August 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians of First Graders,
     Welcome to a new school year! I am delighted to be working with your child in first grade this year. I hope that the year will be an exciting one for all of us. I am anxious to meet my students and am looking forward to offering your child a positive experience in first grade. First grade is a very important year and we will be setting the foundation in Reading, Math, Phonics and Writing, skills that are going to be very important in your child’s future. If at any time you have any problems or questions, please feel free to write a note or call me at school.
     Parents are the first teachers that the students meet. In order to reinforce the daily school lessons, positive support from home and family will help a student use and strengthen what he or she has learned. Your child will receive a study sheet with the goals for the week and additionally the study sheet will be posted on the St. Ursula site under teacher pages. Parental involvement in the homework process conveys the importance of education, and has been proven to increase literacy and development. So creating a homework friendly environment will help your child excel. Your child should spend 15 – 30 minutes a night on homework. The main purpose of homework is to review the work that has been introduced in class, and to begin to develop good study habits for the future. When your child is finished with their written homework, you should encourage them to read. Reading just fifteen minutes a night will help to improve your child’s vocabulary, comprehension and fluency.
     The first graders will have snack time each morning around 9:00. I will provide the snack on the first day. After the first day, children are to bring their own snack each day. The snack may be food and /or drink. It should be something they can eat in approximately 5 minutes such as pretzels, fruit snacks, or granola bars. No cupcakes, please, they are too messy.
     Your help and support are needed in making your child’s best year in school. I am looking forward to a great year! I consider it a privilege and responsibility to be your child’s teacher this year and look forward to working closely with you and your child.

Sincerely,
      Mrs. Ranallo
 

First Grade is Fun! - First grade is showing off their Christmas Scarves

First grade had gobs of fun making their gingerbread houses

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Our first graders shined at their Christmas concert

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First grade had plenty of fun with their turkey races

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St. Ursula School Visits St. Paul's Cathedral and the Carnegie Library
Last summer Pope Benedict XVI announced that the Church would dedicate this year in honor of St. Paul the Apostle. To participate in this celebration, the students from St. Ursula visited St. Paul's Cathedral in Oakland for a special Mass. After Mass the students toured the cathedral. After the tour of the cathedral, the students had lunch outside the Carnegie Library and then toured the library.

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