaches Us:Session 7
Session Theme: God’s Son, Jesus, taught us how to pray to God our Father as Jesus prayed.
Outcomes of Session 7:
Jesus placed his trust in the Father and taught us to pray by saying the words “Our Father.”
The first part of the Lord's Prayer contains praise of God and his Holy Name. We pray “thy kingdom come" as a way of asking God to help us live according to his will. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer at Mass, we are connected to one another and to God in a special and powerful way.
Week at a Glance: January 12-16, 2026
Highlights of the Week:
IREADY READING THIS WEEK- PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD IS WELL RESTED FOR THE WINTER DIAGNOSTIC TESTING- THANKS!
Reading: Conclusion of 7 Blind Mice book and IReady
Writing: Writing a paragraph about 7 Blind Mice
Math- Place Value
Mystery Science- Animal Superpowers
Religion- Jesus Christ is Born
Social Studies: Beginning of Civil Rights Unit
Other Highlights of the Week:
Monday: STREAM and Media
Tuesday: 9:30 Buddy Mass
Wednesday: Food Pantry Collection
Thursday: Art class with Mrs. Medina
Friday: Mystery Science and Social Studies
Reading: Creature Feature- Module 2 in Wit and Wisdom- Lesson 7-9
What lessons can we learn through stories about animals?
Learning Goals:
Fundations: Unit 6
Writing:
Math: Conclusion on Chapter 4 Subtraction Strategies
Math: Beginning of Volume 2- Chapter 5- Place Value
Key vocabulary words: ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen-
Mathematical Practices:
Religion: Session 6 Unit 2- God the Father Sends Jesus: Jesus was born in Bethlehem
God the Father loves us so much that he sent his only Son, Jesus, to save us. Jesus was born in humble surroundings to emphasize his identification with those who are poor. The shepherds, simple working people, were inspired by the songs of the angels and went to greet Jesus and to offer praise. God the Father chose Mary and Joseph to care for Jesus. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are called the Holy Family.
Mystery Science: Why do birds have beaks? Animal Superpower Unit
Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
In this lesson, students carry out an investigation to determine the relationship between the shape of different bird beaks and the food each bird eats. In the activity, Find the Best Beak, students experiment with long pointy beaks that are great for picking up seeds and wide flat beaks that are good for scooping. They discover that different beaks are best for different kinds of food.
Vocabulary words: beak, bird, function, experiment, mouth, model, needs,shape, size, structure, stomach, survive, tongue-
Civil Rights: Celebration of the Life and Times of Martin Luther King Jr.
Social Studies- Martin Luther King Jr. will be the topic of our discussions in our classroom for the month of January. Throughout the month of January, with the use of videos and stories, students will learn about the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr. Topics including: civil rights, Rosa Parks, slavery, Jim Crow laws, freedom marches, and peaceful protests. More related topics will be discussed and hopefully your child will discuss these important topics with you throughout the month. Our class will participate in these activities and discussions to promote peace and kindness.
Week at a Glance: January 5-9, 2026
Highlights of the Week:
Morning Prayer Week: The following students will read the morning prayers over the PA with Mrs. Hein. Prayer is at 7:30 a.m.
Monday- Colin and Kennedy link here for prayer
Tuesday- Clara and Josie link here for prayer
Wednesday- Liz and Emerson link here for prayer
Thursday-Sam and Emma link here for prayer
Friday-Harper and Nixon link here for prayer
Also: Dress rehearsal for Christmas Show on Tuesday afternoon- 12:00-1:45
--Christmas Concert on Wednesday- Meet in the classroom!
Highlights of the Week:
Reading: Wrap up Fables
Writing: January Journal
Math: Subtraction Strategies Assessment
Fundations: Wrap up unit 4 with assessment
Religion:Christmas Session in Religion Book
Social Studies:
Mystery Science: Winter
Religion: Christmas Session in Book:
Reading: Creature Feature- Module 2 in Wit and Wisdom- Lesson 6-9
What lessons can we learn through stories about animals?
Learning Goals:
Fundations:
Writing:
Math: Conclusion on Chapter 4 Subtraction Strategies
Monday-Wednesday- We had to postpone the Math test the last week of school due to so many illnesses, we will practice for the test on Monday and Tuesday and Assess on Wednesday.
Thursday- IReady lessons, IXL math lessons and SeeSaw math lessons
Friday- Math partner games continued work with IPad math games/ activities
We will begin Chapter 5 Place Value next week!
Mystery Science: Winter Theme- We didn’t get to this project/ activity due to our Promethean board died out and we are waiting for our new Freddie (affectionate name for our board) I will find other ways to teach this lesson on camouflage-
1-LS1-1 Link here for Session in Mystery Science- Why are polar bears white?
In this lesson, students make observations to construct an explanation of why camouflage is helpful to animals. In the activity, Moth Hide and Seek, students test their ability to spot camouflage moths, and then design a camouflage pattern for a moth of their own and hide it in the classroom!
Vocabulary: habitat, prey, predator, survive, camouflage, model, experiment
Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
Social Studies: Social Studies- Martin Luther King Jr. will be the topic of our discussions in our classroom for the month of January. Throughout the month of January, with the use of videos and stories, students will learn about the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr. Topics including: civil rights, Rosa Parks, slavery, Jim Crow laws, freedom marches, and peaceful protests. More related topics will be discussed and hopefully your child will discuss these important topics with you throughout the month. Our class will participate in these activities and discussions to promote peace and kindness.
Week at a Glance: December 15-19, 2025
Last Week at a Glance for 2025
This is a busy week indeed! I will go through day by day plans:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: dismissal at 11:00
