That's all, folks!

Well, I'm a week behind, but I figured there was really no rush!  I told you I would post some final photos from our last week of First Grade, and here they are!  You will see photos of our reader's theater, The Tug of War, our final Christian Service activity and prayer service, our famous Father's Day tie project (which, by the way, I wish I could see photos of our dads in their ties!), signing yearbooks, our final science activity (proving that air ~a type of gas~really does take the shape of whatever you put it into... like a pool float), and a few group shots from our party at the park!  Phew!  

Mrs. Coulter and I had a wonderful year getting to know each and every one of these Firsties!  It was truly a pleasure to teach them as much as we could in 180 school days.  We laughed a lot, sang a lot, cried a little, played a lot, but, most importantly, we grew a lot!  Your child has grown academically, spiritually, and, of course, physically!  They have read hundreds of books, written thousands of words, completed tons of math problems, and prayed at least 500 prayers!  Without a doubt, these kids are ready for 2nd Grade!  Please read every day this summer, take advantage of our wonderful Mathletics program, and encourage your child to keep a summer journal... the old adage is true- use it, or lose it!  

I hope everyone enjoys this time away from school, makes special memories, and spends tons of time with family and friends!  

I will always look back at this class with fond memories of my own, especially now since they will be my last Firsty class!  

Thank you for trusting us with your special little ones!  

Take care and God bless!!! 

~Ms. Hudson 

 

Don't blink...

This is it, folks! The last 4.25 days of First Grade!  I can't believe it- every year really does move faster and faster! We had a great week this week- the kids are definitely excited for the end of the year, and I'm sure they're not the only ones = )  We didn't get a chance to perform our Reader's Theater yet, but we'll take care of that this week.  They are ready!  They did, however, perform for the 8th graders!  Our little cowboys and cowgirls did a great job singing "Happy Trails to You"!  They looked great up there, hats, vests, bandanas, ponies, ukuleles, and all!  Oh, and we can't forget those mustaches! Something about this class and mustaches... Here are a few photos from the excited  kiddos waiting to go up and sing:

I just love those mustaches! They were the perfect touch for our cowboy look!

This week we worked on some fun writing activities.  Our thank you present for Mrs. Schulte and Mr. English will be a book compiled with ideas of what the Firsties think our fearless leaders will be doing over the summer vacation.  Here are some of the pages from Mrs. Schulte's book:

Hmmmmmm....

Love her bathing suit!

 I am sure Mr. English and Mrs. Schulte will love their new reading material for the summer!  

This week is going to be a fun-filled week, with lots of year-end activities!  We will have our Spelling Bee, our Father's Day project, our last Christian Service project, our class party at the park (taking place on THURSDAY at 10am- please pack their lunch as usual!), watching the Kindergartners graduate on Tuesday, and receiving our final report cards and some fun class awards on Friday!  Please join us for our Parent Mass at 8am on Friday.  The students will return to class for one hour, then we will dismiss them at 10am from their classrooms.  We need that hour to distribute report cards and hand out our classroom awards.  And, maybe, just maybe, we want to hold onto them for one last precious hour!

FYI- the kiddos will slowly but surely be bringing home any workbooks from their desks.  These are yours to keep- they are fabulous for working on in the summer.  Believe me, the publishers provide PLENTY of extra pages for the kids to work on!  Especially the Math and Phonics books.  Enjoy!

Also, have you heard about the Give Back the Pack drive?  The wonderful Larson family here at our school is trying to gather any old, usable backpacks that they will wash and then donate to the less-fortunate.  If you have any backpacks, kid size or adult size, that you can part with, please donate to this great cause!  If it is successful here at St. Jude, then they will spread this drive to other schools!  A flier went home in your child's backpack, so please look at that for more details. Thank you!!! 

I will have one final blog posting at the end of this week (sigh...sniff-sniff)... I'll have to update everyone with photos of what is sure to be a great week!  The kids will be receiving their yearbooks this week, too.  Look for those in their backpacks- a huge THANK YOU to all parents responsible for our beautiful yearbooks this year- that takes a lot of hard work and talent to put it together, and it looks awesome!  

Well, off to work on report cards!  I am still in disbelief that this is the last week!  Just think- this time next week your Firsties will officially be Second Graders! It's just like that Kenny Chesney song, "Don't blink. Just like that, you're six years old and you take a nap, and you wake up and you're 25"... wait, that doesn't do it justice.  Here's the music video instead, in case you have an extra three minutes and want to feel sentimental = )  Don't Blink

Take care and enjoy the beautiful weather!

~Ms. Hudson 

 

Quick Update

Hi everyone! Hope we have all recovered from another awesome Olympic Day!  What a fun time! Great weather, great healthy activities, tons of parent volunteers, and, of course, the best kids in town!  Thank you to everyone who was able to help out in some way- everyone's contributions, whether it is time, money, food, or expertise, helped to make it a great day!

This week is our final "normal" week of school- I can't believe it!!! We didn't have our Spelling Review test this last week, but it has been moved to this Thursday, so continue to review those tough words!  We will also have a Science test on Wednesday.  

Speaking of Thursday and Wednesday... our 8th Grade Paraliturgy takes place this Thursday and all are welcome!  It will take place in the Church at 1:15.  Our only dress rehearsal will be this Wednesday at 1:30, so we're hoping every Firsty will be there at both the dress rehearsal and Paraliturgy.  If your child has a cowboy hat to help with our western look, please send it to school this Wednesday.  The kids will be decorating their paper bag "vests" this week.  

This Friday evening at 6pm is the 8th Grade graduation.  I will be there to wish our 8th graders congratulations, and I am sure I will see some Firsty siblings there, too.  Please keep them in your prayers as they transition to High School!

We will have our last Tuesday mass this week- please try to remember to send your child to school in pants (for boys) on Mass Days.  Our last mass of the year will be the last day of school- June 14th.

Our final project in English class was to write a short paragraph about our year in First Grade.  The kids have worked hard on planning their writing by first brainstorming things we've learned in First Grade using an ABC  worksheet- the Firsties buddied up and wrote down one, two, or more things that start with each letter of the alphabet.  They came up with some great lessons they've learned!  Then, using an organization chart (more of a word web),  the kids planned their five sentences.  Finally, they copied their work down onto lined paper using their neatest printing.   The process went very smoothly, and it just confirmed how much these kids have learned this year!  I am so proud of them!

Our final reading lesson this year involves Reader's Theater.  The kids have been placed into seven groups and they are starting to rehearse their parts for the short play The Tug of War- which comes from an African folktale about a small possum that tricks two larger animals into thinking he is stronger than he looks.  We have been using class time to rehearse our lines.  During Reader's Theater, the "actors"do not memorize their lines- they simply practice for fluency and expression.  They hold their parts in front of them during the play, so they don't have to worry about forgetting a line.  They do have to worry about losing their spot, so this activity helps kids focus on what's going on around them.  Depending on how many rehearsals we are able to squeeze in this week, the kids may "perform" their play either this Friday or next week.  While I know parents would love to see their Firsty perform, we keep this a "kids only" event so that no one's nerves get the best of them.  I am sure your child will be happy to perform some of their lines for you at home! Maybe this Reader's Theater will encourage some of our students to participate in Drama next year!  

On a summer note, if you haven't thought about your summer plans yet (ha, ha, ha), please consider a little summer brainwork by enrolling your child in a week or two of our summer enrichment program!  I will be holding two weeks of enrichment- this includes First Grade readiness and Second Grade readiness.  Nothing too serious- just some summer learning fun! This is not something that should be misconstrued for tutoring- if your child needs summer tutoring, please look for something longer than just two weeks.    

Well, that's going to be it for me right now... can't believe how fast this year has gone by! 

If you have any questions about our end-of-the-year party, our top secret Father's Day project, etc, please feel free to email me!  

Take care, and enjoy the beautiful weather!

~Ms. Hudson