September Calendar
Monday 9/2 - Labor Day Holiday/School Closed*For Picture Day: Check Thursday Notes
Thursday 9/5 - Picture Day/Dress Uniform
Wednesday 9/18 - Gr.K-4 Back to School Night, 5:30 PM
9/13 - 🎶Friday Singing Begins!
*9/13 - 7:55-8:15 Parents Come In to View Playground Gallery! Wednesday 9/18 - Gr.K-4 Back to School Night, 5:30 PM
Thursday 9/19 - Mass of the Holy Spirit/Dress Uniform
WELCOME to the 2019-2020 School Year!
Ms. Belle Akers
Welcome to first grade! I am so excited to embark on a new school year with your daughters celebrating the theme "Heritage"! This summer I expanded my horizons by teaching the Rising 3rd Graders during Session One in June. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of teaching in a coed setting with the added bonus of a handful of former first grade students. A highlight in July was presenting a workshop and displaying student work at the 2019 STEM Forum and Expo, a conference sponsored by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) at the Moscone Center.
Welcome first grade families! I am very delighted to start my second year in first grade at Convent Elementary School as an Associate Teacher. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University and am currently working towards a teaching credential and Master of Education in the Bay Area Teacher Training Program (BATTI) through the University of Pacific. My prior youth work experiences include working as a camp director, after school teacher, and facilitating educational workshops through the arts.
WELCOME to the 2019-2020 School Year!
Our opening week of school has been fabulous! The teachers and girls have been busy getting to know each other. We look forward to a wonderful year together as we continue to make discoveries about ourselves, each other, and the wider school community. Throughout September, blogs will feature first grade specialty faculty and a peek into their lessons with the girls.
MEET the TEACHERS
Ms. Belle Akers
Welcome to first grade! I am so excited to embark on a new school year with your daughters celebrating the theme "Heritage"! This summer I expanded my horizons by teaching the Rising 3rd Graders during Session One in June. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of teaching in a coed setting with the added bonus of a handful of former first grade students. A highlight in July was presenting a workshop and displaying student work at the 2019 STEM Forum and Expo, a conference sponsored by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) at the Moscone Center. |
Architects Project with Index Cards Math Graph: Meet My Family |
Ms. Chelsey Paulsen
Welcome first grade families! I am very delighted to start my second year in first grade at Convent Elementary School as an Associate Teacher. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University and am currently working towards a teaching credential and Master of Education in the Bay Area Teacher Training Program (BATTI) through the University of Pacific. My prior youth work experiences include working as a camp director, after school teacher, and facilitating educational workshops through the arts.
I am a San Francisco native and enjoy hiking, dancing, and the theatre arts. I am looking forward to a wonderful year watching your daughters learn, grow, and succeed!
 |
SEL: Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler Class Promise Chart |
SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER
LANGUAGE ARTS
Throughout the year, girls participate in a balanced literacy program through whole class, small group, and partner participation. Lessons engage the girls in developing oral fluency, learning word study skills, and building comprehension skills. Echo is joined by Snappy Jack for spelling lessons. Our first unit introduces reading strategies with short story posters, the big book selection, Habitats Around the World, and a fun Reader's Theatre - Old MacDonald's Noisy Farm. Comprehension skills include learning to:
• Identify the main idea of a passage.
• Identify the details that support a main idea.
• Ask questions to understand a text.
• Identify the details that support a main idea.
• Ask questions to understand a text.
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| Word Study: Stretching Short Vowels |
WRITING WORKSHOP
Our first writing workshop unit, Small Moments introduces first graders to narrative writing. Girls will have many opportunities to write stories about their own lives. Mini lessons introduce strategies that writers can use to "bring stories to life". Anchor charts posted during this unit will provide girls with visual resources to refer back to as they embark on capturing special moments during writing workshop. 
MATH
We look forward to great year in math! Our program covers many concepts from exploring numbers to applying strategies in solving number problems. How can you count a large number of objects? Are there strategies that will help (counting by 2s, 5s, 10s)? What happens when you add one, two or three more to a number? Math manipulatives and games are an integral part of our program. Girls are working with new and familiar math tools such as: connecting cubes, dice with dots or numbers, ten frames and counters, base-10 blocks, number lines, number charts (up to 100), etc.
We look forward to great year in math! Our program covers many concepts from exploring numbers to applying strategies in solving number problems. How can you count a large number of objects? Are there strategies that will help (counting by 2s, 5s, 10s)? What happens when you add one, two or three more to a number? Math manipulatives and games are an integral part of our program. Girls are working with new and familiar math tools such as: connecting cubes, dice with dots or numbers, ten frames and counters, base-10 blocks, number lines, number charts (up to 100), etc.What's in a Name? |
Graphing Names From 1-10 Letters Look Around the Circle: Find the Same Number of Letters!  |
SCIENCE
The first investigation takes an in-depth look at plants. Girls will have first-hand experiences planting seeds, observing the growth of grass, wheat, and lima beans as they revisit the guiding focus question: "What do plants need?"
Crosscutting concepts focus on:
• Patterns: growth cycle with roots forming and then stem and leaves
• Cause and effect: amount of water affects growth
• Structure and function: structural parts of plants have specific functions
Throughout the year, first graders will be given opportunities for creativity and innovation with fun design and engineering challenges. Working with materials allows the girls to become independent thinkers and problem-solvers as they explore, create, and make discoveries on their own. Through enriching design challenges, girls begin to make connections to the real world and apply prior knowledge from previous experiences.
The first investigation takes an in-depth look at plants. Girls will have first-hand experiences planting seeds, observing the growth of grass, wheat, and lima beans as they revisit the guiding focus question: "What do plants need?" Crosscutting concepts focus on:
• Patterns: growth cycle with roots forming and then stem and leaves
• Cause and effect: amount of water affects growth
• Structure and function: structural parts of plants have specific functions
DESIGN & ENGINEERING CHALLENGES
Throughout the year, first graders will be given opportunities for creativity and innovation with fun design and engineering challenges. Working with materials allows the girls to become independent thinkers and problem-solvers as they explore, create, and make discoveries on their own. Through enriching design challenges, girls begin to make connections to the real world and apply prior knowledge from previous experiences. |
Drawing Playground Plans |
SEL & SOCIAL STUDIESThroughout the year, girls will reveal more about their personal life and interests through sharing a weekly scheduled All About Me poster. Social Emotional Learning lessons help our first graders learn strategies in ways to express, understand, and connect with self and others. We look forward to embracing our theme, "Heritage" through active engagement in all areas of our program.
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