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. Abekah

Siarfo Abekah is so excited to be teaching 1st grade at WISH! She received her BA and Masters in Education from LMU while playing soccer for the school. She wanted to become a teacher because she has always loved learning and wanted to bring that love to kids! Her favorite subject to teach is math because it is so fun to see kids see how numbers come together and how math is everywhere you look. In her free time, Ms. Abekah is probably baking cookies, spending time with her friends and listening or playing music! She thinks that WISH is the best place to work because she gets to work with her friends and teach such amazing kids!

Ms. Granados

Alanna Granados is immensely grateful to be teaching 1st grade at WISH! Miss Granados volunteered at WISH during her undergraduate years at LMU. She learned so much from the teachers and immediately fell in love with the supportive and inclusive community at WISH. She graduated with a BA in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education. She then went on to teach 1st grade full time while earning her MA in Urban Education with a concentration of Educational Policy and Administration. Miss Granados has been teaching 1st grade for the past 6 years and it is one of her biggest joys in life. She loves to connect with students and being able to create a classroon family each year. Her favorite to teach is reading! Her other joys in life include her big loving family, hiking, reading, her brown fluffy cockapoo Milo and trying new things with friends. Miss Granados is so excited to teach at WISH and become a part of community that inspires lifelong learners. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the warm and inviting community that WISH upholds!

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.