Bring Electronics Tomorrow!

For the very last time...hello!

This will be the last blog post. Did I really just say that? This year just can't be over, we still have so much more to learn. I will say, this group learned a TON this year.

Report cards go home tomorrow at our noon dismissal. You will find a copy of one of my favorite poems in the envelope. I wrote it as the comment, but also added a copy for you to frame for your child.  A teacher once gave it to me, and I have loved it ever since. Of course it is about BELIEVING. I will always be a phone call, email, or text away. I would LOVE to meet your child for lunch or come to a sporting event to catch up through the years. Please feel free to keep me in your child's lives.

We will NOT be going on the bike ride tomorrow. There is an 80% chance for more rain tomorrow. I didn't tell my kiddos that they could bring their electronics tomorrow, but I encourage them to do so. We will have some time to just enjoy one another in a relaxed environment.

Today, we skyped with Mrs. Umemoto in Texas. It was great to see her and get to say goodbye to her. It was also fun to hear about how her little baby is growing quickly inside her tummy. It was a great computer visit!

Happy Summer Birthday to Alexis. She brought some yummy brownie treats! Yesterday, we had super yummy treats from Elijah and Alyssa. Happy future birthdays to all our summer birthdays!

Evan won the last Purple Hand Cookie today. His peers voted for him due to his sharing of playground balls when he would see a child in need. Great kindness Evan!!! Alyssa and Daniel were once again nominated as well.

Collin and Chloe shared a special fun treat with us this morning. They brought in their little pet guinea pigs. It sure was fun to meet Chubbs, Snoopey, and ???? Ask your child the name of the third one. :0) Thanks for bringing those in!

Lastly, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your most special treasure with me. I have so enjoyed all year with this group. I am so happy to be leaving on a good note at Bitterroot. I will miss seeing them in the hall next year. Thank you also for all of your support. I feel very blessed to know such wonderful, caring families. Please know that I am always here if you need any advise, help, or just want to brag on your kiddo. I will miss every single one of you, especially your kids!

Enjoy your summer! Read, read, read, and travel!

Love,
Ms. Erickson

P.S.-BELIEVE!!!!

Supplies Go Home Tomorrow!

Hello there. Let it rain, let it rain, let it stop on Friday!!!!

We will know more tomorrow, but plan on bikes coming to school on Friday. Even if we can't go to the park to play, we may still be able to journey down the bike path. I did not heard from any parents as to needing bike "stuff" so I am assuming that all is good for all students. Those that do not bring a bike, will stay back at school in an alternate placement.

Tomorrow, we will clean out our desks. Heavy backpacks are to be expected so a ride home might be nice. Please plan ahead. All stuff needs to go home tomorrow. Planners or backpacks do NOT need to come to school on Friday. All they will have is their final report card to carry home on Friday.

We will donate items for next year's students tomorrow as well. Please make your final decision on what can and can't be donated. Thanks again for paying it forward!

Ask your child about the Hoot movie. Did they like the book or the movie better? Why? If they have a 4th grade discussion with you, please write either BOOK or MOVIE in the planner as to what they say for a ticket tomorrow.

Have a wonderful night!

2 and a half more days!

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Hello there. We had a great day!

MT History and Hoot were the top priority. We are learning how the railroad shaped MT Indian reservations, changed their lives just as the horse did, and how it brought more and more non-Indian people into MT. This was needed in order to finally become a state. Kids are creating murals about what they hear me read about this time era. They are looking great! I once again reminded kids to make sure that they SAVE this MT History notebook as it will come in handy again in Jr. High and High School. Find it the last day, and put it away in a special place for them. :0)

Hoot is tomorrow afternoon. We WILL finish up the book tomorrow morning.

Our money system has come to an end. We turned in all but the $80 needed to buy concession snacks for the last two movies. No more money will be given out. I will give out tickets for our daily drawing instead. Ask your child how their sundae was at our final buy in party. If they can tell you, write SUNDAE in the planner for one ticket tomorrow.

The awards assembly was a great success. Congratulations to all that took an award home today. Above, you will find a quick slideshow showcasing them. Great job to everyone.

Report cards go home on Friday. Friday is also a half day. Please pick up kiddos promptly at noon.

Staff vs. Character Kids Wiffle ball was a blast! The kids whooped us, but it was a great game. So much fun for those playing and watching. Great to just have fun with one another!

Have a wonderful, wonderful evening!!!!

It's the Last Week!

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Hello there. I hope this post finds you nice and relaxed from a weekend full of graduation parties, BBQs, camping trips, and remembering those that fought for the life we have today. What an amazing country we live in!

This is the last week of school. There are many events going on, along with wrapping up all our academics. Kids will be dismissed on Friday at noon. I can't believe the year is already over!

The awards assembly will be this Tuesday at 9 am. BUG and Terrific kids awards will be given out. The Bobcat award will also be given out. I have texted you if your child is receiving an award(s) from me. Please feel free to come cheer them on!

Each year, I ask parents and students to have a discussion at home about school supplies. We have a community school supply area in our classroom that allows kids that need something to borrow it. This is a HIGHLY used area, probably by your child at one or more times throughout the year. I ask that you discuss and decide if you would be willing to donate your end of the year school supplies to this area for next year's students. If you have your child save their supplies for the following year, that is great. But, if they end up lost or in the trash and you always purchase new ones in the fall, please consider allowing your child to donate them to me. We are always in need of calculators, glue sticks, pencils, markers, colored pencils, rulers, pretty much anything. Please make your decision by Wednesday night. We will be emptying our desks and art tubs on Thursday morning. Thank you for considering to PAY IT FORWARD! It really does make a difference in the classroom when kids don't have the needed supplies to do their work. Thanks.

This Tuesday, we will have our end of the year Sundae party. Kids may use their fake money to buy into this fun event. They will start by buying a bowl and spoon along with one scoop of ice cream. They may then add toppings of their choice for an additional cost. Yummy!

This Wednesday, the kids will be watching HOOT with Mrs. Anderson in the library. They may buy concessions with their fake money. They may NOT bring drinks or snacks from home.

This Thursday, the kids will be watching the movie Miracle in the classroom. Love, love, love this movie as it just wraps up the BELIEVE theme I have tried to install all year long with the kids. Again, snacks may be purchased with fake money.

A Happy Summer Birthday to Austin! Thanks for the delicious dirt cake treats. They even had a yummy worm in them. Elijah, Alyssa, and Alexis will celebrate theirs this week. Happy Birthday to all!

Above, you will see the slideshow from the ranch field trip. We learned a ton! It was fun to see all of our hard work in MT History and Riding Freedom book come to life. If you watch it with your child write RANCH in the planner for $20 on Tuesday.

Wiffle Ball has been great fun! Minus a few issues, the class has done an excellent job showing great sportsmanship and character. All week I have been watching the entire class closely to see who demonstrated it on a consistent basis all week long. Two students were on the fence cheering on both sides of the game and even then teachers that were pitching. They were sincere in their efforts, and they never sat down in my sight. They were very, very involved with the game. They also threw the ball to other teammates rather than making the play themselves. They rotated to new positions like asked instead of playing the same position over and over again. They tried their best, and they encouraged everyone else too as well. They just overall did a great job on the field. So, Alexis and Evan will go up against the staff on Tuesday in the Staff vs. Character Kids Final Game. It will be at 1:00 if you want to come watch. We play on the actual fields behind the school. The alternate will be Olivia in case Evan or Alexis is absent. Great job kids!

I will blog up to Thursday. The blog will never be erased by me, so hopefully even ten years from now kids can go back to it like a yearbook. :0)

Have a wonderful rest of your Memorial Weekend, and we shall see you on Tuesday morning!

GREAT FIELD TRIP!

What a super fun day! Perfect weather, and a perfect field trip. I will post pictures tomorrow. The branding this year was so different then last year. We had many concerned 4th graders about it it was hurting them. Yes, it hurts, but it is temporary. We did not have this reaction last year, so it was interesting to see. It might have been because the calves were sooooo tiny and cute. We usually brand when they are older. The calves also bellow to their moms when it is happening and kids think that resembles pain. It is really only fear. I told them it was the exact same thing that happened with you when they had to get their kindergarten shots and you cried for them. :0) As soon as they saw the calves released and they were perfectly ok, the kids felt better. The baby lambs were the most fun to watch with the kids. They got to run around with them. :0) Evan got to collect the chicken eggs and feed the chicken some feed and some yummy watermelon!!!! They love watermelon. Alexis had a great time on her ride upon BlueDuck the horse. :0) And lunch was DELICIOUS!!!! A HUGE thank you to Indian Education For All for funding this trip and the last one to Pompeys. They donated over $500 to do these. Wow!!! These are some super special kiddos!!!

We have one more field trip this year. We will bike to Hawthorne Park on the last day of school. Please make sure your child has a working bike and helmet. IF they do, please write BIKE READY in the planner. If they don't, please text, email, or call me with needs and I will see what I can come up with. I need prior notice though. Thanks. Students don't have to buy into this one, but if they are not being trustworthy we certainly can't take them on a bike trip. I need to know that I can count on them to listen, and to follow directions along with use common future fifth grade sense. I will let you know if your child will have an alternate placement. I sure don't want to leave anyone behind on the last day! BELIEVE, BELIEVE, BELIEVE!

Tomorrow is the 50 states and capital's test. We did a final review today in class and some are bringing home the rest for homework. Please refrain from helping them. They should use a map and focus on the ones they don't know so they can pass tomorrow's test. It will be one of the final grades in SS for the 4th grade.

I think that about sums it up. Wiffle ball tomorrow, so shoes are a must. Thanks so much!

Field Trip Tomorrow.

Hi there.

We did MT History galore today!!! We are now experts on branding, farming, and ranching. Just in time for our field trip tomorrow. If your child is going, they need to wear closed toe shoes that are comfortable for walking and that can get dirty. A hat, sunscreen, and water bottle are also recommended. Electronics for the bus are a GREAT idea as it will be close to an hour ride on the bus. Mrs. Hankin's and I will have our cell phones, but there is not always the best connection on parts of the ranch. Lunch will be served to all kids tomorrow. They will get a hot dog, watermelon, chips, and a homemade chocolate chip cookie. If that doesn't strike their fancy, then they will need to pack an alternative lunch. :0)

We had a little incident while playing wiffle ball today. 5 kids decided it would be a good idea to throw rocks at a hornet's nest instead of doing what they should have been doing. Three of the kids took ownership and accountability for their actions. Two did not. Seeing how we will be around animals that may spook tomorrow, I HAVE to be able to trust kids out there. If I can't trust them to do the right thing when I am busy on a wiffle ball field, then I am concerned that they can do the right thing on a big wide open ranch where many things could happen if they decide to deviate from common sense or directions given to them. I do trust that the three that spoke up to the class and apologized were sincere, and that they learned their lesson. I appreciate their character in this matter.

Well, that about sums it up. Have a wonderful evening.

P.S. The bus leaves right at 8:35 tomorrow morning. :0)

Hoot, Hoot!

Hi there.

Field trip is Thursday (in two days) for sure! Rain or shine, we will go.

Tomorrow afternoon, the kids will watch the movie Hoot in the library. This book was read aloud to them and fits perfectly with our animal unit and our save the environment studies. Kids will be offered concession snacks to buy with their fake money. They may NOT bring their own. I still have kids that have NOT bought into the movie. They will stay back with me and do an alternate assignment related to the topic. Is this your child??? Ask them. Write YES or NO in the planner as to if your child has bought in and will be joining us in the movie.

Grades are becoming final throughout the week. If you would like to view them earlier than the report card, please see online version. Note that I am not completely done with them, and won't be until next Monday. There are still grades to be added.

Report cards will be handed out as the kids leave school next Friday (last day), which is a half day. I am not allowed to give them out early. If you are going to be gone, you will need to pick them up int he office after the last day of school from Mrs. Zimmerman. I would call first, as she may not have regular school hours on those days.

The Subway extra bonus buy in has been changed to pizza at school due to time limits. The kids agreed that pizza, pop, and a DQ treat is a better option. Therefore, we will NOT be leaving campus. If your child is included in this special reward, they brought home a permission slip yesterday and bought in for $2000. They had to have at least $3000 to even be considered! Way to go!!!!

Next Friday, is our bike field trip to Hawthorne Park. Please make sure their bikes and helmets are in working order by then. Students that had extra bikes stood up in class the other day so if your child doesn't have a bike or a working bike, they know who to meet up with. It is THEIR responsibility. If they do not have a bike that day, they will be sent to an alternate placement for the day. Call me if you have questions please.

Have a wonderful evening.