Welcome to first grade at Saint Joseph Catholic School. We explore a wide variety of subjects that help students develop academically during this time. In first grade, many concepts are introduced and will be mastered as the students’ progress in their school career.

We always try to keep a balance in the classroom between learning and self-confidence as we introduce and explore the concepts that will lay the foundation for each student’s academic experience.

In First Grade students:

• Grow in their Catholic faith through bible stories, activities, and the use of the Call To Faith Religion Program.
• Participate in Mass most Thursdays, prayer services, class prayer, and community service (more)projects.
• Learn skills to increase phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency comprehension, sight vocabulary, spelling, journaling, and creative writing through the use of the Open Court Reading Program.
• Learn through listening to and comparing various genres of literature. They also participate in author studies, plays, and reader’s theater.
• Learn basic math skills for addition, subtraction, time, money, measurement, and geometry. Problem solving strategies are integrated into each math lesson.
• Explore and build on students’ natural curiosity, while using critical and creative thinking. Students are taught the value of respect for life and the environment, magnets, weather, keeping fit and healthy, and a variety of living things.
• Learn to respect the dignity of the individual, America, and different cultures. Study the function of a community, its people and their occupations.

We have high expectations for our students academically and socially and look forward to each student having a positive learning experience. We believe first grade is the most important year in a students’ school career as they gain skills and confidence with the guidance from both school and home.