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!