First Grade

In Kindergarten your child learned how to read and much more! In first grade, our joint responsibility is to ensure all students comprehend what they read and apply that skill to all subjects. Together we continue to build your child’s foundation of knowledge in Religion and all subject matters.

Reading and Language Arts

Students will learn new vocabulary and read stories along with answering comprehension questions about the text. The major milestones in first grade for reading are: knowing the names and sounds of all consonants and vowels (long and short), consonant blends, reading, and summarizing simple stories. For Language Arts, we focus on parts of speech such as verbs, nouns and adjectives. First graders also will be able to write a five sentence paragraph by the end of the year.

Math Objectives

First grade is also a year of exploration and discovery of numbers in the world around us. Major milestones for first grade in Math include skip counting (2s, 3s, 5s and 10s), knowing addition and subtraction facts, adding and subtracting small numbers, understanding the value of money, knowing the units for measurement, and telling time.

Two first grade explorers on their iPads

Exploration and Discovery

Part of growing and learning involves exploring the world around you, that’s why field trips are a regular occurrence at St. Genevieve. Providing students with a variety of enrichment experiences through field trips help students develop not only academically, but also culturally.

Faith Formation

Students have many opportunities to nurture their faith, share Christ’s love, and give back to our brothers and sisters. We donate food and clothing to local shelters, share our Hollywood Bowl picnic with the Midnight Mission, give to other kids through various toy drives, and participate in Adopt-a-Family during Christmas times. During Advent, we write holiday cards to those who are lonely.

Music

Students continue to broaden their music vocabulary and begin reading in notation, an essential skill for their musical development. By listening to classical works of music and folk songs while playing on various classroom instruments, first graders will understand how music communicates emotions.

Art

First grade artists engage collaboratively in exploration and imaginative play with a variety of art room materials. They are introduced to the elements of art, create a three-dimensional clay sculpture, mix watercolors to paint a still life, and learn to observe nature and the world around them to inspire their artworks.

Physical Education

We want for every Valiant to know instinctively that exercise and fitness is a necessary and vital component to their lives. Our physical fitness program challenges our students and teachers. Twice a week, the whole school spreads out for exercise; everyone participates in activities ranging from kickball, running, off-campus walking, hacky sack, break dancing, volleyball, salsa dancing or yoga.

Our goal is to inspire your child, create an environment that embraces all learning styles, and evoke an excitement for knowledge while deepening their love for God!