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Hello,

I’m Mrs. Sharon Shute and this is my 19th 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 38 years beginning as a preschool teacher in Chicago. My love of children grew and so 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 19th year at St. Joe's, I taught first grade for 14 of those years and journeyed to third grade for three years and wanted to return "home" back to Room 2 in first grade. SO very much to love and learn this school year beginning with fun read alouds such as The Wild Robot to January's Harry Potter book. I am thrilled to be back in First 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. We are so fortunate to have Mrs. Jennifer Froelich as a full time aide to be shared between both first grade classes. She is so creative and eager to help each and every student in our school family.

This school year, our class will consist of: Reading, Phonics, Language Arts, Religion, Social Studies, and Science. IPads are an exciting part of this school year, too. Students will be engaging in various activities such as educational lessons on SeeSaw, Kahoot, and more.

I feel so honored and blessed to be a part of your child's journey this year! We are a family- working together, for the betterment of our school community building friendships and relationships we'll hold in our hearts for a very long time.

Most Sincerely,

Mrs. Sharon Shute

PS: Never expected but always welcomed- Amazon Wish List link below:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1DFS7WJ365O96?ref_=wl_share

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. Blake

Mrs. Sharon Shute

First Grade Teacher

St. Joseph Catholic School

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2009 and 2017 National Blue Ribbon Recipient

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Homework for Tuesday, October 6, 2026

--Math Subtract 4 and 5

Tomorrow:

--Lit Circles return!

--We are winding down Biblioburro this week to get ready for a new book for next week.

--Music

--Lockdown practice in the AM-

Have a lovely evening,

With Gratitude,

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Homework for Monday, October 5, 2026

--Math Lesson Comparing Numbers

Tomorrow:

--Buddy 9:30 Mass

--Gym and Library- Please remember to bring in library books- thanks!

--Assessment of Biblioburro (our last week)

--Making a jack-o-lantern and writing about it, too!

Have a lovey evening,

With Gratitude,

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Week at a Glance: October 5-9, 2026

Highlights of the Week:

Monday- Lit Circles Continue with novels

Tuesday- 9:30 Buddy Mass

Wednesday- Lockdown practice with Libertyville PD

Thursday- Create a character from Biblioburro and write about that character

Friday- Hispanic Heritage Month and Scholastic news- Apples

Math: Continuation of Chapter 2 Subtraction

Math Vocabulary: subtraction number sentence, difference, minus, subtract, related facts

Monday- Lesson 7- Compare groups: Students will compare groups of up to nine objects.

Tuesday- Lesson 8- Subtract 4 and 5- Students will subtract 4 and 5; Example- 4-2=

Wednesday-Lesson 9- Subtraction- Subtract 6 and 7- Students will take away 6 and 7 from a group of numbers.

Thursday- Lesson 10- Subtraction- Subtract 8- Students will minus 8 from a larger group and

Check my progress page- Recheck of past subtraction skills learned.

Friday: Math work with: IXL, SeeSaw math activities, and IReady Math- and new math games in small groups!

ELA and Social Studies: Biblioburro this week!

Lesson 10- Make subject/ verb agreement about Ana; Students will begin writing sentences.
Lesson 10 continues- Dramatize the dream scene from Biblioburro story and what it represents.
Lesson 11- Write a narrative retelling Waiting for Biblioburro that shows how the Biblioburro changes life for Ana- Students will write a collective narrative about this story and illustrate their part of the story.
Lesson 11: Social Studies: Students will explore the culture of Columbia, where our story takes place.
Lesson 12- Write and speak about Waiting for Biblioburro adds to knowledge of how books change lives.

Students will work in their Biblioburro packets and complete comprehension questions about the story, review vocabulary words from the story, and complete a writing activity related to the story.

--Students will take an assessment on learned skills for Waiting for Biblioburro

--Students will review in small groups for the assessment through writing activity called Scoot

Fundations- Phonics-Continued from last week

Review of the sounds, trick words, and sentences we practiced last week and practice CVC words through practice on Foundations worksheets

Deep practice of writing in practice books: words with short vowels
Write sentences with trick words and short vowels on magnet boards
Nonsense words vs. real words

Trick words thus far: and, a, the, is, his, of

Religion: Session 2: God Cares for Us- God loves us and wants the best for us-

The Bible tells us that we are created in God’s image and likeness. We are most like God when we act in service to him, as expressed through loving and serving others.

Outcomes of Session 2:

Tell that Jesus is the greatest gift from God.
Explain that God wants us to help others feel welcome.
Tell that we show our love for God when we care for others.
Define: liturgy and praise

Also: 9:30 Tuesday Buddy Mass; Songs and Prayers devoted to God and the Holy Family

Social Studies: Hispanic History Month

Students will learn about famous Hispanic Americans who made/make a difference in our country. Frida Kahlo, Cesar Chavez, Ellen Ochoa, and Sonia Sotomayor are some of the people we will learn about.

-- We will also learn about Columbia- where Biblioburro takes place (our current reading story) and tie this into Hispanic Heritage Month learning.

Science: Mystery Science Unit 1 begins

To deepen understanding of observations of characteristics and traits- using these skills to help identify which animal is which
Help identify parent and baby based on observations of characteristics, behaviors, and animal’s traits
To determine “animal superpowers” by characteristics and traits

Scholastic News- Students will learn about apples-

Homework for Wednesday, 9/30/26

--Show what you know worksheet in math

Tomorrow:

--Lit Circles with novels! Yippee! My favorite time of the school year:

----Group 3- Days with Frog and Toad

------Group 2- Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night

-------Group 1- Assorted Leveled Readers and then Dragon Tales by Dav Pilkey

---Art

Have a lovely evening!

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Homework for Monday, September 28, 2026

--Lesson 4- Subtract all or zero

Tomorrow:

--9:30 Mass

--Gym

--Library- Please bring your library books back to check out new books-Thanks!

--No Lit circles- work with partners recreating the Biblioburro story.

Have a lovely evening,

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Week at a Glance: September 28- October 2, 2026

Highlights of the Week:

Monday- Lockdown practice

Tuesday- 9:30 Mass

Wednesday-Carmel students observe our class

Thursday- Create a character from Biblioburro and write about that character

Friday- Hispanic Heritage Month

Math: Continuation of Chapter 2 Subtraction

Math Vocabulary: subtraction number sentence, difference, minus, subtract, related facts

Monday- Lesson 5- Vertical Subtraction- Students will subtract up and down

Tuesday- Check my Progress- Lessons 1-4; Lesson 6- Drawing a Diagram: Students will draw a diagram to solve problems.

Wednesday- Lesson 7- Compare groups: Students will compare groups of up to nine objects.

Thursday- Review of the week in math and devoted time to: IReady, IXL, and SeeSaw math concept enrichment.

ELA and Social Studies: Biblioburro this week!

Lesson 10- Make subject/ verb agreement about Ana; Students will begin writing sentences.
Lesson 10 continues- Dramatize the dream scene from Biblioburro story and what it represents.
Lesson 11- Write a narrative retelling Waiting for Biblioburro that shows how the Biblioburro changes life for Ana- Students will write a collective narrative about this story and illustrate their part of the story.
Lesson 11: Social Studies: Students will explore the culture of Columbia, where our story takes place.
Lesson 12- Write and speak about Waiting for Biblioburro adds to knowledge of how books change lives.

Students will work in their Biblioburro packets and complete comprehension questions about the story, review vocabulary words from the story, and complete a writing activity related to the story.

Fundations- Phonics-

Monday- We begin the Word of the Day - Quit- Review of the sounds, trick words, and sentences we practiced last week.

Tuesday- Review of short vowel sounds, discuss synonyms/ antonyms of the word: quit

Wednesday/Thursday:

Deep practice of writing in practice books: words with short vowels
Write sentences with trick words and short vowels
Nonsense words vs. real words

Trick words thus far: and, a, the, is, his, of

Religion: Session 2: God Cares for Us- God loves us and wants the best for us-

The Bible tells us that we are created in God’s image and likeness. We are most like God when we act in service to him, as expressed through loving and serving others.

Outcomes of Session 2:

Tell that Jesus is the greatest gift from God.
Explain that God wants us to help others feel welcome.
Tell that we show our love for God when we care for others.
Define: liturgy and praise

Also: 9:30 Tuesday Mass; Songs and Prayers devoted to God and the Holy Family

Social Studies: Hispanic History Month

Students will learn about famous Hispanic Americans who made/make a difference in our country. Frida Kahlo, Cesar Chavez, Ellen Ochoa, and Sonia Sotomayor are some of the people we will learn about.

-- We will also learn about Columbia- where Biblioburro takes place (our current reading story)

-Mrs. Leonhardt (the middle school Spanish teacher) will read the Spanish part in Biblioburro.

Science: Mystery Science Unit 1 continues

To deepen understanding of observations of characteristics and traits- using these skills to help identify which animal is which
Help identify parent and baby based on observations of characteristics, behaviors, and animal’s traits
To determine “animal superpowers” by characteristics and traits

Homework for Tuesday, 9/22/26

--Lesson 2 Subtraction work

Tomorrow:

-- Music

--Back to Lit circles! My favorite!

--Making our own Biblioburro story with pictures

Happy First Day of Fall!

With Gratitude,

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Homework for Monday, 9/21/26

--Math Lesson 1- Subtraction Stories

Sorry, we didn't get to Kahoot today, our Mondays and Tuesdays are quite busy.

We did get Lit Circles in with Grandma Rudolph and Mrs. Froelich. Always my favorite!

Tomorrow:

- Adoration at Church tomorrow at 12:30- No Mass tomorrow

--Library- Please bring library books tomorrow- thanks!

--Gym

Have a lovely evening,

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Week at a Glance: September 21-24, 2026

Highlights of the Week:

Monday- Special morning prayer in the gym for Adoration practice

Tuesday- Afternoon Adoration at Church-

Wednesday- Fire drill w/ Libertyville PD

Thursday- Lockdown drill no PD

Friday- No School due to Archdiocese webinar

Math: Begin Chapter 2 Subtraction Concepts: How do subtract numbers?

Vocabulary words: compare, minus, difference, subtract, subtraction number sentence, related facts

Monday- Lesson 1 Subtraction Stories: Students will use models to represent and solve subtraction situations.

Tuesday- Lesson 2 Model Subtraction- Students will subtract parts from a whole

Wednesday- Lesson 3- Subtraction Number Sentences- Students will write subtraction number sentences.

Thursday- Lesson 4-Subtract 0 and All- Students will subtract 0 or find a difference of 0

Friday- NO SCHOOL

Students will utilize lessons on IXL, SeeSaw and IReady to help with enrichment of subtraction skills.

ELA & Social Studies: Waiting for Biblioburro continues

-Analyze the main character’s dreams using key details in Waiting for Biblioburro

-Identify the words with an -ing ending- verbs in the present

-Review what a noun and verb is-

- Add -ing to root words to change the meaning

Lesson 9- Verbs in the past/ Compare verbs present and past
Lesson 10- Compose a sentence using a present tense verb about Ana’s dream.
Lesson 10 continues- Dramatize the dream scene from Biblioburro story and what it represents.
Lesson 11- Write a narrative retelling Waiting for Biblioburro that shows how the Biblioburro changes life for Ana
Lesson 12- Write and speak about Waiting for Biblioburro adds to knowledge of how books change lives.

Students will work in their Biblioburro packets and complete comprehension questions about the story, review vocabulary words from the story, and complete a writing activity related to the story.

Fundations: Continue Unit 2 (handout was in your child’s folder)

CVC words
Trick Words: in, his, is, the, and, it
Writing simple sentences, practice writing capital letters to begin sentences and correct punctuation at the end of the sentences.

Religion: God looked at and loved everything he had made and proclaimed it very good. All the heavens and Earth proclaim the presence of God who makes us, and wants us to be happy. We thank God fort all ge gives us by sharing with each other.

Completion of Session 1- God the Creator; God Makes Everything-

Review the life of St. Franics of Assisi- his love of nature and Creation.
To learn every good thing comes from God.
To learn how to show love to God.
How and why we help others.
Sign of the Cross
Adoration on Tuesday at 12:30 at Church
Daily prayers and songs to celebrate the Holy Family

Social Studies: Hispanic History Month

Students will learn about famous Hispanic Americans who made/make a difference in our country. We will utilize the website Twinkl to help us learn about people such as:

Science: Mystery Science Unit 1- Begin!

To deepen understanding of observations of characteristics and traits- using these skills to help identify which animal is which
Help identify parent and baby based on observations of characteristics, behaviors, and animal’s traits
To determine “animal superpowers” by characteristics and traits

Homework for Wednesday, 9/16/26

--Math True or False Addition Sentences

Tomorrow:

--Art day

--More Lit circles, Biblioburro, prepping for Chapter 1 Addition test and more SeeSaw work.

Have a lovely evening,

Sharon Shute

Homework for Tuesday, September 15, 2026

--Math- Find the missing addend to make 10

Tomorrow:

--Music

--Workshop with SeeSaw included! We completed our first SeeSaw today!~ I am thrilled so many parents signed up- thanks!

--Back to lit circles-

--Back to Biblioburro

-- Working with Venn diagrams and Piggie and Gerald

Have a lovely evening,

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Week at a Glance: September 4-18, 2026

Highlights of the Week:

Monday- Carmel students visit our class!
Tuesday- All school Buddy Mass @ 9:30
Wednesday- Continued Reading w/Mo Willems books
Thursday- Fire Drill Practice
Friday- Rosary Launch/ Spirit Run

Learning Goals:

ELA Goals: Reading-Focus Q: How does Biblioburro change life for Ana?

Retell events of our recent story: Waiting for the Biblioburro

Students pair up and retell the story with the book

Identify characters, setting, problem, solution of story- Use a story map
Vocabulary words: village, burros, market, collect
Ask and answer questions about key vocabulary words
Identify and generate verbs from the story
Examine complete sentences (punctuation)
Focus on verbs: past tense and present tense
Discuss dream vs. reality parts in story
Notice paintings drawings in ABC Museum

Phonics: Fundations:

Phonemic awareness skills: sound manipulation (beginning, end, medial)
Blending and reading three sound short vowel sounds
Segmenting and spelling three sound words
Sentence dictation procedures: Capitalization, punctuation (period) and proofreading procedures
Story retelling in detail and sequence

Sample words: map, lit, job, fix, quit

Trick words: the, and, is, a, his, of

Lit Circle Work:

Read Geodes books that accompany reading series
Focus on nouns/ verbs sort and worksheets
Read CVC words in reading packets/ highlight CVC words
Phonics partner games (thanks for your donations)

Math: Completion of Chapter 1 Addition

Vocabulary words: part, whole, add, sum

Lesson 12-Find missing parts of 10- Counting up to 10
Lesson 13- Students will identify number sentences as true/ false
Review of Chapter 1- Fact Fluency
Chapter 1 Assessment on addition
SeeSaw math activities to support addition concepts
IXL lessons coordinating math lessons
IReady math lessons to foster math knowledge

Religion:

To identify things that God creates
To tell that God created everything out of love for us
To explain that we show our thanks and love to God by caring for his creation
To define or explain Amen, creation, Creator, God, and saint
Sing religious songs in the morning with calendar, daily prayers, and reminding first graders to keep their heart doors open so Jesus’ light can shine through-
Highlight the life of St. Francis of Assisi

Buddy Mass at 9:30- Tuesday

Rosary Launch Friday

SCIENCE- Mystery Science Unit 1-

To deepen understanding of observations of characteristics and traits- using these skills to help identify which animal is which
Help identify parent and baby based on observations of characteristics, behaviors, and animal’s traits
To determine “animal superpowers” by characteristics and traits

Homework for Wednesday, 9/9/26

-- Math Lesson 9- Ways to Make 8-Someone's math h/w slipped out of their folder on the way out today. We have it here.

Tomorrow:

--Wit and Wisdom Reading- Continuing our book: Biblioburro

--Lit Circles continue- Packet reading; identifying CVC words

--Math Lesson 9-Continuing Addition

--ART

--A school family special edition Kahoot!

Have a lovely afternoon!

With Gratitude,

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Homework for Tuesday, 9/8/26

--Math 8 Ways to make 6 and 7

Tomorrow:

--Music

--We begin lit circles- a very basic lit circle but you got to start somewhere!

--Novel study on Pigeon Has To Go To School--

--Math Lesson 9- Ways to make 8

--We'll read our first Wit and Wisdom story- Biblioburro!

Have a lovely evening!

Sharon Shute and Jennifer Froelich

Week at a Glance: September 8-11, 2026

Week at a Glance September 8-11, 2026

Monday- No School Labor Day
Tuesday- 9:30 All School Mass; Library and Gym
Wednesday- Music
Thursday- Art
Friday- Gym

ELA- Phonics- Fundations- Completion of Unit 1

To practice letter- keyword- sound for all consonants
To practice letter- keyword- sound for all short vowel sounds
To practice correct letter formation in workbooks and dry erase boards
To practice sound-letter- picture recognition with magnetic sound boards
To practice sound recognition
To understand that reading a book multiple times for different purposes helps readers better understand and enjoy the story
To discuss that different readers enjoy different types of books

ELA- Reading: Essential Question: How do books change lives around the world?

Focused Question for this book: How does Biblioburro change life for Ana?

-What do I notice and wonder about Waiting for Biblioburro?

- How does reading fluently work?

Students Understanding: (Module 1)

Reading books helps people everywhere understand knowledge
Stories have messages that can change the way people think and feel.
People all over the world enjoy books, though people living in different places get books in different ways.

Reading and Writing Goals:

Ask and answer questions about key details in literary texts and informational texts on books and reading,
Retell and describe the stories through the lenses of character, setting, and major events using key details.
Write short narrative summaries with increasing independence using key details from stories.
Use illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
Write an original narrative about books that changed the life of the character that recounts appropriately sequenced events with some detail.
Listening Goal: Listen and respond to what others say by listening carefully and building on their thoughts in collaborative conversations.
Complete a new-read assessment

Complete IReady reading and math tests this week

Identify and generate verbs

Hunt for verbs and complete a sentence frame with verbs-

Add -ed to verbs to make them past tense

Vocabulary Words: village, burros, market, collect

Math: Continuing with Chapter 1 Addition

To count and connect with objects and numbers
Lessons 8-12- Addition Concepts
Lesson 8- Ways to make 6 and 7
Lesson 9- Ways to make 8
Lesson 10-Check my progress and Ways to make 9
Lesson 11-Ways to make 10
SeeSaw and IXL math activities to support addition
Fluency addition practice

Iready math lessons this week-

Daily Kahoot practicing addition facts to 10

SCIENCE- Mystery Science Unit 1-

To deepen understanding of observations of characteristics and traits- using these skills to help identify which animal is which
Help identify parent and baby based on observations of characteristics, behaviors, and animal’s traits
To determine “animal superpowers” by characteristics and traits

RELIGION- Continuation of Session 1

To identify things that God creates
To tell that God created everything out of love for us
To explain that we show our thanks and love to God by caring for his creation
To define or explain Amen, creation, Creator, God, and saint
Sing religious songs in the morning with calendar, daily prayers, and reminding first graders to keep their heart doors open so Jesus’ light can shine through-

All school Mass at 9:30 on Tuesday

SCHOOL FAMILY:- Continues ELA:

Engage in activities to build camaraderie with peers
Story of the Week is Pigeon Goes to School; Students will complete comprehension/ writing activities related to the story.