Biography Presentations

ALL ABOARD THE CHOO CHOO TRAIN....

It was GREAT to see all of you today at the Holiday Concerts. Wasn't it great?!! Pictures and video will be posted tonight! Wow!!! A huge thanks to Mr. Goodheart!

Tomorrow is Polar Express Day! Kids may wear school appropriate pajamas, their bathrobes and slippers, and bring their favorite stuffed animal to cuddle with. Students also need to make sure they bring their train supplies. All students were able to buy in to the event which says a ton about the character in this classroom! Wow and great job!

Kids will bring their candy trains home tomorrow. If possible, I recommend a car ride home. Trains left at school will be thrown away.

Kids had a blast today buying goodies at our Christmas Stocking Stuffer Auction. Giant Candy Bars flew out the window for thousands of dollars!! And the very cool laminated Yoda poster sold to Garret for almost 4,ooo dollars! Sweet! Thanks to you for helping cut down the cost by allowing your children to participate in our two fun days. All kids went home with something! Now kids have limited money and will need to build up their stashes after the New Year. Fun!

I hope that all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

HOLIDAY CONCERT TOMORROW!

Happy Short Week Before Christmas!!!

The holiday concert is tomorrow at 10:15 or 1:45. It is just 4-6 in this concert. The primary kids are at 9 and 1. Please join us, and don't forget those cameras.

See you tomorrow!

GYM SHOES TOMORROW!!!

Today we were able to play a Hanukkah game called the Dreidel Game. Check it out on the video!

Tomorrow students in my reading class need to remember to bring back their poster and their costumes for their biography reports. All students were told to take their posters home and practice presenting their report in front of you! Please help them remember to get the poster back into their backpacks. Feel free to join us. We will be presenting around 10:45-11:45.

Don't forget to purchase the needed candy train items this weekend for Polar Express Day. Students may start bringing them in on Monday. The items are down below if you need them again.

1. 1 piece of heavy cardboard for the base covered with aluminum foil that is taped on underneath. (The size of a cookie baking sheet or smaller)

2. 2 regular sized Milky Way candy bars or some other similar size rectangular bar. (Snickers)

3. 1 roll of life savers (any flavor)

4. 12 round hard candies for wheels

5. 1 small package of M&Ms, Skittles, or red hots.

6. 1 can of white frosting

7. Other candies are optional like licorice for tracks or sugar ice cream cones to make trees or whatever else they can imagine.

*Please have students bring all supplies in a bag with their name printed clearly upon it.

Just a reminder that family fun night is Friday. 6:30-7:30.

Lastly, Go GRIZ!

FUN DAY!

What a fun day! Here we have our super hero Maddie, The Bubble Blowers, The Stuffed Animal Group, The Sunglasses Group Jasa and Jordan, and our Crazy Hairs Arielle and Hanna! Thanks for all of your support. It will be great fun shopping this weekend for the Auction items.

Family Fun Night a coming in two days!!!!

Family Fun Night is this Friday at Bitterroot! A little birdie, actually it was me cuz I was at the planning meeting:0), told me that there will be a very cool obstacle course down both hallways and the rope swing for parents too! Oh my! That I gotta see! The cost is free and the fun starts at 6:30 and goes until 7:30. There will be a first grade fundraiser going on as well. Wanna take your picture with Santa??? That one will cost ya! :0)

Today the kids came up with new Fun Day ideas for tomorrow. This will be the final one. The cost is the same as last time to participate, $2. They can have crazy hair, super hero day, chew gum, Bring a stuffed animal, or wear their sunglasses or silly glasses. Boy are these kids creative or what??

Tomorrow is also our turn for Santa's workshop. We will head down with a first grade buddy in tow at 9:30. All items are $1.

Library tomorrow! Please remember your books!

Don't forget our holiday music concert is next Monday. There are two shows. Bring those cameras it is fun!

Have a wonderful evening!

Upcoming Events...Start Now.

This just in...

Students MUST wear gym shoes on this Friday (and every Friday)!! They will be doing the rope climb, and if they do not wear proper shoes they will not participate and will receive an F for the day. This is a safety issue and no exceptions will be made! Thanks, Mr. Ness.

Sub tomorrow. I am at TILT, technology class. The sub will be the same one as when I was in CA.

We started our Biography reports today in reading class. Students will need to have their poster and costume ready to go by this Friday. Plenty of classtime will be given to complete the poster if students work hard. A major part of their grade will be effort and 4th grade quality work. That means complete sentences, proper grammar, correct spelling, and effort proven drawings. Students were instructed on all of the graded details and given a grading expectation checklist today. There should be NO question on what I expect. I will be grading these pretty tough. Some students have yet to finish reading their biography. They were assigned to finish them up this past weekend. It will be difficult to write the report without the book being finished. If needed, posters may come home on Thursday night in order to be prepared on Friday. Until then, they need to stay at school to work on.

I am still looking for Polar Express Permission slips from Jacob, Maddie, Dalton, and Matt. Your child has paid for the day but will not be allowed to participate without your permission. Please check their homework folders for slip or write one of your own in the planner. Don't forget to go shopping for the needed items before next Tuesday! Thanks.

Have a great night.

Sharing their sharing...

Hi. I hope that you had a great, warm weekend. Brrr!! This week we will be studying different holidays like Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah. We will study the hows, whens, wheres, and whys of each holiday. We will also play some games and read some stories that will help us learn even more about these different holidays.

Writing notebooks were turned in on Friday. Again, I was laughing on my couch reading them. However, this week we had quite a few sad and heartful entries as well. I think having our Celebrate life week during our morning meetings really stirred some hearts and memories. There were many kids that wanted to travel back in time to see their family members that had passed on. It is hard to know what to say to these types of entries except that they love them to this day and that they should carry them proudly in their hearts. I encourage you to have a discussion at home if your child is one that is needing some clarification on this subject.

I will leave you today with an entry to our prompt, besides Earth, what is your favorite object in space? Jewel wrote a beautiful entry, and I would like to share it with you.

My favorite thing in space is the sun rising in the morning. When I wake up the beautiful colors yellow, pink, purple, orange, red and blue. They light up my room. Every morning the sun rising patterns are always different. Sometimes the patterns are lines, and sometimes they are mixed together. I also enjoy seeing the morning turn into day. The sky is almost like an artist painting. It makes me happy because it just touches my soul.

Beautiful, just beautiful.

What a FUN DAY!!!

Ha Ha! Loved all of the Fun Day Activities! PJ's, Career Dress, Ipods, and Hats! And, we raised a bunch of spending money too! We will have one more fun day next week and then a shopping I will go! Thanks for your support!

Fun Day Tomorrow...$2.00

What a day! You can tell Christmas is around the corner. We are working very hard to stay focussed and on task. We have so much to accomplish before the break.

One of the fun things we will be doing is having a small auction for kids to spend their hard earned fake money on. Items will consist of items one might find in a stocking. In order to purchase these items for your children we will be having two fun days. One is tomorrow and one will be next week. Students can wear their pajamas, robe, and slippers to school, listen to their i-pod for the day, wear a hat in school, or dress up as their career job in the future. In order to participate in the fun day, students will need to donate $2. (Real money that is ;0)) If students want to do more than one thing they may but they need to pay $2 for each fun item done. So for example, if students want to wear their PJs ad listen to a musical devise it is $4. Students had fun coming up with this idea, and it is neat because the money donated actually goes right back to them in a fun way! Kids have worked hard for their fake money, and I want them to have a chance to spend it on fun things. Students will pay for their Polar Express day and Christmas Pageant movie before the auction to ensure that they do not spend all of their cash on the auction and are not able to participate in these two events.

Speaking of Polar Express Day...students came home tonight with their permission slips. We talked in great length today that only students who deserve to participate will participate. Deserving students are ones that control their Christmas excitement and behavior, have ALL their work done (especially their writing assignments), and are demonstrating 4th grade quality work and effort in ALL areas. 90% of my students do these things all the time. Is your child one of them? Please have a conversation about this before you sign the permission slip.

Have a super night!

Celebrate Life!

Hi there. Can I just share with you that Celebrate Life week during our morning meetings have been so fun! Today Preston shared about his grandpa, Abby about her grandparents, Garret about his granddad, Lailyn about her great granddad, Kaleb about his great, great granddad, Arielle about her grandma, Jasa about her grandma, and Maddie about her fun Kitty Fancy. We had a great time trying to figure out what they were doing right now up above for those that believed. Hilarious activities and foods and drinks! Fun! It was also so neat when I would ask their names and the kids would say I don't know I just called her/him grandma/grandpa. Too cute! Reminded me of when my son Beau says that is not Tammie that is mom. Smiles! Keep the items and stories coming!

Watch for Polar Express permission slips coming home tomorrow. My reading class also needs to start working on their Biography costumes for their presentations that are due on December 18th. Expectation sheets will be given out soon and the written part of this will be done at school.

Have a super night!

Read Below.

Please Read the Post below. There is a ton of new information there. Thanks.

Welcome Back! Lots of Announcements Below!

Well hello there. I missed all of you while I was gone. I went into school yesterday for a few hours and do you know what I found?? A super duper sub note! Well done! She stated you were the best class she has ever subbed for!! Way to go Erickson's! I am so proud of you, but honestly not at all surprised. You really are a great class with super character all ready! We will celebrate somehow someday this coming week!

This week we will finish up our math test and begin division and some related algebra concepts. We will also continue with map skills in S.S. How are those Biographies coming. We will be talking about the big report you will be doing starting not this week but the next. I would like for you to start thinking about a costume that will make you look like your selected person however. You will need to present your report in costume. Costumes must be made at home. I encourage you to look around the house to find items rather than store buy, but it is your choice. Be creative and extra credit points will be given for props that fit your person. Start now and plan ahead. Do not bring costumes or props to school until the due date, which I will tell you later this week.

With the upcoming holidays we will be taking a deeper look into what happens around the world. We will be once again joining up with Mrs. Hankin's class to select a country and discover how they celebrate the holidays. Students will be given a list of possible projects they can share with the class, including a food dish. They will have partners for this project. Some work at home may be required. Look for expectation sheet to go home early the following week. We will also be reading the hilarious book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and we will be viewing the movie with Mrs. Hankin's class. There will be a $500 buy in price to participate in this activity. Lastly, we will be doing an all day Believe Polar Express Day. All of our academics will revolve around this theme that day. Students will be making candy trains/scenes and will be watching the movie Polar Express at the end of the day. There will be a $1000.00 buy in price tag for this day! Fun!

In the past, I have offered a Christmas store for kids to shop for items for their families. However, this year I am going to encourage that students shop at our Santa's Workshop where all items are a real dollar. Therefore, I will NOT be doing the store. However, I will be doing a little auction for the kids to spend some of their fake money. In order to help with the cost of these items, we will be holding two hat days in the next weeks. On these days, my students may wear a hat to school and during class for the price of Two real dollars. All money raised from this will be spent on auction items for your children.

Speaking of money, does your child need to earn fake money? Well, we are currently collecting food for the Billings Food Bank. I will give $10 for each item brought in. Make sure students bring items into me first before putting into the circle barrel in the hallway to ensure they get paid. Let's do it!!

Speaking of helping out...look for volunteer opportunity sheets coming home later this week.

Lastly, by now you may have heard that we have had yet another loss in one of our student's families. Preston's grandfather died last week from a heart attack. I have done some research on what I can do to help kids get through this. Every article I read suggested having a life celebration party. So, that is what we are going to do. I would like every student to bring in a picture(s) and/or some items to share of anyone that they have lost. It could be a loved one, grandma, grandpa, pet, cousin, anyone. I want to put the items on display and have the kids share some memories. We will be doing this during morning meeting time all week. Please encourage kids to gather such items tonight and bring them in. I would like to do at least 5 or so a day. Items/pictures will be on display all week on a special board in the classroom. Special breakable items can go home that same day. Otherwise, all items will remain at school until Friday. Let's celebrate life and talk about the transition period of our special loved ones together!

As you can see, we are going to be busy busy for the next two weeks. If you are interested in helping out during any of the above activities, just drop me an email or note in the planner.

Have a super Sunday and I will see you LIVE tomorrow!

Ms. Erickson's Disney/California Trip

From the Beach...

Greetings from California!

On The Airplane...

Holy Moly Monday!

Wow we packed a lot into our day today. We started off the day with Rusty and the focus word cooperation. We discussed that cooperating means working as a team and doing our part on that team. Then we read the picture book, The Scarecrow's Dance. It had the character trait/lesson of we are special and unique individuals and that often there are people that are thinking of us when we don't even know it. That lead to a discussion that I think about each of these kids all the time after hours and how much I enjoy being their teacher. Great book! Later in the day, Ms. Damon, a student teacher at Miles Ave. that wanted to come observe my awesome class, told us about her reservation life. The kids were amazed at her stories and knowledge. It was so neat to hear her tell us that her tribe is still a very peaceful, loving, sharing, non competitive culture. Amazing! Finally, we ended our day with a new social studies unit. We will be looking into the five regions of the United States. To start we will look at maps and learn how to read them (latitude and longitude here we come!) Then get ready for state reports. Students will need to do a report on a chosen state. Be thinking....for after Christmas.

One last reminder that Writing notebooks are due tomorrow. All writing needs to be in the writing notebook. I only grade what I see. December calendars went home today. Please mark yours accordingly and then return theirs to their take home folder. By the way, does your child have a take home folder????

Multiplication is coming along slowly. We will be testing out of our current graphing chapter early next week and then we will be hitting some harder multiplication. If your child does not know their basic facts 0-11 they WILL struggle through the next chapter and quite frankly the next few chapters. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE practice these at home. Kids MUST memorize these basic facts! Thanks.

Lastly, we will have a sub tomorrow, but I will be here. I want to guide her through the day. Then she will be here Wed thru Friday. I will have my computer with me. If you have any issues please email me rather than come into the sub. Or you are always welcome to visit with Mr. Senitte as he knows my classroom well.

Have a super night!

A new week...

Welcome back. I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was restful and full of family fun. It was nice to just relax and hang with the kids! This week we will be going full force in all subject areas. Just a reminder that I will be out this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will be here on Tuesday with the sub so I can guide her through our day. This will ensure a very smooth transition into the following three days. No worries there. Be on the lookout for live chats from me from time to time. I will be checking in at least once a day via flip video. :0)

Upcoming events include:

Dec. 7th...Midterms Home

Dec. 21st...Holiday Programs

Dec. 23-Jan. 3rd...Winter Break

*Student Calendars coming home tomorrow in Take Home folder.

I am still working on the egg drop video. I used a different camera and am trying to get it on my computer for you to view.

I will be collecting kids writing journals to read on the plane. Therefore, there will not be writing prompts from me Tues-Friday. However, why break the routine. You make the prompt and have them write for you. Respond back and encourage them to continue this on their own. Learn to learn. :0) I am again going to encourage that students have their complete notebook ready for me to grade on Tuesday. This means ALL entries need to be in their writing notebook. If students chose to write on looseleaf THEY KNOW that it MUST be stapled into their notebook. As Kaleb would say, that is the millionth and one time Ms. Erickson has told us this.

Finally, I would like to close with an above and beyond report written by Lailyn about her egg drop project and Newton's three laws. She wrote...(exactly as seen above)

For this project I tested two different boxes to proove my theary correct. First, a egg carton itself was dropped leaving my egg shattered. Secondly, a box filled with shreaded paper was used and prooved to be successful. Therefore! I concluded that the second egg survived because the force exerted on the egg by the fall was evenly distributed on the entire surface area of the egg which lessened the impact on the egg itself and saved it from cracking.

Said like a true future scientist!

Have a super night!

Montana History Projects!

Wow! I am once again so impressed with the talented, creative,

and effort of these kids!

Food Bank Not Happening.

It seems we are a no go at the Food Bank. I hope you are able to help someone special over the break on your own. I am so thankful for each and everyone of you for the unique children you trust me with every day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Food Bank!

No new information for the Food Bank tomorrow yet. If I don't have any by three it will not happen. Thanks!

MT History Finale Tomorrow!

Hi there! Let me just start by saying Operation Egg Drop...huge success! Oh my word it was hilarious fun! I got it on tape and will be posting it soon. You have some VERY creative kids! It was also excellent that all of them did not work because we got to examine why and learn even more! Newton would be proud of all these kids!

Montana History Projects are due tomorrow morning at 8:25. Again, no exceptions will be made. I can only imagine what kind of creativity we will see tomorrow. I will again catch footage. Students will be presenting their projects in the morning starting at 9. Feel free to join us. Kids will need to return their MT History books tomorrow.

Hopefully your kids shared with you that we will be having a volunteer opportunity this Wednesday at the Billings Food Bank. I have a call in to find out the exact time but it will be between the hours of 9 and 3. I will know the exact time tomorrow. If you can carpool please let me know or have your kids arrange it. Again, this is totally voluntary and parents are encouraged to come as well. See you there! Oh, and we will be putting together turkey dinner boxes. Perfect!

Lastly, remember tomorrow is a half day, and kids are dismissed at noon. There is no school Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. The following week I will be here on Monday, but then I will be gone for the rest of the week as my family is heading to Disneyland. Students will have the same sub every day, and she has been a teacher before. Expectations will be the same and learning will continue as normal. I will be blogging live from CA each day, so please continue to check in daily.

Have a great night!

Short Week and 2 Big Projects Due!

Hi! I hope you all had a great weekend! Remember that this is a short week. We are out for the Thanksgiving break on Tuesday at noon.

Please don't forget your Egg Drop experiments tomorrow. No exceptions will be made. I am looking forward to seeing all the creative Newton ideas!

And...how about them Griz?? YES!! Sorry Mrs. Hankin's class! It looks like we will be getting some treats tomorrow! :0)

Tomorrow Night (2nd post for today so read below as well)

May I invite you to the internet safety meeting tomorrow night? When we visited the jail during Red Ribbon Week we saw some of these Internet predators. They were not scary looking people. In fact, what was really scary is that they looked like the average Joe. It gave me shivers. Kids do not have a fighting chance against people like this. They get trapped and hurt and sometimes killed. Please come and learn how to protect your child from these predators. Your child is also encouraged to attend. We will meet in the gym at 7 until 8. An FBI agent, who has just gotten back from a sting in Florida, will be conducting the presentation. See you there!

Two Big Projects Due NEXT week!

Hi. Hopefully your child has a good jump on their Montana History project! It has been fun to hear their ideas and I am very impressed how many number 8s are coming back! Yay! Today the expectation sheet came home for their science wrap up project for force and motion. Their assignment is to create and design a package that will be dropped off the top of the gym roof, adults will do the dropping. The catch is that there has to be a raw egg somewhere in the package that cannot break upon impact. Students need to use what they know about Newton's three laws of motion in order to make their package a safe one for their egg. The fact that the egg breaks or not will not determine the grade, but the thinking and implementing of the laws will be what is graded. Mrs. Hankins and I only have a few rules.

They are:

1. Package can't weigh more than a pound.

2. Package can't be larger than a shoe box.

3. Package must have student's name on it.

4. Packages may not use parachutes or gliders or anything else that would make it float.

5. Packages must be at school on Monday, November 23rd by 1:00pm.

6. Eggs must not crack or break when dropped from the roof of the gym onto a piece of plywood.

7. HAVE A BLAST!!!!

We are absolutely encouraging parent help/guidance. Packages can be tested at home and re-designed if need be. However, the one at school will be dropped as is and only once.

We will be conducting Operation Egg Drop on Tuesday at 2:00 if you want to come and watch.

On another note, approved students went to personal safety class today. A summary of what was talked about and discussed went home tonight in the take home folder.

Lastly, thanks to all of you who did your parent homework! I loved reading them! Tomorrow is the last day to turn them in if you have yet to do them mom and dad! :0)

Have a great night!

Owls In the Family Final Book Project.

We summarized and acted out the odd chapters, and Mrs. Brucker's class did the same for the even. Wow! We learned/remembered a lot!

What is my kid learning in Music Class??

Wow! Who knew that two Wii remotes set up just right could create this kind of interactive whiteboard for your child to learn on? Mr. Goodheart is amazing! What a great way to learn the four space notes and five line notes! Not to mention the character traits of encouragement, patience, and teamwork! Wow, no wonder we are known in the community for being a leader in becoming a true technology school! And, yes that is what they are saying about Bitterroot!!

This morning we also got a surprise oovoo visit from Rusty! He called in to just check on us and see how we are all doing. He even asked how Abby's mom was feeling after her surgery, how the dentist was for Lailyn, Jordan, Mikaela, and Natalie, and he talked pretty serious to Paige and how sorry he was to hear that her grandmother passed away. This was a very powerful connection to these kids! Neat to see!

When reading the writing journals today, (which I love by the way-hilarious!), I discovered some wishes to add some pretty interesting subjects to our academic day. They included the following: hockey class, hunter's safety, football class, home-ec, wood class, game time, mathology, Wii learn, firefighter class, first pioneer class, hubb (cooking) class, papermate class, candybar making, stranger danger class, softball, how to play video game class, doll clothes design class, pet styling class, and of course we can't leave out the ever so popular deer cooking class, and cow patty cooking class! HILARIOUS!!!

Have a great evening and I hope we have started to form a plan for those MT History projects due next Tuesday! Have a blast making memories with your kid!

History Projects

The Montana History project selection sheets came home today. They are due back tomorrow with your child's selected project. Models were shown from Mrs. Hankin's class of almost all of the selections. Students were told they may not use/steal their ideas and need to come up with their own. I am encouraging all students to select option 8, come up with your own project. What about a report using technology??? Projects are due on Tuesday, Nov. 24th at 8:25 am. There will be NO exceptions. If you know your child will be out on that half day, please have them bring it in before that date to share. Student's should NOT bring projects in early unless they will be absent that Tuesday. I have NO room to store them.

I did not send home the work packets...sigh...tomorrow!

PTA meeting tonight at 6:30. Show up and earn $500 fake dollars for your child. Go Bitterroot!

Be on the lookout...

Hi! Happy Monday to you all!

Tomorrow two things will be coming home with your child.

1. Montana History Project list and requirements. Your child will need to select ONE project off the list, write it on the provided form, and return it to me by Wednesday. The projects will be due next Tuesday. Please encourage your child to begin this right away and NOT wait until the last minute. Students have a Montana History Book that can help them obtain research needed or may use the internet.

2. A work packet. The packet consists of a bunch of reading comprehension papers that I did not use over the past week or two. When doing these activities in class, I require them to hi-light where they find the answers in the text. This teaches them the strategy of looking back in the text for the answers. Use them if you want or how you want. You may want to use them over Thanksgiving break??

Have a GR-8 night!

Parent Homework!

Parent Homework: Email or handwrite me a note telling me how your child has changed already in my class. Due: This coming Friday. The ones I have already received are AWESOME and so fun to read!! Kids will earn $500.00 if you do this by the due date. Yay!

Family Fun Night

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Family Fun Night

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Owl Day Extravaganza Part Two...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Owl Day Extravaganza Part One...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Owls, Owls, Owls!

Guess who I spent my day with? Yep, that is correct: our good friends Mrs. Brucker and Jeff the Nature Guy! We had an absolute blast making a jeopardy game for you to play tomorrow during our owl day! And that was only one of the projects we worked on! Amazing!!!!

Thanks to Marley, Preston, Garret, and Arielle's moms for doing their parent homework. What homework?? Read yesterday's post! These have been awesome to read! Thanks for sharing!!!

See you tomorrow! Hoo Hoo!

Parent's have to do the homework tonight!

Hi! Permission slips should have come home tonight for our field trip this Friday. Please send them back TOMORROW. All students were able to buy into the field trip!!! Wow! What does that say about the entire class? Our character morning meetings are working.

Parent Homework: Earn your child $500 by emailing me how my class has impacted your child's life thus far in the 4th grade. Have you seen changes? Have you seen growth? Have you noticed anything in the character areas of responsibility, respect, trustworthiness, and/or caring? They came in as 3rd graders and are now acting more and more like 4th graders! Let me know! Thanks. My email is ericksont@billings.k12.mt.us. No email? Write me a letter. Let's make this assignment due by this Friday please. :0)

If you did not read yesterday's blog please do so as there was a lot of important information.

Lastly, please put Paige and her family in your thoughts/prayers as she lost someone special in her life this week. I will be thinking about you over the next few days. I am so sorry for your loss.

Have a great night!

Good Times Now and Ahead!

Did you notice that I changed the name of my blog? The name came to me because I truly believe that is what this tool is. It is a chance for you, the parent, to be a fly on your child's classroom wall. I am trying extremely hard to communicate their happenings in text and film. I truly appreciate all the positive feedback I am getting about how you love it!!

This Friday there is a FREE family fun night. Mr. Ness and PTA has created a night of fun for the entire family. We are talking disco-bowling, volleyball, hula hoops, scoops, fox-tails, jump ropes all over the school! When was the last time you hula hooped? And, I promise I will be there with my camera to catch the footage to share with all!!!! :0) I see big laughs and memories being made. There will also be a bake sale to support our Kindergarten classes. But that is not all, rumor has it the Crime Stoppers Dog will be on site. Is your child's bike registered? Do you have a kid ID package filled out? This is the night to get all this taken care of! Hope to see all of you there, and yes this is worth the $500 free dollars for your child if you come spend some quality time TOGETHER! Kids will not earn money if they come with a friend or by themselves, hense the Family Fun Night!

I gotta tell you I loved reading most of the journal entries that came back from last night. You have some pretty creative scientists! Two of my favorites were the poisonous new bug species that is going to be discovered by Miss. Natalie and the meals in a pill discovered by Miss. Abby! Fun reads and I can't wait to read the rest. I hope that you are having them read aloud to you too so you can enjoy the stories.

Math change! You might have noticed I am not having the kids keep their quizzes in their notebooks anymore. So, two quizzes should have come home today for your review. Now, that it is quarter 2 the math redos are also going away. By the time a child takes a quiz I have done at least three examples in the teaching lesson, they have done at least 5-10 practice problems with my help if they choose or on their own, seen all of those problems worked out together step-by-step in class the next day, and asked if they have any questions or want to see more examples of any concepts. So, I now believe that students should know the concept on the quiz and when they turn in their quiz it is the best they can do. I will continue to go over D and F quizzes with students either whole group or individually, but they will not get the opportunity to redo a quiz. You may want to go over any problems that come home that are marked incorrectly as well. Or, make up some similar problems to further their understanding. Tomorrow, you will see their Expanded Form quiz come home. This was an extremely difficult concept so I graded them but did NOT record the grade. We will be going over the entire quiz tomorrow as well.

Friday we will be taking a bus to Burlington School on the West End. We have been reading the book Owls in the Family together. Now that we have finished the book, we are going to have a wrap up day with tons of owl activities! Students will need to pay $1000 fake dollars to attend this trip. Read 180 and Language Kids will also be invited to go with us. We will be gone the entire day. Students that can't afford to go will have an alternative placement for the day. I will be gone this Thursday so I will be collecting the money tomorrow from the students. We are having free pizza and pop that day so students do NOT need to pack a lunch on Friday. Fun!!

I believe that is all for tonight. Have a good one!

Introduction of Isaac Newton and our Force and Motion Unit

Today we were able to join up with Mrs. Hankin's class for science. We presented the fact that a scientist/mathematician, Isaac Newton, discovered the three laws of motion that we are going to study in depth over the next few weeks. So, we wanted to know what they knew about Newton...like what did this man even look like? Here are just some of the results to that question. This was a fantastic lead in to some great discussions. Tomorrow, we will again join Mrs. Hankin's class to take a deeper look into Law One.

You may have noticed the first writing prompt off to the side of this post. Students were told today that they need to write in 4th grade quality and at least a half page entry in their language notebook everyday. If students do not have a language notebook we discussed possible solutions they could go to until a notebook is obtained. Students were also told that their notebooks would be checked daily for completion. I will be collecting each student's notebook at least once a week for further grading. There will be a writing grade on the next report card. A large percentage of that grade will be for participating in the writing prompt nightly. Students also record the prompt in their planner daily now. So what does 4th grade quality work look like? According to your children it is:

1. Proper capitalization of proper nouns.

2. Proper capitalization of the next word after a period, question mark, or exclamation point.

3. Proper use of commas, ending punctuation, and apostrophes

4. Spaces in between their words

5. Done in their best handwriting: cursive or print.

6. Details, details, details. The teacher cannot read our minds.

Please have your child read aloud their writing entry to you nightly. When they do this, they often catch grammar mistakes quickly. Feel free to edit their entries and have them make corrections. This is a home-school connection and all the feedback they can get will make them better writers. Thanks to all the parents that emailed or wrote comments of thanks for doing this assignment. It matters to me that it matters to you!

Wow Wow Wubsy!!!

So, here is a new little technical tool I was taught the other day. I am actually using the elmo and projector that our awesome PTA bought us last year. All I am doing is recording what I am teaching on the screen to my computer and them walla I have a video for you, the parents, to watch. So, why would I do this? Well, because I believe that when it comes to math, you just might hear the phrase "But mom/dad that is not the way Ms. Erickson taught us to do it." Well now, you can go watch exactly how I did it and make up other problems similar to it for your child to practice at home. Holy Cow Batman!!! Is this cool or what?? I will not do this every day, but on the concepts I believe to be tricky I will post the explanation. Nice!

At conferences, there was a request to put the Read 180 spelling words on my blog. I said that is great! I will start next week. Any other suggestions? Let me know!

Have a super OUTSIDE weekend, and please continue to practice those multiplication facts 0-4 this weekend. There are a million games online that help with this. There is also a ton on the Bitterroot Web Page, which is under my favorite links. Just click on learning links and go to math. What a great fun activity for the car too? Enjoy being a family! You are all awesome!

Wow!!! I just noticed that this is my 80th blog post thus far! Now that is a lot of communication! The BEST part is hearing you parents rave about it at conferences!! Fun to hear and man does it motivate me to do even more!

Speaking of doing more, I am adding two new gadgets to the blog this weekend. There will be a writing topic of the day. This will be a question that ALL students need to write about nightly. It must be a half of a page in length daily, and written in 4th grade quality work. It will be checked daily and recorded for completion. You will see a writing grade on their next report card. The other new gadget will be a trivia question worth money daily. This question will require some research in books, encyclopedias, or googling! Kids can use computers before school instead of walking outside if they do not have working computers at home. Answers that match mine will be worth $20 a day! Students need to write the answer in their planner daily. Oral or other communication devises will be corrected but not rewarded with money. Fun!!!!

Wednesday!

Well hello there! It was GREAT to see some of you today and just talk. I so, so appreciate that we are all on the same page and team. It makes life easier for all of us, but even more than that it makes success unavoidable for your kids!

In math, your child is learning two concepts at once! We are reviewing our basic multiplication facts (0-4 right now) and the concepts of time. Your child will need their basic math facts memorized ASAP. Last year, they learned the reasoning and meaning behind them. Now, they need to just memorize them. When I say memorize, I mean they need to know them like they know their name: instantly. Multiplication will be a skill that will continue to build. Not knowing the basic facts will make for long frustrating work ahead. So, please get those flashcards or computer games going!! Also, if you EVER have time between 8:30 and 8:45 and could come in and help test kids please just show up and I will put you to work!! Seriously! Thanks!

We are working hard on our Montana History lessons in S.S. Next week, you will be seeing their final project pick list come home (similar to science). Students will need to select one project to complete and share. We will be learning from them!!!

Next week, we will be partnering up with Mrs. Hankin's class to begin our Force and Motion unit in science. Can you say/think raw eggs flying though the air. Oh yeah!!!

Have a good night!

Conferences!!

Hi! Conferences start today at 12:40. I can't wait to just sit and listen/talk about your kiddos. They really are a great group of kids. 4th grade is always tough for students, parents, and teachers because it is such a huge transition from 3rd grade. Luckily, we have all survived to see that all really does settle down, and the focus can become more on academics rather than behaviors and routines and procedures. Yay! Here is the conference schedule. If the time given does not work out, please call the office to reschedule. Also, as you can see, the schedule is packed tight. Please be on time, and know that we need to end on time as well. See you later today!!

Today: Nov. 4th

12:40-1:00 Kaleb
1:00-1:20 Paige
1:20-1:40 Preston
1:40-2:00 Jacob
2:00-2:20 Maddie
2:20-2:40 Jasa
2:40-3:00 Garret
3:00-3:20 Hanna
3:20-3:40 Jewel
3:40-4:00 Logan
4:00-4:30 Seth

Monday!

New Calendar came home today. Please take it out of the take home folder and mark your calendar at home. Please note that the Billings Gazette had this weeks dates/times wrong. We are in school a full day tomorrow, and half day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Kids get out at noon.

Sending thoughts of getting better to Jasa, Abby, Skyler, Kaleb, and Marley!! Class is just not the same without you! Hope you are back tomorrow!

Have a great night!

Star of the Week and Harvest Party

Trick or Eat...Yep!

Wow, wow, wow! I was so proud to drop off all of the food you collected! We helped a ton of people by doing this! So proud!

Red Ribbon Week!

Going to Jail

Hello! Tomorrow is our trip to the Yellowstone County Detention Center. We will be leaving at 8:45 and be back at school shortly after 12. Kids need to remember to bring their sack lunches. This will be the finishing touch to a packed week of oh my goodness learning. Hopefully they shared about the Rimrock Foundation Presentation. Wow! Powerful!

Have a great night!

Wacky Wednesday!

We have had a ton of character learning going on this week. Today, we talked a lot about how our choices also effect our families. Please have a dinner table discussion about the Little House on the Prairie movie we watched today. Albert's choices to use drugs cost his father his job, they had to move back to Walnut Grove, His mom had to stay behind and miss him, His dad almost lost one of his good friends (Doc), His sister was worried sick, His teacher got slapped in the face, His old friends felt belittled. All of these events were caused by Albert's morphine addiction. The worst of it was that Albert lost the trust of his father. He had to work very hard and experience some pretty rough withdrawl episodes to gain that trust back. Luckily he did.

We also had the Skyview trading card kids in today. Their message was also powerful. They said that they don't make excuses as to why they don't do drugs they just tell the people asking them NO! I don't do drugs or alcohol! They said, eventually people just knew their stance and stopped asking. They also said the best way for them to stay away from drugs and alcohol is to stay very busy with school, sports, and clubs. Parents, I can't stress enough that having an after-school activity is imperative in a kids life. If they don't like sports then they were told today that there are clubs for anything...anything! The best thing we can do is never allow them to get bored! Which by the way, was the first answer when I asked them why do you think kids do drugs? Interesting that it came straight from their own mouths!

Tomorrow is No alcohol, no drugs, no tobacco...no sweat! So kids are encouraged to wear their sweats and sweatshirts tomorrow.

Thanks to those that have agreed to allow their kids to stay on Friday after school to help paint the trick or treat street boxes! Nice!

Tomorrow is the pick up day for Trick or Eat! Please remember to make the time to go back to your ten houses and collect the food for the Billings Food Bank. Kids need to bring it in on Friday or make arrangements for me to come pick it up. Thanks!

So far, this class has escaped the flu bug going around. Let's keep it that way! Remember, unless your child has a fever or is throwing up they should be at school. It is crucial to be here every day. Please send your kids in coats!!!!! It may start off nice, but the weather changes quickly. I do not allow kids to have recess without a coat if it is too cold, especially if they have all ready been out sick part of the week. Hats too! Just have them keep one in their bags.

Library tomorrow! BRING YOUR BOOKS!!!!

Have a spooktacular evening!!

Thanks to All!

Don't let drugs "tie" you up! Wear a necktie tomorrow and earn a hundred dollars.

Parents I need your child's help on Friday after school from 3:15-4:15 to paint boxes for trick or treat street at the Harvest Party. If you approve, please write me a note in their planner. Please make pick up arrangements on time. Thanks!

Conference slips whet home today. I did my very best to accommodate your requests. Please select yes or no and return slip TOMORROW. If you cannot do the scheduled time you will need to call the office to reschedule. Mrs. Campbell does ALL of the rescheduling. Thanks!

Ask your child about SADD today and the meth video. Powerful!!

Thanks to the Gustafson family for taking over our pumpkin project for the Harvest family! We know you will do great things!

Trick or Eat!

Hello there. It has come to my attention, by a phone call from the U.S. Post Office, that it is illegal to place items that do not have a stamp on them in a mailbox. I guess that it is punishable with a $2000.00 fine for each flyer. OOPS!! My bad. At any rate, if you have not delivered your bags yet, please hang them on the doors or on the mailbox flags, but NOT inside the mailbox. I think we will be ok, and I was very grateful they called. Just wanted you to know what I now know.

Technology Friday!

OMG! Did we have an amazingly fun technology day. The kids took some of my son's toys and created scenes from a movie. Then they took a digital camera and took still shots by moving their objects one tiny bit at a time, take a picture, move a tiny bit, take a picture... (Some groups took more than a hundred pictures if that told you anything!) Then they downloaded their pictures into a computer program called QuickTime and sequenced the pictures into an animated movie. The results are below. Hello...can you say totally awesome and fun! So, why did we do this? Well, first and foremost because why not, and we also did it to practice using the technology so we could use it even better when we create these kind of movies to act out scenes in our Reading books in two weeks. Cool! (Make sure you click on older posts at the bottom of this page to see more movies.)

Next week is Drug Free week. Please remember to have your kids dress in Hawaiian attire on Monday. If they do, they can earn $100.00 for showing their Drug Free Spirit! I am excited that every kid in my class will be attending all parts of Drug Free Week. Wow! Are we going to make a difference or what?

Trick or Eat bags went home today. Please make sure to deliver them this weekend. It is VERY important to remember which neighborhood/houses you deliver to so you can go back next Thursday and pick them back up. When delivering, you can either put them in their mailbox, put them on their door, or ring their doorbell and hand deliver it. Please make sure your child has signed their name on the bottom of EVERY slip on each bag. Thanks!!

I am looking for some creative families out there, and I know that you are out there. We have two pumpkins in our room that need to be decorated in a theme like way. Now, I am thinking one of them needs to have a BELIEVE theme, but the other...who knows. They can be carved or painted, or decorated, or whatever your creative minds can muster up! These will be auctioned off at the Harvest Party next Friday night so I will need them back by then. The money earned will go to our classroom! Please email me if you want to do this. I need your help on this one!

Well, that is it. Have a super great night and weekend. Play outside!!!

Penguin Destroyer Movie

Connects Movie by Philip's Group

Diego Has a Bad Day Movie by Abby's Group

Airplane Crash Movie by Jordan, Jada, and Arielle

The Boat Race Movie by Maddie's Group

Dare Devil Movie

Bugsy Watches the Train by Mikaela's Group

Jump Video by Preston, Logan, and Garret

Almost Friday!

The popcorn party was a success, but oh my your children get all sorts of crazy when soda is consumed. :0) Fun times. They truly did earn it so it was great!

We are about to finish Ch. 2 in math. There will be the unit tests next week.

Conferences were scheduled today. Your notices will go home next week. If you did not send back your preference sheet a time was just selected for you. Any and all changes will have to be made through the office. Conferences will be held on Nov. 3-5th. Remember that students will get out at noon on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of that week. Please be thinking about any questions or concerns you might have when we meet for our twenty minute time slot. I will have stuff to share, but I LOVE to discuss your concerns/questions even more.

A reminder that next week is Drug Free Week. I still need permission forms from Hanna and Lailyn to participate. Don't forget to get that Hawaiian outfit ready for Monday to Lei off Drugs!

If your family checked the Yes slot for the Trick or Eat volunteer opportunity, and oh my am I proud of this class, students will bring home the ten flyers attached to plastic bags tomorrow. Please make a time to deliver these this weekend. Then on the 29th please don't forget to go back and pick them up and bring them into class on Friday or email/call me to arrange pick up. Again, I am proud to be your son/daughter's teacher. Amazing families at Bitterroot! Our pen pals are also doing this same project in North Carolina. Wonder who will collect more???

Have a great evening!

Wow Wednesday!

For $100 bonus...ask your students what/who these pictures are of and about the oovoo experience we had yesterday in science class. There are three weather instruments on the last picture. If your student can name and explain all three, then write them on their planner by your signature. Get 2 of the 3...$50. Earn another $50 if your child can remember the teacher's name that is standing in the second picture, which is the same teacher that oovooed in to us yesterday! Write his name by your signature as well.

As you know, or at least I hope you know, next week is Red Ribbon Week. A detailed information sheet came home on this last night. It requires your permission and signature. I also sent home information on the October Volunteer Opportunity. Please return both of these slips tomorrow with your child if you have not done so already. ALSO, conference request slips are due today, tomorrow at the latest. I will be scheduling those tomorrow at our staff meeting. Let's make it a time that works for you!

I have posted a survey question off to the right. Please vote today. This night would be partnered with our friends at Burlington Elementary that we oovoo often with! How fun to have a night for two 4th grade classes to get together to create a slide show of your family using technology! Quality time with the kids!!

Don't forget your drink for the popcorn party tomorrow.

A-ha Time for Teacher...

Sub tomorrow! I am at my technology class. Can't wait to see what I will learn next!

Popcorn party moved to Thursday.

So proud to be a teacher and to have such wonderful kids and parents!

Holy Cow Wow Science!

Hello! Below you will find just some of the many videos I took yesterday of your children presenting their science projects to their classmates. Overall, I was super impressed. It was fun to listen to their explanations, but even more than that, it was SUPER fun to see and hear their excitement for learning. They had fun, and it showed in their faces! I will also be emailing you the videos of your child in action today or tomorrow. I am sorry I could not put them all on the blog, but I picked a variety to show you the different ways kids were learning. Some of the videos are hard to hear, so I could not use them. Why is is that 4th graders are loud in class and at recess, but not on video? Isn't video their generation? Hmmmm...

Today we will wrap up our weather unit by having an oovoo session with a science teacher, Mr. Beals, from Sr. High. He spent 6 weeks in Greenland conducting weather experiments to discover how the atmosphere was changing over time. He will be sharing some of the tools he used and some first hand "what does weather have to do with us" knowledge. Next, we will be going into force and motion. We will be pairing up with Mrs. Hankin's class for some fun and crazy experiments. She attended a workshop in DC on this very subject. Can you say...climb up on a roof and do an egg drop...oh my!

Have an excellent day!

More Scientific Weather Tools

Scientific Tools and Tornado Myth

Tornado in a Jar

Weather Art

Eye of the Storm Experiment

Monday

Science Projects will be uploaded soon! Stay tuned, and man were they awesome. Powerful thinking and a lot of "weather words" floating around this room today. Yes!!!

Please return your conference slips tomorrow!

Kids earned another popcorn party for their sub behavior last week! Bring drink tomorrow if you want. I will provide the popcorn.

Have a great night!

Busy Few Days!

The four pictures above are just some of the events that have been happening in E4 lately. Today, Rusty joined us for a school wide assembly that talked about choices, consequences, and tools. The tools that Rusty talked to the kids about were the importance of rules, when to talk and how to talk, the importance of making a few good friends instead of trying to fit with all, being true to others and more importantly to themselves, and listening. My favorite quote of the presentation was, "A good friend is someone that is helping you grow." What a powerful statement. Can I just encourage you to talk about what that means to your child in their unique world. Wow! I also posted the pictures of Sgt. Hodges. Marley and others are waiting in line to greet him with a handshake, hello, name introduction, and a thank you all while holding appropriate eye contact. We talked about how when you are thanking someone your eyes usually drop because it is a vulnerable feeling and you are unsure of the receivers reaction. The kids did a great job and you could tell that they are really starting to understand how powerful using someone's name and looking them in the eyes can be. The other picture is of Arielle, who is the sister of Sgt. Hodges. She stated that she misses and worries about her brother all the time. It was obvious that the entire family shares Arielle's feeling but also has an amazing amount of pride in their son, boyfriend, and brother! Lastly, there is a picture of our star of the week. Maddie is the first person to actually bring in materials to share for this classroom job. She set a great example of how it should be done. I also loved learning new things about her and seeing all her treasures and photos. Good Job Maddie! Abby will be the star of the week next week. Can't wait to see what is in store with her presentation.

Speaking of presentations...is your son/daughter going to be ready to present their two science projects to the class on Monday. Please make sure they rehearse what they are going to say and that they are using some weather words to do it. Avoid words such as stuff and this and that. Show me that you are applying what you learned in class to what you discovered at home. I will be looking for at least 3-5 science words in each explanation. We will also be oovooing in a science teacher from Senior High that spent some time in Greenland and used some specific weather tools next Tuesday. He has some very cool ideas, thoughts, tools, and data to share.

Parent-Teacher conference slips went home today. Please fill out and return to school Monday for a $100 reward. We will do our very best to honor your requests.

Please remember that the Believe fundraiser is due on Monday. Remember it is a $100 reward for each item sold or every $10 donation made. Money will be rewarded on Monday. Make sure your child's name and my name is on their order form and that ALL money is collected. BELIEVE!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful long weekend. Rest up and play hard. See you Monday!

Rusty, Rusty, Rusty!!

Thank you Sgt. Hodges and family! Man, what an amazing experience to be able to talk, see, feel, and interact with a soldier that is on active duty in Iraq. The pictures that were shared were unthinkable and so full of knowledge. Who knew? Ask your kids about them for more details. I will post pictures soon!

Tomorrow is Rusty! I am totally pumped for Bitterroot! His assemblies are packed with the stuff I LOVE to talk about: character! Don't forget your dollar to buy one of his Peace Out Little Diamonds wristbands! Our show is at 10 am. WooHoo!!!!

Have a great night!

So Proud of You!

Hi! Good news from Mr. Ness. He said the Nile was a blast and the kids were great. Way to go! I am proud of you!

Tomorrow we will be having a military guest speaker. I am so excited and honored to have this for the kids. Students that wear their patriotic red, white, and blue will be rewarded for their effort.

Have a great night and I will see you in the morning!

Best Behavior Next Week Please!

Well, the week has come to a close. Next week is a busy one for me and for the kids. Monday and Tuesday I will be on tour with Rusty from schooltools.tv at a bunch of schools in the district. Therefore, the kids will have a sub. Hmmm....do I smell another popcorn party?? We will see! Go team Erickson!

On Monday, the kids go to the Nile. Mr. Ness will be there sub. Students need to bring their sack lunches on Monday. If your child ordered a sack lunch it will be ready to go. They will leave at 11 and arrive back at 2. Thank you to Jasa's mom for agreeing to chaperone the trip. You will need to be here at 10:45 to catch the bus. Students will need to eat lunch before they go, around 10:30ish. So, they may want to bring a snack for when they get back. Part of the Nile is outside or in barns so students need to dress for the weather. Students also will experience a Native jingle dancer and some fry bread before the trip on Monday. Oh my!

On Tuesday, Arielle's brother will be visiting the class. He has been overseas in the military and has agreed to share with the kids. I am so honored. I am going to try very hard to sneak here and see it too! The time has yet to be determined as he doesn't arrive back in the states until tomorrow. Very cool!

On Wednesday, Rusty will be at Bitterroot! The assembly will be at 10. Feel free to join us in the gym. It is also a half day on Wednesday. Kids need to be picked up at noon sharp. Lunch slips went home today if your child needs to order one.

Thursday and Friday the kids do not have school. Teachers will be attending the MEA conference and learning all sorts of new things, or if you are like me, teaching all sorts of things. Yay!!!

On a different note, this week we took our unit one language test. There were some areas of concern so we are going to review a couple of skills and rethink our answers next week. We also completed our review testing in spelling. Many students had demonstrated that they have added 60 new words to their vocabulary. Others have shown that they are memorizing how to spell words for a Friday test and then dumping the words out of their brains. These words are every day English words and need to be transferred to the long term memory. Science project packets went home yesterday. Students need to select two at home projects that are due Oct. 19th. Please, please discuss these with your child and make a plan to help them. They have learned so much about weather and they are dying to extend their knowledge with your help. So, sit down and watch the weather channel or discovery channel this weekend with some popcorn and a warm blanket and just talk weather with your kiddos! :0) In Social Studies, we are continuing to explore Montana and how it came to be. Next week will be the start of our Lewis and Clark journey. In the spring, students will travel to Pompey's Pillar for a day of fun. In math, we are still working on adding and subtracting. Can I just beg you to buy some flashcards and re-look at all the student's basic facts knowledge in addition, subtraction, and multiplication?

On another note, it came to my attention the other day that parents are not aware of some of the changes 4th graders are experiencing in their specialist classes. In the 4th grade, library is an hour long. Half of that time is used to find a book of their choice, and the other half is spent on an actual library lesson such as reference materials like dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlas, and computers. They have assignments and projects. Part of their grade is also based on book return each week and keeping a log of the books they check out. PE/Health has also changed. In third grade, students only had PE. Now they have an hour of health class as well. Again, there is actual note-taking, assignments, and projects in this class. Art is also new. They have never had an actual art class before. Now they have an hour. In art, they learn different techniques and many new vocabulary words. Finally, there is an hour of music. They are learning the history of music, different types of music, tons of new rhythms, and even take a district music test. So, when you see grades in these classes please know that they are to be taken just as seriously as reading or math.

Finally, grade sheets went home today. Please note that only the hi-lighted grades have been updated. Other teacher's will not update their grades until report card time. Overall, besides some missing assignments grades look pretty good for first quarter 4th graders.

Well, have a great weekend and stay warm!

Library Reminder

BRING LIBRARY BOOKS TOMORROW!!!!

Feel free to join us for Tears of Joy tomorrow at 1:15. It is an awesome play that our PTA is bringing to us. Thank you PTA!

Have a great night and stay dry!

Tuesday Happenings!

Today in reading class we oovooed Jeff the Nature Guy from Redlodge. We learned all sorts of cool owl facts and had quite a few oohhh and aahhh moments. The class you see in the picture is our buddy class over at Burlington Elementary. We are down in the very bottom corner in the small square. Students collected more owl facts to add onto their reading projects on the computer this week. I can't wait to see all that they learned in an organized fashion. Cool!

Fitness club officially starts today. We are getting out there and running! Ready or not. The weather is supposed to get bad again tonight so just remember the rule: If is is snow, pouring rain, or below zero than we will not be running. If not, we are on! Dress warm and hats or hoods are always good.

Today, students met Ms. Handford. She is a junior field from MSU-B. She will be working with kids and teaching a few lessons for the next month or two. Be watching for a picture and information post on her soon. :0) Welcome!

On Friday, we will be having a guest speaker. She will be teaching the class traditional native games and facts. We will be joining Mrs. Hankin's class for this adventure. Exciting Montana History!

I hope to see you at Mckenzie River Pizza tonight. Remember, every first Tuesday is Bitterroot night. Mckenzie will donate 20% of your bill back to our school. Yippee! Can't think of a better excuse to eat out! It even works on take out. Just don't forget your coupon voucher slip that went home with your child yesterday. Yummy!

Have a super night!

Snow? What? It's October

Let it snow! Well my request for better weather did not come thru. This weather is supposed to last throughout the week. Students need to wear warm clothes, boots, hats and gloves. It is not sweatshirt weather anymore. If students do not wear a coat they will be asked to stay inside for recess and walk the halls for their exercise. Please help students remember to dress warm in the morning.

Fitness club will not meet in heavy rain or if there is snow on the ground. Sorry. I am just as bummed as the kids!

We tried to name all fifty states today in class without looking at a map. By the end of the day they had 48. They were missing Maryland and New Jersey. Very good for day one.

Kids also need to start to remember and be able to locate all seven reservations in Montana. Maps can be found online to practice at home. This will be on the final Montana History Test.

Have a great night!

Jeff the Nature Guy from Redlodge!

Find Out Friday!

It is Friday!! Can you say cold, rain, freezing wind, sun, warm, CRAZY!!! I hope the weather makes up its mind next week.

As you can see in the picture, today in reading class we used a computer program called inspiration. This program is one that allows kids to brainstorm and organize information in an organized way. So, today we watched a youtube of Jeff the Nature Guy from the Redlodge Beartooth Nature Center and collected facts about the Great Horned Owl. Then we put those facts under the categories we had previously brainstormed together. Then we began to add pictures to our webs. Next Tuesday, during Reading class, Jeff will be oovooing in to talk to our class along with our Burlington School Buddy class across town. He will be giving us more details to add to our webs. Fun!! I have posted the video we watched today above.

Fitness club starts Monday after school. Since I am one of the directors this might mean that the blog is not updated until after four but still before five. I am really going to try to update before school gets out though. We will be running/walking our two miles come rain or shine, and it is only supposed to be in the high thirties on Monday so dress warm kids!! Students may bring their I-pods to listen to while running but them MUST stay in their bags until fitness club. Remember, if picking up kids you need to be in the parking lot at 3:45. Thanks!

Ms. Hankins and I are starting to plan our events for Drug Free Week. It is the last week of October. We will be having guest speakers daily that week and we will end our unit by taking a trip to the Yellowstone Detention Center on October 30th. This field trip will have no cost real or fake money. Thanks to the PTA for paying for our bus! I have one chaperone already, but I would love to have one or two more. Kids are split up into groups and need adults that are as strict as I am with making Bitterroot proud with our excellent behavior and mannered kids. If this is you, shoot me an email or note in the planner. Any and all parents are invited to meet at the jail to join in on the tour with your child. It truly is an eye opener to the kids to see how life with drugs just continues down a road of bad choices, not bad people.

Next week we will also continue our journey back in time to see how Montana became the state it is today. We will be talking about the 7 Indian reservations and tribes found in Montana, and taking an in depth look at the Battle at Little Big Horn. Very interesting! We will conclude the week by having a guest speaker about the Montana tribes and some traditional Native American games. You know I will be filming those for you!

Next week in science you will be seeing a list of options come home. Students will need to select two of the options or make one of their own to complete and share with the class. This will end our unit on weather. I am hoping for a field trip to the weather station, but nothing is finalized quite yet! Keeping our fingers crossed. If all works out we will take the Met bus and possibly have lunch at Fuddruckers and also visit the National Weather Station to learn a little more about Earthquakes and Hurricanes. We shall see!

Well, have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to sell, sell, sell those Believe items. PTA is awesome to us and I hope to help them to help us! See ya in two day! Peace!

Hey There!

Hi! Boy is life busy or is it just me?

The Believe Fundraiser is coming home today! BELIEVE oh my! My favorite word in the entire English language. So, lets get out there and hit all the people we know in order to support our school. This is the biggest PTA fundraiser at our school and ALL profits will go towards buying a third computer lab and you know I am all over that! Please make sure that students sell safe. Avoid door to door sales and feel free to take the packet to work. When my daughter did this last week for Miles Ave. it was helpful to have more than one catalog to pass so ask PTA or the office if you feel this way too. An extra incentive: students will earn $50 fake dollars from me for each item sold. They will get paid when they turn in their packet. On a final thought, think Christmas and think ahead. Sell, sell, sell and thanks!

There is an October calendar of upcoming events is also in your child's take home folder. This needs to stay in the folder. We will be adding events as they come up. Feel free to make a copy for your fridge, but return to their folder soon! Thanks!

On a final note, I just want to say thanks to all the parents that have been communicating with me on a daily, weekly, every now and then basis. I love that we are building this bridge.

Have a great night!

What in the world is going on here?

Ask students in my reading class to explain these two pictures. So, so fun and wow with technology! Just DO NOT ask about the mentos!!!!! Ok do, and if your kids can explain all of this to you write the word OWL by your signature in the planner for a $20 dollar bonus reward.

Coulson Park River Clean Up! Thank You!!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow