Snacks
We have a 10-minute snack time every day after our first recess. This snack should be a small portion of healthy food to keep your child energized for learning—not a treat or dessert. Please package the snack separately in a small container that can easily fit on top of their pencil box.
Birthdays
We don’t host birthday parties in 1st grade, but we do love to recognize birth days! Families are welcome to send a small treat to share with the class on the day we recognize their child’s birthday. We’ll enjoy birthday treats during our regular 10-minute snack time, so they must be “two-bite” sized. Think cookies, mini cupcakes, donut holes, or something simple to pass out and enjoy quickly.
We make sure every child is recognized—including summer birthdays! A note will be sent home in advance with the date we’ll recognize your child, as well as class size and allergy information. Recognitions typically happen on or near your child’s birthday—or for summer birthdays, on or near their half birthday instead.
Homework
Required homework consists of nightly shared reading—10 minutes of 1:1 reading with Depth of Knowledge questioning to support fluency and comprehension, word lists to study for the weekly spelling test, and a 4-page packet of math pages reviewing the previous week’s classwork.
Homework is sent home on Mondays (in your child’s yellow folder) and is due back on Fridays.
exSTREAMly Fun Friday
STREAM stands for Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, the Arts, and Math. This flexible learning block is designed to extend and enrich our regular curriculum, with a different focus each week. Students might dive into STEM projects that spark problem-solving and collaboration, explore faith-based lessons more deeply, or run our monthly student store—an opportunity to practice math and financial literacy in a real-world context.
And sometimes… STREAM simply means we go with the flow—just like a real stream! On these Fridays, students may enjoy earned free-choice centers, collaborate with our buddy class on art projects, or celebrate with extra recess and special class activities.
Flexibility is key, as this block creates space in our schedule for meaningful learning, creativity, and community-building.
At-Home Learning Strategies
A helpful resource with tips for homework, plus fun ideas to keep your child learning and growing outside of school.
1st Grade Standards
See what 1st graders are working toward this year in reading, language, math, science, and social studies.
1st Grade Development
Learn more about the exciting academic, social, and emotional growth happening in 1st grade.