First Grade

Miss Celia Hunter

Hello! My name is Celia Hunter and I am thrilled to be back teaching first grade again this year. I grew up in West Des Moines where I attended Sacred Heart and Dowling Catholic High School. I then went on to graduate from the University of Iowa with my degree in Elementary Education and an endorsement in Reading.

Teaching is a passion of mine. I strive to provide an engaging environment for my students to develop a strong love of learning. It's incredibly rewarding to see the growth academically, emotionally, and spiritually during first grade. I aim to accommodate and challenge each of my students in a faith-filled classroom.

In my free time I enjoy running, cooking, and walking my dog. I feel so blessed to come back for my third year and am looking forward to collaborating with each of you!

Miss Holly Bethel

Hello! My name is Holly Bethel. I am so excited to be teaching 1st grade at St.Lukes! Teaching in a Catholic school is very special to me as I attended Catholic schools most of my life. I grew up in West Des Moines, where I attended Saint Francis of Assisi School and Dowling Catholic High School. After graduation, I attended Iowa State University with a degree in Elementary Education and an endorsement in Reading.

I adore seeing students grow academically, spiritually, and socially over the school year. I strive to provide all students with a welcoming, christ-centered classroom full of learning and growing. I encourage all students to be life-long learners. Teaching is a huge passion of mine and I truly love coming to work each day.

When I am not at school, I spend my time hanging out with my family, being outdoors, or reading. I am looking forward to a great year in first grade and communicating with you soon!

WHAT IS TAUGHT IN 1st GRADE?

Religion

During First grade we focus on a deeper understanding of the liturgy. We dive into the significance of the parts of Mass and how God reveals himself through scripture. We grow in our understanding of The Holy Trinity, the importance of prayer, the signs and symbols of Baptism, the choices made to become a holy person, the seasons of the liturgical year, as well as connecting our forgiveness to the forgiveness of Our Father. Faith is an integral part of our classroom, connecting to all subjects outside of our religion lessons.

Academics

First grade shows huge growth for students from the first day of school to the last. This is a year of expanding upon what we were introduced to in Kindergarten. Students will now learn the “why” across multiple subjects. In Reading, students will learn the science behind why and when letters make certain sounds. Their reading fluency and comprehension improve immensely by the end of the year. In math, students will build upon basic addition and subtraction with new strategies that they will build upon each year moving forward. They will work through two-digit addition and subtraction, comparing numbers, telling time, geometry, etc. In science, we work through inquiry-based learning and the scientific method. Students will learn about life science, geology, and space. Social studies in first grade cover community rules and laws, mapping, Iowa’s past and present, basic geography, etc. Writing is a subject we work to grow in not only through letter and sentence formation but also to be used as a tool to expand upon learning across all subjects.

Focus

We strive to provide a respectful and Christlike environment where all students are treated with kindness and understanding. With a wide variety of learners, we work to accommodate and challenge them all throughout the school year. It is important to promote independence in our students. We build leadership skills with weekly jobs for students. We make it a goal for each child to grow throughout their academics, faith, and social learning. We instill a growth mindset in our students and teach all students that mistakes are evidence of learning.

Special Events

There are lots of opportunities to make first grade a memorable year. One specific memorable activity is having mystery readers come into the classroom. Students are given clues about their readers throughout the week, creating excitement about their guest. Each first grader is assigned a 5th-grade buddy at the beginning of the school year. This buddy system fosters a sense of community. These 5th-grade buddies assist the 1st graders through liturgical events as well as help them grow in their academics. At the end of first grade, we celebrate the year by spending a portion of the day with our buddies. A highlight of first grade is traveling to the Blank Park Zoo at the end of the school year. This field trip extends our Science standards. There is so much to look forward to in 1st grade!