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WISH A Whole Scholar
Approach to Education

Grade Pages » First Grade

First Grade

Meet the 1st Grade Team:

Ms. Raymond
Jordan Raymond is ecstatic to be teaching 1st grade at WISH! Ms. Raymond earned her Bachelors degree, teaching credential, and her Masters degree from Loyola Marymount University. She decided to become a teacher because she has always loved to see the "aha" moments students have once they grasp a difficult concept they were working on. Her favorite subject to teach is science because it allows students to be hands on and really go through the scientific process. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her puppy, hanging out with her friends, and binging shows on Netflix. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the warm and inviting community that WISH upholds! 

Ms. O'Keefe
Shannon O’Keefe is honored to be teaching 1st grade at WISH! Miss O’Keefe earned her BA degree and teaching credential from Loyola Marymount University. She decided to become a teacher because she loves working with children and feels it is her passion and calling to find the good in every student and help it shine.  Her favorite subject to teach is writing because it shows off the magic of children’s imaginations. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, travel, painting, and hanging with her service dog Finn. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the huge support system from staff and families that make WISH a community, not just a school!

Ms. Pennington
Melissa Pennington is thrilled to be teaching 1st grade at WISH! Ms. Pennington earned her BA degree from the University of Rhode Island and her Master’s Degree and teaching credential from Loyola Marymount University. She decided to become a teacher because she loves working with children and inspiring their creativity and love of learning. Her favorite subject to teach is writing because she loves teaching students how to express their ideas in creative ways. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, yoga, and spending time with her family, friends, and rescue pup. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the amazing community of faculty, families, and students that make WISH truly special!

Ms. Hall
Haylee Hall is super excited to be joining the WISH 1st grade teaching team after teaching kindergarten last year! Ms. Hall earned her BA in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education and her teaching credential at Loyola Marymount University. She is currently finishing up her Master's in Policy and Administration, also at LMU. Ever since she was little, she was drawn towards taking care of children younger than her, and she would always play "teacher" with my friends. Ms. Hall's favorite thing to do in her free time is riding horses. She has been a competitive horseback rider since she was 10! In general, animals are Ms. Hall's favorite things- she has a black cat names Finnegan and a Doberman named Marge that she loves to spend time with. She is beyond excited to start teaching at WISH and is already feeling very welcomed by the supportive team of staff members.
 
 

Mr. B
Steve Brostowitz is adrenalized to be teaching as the special education teacher for Kindergarten and 1st grade here at WISH! He earned his BA degree and single subject in social sciences from Illinois State University and his special ed. teaching credential from CSUN and clear credential through CSUDH.  He decided to become a teacher because he enjoys helping students learn. His favorite subject to teach is phonics because there are so many fun games to play and characters to dress as! In his free time, he enjoys exercising and watching sports. He thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the people!

Learn more about the 1st Grade Program:
First Grade is where the magic begins! We build upon the fundamental skills the children learned in Kindergarten, and the students read, write, add and subtract. The students are eager to learn and learning in First Grade is fun!

In Language Arts, we begin stringing together all of the sounds the students have learned in kinder to start writing more and read more complex text. The Language Arts units in First Grade are very interesting and each one culminates with something exciting, such as a diorama, an oral or written presentation, or a field trip.

In math, first graders learn about place value, number sense, measurement and collecting and organizing data in various ways. Using various technologies and websites, math is interactive and engaging .

Science is all about investigating and exploring. The themes explored in First Grade include Plants and Animals, Air and Weather, Computer Science, and States of Matter. Art is incorporated into all subject areas on a regular basis.

Throughout the year, the first grade curriculum emphasizes the social environment. The theme of community is taught on different scales - the classroom community, the school community and the larger local. Children and adults are expected to share in the practice of values as a means to nurture an environment in which children can explore, challenge themselves, succeed, and learn from their mistakes.

We also focus on emotional literacy through the RULER program, in which students learn how to identify and label their feelings, as well as strategies to get them emotionally ready to focus and learn. We also discuss growth mindset with the students, where we discuss persevering through challenges, understanding that mistakes are a part of the natural process, and taking risks.