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:    

December 12th-15th– Scholastic Book Fair   

December 25th-January 5th– No School (Christmas Break)

*I enjoyed meeting with all of you for conferences.  I hope you and your family had a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

*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 did 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 and discussed two of our Scholastic News magazines this week.

We are working on I Am Thankful journals this month, being grateful for something different each day.

We received letters from our pen pals in Missouri.  We can’t wait to write back to them.

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: We worked on finding the partners of teen numbers.  We used 10-frames and number bonds to show how 10 does not always have to be one of the number partners of a teen number.  

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: Students learned that the Church began on Pentecost.  The Church is all the people who believe in Jesus and follow his teachings.  The first members of the Church were like a close family.  They did many things together.   

Our virtue for this month: Prudence and Gratitude

Science: We learned that a plant has parts that help it grow and change.  Roots grow into the soil and hold the plant in place.  They take in water from the soil.  They also take in other things from the soil that the plant needs.  Stems hold plants up.  Leaves make food for the plant.  Flowers make seeds.  We use plants for food.  We also use plants to make things (toothpastes, perfumes, medicines).  

Social Studies: We learned that a map is a drawing of a place.  It shows information about where things are located.  A direction tells which way to go or where something is.  Maps show the cardinal directions north, south, east, and west. 

We also talked about Thanksgiving and traditions.