Academy of St. James of the Marches

Welcome and “buzz on in” to Mrs. B.’s busy hive. A new school year has finally arrived
after a wonderful fun filled summer and our first grade journey has officially begun. As
always, it’s an exciting and important time in the life of a six year old. It is an
unbelievable year of growth both physically and academically. As we say, “We are on
this journey together and if we work together there is nothing we cannot accomplish.”
Even though it’s only been a short time; we are off to a wonderful beginning. It’s
amazing how quickly first graders adjust to their new classroom and routines. Everyone
is getting unpacked and ready to start the day independently now – backpacks are
emptied and stored in the closet with jackets, homework is in the designated baskets and
notes are handed to me. Great job first grade! As you can see, we are truly buzzing to
learn.
We began the year with a few weeks of review and are now into our grade 1 curriculum.
We know that reading is the most important subject in the life of a first grader and we
continue to learn more about reading strategies and improving our decoding skills. We’re
remembering to start our sentences with capital letters and end them with the proper
punctuation. We’ve just finished our Math chapter on numbers and are now beginning
the mastering of addition and subtractions facts. Our math curriculum will soon
introduce us to geometry, fractions, and telling time. We enjoyed making our “Let Your
Light Shine for Jesus” jack-o-lantern project which we hung proudly at St. James Church
for all to see.
This month the Academy celebrated our annual Halloween Happening (our first time in
two years). Activities included trunk-or-treating and games along with fabulous food,
and last but not least awesome. An amazing time was had that night by the ASJM family.
We have many future accomplishments ahead of us! This year promises to be filled with
amazing growth and lots of fun! In closing, Mrs. B.s “Busy Bees” would like to
sincerely thank the St. James parish community for the generous support that you provide
our school.
Blessings to You,
Mrs. Joanne Bauman - Grade 1