1B - Mrs. Tauscher
email:  jtauscher@sainttimothyschool.org

My SchoolNotes Site

Classroom Assistant: Anne Marie Wiedemer
email: awiedemer@sainttimothyschool.org

Communication

CONTACT ME: The best way to contact me is via email or a note sent through your child's backpack.  I will make every effort to respond the same day or by the next day. A note is required after an absence, early dismissal or in order for your child to be dismissed in any way other than usual .

SCHOOLNOTES: I update my schoolnotes site daily with announcements, reminders and homework assignments. I post a list of the current spelling and sight words for your reference. 

Room Mother

The room mother for our class is Susan Baxter.  She will be coordinating volunteers for the Specials Classes, as well as special classroom activities and field trips.  Please contact herwith your email address so that she may forward relevant information. Her email address is: RM1B@sainttimothyschool.org.

Classroom Rules/Discipline

Rules are important for optimum learning for everyone in the class.  Parents and children must read together and sign a Behavior Contract, acknowledging the classroom rules and consequences.

Students who consistently have difficulty following the code of conduct may have more severe consequences such as, being separated from others in the classroom, missing out on class parties/functions or being sent to the principal's office.

REWARDS: May include one of: prizes from the "beehive", free time, movie day, special treats (popcorn, lollipops, etc.), game day, happy phone call or note home, certificates, stickers, a "no homework tonight" pass, etc.

Homework

There will be Spelling, Reading and Math every week with a few exceptions (Thanksgiving break, etc.).  Homework is generally a review of concepts already covered in class.  If your child is unable to complete their homework for any reason, I would appreciate a note or phone call from you.  Please review and sign ALL homework.  Mistakes should be corrected by children the same night. All homework that is done in the copybook should have a date and lesson number. 

Birthdays

I love to see the children have the opportunity to enjoy their special day in school!  Please notify me in advance of which day you would like to celebrate your child's birthday.  I would prefer to have birthday celebrations at snack time. Due to allergy concerns, I ask that you do not bring in treats with peanuts or peanut butter.  With the exception of children with allergies, I ask that you send in the same snack for everyone, in order to avoid hurt feelings.  If your child has a food allergy, I would suggest sending in a supply of "safe" snacks to keep on hand for these occasions.

Volunteering

To volunteer for Specials, please contact your Room Mother, who will prepare a schedule of volunteers for Art, Library, PE and Computers.  For your convenience, schedules will be available online. 

Major Objectives

READING/WRITING

• Read, read, read! Each student should read for at least 10 minutes each night.
• Sight word recognition
• Phonics decoding
• When helping your child choose an appropriate book to read independently, remember the "5 finger rule." Have your child begin reading a page in the book and each time (s)he comes to a word that (s)he does not know, put up one finger.  If you have all five fingers up before the child has finished reading the page, this selection may be too difficult at this time.  Maybe it's something you could read to your child, or read it together or save for later.  Keep the experience as positive as possible!
• Writing - copy morning message from the board each day, dictation, creative writing, journal writing, letter writing, etc.
• Consistently review proper writing position and proper way to hold a pencil.
• Throughout the year we will focus on proper letter formation, as well as, proper shape, size, spacing and slant.
• Some of these things are challenging for 1st graders but you will see improvement with practice.
• We will also work on proper use of capital and lowercase letters and basic punctuation.

SPELLING: 

• Each unit has 15 words. (The 1st quarter will be 10 words).
• Units generally correspond to vowel sounds and/or vocabulary covered in each reading unit. The same word may be in several units.
• Occasionally, I will change the spelling homework to help the children enhance and practice different skills.  I will try to let you know well in advance of when the change will take place.

MATH:

• Recognition of numbers and number words through 100.
• Patterns and skip counting (by 2's, 5's, 10's) to 100.
• Recognize place value through the hundreds place.
• Addition/subtraction facts beginning with manipulatives and working towards memorization.
• Holey cards will be used several times a week to promote memorization.
• We will study basic concepts of time, money, geometry, fractions, measurement, statistics, probability, graphing, etc.
• Word problems/strategies (draw pictures, make a simpler problem).

RELIGION:

• We will be learning about some of the more famous Saints and Holy People such as, Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, St. Francis of Assisi, Blessed Mother Teresa, etc.
• We will study the foundations of the Church and its continuation after Jesus' death including: the seven sacraments, the Mass, the Church seasons, etc.
• Memorize the following prayers: Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Grace Before Meals
• Become familiar with the following prayers: Morning Offering, Prayer to Guardian Angel, Grace After Meals

SCIENCE:

• Will try to incorporate hands-on activities as much as possible
• Learn terms such as prediction, observation, data, conclusion
• Discuss and explore the importance of the 5 senses
• Explore living things and their environment - plants, animals, humans
• Compare living/non-living things
• Explore the relationship of the Earth and Sun
• Explore properties of sound

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Study neighborhoods and communities including definition, needs, services, good citizenship
• Compare neighborhoods of past and present
• Study local, state and national symbols
• Holiday themes
• Map and global skills