Concert Tomorrow: 1:30 in the Gym

Hi. What a crazy weather day. Snow one minute, sunshine the next. Gotta love that Montana weather.

Tomorrow is the recorder concert. I have put the link to watch it live from home or office or wherever you might be with internet access. All you have to do is click on the link that says Recorder Concert Live and it will go right to my ustream channel. If you don't see anything, it may be too early. The concert begins at 1:30. If you can't do the live version, you can always watch it later in the same place as I will record it. Just go off to the right and select the one that says Recorder Concert Live 2013. I hope all of you can join us in the gym, but if not here is an alternative. :0)

Students that dress the part tomorrow (Sunday Best) will earn $100. That means hair brushed and clean, nice clothes on. I need to be able to tell they made an effort to look better than their normal dress. I know Mr. Goodheart will appreciate it. :0)

This morning I shared a hidden talent that I discovered of my son a few days ago. He is an amazing little drummer by ear!  I asked if your child has a hidden talent. We will showcase those talents in our classroom talent show next Thursday. They need to sign up by this Thursday. They can do any school appropriate talent. This is completely optional.

The trip to the Grewell Ranch will be on Tuesday, May 21st. We will be gone all day. We will serve a hotdog branding lunch with lots of fixings! If your child doesn't like hotdogs then they will need to pack a lunch. Students will need to have permission and buy in for $500. Most already have. :0)

I soooooo enjoyed reading and sharing your parent homework this morning in reading class. Thanks so much for doing that. What a fun way to connect to their new novel. We read Ch. 1 today. Charlotte won the horse race against all the boys. Yay girls!!! Her horse is not sick however, and somebody is getting adopted soon. They had a great time predicting whom it would be. Read 180 and Learning Center kiddos are also reading this book as it is a lot of the Ranch field trip. Awesome!

We wrapped up our Hands On Equations in math. We ended on a 9th grade level and the kids wanted more. They were rockin it. We were balancing equations with legal moves and taking out values of zero. Say what??? Yep. They were super advanced. Ask them about it and if they enjoyed being challenged. If they share with you, write EQUATIONS in the planner for $20.

Well, that about sums up our day. Have a great night!

Field Trip Moved To Next Monday!

Hi there. It was a busy day today in E4.

First and very importantly, a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Gleason for organizing the amazingly fun STEM science night last Friday. The kids had GREAT things to say about it today in CC Meeting! Thanks for all that you did. I know that you put in a TON of time!

Secondly, and almost equally important, we changed the field trip to Zoo Montana from tomorrow to next Monday. The weather is not supposed to be very outdoor friendly tomorrow, and our good friend Jeff the Zoo Guy had an important meeting come up that would have stole him away from us for part of the day. He is soooooo awesome at making all that we do come to life so we agreed to switch to a better day for all. So, we will hop on the bus next Monday instead. A new field trip slip went home today. If your child was not able to attend due to the lack of your or my permission, then I did NOT send home a new slip. We will be in school tomorrow for a regular day. Please still pack your child's lunch tomorrow, as our cafeteria did not plan on us eating in there when ordering food for the week. Those that ordered a lunch, they will have food for you! Thanks!

We have some movies coming up in class for many different reasons. Would you be willing to send in a snack that we could use to allow kids to buy like a movie theater concession stand? Candy bars, pop (cans only), chips, popcorn, fruit snacks or roll ups, juice boxes/bags, homemade treats, store bought cookies (no cupcakes please), or whatever kids like these days??? If you do, I will pay your child $50. This is always a fun way for them to spend their hard earned cash. I wish I could do it for them, but we have depleated our 4th grade funds for field trips and busses. Thanks for you help. We will not need them until at least next week. Send them in anytime. :0)

We finished our Owls in the Family book today. The kids came up with quite the list of facts about the Great Horned Owl. They will get to see one and dissect an owl pellet on our zoo field trip. Awesome! Tonight's homework is to pick a character from the story and to write them a letter. Their letter needs to have correct punctuation, capitalization, and show evidence from the story. I gave them ideas in class today. They also must use a heading, greeting, body paragraph(s), a closing, and a signature. They HAVE to have at least 5 topics from the story. They are NOT to tell the character what they learned, but rather interact with the character in a conversation as if they character would write them back. There is no size limit. It just needs to fit the above criteria.

We took our 50 states and capitals PREtest today. We will grade it tomorrow. This allows kids to bring it home and study the ones that they have forgotten. They will have all the right answers when they leave. I suggest that they make flashcards for the states and capitals that they struggle on, and I also suggest that they play the state location games off to the right. If you have a US puzzle at home that would be a good idea too. I know the dollar store has them for a buck. Might be worth it. Our test will be in a couple of weeks. I will announce the actual date when it comes closer. Ask your child how this went for them. If they share, write MAP in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Kids in my spelling class took test 7 today. They are coming home with their corrected tests to study tonight.

Thank you to those that have written your end of the year letter! I love the feedback. Please send them in at any time.

Lastly, if your child is in my reading class, then YOU have homework tonight! Yes, YOU!!! :0) We started a new novel today in reading class. It is called Riding Freedom. The main character is Charlotte. Today, the kids learned about what she was like as a baby up thru the age of 2. They have a slip for you to fill out. The directions are on the sheet. This will be worth a grade, and kids need to be able to share their connections tomorrow in class. This helps us compare and contrast with stories. Thanks for your willingness to share.

Well, that about says it all. Have a super night. It is going to be cold tomorrow, so please remind your responsible child to dress for the weather. :0) Thanks.

Happy Birthday Cameron!

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Hi there. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, and enjoying the finally spring weather! I heard a rumor that snow is not out of our sight quite yet, and that there is a possibility of it on Tuesday. I hope not. That is our zoo field trip day.

This Wednesday is our recorder concert. Mr. Goodheart has done such a great job preparing these kiddos for this. If you are unable to attend watch for online LIVE link information coming home on Monday. The link will be off to the right under Ms. Erickson's Favorite Websites. The concert is at 1:30 in the gym. Come early for a great seat! It will last about 20-30 minutes. Ask your child what their favorite song is that they will be playing for you. If they tell you, write it in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Friday was STEM science night. I heard it was fun, fun, fun! I was sorry that I was unable to make it after all. If your child attended with an adult please write STEM in the planner for their $300 reward.

Don't forget that I am offering the $500 reward for the end of the year letter to me. This letter should tell me what worked for you and your child, what didn't work, how your child changed while in my class, the amount of communication with you, and things you have noticed that have applied at home as well as school. I love this feedback, and it helps me become a better teacher for the following year. Just send it in with your kiddo or mail it to Bitterroot. I would love these anytime before the end of the year. Thanks in advance!

Sebastian was our star of the week last week. He was the last one. He shared so many fun pictures of him and his family growing up. Such a cute little baby! He also shared some of his skateboarding skills, which were really amazing. What a talented kiddo. The video is in the smilebox above.

Next week is a short week. There is no school on Friday due to the district music festival. Monday thru Thursday though will be packed with everyday learning. We will start our new and last novel in reading to prepare us for the Grewell Ranch field trip. We will also hit MT History hard again. We will see how Montana started to become an organized and legal state when the gold rush settled in. Then, the farmers and ranchers come next. Busy, busy!

Lastly, it was time for our monthly Purple Hand Cookie Nominations and awards. There were some good ones this time. Natalie and Alyssa were nominated by Kenzi for coming over to her when they noticed that she was sitting along the wall alone at recess. It made her feel wonderful to be noticed and seeked out. Awesome girls! Daniel was nominated by Olivia for inviting her to play a really fun game with him at recess. Well done Daniel! Chloe was nominated by Alexis. Alexis did not have a white board marker and needed one. Chloe happened to notice this and realized that she had extras that she wouldn't need before the year ended. So, she gave one to Alexis without even being asked. What a kind heart you have Chloe. Lastly, Austin was nominated by Alyssa for showing a huge change in his attitude lately. He has been working hard to let things go and be more positive. Many other students also had nice things to say about all the changes they have seen in Austin this month. Austin took home the cookie, and it was well deserved! Way to go buddy!

Well, have a wonderful Sunday.

Have You Mailed In Your Vote?

Hi there. What a beautiful day!

I was out this morning watching my little Emma's music concert, so the kids had a sub. She was sooooooooo impressed with the amount of respect shown to her, for me, and for each other. I mean she was really impressed. That warmed my teaching heart. Love that they love to make themselves proud!

A special thank you has to be given to Miss. Olivia. She ran our morning meeting (and even took away a letter for the class talking. Yay!!! A miniature Ms. Erickson!). She also gave the spelling test. The sub she did a great job and she will be a great future teacher if she ever decides too. Thank you so much Olivia! I am proud of you. I am also proud of the class for respecting her.

We finished up our worm unit today. We only have a few questions left to answer. If you or your child has time to google them I would be willing to give a $100 reward for the answers. Here are the questions we still have left:

1. Why do they call worms worms?
2. Do worms have a brain?
3. Do worms have a special communication system they use to talk with each other?
4. Why do they have segments?
5. What does the inside of a worm look like (If you want to open one up and pin it down so we can all look at it that would be awesome, but I just can't be the one to do it!!!) I will double the money on this one!

If we can't find the answers we will ask Jeff when we go to the zoo next Tuesday.

Don't forget that the recorder concert is next Wednesday at 1:30 in the gym. I will also be recording it and streaming it live from my ustream channel. I will send info home on how to do that next week. I know that sometimes it is impossible to get off work. At least this way, you could tune in from work and watch the concert from your office. :0) They sure have worked hard, and I know that they always love looking out and seeing family supporting them.

As the year comes to a close next month, I always ask for feedback from parents. I love to hear what your kiddo learned, what you liked, what you think was not as effective, how well I communicated with you throughout the year, and changes you noticed at home within your child while they were in my class. If you could write me a letter before the year ends letting me know these things I would so appreciate it. I read them and reflect on them before the next year starts. Because this is so important to me, if you write me a letter sharing your thoughts and reflections, your child will earn $500. That is a whole field trip! You can just send them with your child or mail them to the school at 1801 Bench Blvd, 59105. Thanks in advance!

Lastly, the ballots are out. Have you voted yet? If you have mailed in your ballot for the school levy, please write I VOTED in the planner for $100.

Have a wonderful night!

Rodeo Up!

Hello there. What a great comeback today was. Busy and back in action! I just love the 4th grade, and daily I remind myself how very lucky I am to be blessed with a job that I enjoy. Kids are great, great, great!

Today is the bike rodeo. It is spring time, and that means bike riding! Hopefully, your child was able to come on over, get some bike exercise, and get their bike tuned up if needed. This is perfect timing as we will need to be all tuned up and ready to go for our last day bike ride to the park.  I am sorry that I didn't get the word out a little better on this one. I was out when all the explaining went home. Those that did attend may earn $300 tomorrow however. We love when you guys participate in our school/home connections. Just write RODEO in the planner and I will pay them tomorrow. Please remind kiddos to always wear those helmets.

I allowed kiddos to buy into three more upcoming events today: Pompey's Pillar Field Trip $500, Grewell Ranch Field Trip $500, and Hawaii Fun Day $200. Many were able to buy in no problem. Save, save, save. Permission slips will come home in May.

Homework tonight is to study for spelling tests, read, and finish up those ecosystem adaptation packets for my reading class. Now that our reports are done, I will be giving regular nightly homework again. Yay!!!

In science today, we talked about Great Horned Owls. Ask your kiddo if they can tell you three really cool facts that they learned today regarding these awesome creatures! If they can write HOOT in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Have a great night!

Back to Ms. Erickson Tomorrow!

Hello there. It was sooooo great to come to school today for the worm farm presentation. I sure have missed the kiddos! It was also fun for the class to be able to meet Beau. He wanted to go outside and play with them for recess but there just wasn't time. Next time. :0)

The presentation was very interesting. Who knew there was so many facts about worms? Like....what is a worm farmer actually called???? It stems from the word that means the study of worms. Say what??? Ask your child or google it, and write the name of it in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Mr. Pertuit said the kids were just great! I am very proud of them. I did hear that they were so into their ecology reports that they forgot to do their spelling test and DOL today. Too funny! That is great that they were working that hard. No worries, there is always tomorrow. So....test tomorrow!

Well, that about says it all for today. More tomorrow when I know more. Have a great night!

Happy Earth Day!

Hi there. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! The Grewell ranch is LOVING this!

I spoke with Mr. Pertuit on Friday. He said the kids were GREAT and that they all were well behaved. I knew they could do it! Way to make yourselves proud kiddos! Now, let's keep it up. Mr. Pertuit will be there for the next two days as well.

Above you will see my little sister, Kristy, and I up in Red Lodge at her favorite spot. I sure do miss her a lot. Please keep us in your prayers tomorrow if you think about it. It will be a happy yet hard day for my family. She was and always will be my best friend. I will spend the day doing something that she loves. There is a reason that she was born on Earth Day. She LOVED saving the environment. So, as I am walking around tomorrow I will be collecting trash in her honor. I asked that the kiddos do the same as their homework tomorrow night. Take a look at your neighborhood, yard, kids bedroom, baseball field and see if there are things that can be thrown away, or better yet, recycled. She will be smiling down on us all if we do! Thanks!!!!

Kids will finish their ecosystem reports tomorrow. They have done a great job thus far. I am so proud to report that almost every single student scored a 100% on their states and capital's test. WOWZERS!!! We will have a test on all 50 before the end of the year. We will do a lot of reviewing at school, but the games on the blog would be a great way to study at home.

On Tuesday, the worm lady will be at Bitterroot. I can't wait to see all that she does, says, and brings. How cool is that!

I will not blog again until Tuesday night. Enjoy your next few days! Thanks for all that you do!