Dino Lab was AWESOME!!!!!

Hi there. Well, we made it through the Jurasic Period and back. The field trip was a success from the minute we left, got on the bus, went ALL the way around the heights (and I mean ALL the way around the heights), to the Dino Lab (so, so, beyond cool!) and then back to school. The kids were great, and they got to see everything that they learned in class come alive in front of them. I have a TON of pictures, but will not be able to post them until later tonight or tomorrow.

Remember, we have a half day tomorrow. Kids are dismissed at noon.

Tennis shoes tomorrow.

There was no homework tonight.

Report cards came home today. Please keep anything and everything inside, and then return just the SIGNED envelope tomorrow. Those that do, earn $100. We have at least three more field trips this quarter so kids need to earn, earn, earn and save, save, save! If you read your report card comment that I wrote to your child out loud and then discuss what I am asking or saying, then write COMMENT in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Have a great night!

Dino Lab Tomorrow!!!

Hi! The grades are in and our BUG club and Terrific Kids were awarded today. Most of them are above. Congratulations to Evan, Natalie, Katherine, Olivia, Andrew, Alexis, Cameron and Elijah. Cameron was also our Bobcat for the quarter. He has demonstrated so many acts of kindness this quarter. Congratulations to all the kids for giving me their very best, and bringing up those grades. I also LOVE that Natalie got a bracelet that said BELIEVE on it!!!! Cool!

It is now 4th quarter. We are in the home stretch! Report cards come home tomorrow. If I have or had a concern I have already contacted you about it. I often bring up past events in the quarter just to document them on paper for future teachers and such. However, I had nothing negative to say on almost all of the report cards I typed. What a great group. Most, most, most of them are already future fifth graders. This is the last quarter to really prove that they are ready to move on. Here are my expectations of a future 5th grader:

1. Do your classwork and your homework every single day.
2. Turn in your work.
3. Have a positive attitude.
4. Be able to work cooperatively in a group setting.
5. Stay in your seat for a 15 minute time period.
6. Complete every problem on every assignment.
7. Ask for help if you need it.
8. Do not write I don't know on your paper.
9. Show your work rather than complete problems in your brain when they are multi-step.
10. Believe in yourself!

If your child can do all ten of these things, then they are good to go!

In CC Meeting, Rusty talked to us about making friends. Today, he described what a true friend was. He shared that some friends are just kind of friends that we see on and off in our daily lives, and others are daily people. Read the poster above. Have your child share who their 5 finger friends are right now and why. If they can do this, write 5 FRIENDS in the planner for $20.

Tomorrow is our field trip to the Dino Lab. I texted or wrote a note in planners parents today that still need permission slips or money. Students that don't have the needed materials will stay at school. Kids may bring money for the gift store. I have no idea what things cost or what they have. We will have only a short time to shop. It is totally up to you at home whether they bring money or not. Remember, we will arrive back a little later than 3:10. Please have kids dress warm and wear walking shoes.  Thanks.

I have noticed a lot of kids leaving early in the past few weeks. Please do everything in your power to allow kids to come and stay in school every day. When they miss, they don't make up assignments. That in return, gives me less grades to average at the end of the quarter. They may have had a better grade had they had a higher number of assignments to average. We learn, learn, learn from the first bell to the last. We also wrap up the day and give out homework at the very end. Again, please have kids here on time and in attendance all day everyday. Thanks!

Remember that this week is a short week. We have school tomorrow all day and Wednesday is a half day. Kids dismiss at noon on Wednesday. Then we are off until the following Tuesday. We will have all our regular language arts classes on Wednesday morning, so it is important to come. That will include the spelling test.

Lastly, I leave you with an explanation of the picture of the four boys with their hands on their heads. This picture is going in a frame and on my desk. These boys, at times, remind me that I am one crazy teacher. This is a HUGE COMPLIMENT. I love that they think I am fun and crazy!!! When I see them do this shake the head thing, I know that I am making it fun and exciting. What a great gift for me!!!!

Have a great night!

Hi there. I hope your weekend was great!

Last Friday was our monthly Purple Hand Cookie Nominations. Sebastian was nominated for sitting next to Collin when he noticed that he was sitting alone. Then, others came over as well. He started a chain reaction!!! Andrew was nominated for his act of kindness. He had some extra red tickets that we use in the daily drawings so he put his friend's name on them and put them in. One of his friends actually one!!! Awesome act of kindness!!! Kenzi was nominated for giving Austin $50 for no reason except to be nice. Alexis was nominated twice for sticking up for a friend during an argument, and for coming in and putting everyone's chair down. It was noticed by another student and they joined in the act of kindness. Alexis started a chain reaction of kindness!!!!! All students were nominated for amazing reasons where they went above and beyond! I am so proud of them all! The votes were counted and Alexis took home the cookie by one vote! Awesome!!!! I also took a picture of all the kids that have one the Purple Hand Cookie. What a great group of kiddos!!!

Mrs. Hankin's class came back ALL sorts of excited from the Dino Lab field trip last Friday! They said it was AWESOME! Can't wait to go on Tuesday. They got back to school about 3:20. We will do the same schedule and take the same busses, so please plan to pick kids up then if you pick them up.

Other than that, it is going to be a normal week. Have a wonderful Sunday!

THANKS FOR COMING!!!!!

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Would you look at that! What a great time we had yesterday with our volcano fun! They were so creative and I can tell a lot of effort went into them. Students were given a grade in science for their volcano. If they had one completely done and effort was shown, they earned full credit. If it was partially done, they earned a C. A great job was done by everyone! 

Up top you will also notice Miss. Olivia's newest cake. She is becoming quite the decorator. Impressive. So impressive, I might just hire her to do my wedding cake come next October. :0) Way to go Olivia!!!

Today, I sent home a second permission slip for the upcoming Dino Lab field trip. Originally, the MET bus said they could drop us off right at Bitterroot at 3:10. Well, that has changed. The bus we are taking from downtown only goes as far as the Valley Federal Credit Union. So, we will be getting dropped off there. We will then take the back route and walk back to Bitterroot. That will put us here around 3:20 or 3:30. Please hold off on picking kids up or expecting them home until later. Those that ride the Club bus, as long as you mark permission on this form, I will gladly give them a ride to Castle Rock. Forms are due back tomorrow. Also, Cameron, Collin, Kenzi, and Austin are still missing either their permission slip, money $5, or both. Please get those in ASAP. Almost all kiddos have bought into the trip with their fake money. I really want everyone to be able to go. 

Report Cards come home next Tuesday. For most, there will be no surprises. For some, it shouldn't be a surprise as I have contacted you about issues already, but it might be a shock for students to see some lower grades than last quarter. These kids are almost 5th graders now. Expectations are higher than ever, and excuses have got to stop. Kids need to learn to go to solutions rather than excuses and just do the right thing. Those that continue to make excuses will see that their grades will reflect those same excuses. I don't just excuse work. It has to be done eventually. Being absent is different. As we all know, I don't require students to make up work that is missing due to being absent if they were not here when the lesson was delivered. Clear as mud? Please talk to your kiddos about finishing up strong in the 4th quarter. They need to give me their very best effort each and every day and learn, learn, learn as much as they possibly can! If you do so write: My Kid Is a Future 5th Grader in the planner for $50 tomorrow. 

Bug Club and Terrific Kid Assembly will be on Monday at 2:00 in the gym. I still am not sure who will get an award because I am still collecting grades. This was the only time the assembly could happen, so it will be before we even hand out report cards on Tuesday. It will be short notice, but I will text those that are getting an award this weekend sometime. It may be as late as Sunday night. I can't figure the figures until I have grades from myself and six other teachers. Sorry about this, but it is out of my control. 

Lastly, thanks to soooooooo many of you that attended the meeting last night. I hope you found it helpful for the upcoming levies. I surely will not tell you how to vote, but I do encourage you TO vote. Your voice counts and it is important to us. I believe that it is mail in vote, so watch those mailboxes. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Meeting Tonight...7:00 pm.

Volcanoes were a BLAST literally!!!! I will post pictures tomorrow in a slideshow. I have some parents emailling me some other photos and/or video. Thanks so much for helping with that. I know that I loved the show, and so many teachers came up to say how much they and their kiddos enjoyed it. Ask your child what their favorite part was. If they share their excitement write BOOM in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

I was really hoping to attend the parent meeting tonight at Bitterroot, but I will be unable to. I have already attended the staff one, and at the staff meeting tonight Mr. English shared all the data he will be sharing with you. As a parent, I know that you will want to hear this. I have to listen as a teacher and a parent both, which is doubly WOW! Please remember to sign in there and also shoot me a note in the planner or a text that you attended. $500 will be awarded tomorrow. :0) Go TEAM Erickson!

That is all I can think to share tonight. Thanks for coming out today! It was great to see all of you!

Bitterroot Overcrowding Meeting Tomorrow Night!!!

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Hi there. Well, above you will find the fun video and picture of yesterday's fiasco. :0) Enjoy!

I am hoping that all of you got my text this morning about the volcanoes being delayed. We will erupt tomorrow instead at 2:15 outside on the playground. Please meet us there to watch! :0) The ones that came in today look mighty creative! The rest need to be brought in tomorrow morning. It is not too late to bring in those mento packs either. We have quite a few, but can always use more. Remember, it is only the mint kind and I pay $100 for each pack. Thanks!!!

Today in CC meeting, we talked about bullying in the classroom. I gave the kids a scenario that I have seen happen in our 4 walls. It was about a student that got an F on a spelling paper. Some other kids got a 100% and were bragging extensively. They then went over to see what this kid had gotten, and ended up grabbing his paper and announcing it to the class. Now, by definition we were unable to determine if this was repeated behavior over time or if this student asked them to stop, but we agreed that the behavior was inappropriate. In here, one of the helper jobs is to pass back graded papers. I have seen kids comment on grades in here, sometimes loud enough for other students to hear. So, as a class we decided the best thing to do from now on, was to just look at the name and place it flat down on their desk. We ended the meeting by reading some solutions that the student could have done. We then had to determine if they were positive or negative responses. Things that included threats, hands on, or anger went under negative. Things like saying how you feel, asking them not to do that again, and telling an adult were positive responses. It was a great lesson. 

Mrs. Neese came in today for our weekly counseling session. Today, she talked to the kids about Spring cleaning...of themselves. This is the ripe ole age of the first stages of puberty. Kids are growing taller and taller these days. They are also experiencing mood changes and experiencing emotions for no apparent reason. This is all because of hormones. Mrs. Neese spoke in depth about the need to shower daily at this age, and not just stand in the shower and let water run over you. Actually, they need to soap up and scrub...especially their hair and pits! They can't skip showering anymore, and she explained to them that colognes and perfumes do NOT remove oder, they just cover it up temporarily. She talked about how it may be hard for others to focus when the person next to them has bad body odor. She also shared how to apply deodorant and that kids may want to buy an extra stick for their backpacks for after recess or gym class. People don't smell their own body odor. They get used to it. But, other people do (including me). I have noticed a few smelly pits lately. The weather is getting warmer and the classroom is getting warmer. Please help us make sure that all kids shower every single day and wear deodorant to class. Clean clothes (especially underwear and shirts) are also imperative. Great lesson that we can all win from!!! 

I would like to close by reminding you to attend the Bitterroot Community meeting tomorrow night here at Bitterroot in the gym. Mr. English will share data about the upcoming future of Bitterroot School. It starts at 7:00. Please arrive early to get a good seat. Please keep kiddos at home. You will really want to focus in on this one. WOW!!! Remember, those that attend will earn their child $500. That is a whole field trip! I plan to be there, so come say hi! :0) 

Have a great, great night! 

OMG!!!!!

Oh My Goodness!!!! The Leprechauns were beyond naughty. Traps were hung from the ceiling, from the front board, even from the flagpole, turned over, and even demolished!!!! All the gold in the room was stolen, including the shiny pennies for our science experiment! NAUGHTY!!!!!!! Some kids were able to save their traps, but others decided to throw them away. I caught it all on tape, but will not get that up till tonight. I did post the note that was left for us though! Ask your kiddo about the rest. If they share, write NAUGHTY in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Volcanoes are due tomorrow. Kids may bring them in tomorrow before school and place them on the tables in the hallway. We will erupt them at 2:15 tomorrow outside as long as it is not too cold, windy, or rainy. Can't wait to see them!!!!

In art, the kids are working on a project out of Australia. Pretty cool. Take a look above.

Well, gotta run. Have a great night!

Busy Week Ahead!

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Hi there.  I sure hope Billings is not as windy as Silesia. Holy Cow Batman! I feel as if I might take off for OZ at any minute. Yikes!

I texted Mrs. Gleason to see how Friday went and she shared all went well and that the kids were pretty excited to put out their leprechaun traps. I sure hope they kept the little guys away. We shall see Monday morning!!!! There sure was a lot of gold in those traps, and I am a little worried that might have attracted those naughty green fellas. Hmmm....

Hopefully all kiddos got a good start on their volcano project. If using our recipe, it takes at least 24 hours to dry before it can be painted. Waiting till the last second will not work on this one I am afraid. After seeing the traps however, I know I am going to see great things here as well. Please remember to feel free to join us for the eruptions this coming Tuesday at 2:15 outside on the playground. KaBOOM! If your child got a jump on this project this weekend, please write JUMP in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

This week will be a full week of academics and learning. I can't believe quarter 3 is coming to a close and we will soon be in the last quarter of the 4th grade. WHAT! How did that happen??? I am no where near ready to say goodbye to this group! They are so fun and easy to teach. Love that they love to learn!

We will be back in MT History full swing starting tomorrow. Fur Trading and Buffalo Almost Extinction here we come!

In math we will continue on with converting measurements. This is a difficult concept. It is one of those that they either get or don't get, but when they do finally get it, they get it for life. We will work on it throughout the week, and you will see practice problems come home for homework. This will be a great intro before we do Metric Olympics soon. Kids will need to know how to measure to the nearest inch, half inch, and convert between measurements (cm to m...). They will also use graduated cylinders to measure capacity and balance scales to measure weight. Fun! First things first though, they need to get the basics. That is what we will focus on this week.

In science, we will finish up our Pangea unit and be ready for our field trip the following week to the Dino Lab. Mrs. Hankin's class goes this Friday, so I can't wait to hear all about it before we go! I still need one volunteer if you are interested. Just text me and let me know. Thanks.

Mrs. Grewell will be back this week again in reading class. Now that we finished the Trail of Tears, we will do an activity called Tablo. I have never done this, so I am excited to see how it all works too. She is such a talented teacher! We will also finish up our Bernie mystery novel and our read aloud book called, Petey this week. Then we will hit Unit 6, ecosystems, in LEAD 21. Animals, animals, animals!

Above, are the pictures from last week that I shared about in earlier posts. We sure had a fun time celebrating the Irish! Have I ever shared that going to Ireland is on the top of my bucket list? It is something I have always wanted to do! Someday!!!!

Lastly, I hope you have a wonderful Sunday! I know I sure enjoyed mine at church this morning listening to Mr. Goodheart and Mr. Ashcraft sing and play the piano and guitar. Two talented fellas there!

One Proud Teacher!

Holy Moly!!!!! I am sooooooo impressed with the Leprechaun traps! It was so fun to just listen to them share how they worked. I am not kidding, they were so darn creative! All day, I could hear students and teachers commenting on them as they passed by the hallway. I was super proud!  Impressive!!!!!! Makes me excited for the Volcano project up next.

Speaking of volcanoes...information sheets came home yesterday on how to build a volcano with water and Elmer's liquid glue. Kids need to take a 2 liter bottle and transform it into a volcano. I have posted a picture of an example of a finished project. They can paint them and add props. Again, the sky is the limit and effort is part of the grade. Our only rule is that they HAVE to leave the top of the pop bottle out at the top so we can open it without any issues. They can use any flavor of carbonated pop. Mrs. Hankins and I know which kind erupts the best, but they will have to discover that for themselves. They can also decide if they want regular or diet pop. Hmmmmmm....the possibilities! Volcanoes need to be brought in on a sturdy base next TUESDAY. We will erupt them to the other grades that afternoon. Please come join in the fun. Eruption time will be at 2:10 that day. Do NOT open the pop until that moment. In order to create the eruption, we use a contraption and mint flavored mentos. We have some, but if your child brings in a pack, I will give them $100 for each. Kids do NOT need to supply their own Mentos. Thanks for this in advance! Please let me know if you need any assistance in this project. Mrs. Hankins shared that she has plenty of recycled newspaper if you need it. Kids just need to see her for that. I will help in anyway I can. Lastly, kids don't have to use the exact recipe that we suggested. Many, many types of volcano making ideas are online. One year, I even had spay insulation used. Wow! The only thing we don't want is for you to go out and buy a kit. It is much more fun and memorable to create your own. If you have seen the information sheet, please write VOLCANO in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

The school Carnival is coming up. 4th grade always runs the cake walk. I know many of you have visited it through the years. We will be doing it again. The carnival will be on Friday, April 5th. That is right around the corner. We will once again be asking for donations of cakes or cupcakes to use as prizes in the cake walk. I will pay $100 for each cake or plate of cupcakes. The more creative, the easier it is to convince people to play. All the money earned goes back into your child's education. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. It is always a fun time!

Our Dino Lab field trip will also be here before you know it. I still need permission slips from Collin and Cameron. I need $5 from Collin, Cameron, Austin, Sebastian, and Kenzi. Please get those in as soon as you can. Thanks.

Tomorrow afternoon, the kids will have Mrs. Gleason as their sub. I have some fun St. Patrick's Day things planned for them, including a math puzzle and a "Luring the Leprechaun" science lab. Due to the nice weather, Fun Friday will be some extra recess (earned during testing) will happen. Then, kids will set up their Leprechaun Traps and prepare the room for the St. Patrick's Day weekend. I sure hope they work!!!!! I don't want to come back to a crazy destroyed room. That happened to Mrs. Umemoto's class last year. (Some of these kids were in there!). Please, please, please stay away Leprechauns!!!!

We had picture day today. I am so sorry that I did not remind you on the blog yesterday. I was shocked when I drove up and saw the signs out front that today was picture day. I am glad that most of you remembered and had your kiddos in their "Sunday Bests." They looked so pretty and handsome! You will have an opportunity to view the pictures and then purchase them if you chose too.

Well, that about sums it up. Kids may wear green galore tomorrow in honor of the upcoming holiday. I told them I would pay them $100 if they do. (They have to make an effort!)

Have a great night!

Traps Tomorrow!

Well hello. I have a horrible feeling that the leprechauns have arrived! Naughty, naughty! It was either that or graham crackers or frosting in our science lab today. Crazy, crazy, crazy in here. I have some other fun things planned, but I am honestly a little worried about how some kids are handling themselves lately. We have to be able to be 4th graders, have fun, and transition back into learning situations without staying silly for so long. That being said, most kids are acting appropriate. It is just difficult when three to five ruin it for everyone. Please talk about this with your kiddos tonight! Thanks.

Leprechaun traps are due tomorrow. Kids may bring them down and place them on the tables in the hallway when they arrive tomorrow morning. Please help them remember to post their name in some fashion on their trap where it can be seen. This is a science grade under the standard of recycling and presenting information. As long as they come with a trap, are able to explain how the trap works, have used recycled products, and finally and most importantly, that they have applied effort and creativity to the project they should have no worries about what grade they will earn. Ask your child about the Leprechaun Trap story I read to them this morning during CC Meeting. If they can tell you how the story had a twist, write TRAP in the planner for $20.

Have to run to a meeting, so will blog more tomorrow. Have a great night!

How Are the Traps Coming? Due Thursday!

Hi there. It was a packed Tuesday!

We did a really fun Leprechaun project this morning. The kids had to fill in this phrase (practicing writing similes): Leprechauns are as _________ as a ______________ and as ______________ as a ___________________. If I, _________________, catch one I would _________________ and wish for a _________________. Have them tell you what they put in the blanks. If they can, write SIMILE in the planner for $20. Also, I forgot to do a code word yesterday, so if you saw the letter from Mr. English about the upcoming meeting please write LETTER in the planner for another $20.

We then transformed ourselves into leprechauns. These were hilarious. Wait until you see them. I will post pics tomorrow. They have all grown an orange beard!!!!! Say what???? Yep!

In reading, we did an amazing lesson with Mrs. Grewell today. She had the kids look at the picture above. They then had to study it in detail for three minutes. Then they had to tell Mrs. Grewell what they thought was happening and what in the picture was evidence for their thinking. The kids had some great, great thinking! In the end, we discussed that the picture was actually the Trail of Tears. We finished the lesson by reading a short story about this subject. It was great to see the kids so empathetic. A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Grewell for coming to share her past retired teaching knowledge! And to think, a few months from now I too will be a Mrs. Grewell! Proud to join that family for sure!

In Science, we got together with our long lost friends Mrs. Hankin's Class. We have missed them! We completed the first of two labs today dealing with plate tectonics. Today, we spent time putting the Earth back together as it looked millions of years ago as Pangea. It took the kids about 45 minutes to do this, and it was a challenge! This was perfect because as scientists you HAVE to be PATIENT!!! You also have to try, try, try and try again. They will see just how patient one has to be when they go on their field trip to the Dino Dig soon. Imagine putting together an entire dinosaur! Ask your child about this activity and how they did. If they can tell you, write the word PANGEA in the planner for another $20. We will do part two tomorrow...plate collisions, scraping, and splitting apart..oh my!

Year Book orders are still being accepted. If you lost your order form, please see the office for a new one. Kids LOVE getting these to sign at the end of the year.

Well, that about wraps up our day. Have a wonderful night!

Bitterroot Meeting on March 20th. Please Attend!

Hi there.

We had a great day here in E4. I just love these kids.

This morning, in CC meeting, Rusty talked to us about how our lives are like a treasure map. In school, we gain one piece of the map at a time. I asked the kids to think about the treasure chest they will find once their map is complete. Each student then drew their own chest putting things in it that they wanted to find in their future. It had careers, pets, children, college degrees, sports equipment, medals, cars, toys, and people they love. It is fun to see what kids aspire to come true in ten or twenty years. I will display them in the hall at the end of a giant rainbow. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I will title the wall...What is at the end of your rainbow? Stop by and see them. I will take and post pictures when they are complete and hung.

Please keep those Leprechaun traps constructing at home. They are due this Thursday. Remember, only recycled objects from home may be used. Kids will have to explain and demonstrate how the trap works. We have to keep those naughty leprechauns away!!!

The only other thing worth noting today is the notice that is coming home with your child. It is a note from Mr. English about the upcoming meeting for Bitterroot Families. This is EXTREMELY important. So important in fact, that I am rewarding kids that have parent attendance with $500!!!! That is a FREE field trip! Please, please, please mark your calendars to attend on March 20th. I went to this meeting the other day and was SHOCKED at what is happening at Bitterroot in the future. Bitterroot is the fastest growing school in the district according to the documents presented to us. Please come here about it yourself. Thanks!

Have a great night!

Back To Normal Week!

Hi there. Happy Sunday. My goodness it was gorgeous out today. The kids and I went for a 3 mile walk out in the hills. We even climbed a gigantic one. I had forgotten how good it had felt to get to the top of a hill. It felt great being out in nature again!

The pictures above show some things we did last week. We did a fun activity with our  buddy class. Seeing how St. Patty's Day is coming, we did a little graphing and comparing and contrasting with some Lucky Charms. The kids had a great time. Their favorite part of course was the eating of the cereal at the end. :0) Kids will be kids!

Brayden was our star of the week. He shared his hockey puck. He is sure into hockey! I'll have to catch one of his games one of these days!

For math, we played BINGO galore. We played time, money, and multiplication BINGO. Austin was a great help! He was our caller, and did a great job. It was a great way to just sit and enjoy our well deserved pop after finishing up our MONT CAS testing. Make up testing will be on Monday.

You might be wondering what the wooden statue is all about. Well, Collin wanted me to take a picture of it and put it on the blog. He made it for his mom during his freetime after we finished testing. Ahhh...how sweet is that!

I also brought ice cream treats for fun friday and we watched the movie Pocahontus. It was rated G, so no worries there. It is one of my favorite movies and depicts exactly what we have been studying in SS and MT History all year long. English settlers and American Indians living in the same place and how they interacted, which wasn't always friendly.

Permission slips came home Friday for the Dino Lab field trip. On the bottom, it tells you if your child has bought in already or not with their fake money. They still have time to buy in if they haven't yet. I am hoping everyone can go this time. Let's go Team Erickson! Permission slips are due tomorrow. Please also send in the $5 admission money. Thanks!

On the slip, it also talked about the Funky Junk project due next Thursday! See Friday's post fro details and photo ideas. Only recycled products may be used for this project. I can't wait to see what they come up with on Thursday. Please do NOT bring them in early. I want them to be a surprise for everyone! IF your child got a jump on this project this weekend or even possibly finished it, please write TRAP in the planner for $20.

We will be doing some other fun St. Patrick's Day activities throughout the week. I will be gone Friday afternoon, so we will do our main activities on Thursday. LOVE the Irish holidays!

Next week, we will be back on schedule. We will return to all usual classes and assignments. I will post the spelling words tomorrow. The test will be on Friday. We will be venturing into the trapping section of MT History. In math, we will be finding averages, fractions into decimals and percents, and converting measurements. In science, we will be discovering how Earth has floating plates that collide, break, and scrape. We will also be doing some labs to see this in action. In Lead 21, we will be reviewing Main Idea and Details, sequencing, and writing compare and contrast paragraphs. We will also welcome back Mrs. Grewell (my future mother in law) for a fun activity dealing with the Trail of Tears. Love that she is a retired teacher that still loves spending time teaching! We will continue to dissect sentences in language class during our DOL time. Finally, we will finally see who took the retirement money in our Bernie mystery book. Yay!!!

Well, I believe that about sums it up. Have a great Sunday!

Gotta Catch Those Leprechauns!

Hi. Here are the sample Leprechaun traps I shared in class. There are so many if you just google image or pinterest the topic of Leprechaun traps. My son and I had a great time building his at his family fun night the other night. I hope you enjoy your time together as well. Be creative, and remember...only recycled products may be used, and they are due next Thursday. No running to Wally World! Please see information sheet that came home today for more details.

I will blog regular post on Sunday, so please check back then.

One More Day! One More Day!

Hi. Today, Rusty told us to trust our guts. We talked about what that meant and reviewed all his other advise for us while testing. The kids took it to heart and shined, shined, shined on their last test sessions in both reading and math. AND we are done with those. Tomorrow, we have our last Science Session. I told the kiddos that we will celebrate in the afternoon. They may bring a pop to drink after lunch. I will provide a treat. Please make sure they only bring in a regular can or small bottle. No super sizes!!! It does NOT have to be pop either. IF you forget or don't have time to get one, kids may bring in two quarters and I will get one out of the machine here. NO dollar bills though! I can't make change.

Please talk to your child about our debate today in SS. Ask them what side they were on, and why. If they can tell you, write MEXICO in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

That is all for the day. Thanks!

Volcanoes, Fossils, and Dams??? Oh My!

Hi there. We are halfway through!!!!! Tomorrow we will finish math and reading tests. Then Friday, we have one science test left. Thank you for perfect attendance two days in a row!!!!! Kids are loving the $100 rewards. Let's go for the trifecta tomorrow.

Thank you too for better bedtime homework. We had almost 100% in bed asleep by 9:00. I could tell that the kids felt more relaxed and rested today. By the sounds of it, there were also a lot of protein breakfasts this morning. The mind is such a powerful thing. If kids believe they have done all that they can to be ready, they are ready! We are what we think!

In science, we have ventured on to how to tell how old a fossil is. Since none of us were around a million years ago, we have to use rocks and fossils to help us figure out when, where, how, why the world was the way it is. Our last unit talks about how fossils got where they are. It talks about the idea of Pangea. When we talk Pangea (all continents put together as one), we also talk about how volcanoes are formed. When we talk about volcanoes being formed, then we drag out the pop bottles and have to blow them up...literally. Information sheets and how tos will be coming home. Each student will get to build an active volcano and then blow its top at school. Fun!!!!!!

In SS, we started our tour of the SW states. We went to the deserts of Arizona today and figured out why the Hoover Dam was built the way it was and how. Ask your child to explain to you how the engineers got rid of the water in order to build the dam. If they can tell you, write HOOVER in the planner for $20. Also ask them how long it took to dry the concrete, how much concrete it took, and how they got it to dry so quickly. If they can tell you all of that, then write CONCRETE in the planner for another $20. Pretty fun stuff. We also saw that there are a lot of sedimentary rocks in this region, along with American Indians. Cool stuff.

Speaking of American Indians, one of our students is blessed with being a Crow Indian. His grandfather is eager to come and talk to the class about that culture. I will be arranging it soon. I can't wait to add some more cool facts about this culture into our MT History notebooks.

I think that about sums it up. Have a great night! Thanks for supporting those kids. They have great attitudes about testing and I know that your support is helping. Night!

Is Your Child A Future 5th Grader????

Day two is done. For the most part, kids did awesome! They again took their time, read carefully, and applied 4th grade effort. Some, however, were done in less than 20 minutes and applied minimal effort. That was sad to watch. Especially, since by law I can't encourage them to go back and do more or a better job. Oh well, choices...consequences.

CC Meeting was a hoot today. I had each kid draw three post it notes and then graph them on a chart. 1. What time did you go to bed last night? YIKES!!! You can see that we had more negative post its on this one than positive. Homework last night was to be in bed and asleep by 9. Those that had past 9 had to pay up $50 for homework not done. I also reminded them that I am not giving homework this week because they are to be in bed early. I do appreciate their honesty though! Well done. They asked for another chance tonight. I am expecting better results. Do me a favor, at 9:00 please go in and check on your child. If they are asleep and off in dreamland write DREAMING in the planner for $50 tomorrow.  If not, write nothing please.
2. What did you eat for breakfast this morning? We had a TON of protein filled menus. Awesome!!! Eggs, peanut butter, cheese, and bacon/sausage! Perfect foods before a test! Fruit Loops, lost of fruit (natural sugars), coffee, and such just burn off quickly. Kids that ate these even said that they felt hungry before the 10:00 start time today. Great protein snacks today too! Let's stay clear of sugar snacks (at all times, not just testing). Poptarts, chips, and candy are not acceptable snacks, much less for testing. Bring on the hard boiled eggs, peanut butter spoons or apple dunks, and or nuts. Cheese sticks and yogurt rock too!
3. How are you feeling today about testing? We had quite the array of testing feelings. From anxious to elated! All feelings were valid and everyone had great reason to feel the way they did. As long as they knew that they were still going to do their best!!!!
Ask your child what they wrote on their three post it notes. IF they tell ya, write POST in the planner for another $50. I wonder what they will post tomorrow?????

We paid for our field trip to the Dino Dig today. Kids were required to buy into the trip for $500. I have seen some less than mature behavior lately (stomping feet, tantrums, negative talk, blaming of others, ripping of papers, not bringing back MT History notebooks). Those that have displayed these behaviors were asked to hold off on buying in. I will not take kids that do not act like a mature 4th grader out in public, even if they can buy in. I will watch them, and see if they can earn back their right to participate in the extras in a week or so. These kids are future 5th graders, and they need to act accordingly. My expectations have been clearly set from day one, and they have not changed since then. Those that simply couldn't buy in yet, have two more weeks to earn. Permission slips will come home next week. Remember, there is a $5 real money cost to attend this field trip as well. Please send that money in with the permission slips. Thanks.

Lastly, Brayden and family went to Mt. Rushmore while on a hockey trip last week. Thank you to her for sharing some fun pictures. We had just talked about this when we were studying South Dakota. Fun times!

Well, that about says it all. Enjoy your homework free night. Remind kids to bring their gym shoes and recorders tomorrow. Thanks for all you do!