First Grade Newsletter September 2026

Mr. Brown & Mr. Tolliver

Wow! It is already September, and we just started the school year. Time is truly flying by. I am super pumped and excited about what God has already been doing in our classroom this school year. I am really looking forward to continuing to build a strong relationship with your child and being a supportive system as I educate, encourage, and help them grow.

I truly cannot wait to see all the amazing things God is going to do in our classroom this year because He is always in charge. I hope you will join me in trusting God and believing that He has great things in store for our students. Our classroom is a place where we will learn, grow, make mistakes, try again, celebrate our successes, and most importantly, continue to become the best learners we can be. Thank you for trusting me with your child each day. I am so excited to watch their confidence, independence, knowledge, and love for learning grow throughout this school year!

Holy Savior has two school rules - 1) It is never okay to be hurtful; and 2) It is never okay to interfere with the learning of others.

MEALS: Each day I will ask who is eating hot lunch. If your child brings a cold lunch that is perfectly fine. Fast food and sodas are not allowed in the cafeteria.

WEDNESDAY LATE START: Every Wednesday we will have late start. Classes begin at 9:00 a.m. Sometimes we will have $2 dress down days. Please be on the look out for school messenger calls letting you know.

BIRTHDAY/HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS: As in previous years, we have a day for birthday celebrations. We will provide notification in advance of the next birthday celebration. If you are unsure of what you would like to send to school, please contact the office.

MASS: We will be attending Mass two times a week. Our Mass days are Thursday afternoons, and Friday mornings. Please do your best to have your child at school to ensure they can participate in Mass. If you must pick up your child early from school on Thursday or Friday, please be patient as we will be in church.

READING: We are officially diving into our First Grade Reading Curriculum. In reading, we are learning and reviewing our vowels, including understanding the difference between short and long vowel sounds. We are also beginning to understand important parts of a story and the different people involved in bringing a book to life.

Students are learning:

● What a character is

● What a setting is

● What an author does

● What an illustrator does

● The important roles each of these parts play in creating a book

● How to identify and understand characters and settings in stories.

PHONICS: In phonics, we are diving into our Heggerty book and our daily phonics routines. This is a very important part of your child's learning because Heggerty helps students develop their phonemic awareness, sounds, blending, and decoding skills. These skills are extremely important as students learn how to read and spell words independently.

MATH: In math, we are currently practicing counting forward from 1–20 and counting backward from 20–0. We are also beginning to explore addition using cubes to help students build a strong understanding of addition facts. Please continue to practice the meaning of the addition symbols with your child:

+ means to add

= means equals or the total

For example, when solving 5 + 6, students can place 5 cubes on one side and 6 cubes on the other. Then, they can combine the cubes together to find the total. As your child works through math problems, please encourage them to cross out or mark the items they have already counted. This will help them stay organized and accurate.

Sweet Addition:

This year, we will also be using Sweet Addition in math. Your child will be tested each week on addition facts 1–10. More information about Sweet Addition and how you can practice at home will be coming home soon, so please be on the lookout!

SCIENCE: In science, we are currently learning about the scientific method and how scientists use their senses to observe the world around them. We are diving deeply into how our senses help us learn and make observations. I encourage you to ask your child questions at home such as:

● What do you see?

● What do you hear?

● What do you smell?

● What can you touch or feel?

● What can you taste?

SOCIAL STUDIES: In Social Studies, we are learning about Needs vs. Wants. Our goal is for students to understand the difference between something we need and something we want.

Students are learning that:

Needs are things people must have to live and stay healthy and safe, such as food, water, shelter, and clothing. Wants are things that are nice to have but are not necessary for us to live.

SPELLING: Spelling will continue to be an important part of our week. Every day, we have a spelling block for approximately 20 minutes. During this time, we will be sounding out words, practicing our spelling words, writing, reading, playing spelling games, and participating in different activities to help students become stronger spellers. We will continue to have a spelling test each Friday.

TAKE-HOME FOLDER: Your child will have a Take-Home Folder in their backpack each day except Friday. Parents, please make sure you are checking your child's Take-Home Folder every day. Behavior is tracked and important will be placed inside the planner, so please take a moment each evening to check for anything that needs your attention.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

● Monday, September 7, 2026 — Labor Day ( No School)

● Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — Diocesan In-Service Day ( No School)

● Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — Fall Sports Competition Begins

● Friday, September 25, 2026 — September Birthday Celebration

● Monday, September 28, 2026 — Teacher In-Service Day ( No School)

Mr. Brown

First Grade Teacher

Holy Savior Catholic Academy

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

School Office: Please contact the school office if you need immediate assistance.