Hi!  I’m Mrs. Willett, and I’m the First Grade teacher. I graduated from Roosevelt University with a BA in Education. I taught First Grade for seven years, and then stayed home to raise my boys. I’ve been happily married for 28 years, and have two amazing boys and the most loving Siberian Husky. This is my seventh year at Saint Zachary School. When I’m not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, watching Lifetime movies, and shopping.  First grade is an exciting year where friendships blossom, children build self-confidence, expand their knowledge, and foster their independence. It is my hope that my students become lifelong learners, and learn not to be afraid of making mistakes. I look forward to getting to know each of my students and their families, as we grow and learn together.  

Important Dates:    

April 26th- No School (Professional Development Day for Teachers)

April 27th– Green & Gold Gala

May 27th- Memorial Day (No School) 

June 5th– Last Day of School

*Library books are due on Tuesday.

*If your child wears gym shoes with laces to school, please be sure to practice tying the shoes at home.  Thank you!     

*iReady cards were sent home with login information so that lessons can be completed at home if needed.  Please be sure to keep them in a safe place.  If your child does not complete 2 math lessons and 2 reading lessons each week, I will be sending you an email.  Extra lessons can also be done at home throughout the week.  

*Please contact me if you would like to be a Mystery Reader OR if you would be interested in coming in and sharing information about your job.   

Here are some things we’ve been working on…

Reading/Writing/Spelling: We read The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill.  We discussed story elements, character traits, sequence of events, and the lesson learned from the story.

We are working on writing different types of poetry.  Students wrote a Cinquain.  On the first line you put the topic, the second line has 2 adjectives that describe the topic, the third line has 3 action words relating to the topic, the fourth line has a 4 word phrase that describes the topic, and the last line is a synonym or a word that refers back to the topic.

New spelling words were sent home.  

Students have been working on forming their letters and numbers correctly, putting capital letters at the beginning of sentences and punctuation at the end, and sounding out words as they write. 

Math: Students measured length using their rulers.  They measured in inches and centimeters.

Orange 120 charts were sent home for students to use when doing math.  Please keep them in a safe place, as they will be a valuable tool/resource to have and use throughout the school year.

Religion: We learned that we love and serve God by learning the ways he wants us to live.  We try to do the things he wants us to do.  We show God we love him when we pray.  Prayer is listening to and talking to God.  We grow closer to God when we pray.  We can pray by ourselves, with our families, with our friends, and with our parish.  We can use our own words to pray, and we can pray the prayers of the Church.

Our virtue for this month: Fortitude

Science: We had conversations that revolved around Earth Day.  We reviewed the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling.

Social Studies: We learned that a custom is something that a person usually does in a certain way.  Some customs are passed down over time.  Others are new.  Groups of people from the same place often share the same customs.  A tradition is like a custom.  It is something that people have passed down over time.  Most traditions come from the past.  Sometimes, traditions can be new.  We can start new traditions.  Everyone follows different traditions.  Many people cook special food to celebrate their important holidays.  They may dress in traditional clothing to dance and sing at a celebration.