Happy New Year!

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WELCOME BACK!!!! Thank you so much for all the thoughtful gifts. I loved them all, and opening them with the kids was a gift in itself. I felt very loved and blessed. I have so enjoyed my time off with my family, but I have also missed my "other" kids and families. I sure hope your new year has started off with a bang. I can't wait to get back into the classroom and the daily routine. 

Over the break, I also spent some time planning our new units. Here is a quick rundown. 

Math: Perimeter, Area, and some fractions with our science unit. 

Science: Snowology-The study of snow. Tons of activities and experiments with snow, ice, and snowman. This unit will cover many, many subject matters!!! So excited!!!

Social Studies: Midwest Region-New states and capitals!!! I know you are excited!!! 

Montana History: Westward Expansion-Lewis and Clark

Reading: Lead 21: Space Unit-Fact and Opinion, synonyms, and making connections to the text. 

Read Aloud: Finish up Danny, The Champion of the World. 

Spelling: Unit 17-There is a test this Friday!!!!

Language: Adjectives

CC Meeting: New Year Goals and Being Kind To One Another

Tomorrow we will do a fun writing activity during our CC meeting. Kids will need a STAMPED envelope. Please leave the envelope BLANK, except the stamp. Those that bring it in tomorrow will earn $50. 

We will be welcoming a new student tomorrow from Kalispel. Her name is Alexis. Yep, another GIRL!!! Now we are up to 7! WooHoo!!!! Please help kids remember to welcome her but not overwhelm her. Remind them to be friendly and helpful, while realizing she may be shy and unsure. It is so hard to be a new student, but in E4 they feel welcomed very quickly!! Don't believe me? Just look at how well Miss. Kayla is doing. She has many friends and has quickly picked up on Ms. Erickson's expectations and procedures. She could not have done that without the help of such a friendly, loving class!! It makes this teacher mighty proud! If you talk with your child about this, write the word ALEXIS in the planner for $20 tomorrow. 

A quick update on our school safety plan. I know, as a parent, I received an email from Mr. Bouck, the superintendent. He stated that all doors except the front door will be locked. The front door will continue to be monitored and ALL parents and guests will be required to check in and wear a visitors pass. Even if we see you every day or know you well, please take the time to help us ensure that we are following the safety guides mandated by our district. Please don't take it personal. We love knowing you by name. We just have to put kids first and their safety is our TOP priority. Also, all staff will be wearing proper identification as well. No one in our building should be walking our halls without some form of identification clearly visible. 

I think that about does it for the start of the new year. I am so, so, so excited to get going again. Report cards come out in a couple of weeks. It will be very important that kiddos have all their assignments turned in. A missing assignment drops grades very quickly. I want you to see a true reflection of how far your child has come so far, which is very, very far! You will also see your child's Winter Test Scores in the report card. So many kids have already made the growth that we expect in an entire year. Which means that they are getting challenged on their level! Students need to continue to push themselves and rise to the expectations that are set by myself, you, and especially by themselves. Holding high expectations is crucial to making growth throughout the year. 

Have a wonderful last day of vacation! I will see you tomorrow, January 2, 2013!!!! 

Goodbye Ali! We will miss you!

Hi there. Well, one day closer to the break. I am thinking the break is going to be great for all of us. :0)

Tomorrow is movie day! We will join up with Mrs. Hankin's class and watch the movie Big Miracle. Kids may bring in a drink of choice (NO larger than 20 oz.), a snack for themselves, and their favorite blanket, pillow, and stuffed animal to snuggle with. It is a great film, and I can't wait to watch it again! We read our last version of this story today in class. Ask your child what the little girl's father called her for a nickname. If they can tell ya, write it in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning we will spend time wrapping up all of our units and missing work. Those that still have missing work come 12:10 will have to finish it before viewing the movie. Yikes! They know who they are!!!! Some kiddos also have yet to pay their $300 buy in. They will need to do so tomorrow before the show or will have an alternative placement for the afternoon. They know who they are and they know why they don't have the money to buy in! :0(. Better choices next time I am sure. It is no fun to miss out on the fun activities we do in class.

After the movie, we will spend our Fun Friday saying goodbye to our good friend Ali. He and his mom are moving to Canada. Ali gets along with everyone and is so bright. We will all miss him! If kiddos want to make him a card or goodbye message tonight that would be very nice.

I will blog tomorrow, and then I will not blog again until The Tuesday before we come back in 2013!!!!

Lastly, we have Santa's Workshop Shopping tomorrow with our buddies at 10:30. Kids may bring in $5.00 MAX to shop with. Each item is $1.00. Items will come home to wrap. Fun!

Have a wonderful evening!

Merry Christmas Concert!!!! Wowzers!!

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Hiya! Well, if you joined us today for the show you saw how absolutely amazing these kiddos are. I was so impressed at their singing ability and at how sharp they looked. Well done Team Erickson!!!

We have buddies tomorrow. We will be doing a fun project with Hot Chocolate. For homework tonight, kids are supposed to round up their favorite mug. Please wrap it in paper towels for safe keeping. Kids also need to finish up their Santa graph and color it for homework. Some finished in class, but not very many. If your child does so, please write MUG in the planner for $20 tomorrow. 

A HUGE thank you for leaving your kiddos at school today. I sure do appreciate it and it sure makes science easier when they can read and discuss it with their group members. THANK YOU!!!! 

As a parent, I have been getting quite a few calls from the district offices. I am sure you have as well. Please know that Bitterroot and everyone in it is absolutely safe! We have done all that has been asked of us and we comply with safety regulations. Please know, for the rest of this week, all schools in Billings are being placed on Semi-lockdown. This means that once our bell rings in the morning, all of our doors are locked, including the front one. So, if you come to the school during school hours, you will have to knock on the door. You will be greeted and welcomed in once we identify you. We also will have law enforcement officers in our hallway. This is nothing new to our kids as we have the adopt a cop program in our school, so kids are used to seeing them in the hallway. All of this is to ensure both students and teacher's safety, and I for one, appreciate all that is being done. Yay Billings Public Schools! 

Lastly, we made our hearts today for Hearts Across America. I will mail them off to Broadwater School and then they will mail them off to Newtown Elementary School. Awesome words of encouragement coming from these kiddos! So proud of all of them!!

Have an amazing night, and hug extra tight tonight! 

Merry Christmas Kenzi!

Happy Tuesday, or as it is known in the 5th grade...Tutu Tuesday! Even Mrs. Umemoto has caught the bug! For those of you have not heard the news, Mrs. Umemoto is leaving us to move to Texas. Her husband was promoted in his position. Her last day will be this Friday! :0( I know some of you had her last year, so you might want to stop in and give her a big goodbye hug! I know I for one, am going to miss her dearly as we have become quite close over the years!

Today in class we read two fun stories. The first explained to us exactly how Santa became Santa in the first place. Did you know that Santa used to work at the post office, as a chef, and at the ZOO???? And did you know the first animal that tried to pull Santa's was NOT the reindeer??? Say what! Ask your child what animal it was, according to the story we read at CC meeting. Write the name of the animal in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

The second story was called An Elf For Christmas. It was a fun story where an elf went on quite the adventure to escape back to the North Pole in an airplane. After the story, I had the kids put themselves into the elf's shoes (literally) and create an Elf Passport. They had to decide on five different places OUTSIDE the USA that they would like to go to on their adventure. Then, they had to actually create themselves as elves. Too funny! They will all be displayed tomorrow in the gym for the concert, so try to stick around and take a look after the concert ends. I have labeled all the art projects we have done this week. Tons of creativity and writing effort coming out of these kids this week. I can tell however, that many kiddos need to work on using periods and other punctuation marks in their writing. We will definitely be working on these skills after break!!!!!!

Homework Tonight: History of a Circle Sheet and finish up science if need be. Please DO NOT help them with the science. It is for a grade. They read the chapter with their leveled group in class, and ALL the answers are in the reading. They NEED to look it up!

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the concert tomorrow!!! The kids have worked so hard for weeks, and they are ready. Please make sure they come in their Sunday best and a smile. The shows start promptly at 9:30 and 1:15. Please do NOT plan to take your child after the last concert. We will be doing more science with their groups. Those that do, will have to make it up the next day during THEIR own time. Thanks!

Permission slips are coming home today. We will be watching the movie Big Miracle this Friday int he afternoon. This movie is about whales that get trapped in the ice. Sound familiar??? It should, as my reading class was to read it with you last night. We will also be reading two more versions of the same story, one being the exact one that the movie tells. It is rated PG so students must have permission by you to watch it. Kids may also being a snack for themselves and a drink of their choice on Friday for the movie, along with their pillow, blanket, and stuffed animal to cuddle with. What a great way to wrap up our unit on saving the Earth and the animals that live on it!!! Slips that are returned tomorrow will earn $50. There is also a $300 buy in of fake money to watch the show. I will collect that money on Thursday. Those that can't buy in or don't obtain parental permission will have an alternative placement for the afternoon.

Miss. Kenzi shared her Christmas photo today. As you can see, she is quite proud of her tree. Love it! What a great kiddo!!!!

Lastly, many kiddos have asked me what I want for Christmas. I always answer the same. I LOVE homemade gifts, especially BELIEVE ones. Every year my collection gets bigger and bigger. Kids surely don't have to get me anything. Just having them every day in my life is gift enough!

Have a wonderful evening! I am soooooo grateful for you!

Merry Christmas Andrew!

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Hi there. Well, we made it through the day. Pretty emotional this morning, but then it was business as usual. Please, please ask for the blue parent sheet from Mr. English tonight. If you read it, please write PARENT in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Last week, Miss. Alyssa was star of the week. She shared so many fun pictures of herself when she was young. The class favorite was the one that said If Alyssa ain't happy, then no one is happy. Too cute! For fun Friday, she brought her little baby brother to share with us. We got to share in a FIRST. He started belly laughing and couldn't stop. Mom said he has never done that before. Check out the smilebox slideshow to see it. Thanks so much for sharing with us Alyssa.

The concert is this Wednesday. There is a 9:30 and 1:15 concert. It is always crowded so please come early. Please also plan to stay the entire concert and not just our section as it is a HUGE distraction when parents are coming in and out. It is about a half hour-45 minutes total. Also, a huge, huge please that you don't plan to take your child home with you after the afternoon one. We have a full day after the concert too. Hopefully, kids have their outfits picked out. They are encouraged to dress in their Sunday bests! :0) Thanks.

Homework tonight: Kids in MY reading class, need to re-read the story that starts on page 99. It is called A Symphony of Whales. They are encouraged to read it to you or with you. They have a test on it tomorrow. It is a fun story! ALL kids also have a quick multiplication sheet. It is so important to keep these facts fresh at all times.

Lastly, thanks to Andrew for sharing his fun photo of him and his brothers in front of the Christmas tree. Awesome!

Have a wonderful night!

Merry Christmas Olivia, Tyson, Collin, and Chubbs!

Hi folks. I am sure that this weekend was heavy on your heart, just as it was mine. Last week's tragedy has really shaken us all as a nation. The why question is forever unanswered and hard for us to comprehend. When talking with your precious kiddos please be encouraged that we are here to help. Here is what our professionals say...

Children Coping with Crisis

What can I do as a Parent?

• Acknowledge and validate your children’s feelings.

• Give permission for your children to cry, as this an important part of the healing process.

• Knowing what to say is often difficult. When no other words come to mind, a hug and saying “This is really hard for you/us.” may help.

• Try to recognize the feelings underlying your children’s actions and put them into words. Say something like “ I can see you are feeling really sad about this.”

• Recognize that grief may be expressed in many ways, i.e., through anger, tears, laughter, changes in their sleeping and/or eating.

• Recognize that your child may be fearful for his/her immediate safety. Reassure your child that they are safe.

• Recognize that a current death can bring to the surface emotions from previous loss.

• If your child expresses an interest in attending the funeral, it is important that an adult accompanies them for support.

Help you children put their fears in perspective.

• Help children to feel personally safe

• Try to maintain normal routines to provide a sense of stability and security.

• Help children to feel a sense of control by taking some action, i.e., cards and letters of support.

• Prepare for difficulties with children at night, i.e., difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, etc.

• Maintain regular bedtime routines such as story time, in order to provide a sense of security. Special stuffed animals or blankets may be especially important right now.

• Recognize that children will need extra hugs.

• Having open and honest communication with children about tragic events is very important.

That and more resources can be found on the Billings Public School Website. 

As a parent myself, my heart is broken for the families that are going through loss and survival. I can only imagine the pain and the grief involved. I have dealt with some of the issues that have happened, but nothing compared to the loss of a child in such a senseless way. 

Tomorrow, the staff has a meeting first thing to get us all on the same page. Mr. English wants us to be prepared for whatever comes into the classroom tomorrow. We will feel it out, and see how it goes. Seeing how morning meeting in our room is a time for honest sharing and feelings, I am sure things will come up. We will also view Rusty's morning message which will help us to focus on the ways we can help and remind us to be kind and true to our hearts. 

I want you to know that I DO NOT feel comfortable and I will not be discussing details of Friday's event with 4th graders. If asked, I will direct them to back to you or to Mrs. Neese, the counselor. I DO feel comfortable however discussing how they are feeling about it and how they can move forward. I will also stress that I am trained to keep them safe, and that Bitterroot, as a school, is well prepared for emergency events. Things happen, and yes sometimes those things are very, very bad, but we are ready for any event possible. I have absolute and complete faith in Mr. English to lead us in any situation. That is the teacher in me talking to you. 

Now, let me talk to you as a mom. I am petrified to send my children to school tomorrow. I honestly even said out loud that homeschool looks pretty good right now.  I trust the system, but I am scared. My kids are my everything, just as yours are. Their safety is my number one priority as their mom. I want to keep them home safe with my loving arms around them. But, as a mom, I also know that I have to show my faith to my children. I have to be brave for them. They are looking to me to show them the way. They know that I am only a phone call and a five minute car ride away when they are at school. I have to believe in all that I know is good. That is how I will allow myself to hug them extra tight, and drop them off tomorrow. I can't control the world, and I can't shelter them from evil. I have to model kindness and faith for them.  I have to believe. 

I give you my word, I will do whatever I can to keep your child safe while they are in my care. 

We will end our morning meeting tomorrow with a moment of silence for those that were involved in the event. As a teacher, I am not allowed to offer words aloud during that time. If a child feels the urge however, they will be heard. It is human to feel sad and scared. That is what makes our life on Earth so meaningful. I will honor all feelings during this time. We will also celebrate life and a happy and healthy future! 

Speaking of happy! Look at those beautiful trees above! Wow! And, we finally get to see Chubbs! Love it Collin! Smiles on this face for sure! Thanks so much for sharing them with us. 

Don't forget the holiday concert this Wednesday. Make sure to check with your child to see if they have a speaking part and if they do it in the morning or afternoon performance. They sound amazing!!!

The kiddos spent last Friday be creative authors. Poor Ruldolph had an accident and his nose changed from Red to _____ in color. They wrote a story to share how that horrible event happened. We shared them in class. Too dang cute and funny! I am going to take pictures tomorrow, and Collin and Natalie have their stories recorded live for you to enjoy as well. Look for the slideshow on tomorrow's blog. Ask your child what color their nose was and have them retell the story to you. If they do, write the color in the planner for $20 tomorrow. 

We will be doing some other fun holiday stuff this week as well. Tis the season!!! 

I hope with all that I am, that you all have a restful evening tonight! I am so blessed to have such amazing kids and families to work with! 

Merry Christmas Elijah!

Hi there. What a day. It seems the anxious wait for the holidays is here. The kids are getting a little restless. Normal...but trying nonetheless. Please talk to them about keeping it together and calm till the end (next Friday).

In science, we finished up our endangered animal unit. Ask your child which animal was responsible for the missing goats and chicken in our Farm mystery. If they can tell you, write it in the planner for $20 tomorrow. Fun story!

Take a look at the picture above. Wowzers! What a tree!!! Elijah and his baby sister have done a great job decorating that one. :0) My favorite part of this picture however, is the love I see in Elijah's face toward his baby sister. Too cute! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Have a great night, and thanks for having your kiddo here today for testing! We test again tomorrow for our language portion of the NWEA. Ask your child if they got the thumbs up or thumbs down today after they finished. Most of them got the thumbs up!!!! Again, those that didn't typically rushed through. Remind them to slow down and do their best. :0)

Merry Christmas Ali!

Hi all!

A big thank you to Ali for sending in his holiday picture. This one is super special because it was taken years ago. Hi mom and her mom have a picture of themselves looking out from behind a Christmas tree and so mom wanted Ali to share in that memory as well. Awesome and so special. Thanks for sharing this with us! Please keep sending them in via email. I DON'T get pictures on my phone. Thanks!

Today, we continued on with our endangered/extinct unit in science. We talked about the loggerhead turtle. They are quite fascinating animals. I wish while I lived in Florida that I would have tried harder to watch them be born and run for the ocean with my own two eyes!!! I really missed out.

I have read the letters for the manager at Fuddruckers. They were all so great and filled with facts. I will be taking Natalie and Kayla with me. It was a hard choice, but they had the most internet research to back their opinions. Great job to Evan, Olivia, and Andrew for their persuasive letters as well!!! I am still trying to reach and confirm the manager meeting. I will let you know when I plan to take them to present their cases for getting trays donated. Yay!!!

Tomorrow we have NWEA Map testing for Reading. Please make sure kids are here and well fed. They did a great job on Math (for the most part-those that need to slow down know who they are!). We expect their best, and it is not a race. Accurate data is what we are looking for! They can do it!!!!

We took our spelling test today, since we have no spelling for the next two days. They were shocked, but I am sure they did well since I am sure they all have been studying hard for the past two days at home and during our 7 minutes partner study sessions here at school. On to Unit 16!

Two nights ago, I sent home some homework dealing with geometry. It shared with the kids whom the Father of Geometry was. If they can remember, write his name in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Have a splendid evening!

Merry Christmas Natalie and Ethan!

Hi there. I hope the day with Mr. Brown went well. I am sure there is a wonderful report on my dest just waiting to make me smile in the morning.

We have gym tomorrow, so remember those tennis shoes. If you remind your kiddo, write SHOES in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Ethan and Natalie have been busy this Holiday season. Thanks for sending in the pictures. Ethan, I have always wanted to go get my tree in the mountains, and seeing how I live 30 minutes away from Red Lodge, I really can't believe I have yet to do it. So jealous. Natalie, I am loving how you put words on your tree. I am going to have to BELIEVE mine up!!! Love both of the pictures. Thanks for sending them in.

Have a great night.

Merry Christmas Daniel!!!

Hello there. Happy First Day of the Week to ya!

Well, as you can see...Daniel is the first to send in a holiday picture of himself. What a fantastic, fun tree that is!! Huge!!!! Wowzers! I bet that was a ton of fun to decorate. I might have gotten one other one on my phone, but remember I don't get pictures on my phone. I am old school like that. If you did try to send one last night, please email it to me instead: ericksont@billingsschools.org. Fun, fun, fun!! Thanks for sharing Daniel and family!

Today, we took our math NWEA Map test. One down, two to go. I love seeing all the growth happening already. I can sure tell they have been paying attention in math class. Remember, Thursday and Friday will be reading and language testing. There will be no READ 180 or System 44 classes on those days, as those kiddos will test with me. Great things coming out of room E4 I tell ya!

Just a reminder that I will be out tomorrow. Mr. Brown, the kids favorite sub!, will be here tomorrow. They have a full day of learning ahead, including a MT History lesson!!! Yay!!! I will still blog that night, so check back. In order to make it easy on Mr. Brown, there is no code word tonight. :0(

Have a fantastic night!

Got Holiday Pics???

Hi there. I hope you had a great weekend doing something holidayish. We just returned from an amazing play at church. It had a great message about how wrapped up we can get in the hustle and bustle and forget to just sit and be with those around us. I always tell people that the my favorite gift to receive and give is time. I love lunch with friends or just a day with my family. It is a gift that has a million memories. I would LOVE to share your Christmas trees/traditions on the blog. If you email me a picture, I will put it on display. It can be any kind of holiday picture! It is fun to see the kiddos in Christmas action. :0)

We have been studying ways that we can have a greener Earth in science. The kids have taken up the issue of removing the styrofoam trays in the lunchroom. I am setting up a meeting with the manager of Fuddruckers this week. I would like to take two-three kiddos in to try to get them to donate some plastic trays to Bitterroot. Kids were told that if this interested them, they should write a letter trying to persuade him. We talked about how facts speak truth, so they should use the internet to research harmful effects of styrofoam. I will read them all, and select two to three that I feel will do the job. If your child is selected, I will send home a permission slip to attend the meeting. Change is good!!!!

We will be taking the Math NWEA Map test tomorrow afternoon. Then the reading and language will follow on Thursday and Friday. I will be out on Tuesday for my kiddos Holiday programs at school. Other than that, it will be a normal week. We will begin to wrap up units before our Winter Break. Please talk to your kiddo tonight about doing their very best on these tests. That is all we can ask, and we need a true reading on how they are growing thus far in the 4th grade. If you do talk, write NWEA in the planner for $100 tomorrow.

Lastly, I went to the Christmas Stroll downtown with Mr. Ashcraft last Friday. He was sharing about the success of this fundraiser for his walk through Spain. Please make sure that your pledges are sent into him. I sent home invoices last month for those that made a commitment to donate to his cause. If you can't find it, you can send in the money and I will sure get it to him. Also, please pick up your surprises this week when you can. Before or after school works for me!!

Have a great Sunday!!!

TEST Tomorrow!

Hi. Not to much to report today.

Kids got to run through the scientific process with Mr. English today when trying to solve our styrofoam plate issue in the lunchroom. The class is trying to remove them from the school, as they are made from oil-one of our NONrenewable resources. Yikes! Ask your child about it. If they can share with you about why, how, and possible solutions write STYROFOAM in the planner for $20.

States and Caps test is tomorrow as well as spelling. Study, study.

Have a great night.

Jeff is in the house!!

Well Hi!

Jeff the Zoo Guy was in the house today! He is always a hoot! As you can see his animation and love for educating kids keeps every single kid engaged the entire time!!!! Kids got to see a wolves skull, footprint, and skin up close...VERY close. It was the perfect way to drive home all the kids learned in class and then some! Every one walked away learning something new. For example, not one kiddo knew what an ungulate is! If your kiddo can tell you now, write what they say in the planner for $20 tomorrow. If your child goes to Zoo Montana AND sees the wolves there in the next two months, write me a note in the planner for a $500 reward! (Can't count driving thru the zoo lights in the car!!! Have to get out and go see the actual wolves!!!!) Snag a picture of them to share while you are there, and your reward will be double. Woo Hoo!

Girls...Volleyball information sheets came home today. What a great way to get some exercise up at Castle Rock when the snow flies!

I know that people are already starting to plan for the holidays. Please know that 4th grade will be taking our Winter NWEA Map tests in reading, math, and language next week (T, Thurs, Fri). Please, please, please be here. It is so important to catch gaps in academics early. If we catch them now, we still have time before 5th grade to teach kids missing concepts. Thanks.

Tomorrow is library. Please find those books and get them into the backpacks. Thanks.

Homework tonight is for everyone. It is a code puzzle for kids to discover some upcoming endangered animals that we will be studying.

Have a fantastic night!

Fitness Club Is Fantastic!!!!

Hello. Yet another day packed filled with learning in Room E4! I wish all of you really could be a fly on our 4 walls and see just how much we do in one day, and how much your kids lightbulbs are going off!!! Wowzers!

Today, we learned about Solar Energy. We talked about how solar power is being used more and more to heat water in homes and business. In this discussion, I told the kids that I would ask you to show your child your water heater at home. It looks similar to a solar one, so I wanted them to see what it looked like. If you do show them, please write SOLAR in the planner for $20 tomorrow. We read a great story about an evil king that made his village mine for coal. This polluted the air (the burning of it for heat) and all the animals were getting sick, and the sun had gone away. When the main character chases her cat out of the village, she discovers that the King has a palace covered with solar mirrors that are heating his house without creating pollution. NO FAIR!!!! The king's nephew finally saves the day by teaching the villagers how to capture the sun's heat using passive and active ways. Can your child tell you the two examples of those terms that the villagers tried? I bet they can!!!

We took our Ch. 6 Social Studies test today. It was open book and they had the choice to work alone or with a partner. Those that did not finish, need to come in before school tomorrow and finish up instead of doing the morning walk. They know who they are. Thanks.

The states and capital's test for the SE region is this Friday. Kids need to match the capitals to the correct state, and be able to locate each state on the map. I would care to bet my farm that there will also be a couple NE states on there as a review. HINT HINT!

This morning Mrs. Neese did a Counseling lesson on bullying. She read a great book about accepting others even when they are different. They had a great discussion about not having to like everyone, but you do need to respect them. It was a great lesson!

The pictures above are from our after school fitness club. It meets every Tuesday and Thursday. I went in today to see what it was all about. Can I just say...holy buckets fantastic! Mr. Putuit had about 50 kids going in all different directions doing all different things. There is no doubt why your kiddo leaves there sweaty and feeling great. I almost wanted to jump in and join them. Kids were hurdling over, crawling under, doing pushups, rope swinging, crab-walking, jump and jacking, army crawling, jumping through hoops, and so much more. AND all of this was done to some super pumped up and inspirational music. Every single kid was on task and involved. What a wonderful high five to our PE teacher, Mr. Putuit. Well done!!!!! If your child would like to join, it is not too late. All they need is a permission slip from him signed and returned by this Thursday. Super easy, and what a great way to exercise twice a week!

Have a fantastic night!

Angles and Wolves????

Right Angles!!!

Acute Angles-Teeny Tiny Less Than 90!

Straight Angle-Nice and Flat on Your Back!

Obtuse Angle-Couch Potatoes!

Well hello.

In math today, the kids got a physical workout. Say what???? Yep, they became human angles and we did some angle situps. (Right, acute, straight, Right, acute, straight) Too fun. As you can see they did a great job connecting the name of an angle to what that angle should look like. We also learned parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular lines as well. Ask them which line says choo choo. Write down their answer in the planner for $20. They should be able to tell you why too!!!

In science today, we created a timeline for the wolf from before the civil war to 2009. Wolves are a hot topic in Montana. As a rancher myself, I was able to explain why wolves are not a farmer or rancher's best friend. But, on the other side, the ecologists have a good point to why wolves are important. The good news is the kids got to hear both sides and can now process that information the way they see fit. On Wednesday, Jeff the Zoo guy will come in and share more about that topic along with some other fun wolf stuff.

Homework tonight is pretty special. So special that if they chose to not do it or do it to my expectations, it will cost them $500 tomorrow morning. Ouch! Andrew's mom found a cool idea online this weekend and shared it. Each student will write a card to a US soldier for Christmas. The cards will be delivered through Red Cross. Andrew's mom checked to make sure it was a legit site. We started the day off by watching the youtube found at http://youtu.be/OdEFaOoSBsw. Please watch it with your child again if you can. It is a poem narrated by "Santa." It talks about how yes soldiers are sometimes gone for the holidays and special events with family, but they don't want us to feel sorry for them. Instead, they want us to feel proud. They chose to do this and they love it! Then, we invited Mr. English in to share his experience with being away from home for Christmas. We asked him what he loved to read about in the letters he got from kids. He said that he just wanted to read about daily life like what is happening at home, with pets, or happenings at school. Just anything to connect him back to life outside of the military. He agreed that reading that we are sorry for them is not what they want to hear. They want upbeat messages. So, that is the task at hand. Kids all got a card to take home tonight. They need to FILL it will positive sentences and connect with a soldier. They are writing to an unknown soldier that is fighting right now or is in a medical facility recovering away from home. They need to write in 4th grade small handwriting and fill up the given space. They may not use any other paper (according to the site rules), only the given card. They are due tomorrow so Andrew's mom has time to mail them out before the deadline. A HUGE thank you to her for doing this! Super cool!

Midterms came home today. Please review them, sign the front page, and return only the top copy. The grade sheet is yours to keep. Please record the items your child needs to replenish their school supplies. I went through them with each child so if it is marked they need to get the supply as soon as possible. Please note where your child is in their multiplication basic facts knowledge. You want them knowing them like their name. xtramath.org will help I promise!!! Lastly, if your child has a behavior checked on the top, please have a heart to heart about it with your child. My expectations only go up higher each quarter. If they are not meeting them now, they will struggle even more soon. All kids are able to succeed in this area!

Lastly, please make sure that you drop by before or after school to pick up your surprises! And PLEASE do not give them to kids until after the holiday!!!!! We don't want to ruin the surprise for others!!!! Thanks.

Have a fantastic night!!

My Job Rocks!!!!

Hi there. Happy Sunday to ya. My little girl turns 9 today. My how the years fly! Next year she will be in the grade that I teach! Yikes...when did that happen?

This week will be a busy one. Here is a run down of what to expect in each subject:
Math: Lines, angles, and types of triangles. Xtramath and success maker rotations will continue.

Reading: Two of our bookclubs have finished their novels. They will venture to some fiction stories that take place in the SE region. Cricket group will press on and finish their novel this week. Man, they have learned a ton in these groups. They really have come a long way when it comes to making text to self, text to world, and text to text connections. They are also remembering to ask for people's evidence when they say an opinion. The funnest part for me is to see the excited little eyes sitting around the table. :0)

Spelling: We will work with words that end in ed and ing. Kids need to be aware that final e and double consonants are doubled when working with these suffixes.

Language: Linking Verbs and Review DOLS.

Science: We will dip back into wolves with Jeff the Zoo Guy. He will be coming to school on Wednesday to share with the kids the pros and cons of the wolf in Yellowstone National Park. Jeff always does an AMAZING job with kids, and brings his true passion of animals to life. Can't wait. We will also continue to learn about alternative resources to help protect our future Earth. We read a fun story about wind power the other day. Ask your child to tell you how the family saved the farm. If they can retell you the story briefly, then write the name RUBY in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Social Studies: We finished our tour of the SE region on Friday. We learned how the land is so beautiful, how it has changed history (civil war and rights), and how we have preserved so much history in this region. We will do an open book test this week, and our states and capitals test will be THIS Friday. The kids also will finish up their Penelope Peabody scavenger hunt on the computers for both the NE and the SE regions.

Homework this week will be science related. Everyone will be responsible for turning it in the next day. Please continue xtramath sessions at home. I will no longer be paying the kids to do this. I will pay for this weekend, but that is the last one. Now, they need to do it just because it will help them in the future.

If you have not done so, please mark your calendars for December 19th for the Holiday Music Concert. There will be two identical shows, one at 9:30 am and the other at 1:15 pm. Please plan to stay the for the entire show. It is really distracting when people come and go. Many, many kids in our class have speaking solos and Kayla has a singing solo. Ask your child if they have a solo. Then ask them if they are in the morning or afternoon show. Mr. Goodheart changed the people for each show to allow more kids the opportunity to show off their talents. Why not take the day and eat lunch with your kiddo at 11:50 too! Fun times! If your child does have a solo please practice their parts at home. Mr. Goodheart expects them to be memorized by this Wednesday. They also need to add gestures and or expression.

As I said last week, the surprises are in. Please feel free to stop by anytime before or after school to pick yours up if you ordered one. We decided it might be too risky to send them home with kiddos. I arrive at school by 7:30 daily and don't generally leave until 4. If I am not in my room for some reason, go across the hall to Mrs. Hankins. She knows where they are and can also help you. If that doesn't work for you, let me know and we can work out a different plan for you. Thanks.

It was time for our November Purple Hand Cookie nominations on Friday. Natalie nominated Andrew for encouraging every student during gym class. They were learning to serve a volleyball. Andrew was saying encouraging words to all students. Natalie noticed!!!! Way to go Andrew! Olivia nominated Kayla for holding the door in the morning for all 4-6 students. Usually kids only hold the door for our class. Kayla hung in there for the entire school. Way to go Kayla! Your kindness was noticed! Olivia was nominated by Ethan. Ethan needed a computer and Olivia noticed. She allowed Ethan to get one ahead of her. She didn't respond with get to the back or no cuts Ethan. She simply, stepped aside and allowed Ethan to go first. Wow! Great manners Olivia! It was noticed. Two other students were nominated, but when getting the slip from the box, their nominators were not listed. We recognized their amazingness, but they missed out on the vote process. We went over the correct method to nominate a classmate again. In the end, the votes were counted, and our Purple Hand Cookie Award went to Andrew!!! Great work everyone!!

Collin was our star of the week. He brought, shared, and played his guitar for us. It was so fun to see him in the spotlight. He also shared his grandfather's pocket watch and his Valentine's Day nome. Fun!

We ended the week with ice cream sundaes for Fun Friday, and boy was it fun. As you can see, food brings our culture together. What a great realization for our team building this week. Kids bought all the supplies with their fake money. The more toppings they wanted, the more it costed. Anyone been to the yogurt shops in town. If you have, you know that this was a real life skill. You pay by weight. The more you add to your yogurt, the heavier it is, and the more it costs. :0) Kids enjoyed spending their money though, and everyone was able to enjoy great conversation with their friends while eating a tasty treat! They earned it folks! Great, great kids!

Have a wonderful weekend!