From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other. --Emily Matthews

Hi. I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving break. I know my belly is WAY too full, and my cheeks still hurt from all that laughing. I also got to hold a little baby and he fell asleep in my arms! Oh how I love that feeling. I still enjoy watching my kids sleep. They look so darn angelic when they do that, don't they? I also enjoyed teaching my Emma how to make homemade stuffing. When I was here age, it was my job to wake up early and toast an entire loaf of bread and cut it into squares for the stuffing. I have now passed on this tradition to her, and she loved it. Memories, memories, memories!


A huge thank you to Miss. Amanda and her family for the thankful gift. I LOVE that you think I am NUTS! It takes a lot of planning and effort for a teacher to get people to think that and BELIEVE it. What an amazing compliment. I enjoyed every last one of them, especially the chocolate covered almonds! Yum!!! Thanks for filling my bucket! :0)



As you know, Mrs. Gleason and I made a little football bet on the GRIZ/cat game last weekend. The bet was whomever's team lost had to make cupcakes for the other class. We were greeted the other morning with these. Silly girl! She still hasn't learned. :0) Thanks Mrs. Gleason!!!!


We will be in full swing upon our return.

Academically:

Reading:
Lead 21: Unit 3, The NorthEast Region of the United States. we just learned about this in S.S., so now we will go a little bit deeper. We will focus on generalizations, sequencing, clarifying, inferential vs literal questioning, and figurative language. We will also review using synonyms and antonyms to help us clarify the meaning of words in our text. Kids will be reviewed and releveled if I saw the need. Some moved up, some moved down. It is important that kids are always showing me their true colors. I know them, but I need them to show me. If they are showing me they need more of a challenge or less of a challenge then that is what I have to go on. They need to be true to themselves each and every time.
Read Aloud: We will continue on with There's An Owl in the Shower. We will practice all of the above skills that this novel as well when we pair share along with predictions.

Math:
Measurement and Long Division. Daily we will learn a new lesson on how to convert different types of measurement (liters, kiloliters, meters, kilometers, centimeters, inches, feet, yards, grams, kilograms, milligrams, and so on). Students will also show mastery on which measurement type to use when. Long division will come in stages. I will introduce it by modeling it and teaching a fun story about a royal family first. Then, we will just take it slow with a few practice problems each day. This is a tough concept, especially to those that haven't mastered their basic multiplication facts yet.

S.S.:
Montana History. We will get back in the swing of this and finish up our basic fact unit. Yes, there will be a test. Yes, there will be a study guide. We will then be going into the native tribes and how their lives changed with colonization. I graded their interactive notebooks this weekend. We will be having a very serious talk about effort, paying attention, and following the model that I make up on the screen for them. It is not acceptable for them to put things wherever they want and on whatever page they want. Part of their grade for this notebook is building it correctly and neatly. There are way to many that are so sloppy and skipping pages! Serious talk on Monday!

Language: We will work on articles, adjectives, and adverbs this week. Kids will be able to show mastery in all three areas of the English language by the week's end. We will do this through our daily DOL studies. (Daily Oral Language)

Spelling: Compound words. These words are a little different in the 4th grade. Compound words here are two words put together to make one word, two words put together with a hyphen in between them, and two words put together with a space in between them. All words are said as one word, making them all compound words. Kids will need to add spaces, no spaces, or hyphens to words for them to be spelled correctly. Alternative words will be offered to those that qualify. Those that have not been passing with an 80% or higher on the alternative list will be asked to return to the book words until they get back up to that level again. Study, study kids!

Writing: Oh NO!!! What happened to Rudolph's nose???? Kids will write a funny narrative story about Rudolph's nose changing colors. It will no longer be red. These are always funny to hear. Kids will make a reindeer craft to go along with it. I am hoping they are done and ready in time to share at the Barnes and Noble night. Make sure you look for them.

CC Meeting: to be determined.

There are a few events coming up this month that I wanted to remind you about.

1. Barnes and Noble family night. For each person, we get an attendance point. The class with the most points wins a free yogurt party from Spinners!!! If you work an hour, we get two! Mrs. Kimball has stated that she is still in need of more parent volunteers. Please consider helping for an hour. Write me a note in the planner if you can do this. Those that said yes before, I am guessing that you have already been contacted. What a great way to support Arrowhead Elementary! Plus...you get to see teacher's read! It is this Thursday, December 5th from 4-8. I will be working an hour for sure! If you can't work, please make time to stop in and say hello and have some holiday fun!

2. Hour of Code. This is a child/parent event put on by the district. It is total technology for the whole family. You don't need to know anything, but you will leave knowing a TON! The instructors are great friends of mine, and are fun, fun, fun and funny! It is Saturday, December 14th from 10-1pm. It is in at the Lincoln Center downtown in the board room. It is for students in grades 4-6 and there is a maximum of 50 students. Parents are encouraged to stay, but are not required. Pizza will be served and kids can win great prizes. You MUST register online at http://www.bpstis.org. You can find more information at http://csedweek.org. Questions? email bps tis@billingsschools.org. What a great opportunity, and it is FREE!!!!

3. Honor Choir Concert: This Tuesday, Dec. 3rd at 7:00. It is at the Lincoln Center. I personally can't wait for this one!!! My Emma is in it!

4. Geography Bee: This Tuesday, Dec. 3rd at 9:00. None of my students made it into the bee, but they gave it their best shot! We will go watch the 10 students that did make it in!!! Wowzers!

5. PTA Meeting: Dec. 5th, 8:30 am.

6. Surprise Order Forms are due THIS Tuesday, Dec. 3rd. No exceptions can be made. Please see Tuesday folders for details. Shhhhhhhh!!!! :0)

7. Lead 21 Endangered Animal Inquiry Presentations Due on Wednesday, Dec. 4th. Kids need to bring back their research form, their grade sheet, and their presentations. Late projects will lose 10 points for each day late.

Lot's going on for sure!

Tis the season for giving. Arrowhead has two ways you can help others. Please consider making a donation of an unwrapped toy for Toys 4 Tots. The donation bin is in front of the gym. Also, please consider donating a new book for kids for the Riverstone Health waiting room. Also, new gloves, hats, and scarves are needed to share in the Billings Community. The Kindness and Compassion Club here at Arrowhead are running this project. What a great message from future adult citizens of this community. Way to go 5th graders! Donations will be accepted up front in marked bins until Dec. 18th.
Thanks for all you do!

Are your  kiddos missing items? Please stop in this week and go through the lost and found in the hallway by the gym. There are MANY lost items just waiting to be collected.

As for a code word this post, how about we all write one thing we are grateful for in the planner. Ask your child too. Those that share will earn $10 on Monday. I know that I have a TON to be grateful for this year!

I read a book over the break. It had nothing to do with school (yes, teacher's do read other stuff!), yet it had a beautiful story in it. It was about a young boy in the 3rd grade. He had lost his parents at a young age, and lived with a not so warm cousin and his wife. He was forced to go to school by the courts and that is where he met Mrs. Ruth. He was a handful and fought her every step of the way. She began to form a relationship with the student and challenge him on his level. Turned out he was pretty smart. After the summer, he did not return. His cousin lost his farm and they ended up moving from here to there. Mrs. Ruth never found the boy again. However, 10 years after the boy died at a young age, his widow found Mrs. Ruth and gave her a painting that Daniel had done when he was young and in a group home. On the back of it, there was a picture that was taken of the two of them. Behind the picture were these words: Mrs. Ruth. 3rd Grade Teacher. Believed in me. Taught me I could do anything. Even though this is a fictional story, I just knew that it rang true. Kids can do anything, absolutely anything if someone shows them how to BELIEVE. I hope that I am that person for some of your children. That is the greatest gift I could ever bestow upon them as their teacher. What a wonderful way to think about the world!

I would like to send a shout out to Liam and his family. I am so sorry about what happened over the break. I hope that you were able to have some family time and just go down memory lane for your grandma. Hugs to you and hope to see you soon.

Lastly, I went to Red Lodge over the break to have lunch with a friend. While there, I noticed something funny on the menu. So, I took a picture of it for the kids. What do these all have in common and why would they be called Montana Rolls??? We will talk about it in class on Monday! Think Montana History kids!



Enjoy your weekend! Rumor has it we have a birthday in the house on Monday. Someone here is getting old!!!! :0) Can you guess who Haylee?????

“Nothing purchased can come close to the renewed sense of gratitude for having family and friends.”

Hello there.

I thought this picture reflected what the classroom looked like at noon today. They were ready for vacation!

A quick post to just stop and say Happy Thanksgiving. I am so grateful to wake up each day and come to do a job that I absolutely love. A big part of that is YOU! An even bigger part is your sweet kiddos. They make my day better every single day! I hope you have an amazing break and make a ton of new memories that last a lifetime. I am thankful for all of you.

A side note-please check the Tuesday folders. There is a top secret envelope in there for you. Please keep it out of kid's view. Enjoy! :0)

I will blog again this coming Sunday. Until then, enjoy!

Ms. Erickson

I BELIEVE it's a short week!

Hi there. Happy Monday!

Tomorrow is a half day. Kids will be dismissed at noon. We will be doing a lot in that short time, so please make sure kids are here on time. Thanks.

Today was Coewyn's birthday (well actually Sunday was). He brought some delicious cookie pizzas! Yum, yum! Thanks Coewyn!

Kids did a handful of Thankfulness today at CC Meeting. They had to write 5 things that they couldn't live without, one on each of the five fingers. We then cut the hands out. One by one, we removed a finger with our scissors. The first one being the thing we could live without. With each finger it got harder and harder to cut things out of our lives. Some kids even REFUSED to cut off the last one. That was awesome!!! When we were left with nothing but out palm I asked them to think of their choices that would get them there...life of crime, dishonesty, drugs, alcohol, and so on. Then I had them reglue on the fingers they removed. We talked about how we might get back some things we are thankful for, but they will never fully be intact again and won't be the same as they were before we lost them. Pretty powerful lesson. Ask your child what they cut off (or refused to cut off) last. I hope that it was you!!! Rusty summed up the activity with his show today. He told us that we need to have PEOPLE more than STUFF on our thankful list! It was great to see this reality. Lastly, I asked what it would be like to be on their parent's hands. Who would you "cut off" first when it came to siblings if you had to order them. I said that would be impossible for me to decide as a mom or dad. Yikes! I never want to make that choice!!!!

In Lead 21 today, I went over and modeled the inquiry project expectations. Each student was given the rubric today in class. Each student also made their choice as to which option they wanted to do. They were all told to come home tonight and talk it over with you. All my expectations are listed below the options. Please let me know if you have questions. If they chose a number 5, then they told me what they were thinking and I wrote it on there. Kids MAY change their minds. If they change to a number 5 they have to tell me about it. They may call me at home over the break if need to. Please know that the due date was planned on purpose. I don't want kids to HAVE to do this project over break, so it is not due until the following Wednesday. I just wanted kids to have time to work on it if they were bored over the break. Please ask your child to see their sheet and have them explain to you their choice. It would also be helpful if you read and had them explain the working conditions to you as well. If you have this discussion, please write REPORT in the planner for $20 tomorrow. The report sheet and the research form need to stay at home now. They MUST return on Wednesday, Dec. 4th. They are both parts of their grade. Thanks.

Homework tonight is an RLJ check in. Kids need to write at least a half a page to me. They can write about anything.

Multiplication is getting better and better. We welcome Casasha and Chase to the 100% club. Yay!!!!! Chase also exited out of multiplication on xtramath. He is now the first to enter division!!! Great job!
They will be in the Tuesday Folders tomorrow. We will test again we we return. Please continue to do xtramath nightly at home.

Honor choir boys and girls: There has been a change in the schedule. The concert is next Tuesday, the 3rd of Dec. It is at 7:00 INSTEAD of 7:30 (which is written on the schedule). Students need to be there and on stage at 6:15. It is still at the Lincoln Center. You should have received an email today. Thanks.

Have a great, great night and know that I am soooo thankful for each and everyone of you!

I will blog tomorrow. :0)

Ms. Erickson

Forget All the Reasons Why It Won't Work and BELIEVE in the ONE Reason It Will!

Hello there! I hope that you had a great Saturday. Loved, loved, loved seeing that sunshine. The game is on as I type. We shall see if Mrs. Gleason is bringing in cupcakes for our class or if I will bringing them into hers. C-mon GRIZ!!!! It was fun to see the kid's spirit on Friday. Write the final score in the planner for Monday and earn kids $10 on Monday.



It is a short week this week. We have school a full day on Monday and a half day on Tuesday. Kids will be dismissed at noon on Tuesday. There will be no fitness club this week.

We will be wrapping up many of our academics in this day and a half. We will finish Unit 2: Going Green in Lead 21. Kids turned in their research for their endangered animals on Friday. We will share those to finish up the unit.

In math, we will finish up with time. I noticed many kids doing a common mistake when finding elapsed time, so we will fix that and then I will allow those that showed this mistake to retake a different version of the test for a better grade. Some kids didn't show any work, so I was not sure where they made mistakes. In class, we talked about this before taking the test. Kids should not be doing problems in their heads in testing situations. Complex multiplication and time problems are easily mixed up. If kids don't show work but still pass...great. But, if they don't show work and fail, then that is where I have issues. A couple of them are kids that I pulled in the hallway for a one on one last week for doing just this thing. They then did it again. I can't help kids unless I can see where or how to help them.

We will be doing a review unit in spelling. There will not be a test at all this week in spelling.

In SS we will finish up our tour of the NE region and in the theme reader.

In CC Meeting, we will talk about being grateful and being thankful.

Caden was our star of the week this last week. He shared many medals and trophies with us. He also shared some of his favorite things. You can tell that he has a lot to be proud of and that he is! Rightly so!!! Thanks for sharing with us Caden!
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On Friday, we got together with Mrs. Auch's class and took hurricanes a step farther. We made origami hurricanes. We located the eye, eye wall, and feeder bands. The kids had a great time. We made ours first, and then we helped Mrs. Auch's class make theirs. I will be honest, this was the best this activity has ever gone. I LOVE this group of kids!!!!

The kids ended Friday with Miss. Jennifer's delicious birthday cookies. Many went back for seconds! I know she made some serious cash! Happy Birthday Jen!!!!

A happy upcoming birthday to Coewyn tomorrow! He did pre-orders for his treats coming on Monday. I hope both birthday kids have fun celebrating this weekend!

Speaking of birthdays, the summer birthday crew has been on me to get them their birthday celebration date. Well, their constant reminding paid off. Off to the right, they can find their day that we will celebrate them and their birthday. Kids are welcome to bring in treats on that day. If that day doesn't work, just let me know and it is totally flexible. Caden and McLean...if you want it on the same day that is fine too. Just did them on separate ones just in case. Again, flexible.

Kids also ended the day with our fun reward coupon buy in. Due to their awesome choices with the substitute on Thursday, I awarded each student with a $500 bill. They could use it for a coupon or save it. I know each student was able to buy at least one coupon to enjoy. Many bought more than one, and two bought and bought and bought! It pays to save sometimes. I loved seeing all of them see their hard work come to life. It will be fun to see them use them whenever they want.


Lastly, I leave you with some pictures from last week. In spelling, kids went on the computers to complete an online crossword puzzle and word sort. They had to listen to the sounds of the words and sort them into categories by the sounds they heard. When finished, we used them to finish up those endangered species research reports.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
Ms. Erickson

I Believe I will be wearing some GRIZ gear tomorrow!

Hello there! I just got off the phone with Mrs. Woods. She was gloat, gloat, gloating!!! She said she has subbed all week and this group was the cream of the crop! She said she has NEVER seen this level of respect for one another and for her before. Can I tell ya how proud I am right now!!!! She also shared that Caden did an AMAZING job running the CC meeting. She said everyone was respectful towards him and that he did a wonderful job teaching. So much so that she said her jaw about hit the floor watching him!!! Well done Mr. Caden!

There is no homework tonight, except to finish what they didn't finish in class.

We will be doing some origami hurricanes tomorrow morning. Then we will help Mrs. Auch's class build theirs. There will be a lot of geometry going on while folding tomorrow!!! The kids have been learning about hurricanes in science class. I used to do the origami project when I taught science before so asked Mrs. Auch if I could do it now too. It is cool, because they can make the eye of the hurricane smaller and larger just like a real one!!!! Fun, fun!

Tomorrow is the coupon buy in. Kids may use their fake money to buy reward coupons tomorrow. They are excitedly waiting for this! We counted our money as a morning work yesterday, so they knew how much they could budget for this buy in. They were reminded to keep a safe stash and not spend every last penny! Ask your child what they plan on buying tomorrow. If they can tell you, write COUPON in the planner for $10 tomorrow.

Fitness club and PE are tomorrow as well. Please help remember those shoes. Kids without safe shoes are not able to participate in PE and that knocks down their grade. It is also like not doing their homework and costs them a $20 fine each time.

Library books area also due back tomorrow.

Rumor has it we have a birthday in the house tomorrow!!!! Miss. Jennifer will be a year older tomorrow!!! I am sure we will have fun buying her treats. Yum! Kids will also be able to pre-order birthday treats from Coewyn. His birthday is this Sunday. He wanted his cash before the coupon buy in, but we already had Jen's birthday on Friday. So...we came to the solution of pre-selling. Real world or what??? So, kids will decide if they want a treat on Monday, and will buy it on Friday. Cool!

Finally, tomorrow is the famous cat/GRIZ day! Kids may wear their favorite team's gear to school. Mrs. Meier has stated that she does NOT want hats worn in the building. So, lets leave those at home. All other gear is on though. Those wearing GRIZ gear will earn $100, and those wearing cat gear will have to pay $100. Kidding!!! All that show their team's spirit will earn $50. :0) GO GRIZ!

As for my day off, all went great at court. A new agreement between myself and my children's father was arranged and all is settled. Thank you to those that texted me good luck wishes and prayers. It was nice to be reminded to BELIEVE!!! :0) You are all so sweet and good to me.

Have a wonderful night in the snow!

True Character is How You Act When Ms. Erickson Isn't Watching!

Hello there.

Kids have a sub tomorrow (Ms. Woods). I will be out all day. Caden will be running our morning CC Meeting! He is ready to step into the teaching mode! Positive Leadership Caden!!!! :0)

Homework tonight: 1. Ch. 2 in Theme Reader Reading Guide. 2. DynaMath-Pages 12-13.
3. Finish up work not finished in class.

Everyone is now on multiplication in xtramath sessions. I watched yesterday and so many kids knew them, they were just tripping over the computer keys and would put in the wrong number. So, I made the call to move on. Please have kids do sessions at home when they can. When they max out, they will automatically move into basic division.

Please know that I do NOT put the timed multiplication test scores in the grade book. I just use it as a tool to see when we are ready to push forward to long division. Deep breath mom and dads! Sorry I didn't clarify this right away up front. I may eventually do one for the grade book, but I would never put a time rush on it.

So...we now know what a dad and baby turkey is called. We absolutely can't forget that mama! So, what is the mama turkey called? $10 if it is in the planner tomorrow. :0)

Have a wonderful day with the guest teacher kids and know that I absolutely BELIEVE in you!

Ms. Erickson

I am thankful for finished pen pal letters! Off they go!!!

Hello there. Well, fitness club once again about killed me. Man that Mr. Pertuit is one tough cookie! I feel myself getting better each time. Even one more pushup than the last means I am doing better! I LOVE being out there surrounded by kids. We encourage each other and do our best! Way to go Arrowhead!

Tonight kids have dual homework. One is their reading guide for social studies. We read and discussed the chapter together. We even had some substitute teachers read for us! Whom you might ask??? Ask your kiddo. Some of them were selected to act like me. They had to read while walking around the room and project their voice like a teacher. They love listening to their peers and get tired of my voice all the time. The reading guide has both literal questions (found in book) and inferential questions (need their knowledge plus book information). They brought home their theme readers. If not, they can go online and see the text too. Please limit help on this one. Those that have trouble may not have been participating in the discussions and daydreaming. Getting involved in academics is the sure way to understand the text even more!

The other part is DynaMath. I promised Chase that I would do the lacrosse section tonight, and I am a woman of my word! Kids need to read the article and complete the fraction problems. Remember: the numerator is on the top and the denominator is on the bottom. Great article! Love anything to do with American Indians!!!

Tuesday folders came home today. Inside, you will find two things that need to come back. One is last weeks multiplication timed test. The other is yesterday's states and capitals test. The first one is always the hardest. Now, kids feel comfortable with the format and know what to expect for the rest of the regions. Kids should keep their maps to practice on for the future end of the year 50 states and capitals test. Please sign and return both items in the signed folder tomorrow.

Finally, great job on the baby turkey. I sure hope there is no connection to a baby turkey (pout) and the word poultry!!!! Now, for tonights mystery...what is a dad turkey called? $10 tomorrow for the name in the planner! Happy Hunting!!!!

Thanks so much.

Ms. Erickson

I am thankful for parents that love their kids!

Hello there. What a great Monday. Kids were so well behaved and quiet. Loved it, and we were able to get everything done! Great job Erickson Believers!!!!!

Today, I went over the report form that we will be using to do our endangered animal reports. Kids each have their book information page about their animal. They also have their report form. I have put mine up tonight as an example of my expectations. This report form will be part of the final grade. The more it is filled out, the easier the oral presentation will be later. I showed them where I found my information and how I was thinking while reading. I also shared that I didn't think I had enough in some parts when I finished the book pages. So, I went online and youtube searched my animal along with the word endangered. Many short videos came up. I watched a few to gather more information. I have included the National Geographic website off to the right. If their animal is one that they include on their site, those videos are very helpful! Kids should type in their animal and see if it comes up. I modeled it in class for them.

Tonight for homework, kids need to read their book information and begin to fill in their report form. Your help would be awesome!!! Doing this together would be 10 times better than if they go at it alone. Try to help them find the interesting facts rather than the boring ones. They know to not just write down directly from the book, but rather in their own words. Thank, thank, thank you for any help you give on this one.

The bonus question tonight is a fun Thanksgiving one. What is a baby turkey called? Google it with your child and write what you find in the planner. Even I never knew this one!!!! :0) It is worth $20 tomorrow. Have fun!

The states and capitals test went well today. Those that were absent will do it tomorrow.

In math today, we started our measurement unit. We learned how to measure time in minutes and hours. That may seem easy, until you see one of the problems we did today. How many minutes and hours are in 477 minutes? Kids had to divide by 60 on their calculator, then subtract those minutes from the total, and finally find the minutes left over. Wowzers! Quiz tomorrow. :0)

That about sums it up for today. Have a wonderful Monday night!

PS-Anyone have an extra calculator or two at home collecting dust? My extras have died and many kids are in need of one this week while converting. If you have one (basic hand held) that you wouldn't mind donating that would be so awesome. If not, then no worries I can pick some up. Just thought I would see if I could REUSE or RECYCLE before buying new. Go Green!!!! :0) Thanks.

I am Thankful for a Job I LOVE!

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Happy Weekend! I am alive!!!! I shared with the kids that I was going hunting this morning on top of a horse. I am highly allergic to horses. Luckily, I didn't have to go after all. Too cold for this Florida blooded girl. :0)

I am happy to announce that we have solved the talking problem. I can't believe I am typing this, but I BELIEVE I am. It was MY fault!!!! After talking with my fellow 4th grade teachers, it slapped me in the face. I have NOT been following through. Ahhhhhh!!!! Once I started to follow through with the talking out, by issuing the appropriate fine no matter what, it magically disappeared. It seriously was like magic! And I knew it all along. Has that ever happened to you? So, so weird when you just figure it all out.

In CC Meetings this week, Rusty will focus on the skill of listening. With my grant that I received from the Arrowhead PTA this year, I was able to buy some fun books about this very topic. I am looking forward to this one!

Academically this week...

Math: We will show mastery on all of our multiplication skills. We will also begin our studies in converting measurement types including: minutes, hours, seconds, grams, liters, and meters. Fun, fun, fun! We will once again have our 3 minute multiplication test on Friday. Congratulations to McLean for joining the 100% club! You are excused from further testing in this area!!! Way to go buddy!

Reading: We will focus on cause and effect, making inferences and predictions as 4th graders, clarifying words, and writing/answering literal/inferential questions. We will continue our LEAD 21 studies in SS this week as the topic is the NE region. I LOVE when we can have text to text connections! It makes learning come to life and have even more meaning! We will also complete our endangered animal inquiry projects. What animal did your child pick? Ask them. If they can tell you write it in the planner for $10 on Monday.

Language: We will do review lessons this week on all the skills we have learned thus far through our daily Daily Oral Language boards. We will practice all week, and then quiz out at the end.

Spelling: or and ur sounds.

S.S.: NE states and capitals test is THIS Monday. There will be no surprises. I shared the exact test with all kids. MT History-we will finish up with the state symbols by doing the flags of MT and the Crow Indians.

Science: Origami hurricanes!!!!

Taryn was our star of the week this week. She is an avid GRIZ fan! She also is a collector of quarters. I never even knew there were National Park ones! Who knew??? Taryn also loves to play basketball. She shared her new jersey with us. Quite sparkly!!! Thanks for sharing with us Taryn!



It was Donuts with Dads last week. It was so fun to walk around and see the proud faces of so many dads. I tried to get everyone, but I think I may have missed a few family pictures. I apologize for that. It was one packed house!!! Thanks for loving those kids so much dads!

Fitness Club was quite WOW!!!! I am one sore girl today!!! I look forward to next Friday too! Yep, I am going back for more. :0)

Next Thursday, I will be gone. I will be in court all day. The kids will have a guest teacher. This is the first time they will have a sub, but I BELIEVE they will do great!

Next Friday, we will have a reward coupon buy in. Kids will be able to use their fake money to buy fun coupons that they may use when ever they want to. These include things like a free homework pass, have a beverage besides water on their desk for a day, eat lunch with a friend or little brother or sister, sit at the teacher's desk, and many more. They don't expire and must be present the day they use them. If coupon is lost, it is gone for good. I will not replace them. We talked at CC meeting about if a ticket booth would give you another one if you walked up to them and said that you lost it. Nope, nope, nope. I will also not buy coupons back. Once bought, they belong to the owner. Each coupon is $500. Students know to give themselves a budget and plan accordingly. We talked about how in life you should always have an emergency fund as a reserve. You never know when you will need some fast cash. I recommended they kept at least 500-1000 dollars. Kids are encouraged to spend, spend, spend though. This is why they work hard to earn it. They deserve it! Hopefully, everyone will be able to buy at least one. If not, kids need to really ask themselves why. We will have more opportunities in the future to do this again.

I leave you with a message from Mr. Pertuit. How SUPER exciting!!!!!! Character really does count in more than Ms. Erickson's Classroom and at home with you!!! We are soooooo lucky to have Mr. Pertuit at Arrowhead! I BELIEVE we can all be Iron Eagles!

As many of you are aware we have a fall fitness club for the 4th and 5th grade students. In addition to the club there is a new challenge called the IRON EAGLES. In order for the students to be a part of the IRON EAGLES they need to participate in as many club meetings as they can (or some other extracurricular with an exercise focus), maintain good grades in the classroom and all specialist classes, and show positive attitudes around the school (are they helping out teachers, students, being respectful, turning in work, etc...). They need to show good physical, mental, social, and emotional health at nearly all times in other words. Students will be rewarded and recognized for this achievement with spots on the bulletin board, the newsletter, and "member-only" IRON EAGLE wristbands (a great thing for the younger students to look forward to). I will send a list to each teacher of students able to receive this award in December and I only ask you send me back the names of students who have or have not met the requirements in your class. 

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

I BELIEVE honesty is the best policy.

Hello there.

CC Meeting today was pretty intense, but in a very positive way. The kids and I did a lesson on promises and how that ties to respect. We talked a lot about why we have teachers and why teachers are sometimes hard on us. I loved hearing that they all thought that I was hard on them because I care about them and their futures. Proud moment for me! We also talked about how I promise them certain things as a teacher. We played the promise game. I would say a promise to them, and then they would say one to me. So, I said I promise to never humiliate them. We talked about how when I say things sometimes certain people get a gut feeling that I am talking about them specifically, but they agreed that I don't single them out by name. I shared with them how my 9th grade SS teacher at Sr. High called me stupid in front of the entire class. I remember exactly how I felt and remember putting my head down and crying. I also remember it to this day, which means that I was scarred. I never want another child to feel what I felt. We also talked about how sometimes being around people that have the same problem as we do (example-talking out in class) actually helps us to overcome that problem. Today, I grouped the kids together with their desks and told them that I had a specific reason behind their seating arrangement today. I put them with others that had similar character traits as they did. Some kids really loved helping others, some kids are always positive leaders, some kids have difficulty keeping their desk area clean or organized, some kids generally start talking domino effects. I shared with them, that in each group I specifically put a strong leader on purpose. That leader will eventually turn the group one way or the other (positive or negative). I absolutely know this will happen in many of the groups in here. I told the kids that I wished I had a 24/7 video camera so I could bring all of you and show you the exact moment that the leader changes and starts to bring around the entire group. So, so powerful. I did not tell any group the reason behind my grouping strategies. I told them that they personally knew or would eventually figure it out. I also shared that the groups would look different tomorrow due to so many positive and some negative choices observed throughout the day. Lastly, we talked about how I want kids to leave this room with a higher IQ and a higher EQ. I shared with them that they should not be respectful or responsible or trustworthy because if they are not they will get money taken away. They should do it because it is the right thing to do. At home too. We took a second look at the poster we made awhile back that says I have pride in myself. I stressed the I part. It is not Ms. Erickson has pride in me or Mom/Dad has pride in me. It is I have pride in myself. That is not money or reward driven. That is character shields up and ready! I truly am so proud already of the progress made in this classroom. I am proud to be their teacher every single day! What I love most about this classroom is the risk free environment we have created. I can be up front and honest with these kids and they can do the same with me. They know that if I hurt their feelings or they are having any kind of feeling they can come talk with me. That is a teacher's dream, but it is my reality!!!! How lucky am I???

Academically today, we were busy, busy, busy! We did some assessments in both math and language. Overall, they went very well. Kids are retaining what they are learning and able to show mastery even over longer periods of time. Awesome!!!

I shared yesterday that we were having a guest speaker in Spelling today! Weird I know, but man was it cool. The lesson was entitled Fire Safety and went off the spelling word alarm. Each week, kids have a lesson in their text books that bring a word to life in the real world. So, this week I brought in Trevor's Dad to teach it. He is a Billings Fire Fighter. Man, the kids were all sorts of into it. He made those words come to life and interesting. I could not have had the same effect. They all passed the activity at the end too! And....as an extra bonus we all now know where our nearest fire extinguisher is at!!!! Thank you so much Mr. Trevor's Dad!!!!

More and more kiddos have exited out of addition on xtramath and moved into subtraction. What I am noticing is that once they do, they fly through subtraction as well! I have printed certificates to hang in the hallway for those that have moved on! Awesome work everyone. Keep practicing those sessions at home too.

In reading today, we took a break from LEAD 21 materials and started a novel called, There's An Owl In the Shower. We started Chapter One in class. In 30 minutes we practiced how to write a 4th grade three part prediction twice, found a metaphor, created 4 cause and effect statements, two examples of time and place settings, and wrote two inferential statements with text evidence to support them. And, we didn't even finish Ch. 1!!!! Crazy skill work today. The book is a hoot (no pun intended). It fits perfectly with our endangered animal studies. The kids will really enjoy the book.

Spelling tests are tomorrow. So is PE and Fitness Club. I promised the kids that I would join in on the fun with them tomorrow. I LOVE fitness club!!! Rumor has it our principal will also be there!!! Wow, who is brave enough to throw a dodge ball at Mrs. Meier???? I am not even sure I am that brave. :0)

Tonight's homework is DynaMath pages 4-7. Some kids didn't finish their synonym work either. Check the planner. Do you see highlighter marks? It is the procedure, and has been since day one, that kids highlight the work coming home BEFORE they leave group to pack up. I have noticed many kids not doing this. Also, is your child's writing readable? Do you feel it is their best work? I encourage you to NOT sign it daily if you can't read it. It is designed to be a communication piece between you and your child. If you can't read what they did all day, then the communication is not happening and the book is useless. If your child's handwriting is readable AND they highlighted (not circled or underlined) their homework today please write PLANNER in the planner for $10 tomorrow. If not, please ask them why and what is going on. Maybe they need a highlighter????? (They know where my extras are if they need to borrow one).

Well, hopefully your BELIEVE fundraiser stuff got all picked up and delivered ok. Looked like some fun stuff down there. We have the reward assembly tomorrow as well. :0)

Have a wonderful night1
Ms. Erickson

I Am What I Am...BELIEVE

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! The talking has somehow returned. NOOOOOO!!!!!! It is really only a handful that are shouting out, but then everyone joins in. We have talked this issue to death, but we will once again focus on it again. Fines will go up to $50 instead of 20 for this. We waste so much learning time when so much time is spent refocussing and saying shhhhhh all the time. Some of the shouting is class clown too, which is ten times worse. We talked at the end of the day about how they should be respectful and follow procedures because it is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, I am also having to issue more and more fines. The good thing is, it works for a bit and then we need to retrain. Growing and learning, growing and learning. If you could talk with kids tonight about choosing a good place to sit in CC Meeting and when doing partner work or in line that would be so helpful. Many kids are not talkers by nature, but once they get near a talker they follow that negative example. Positive leaders are more successful in life!

In SS today, we had Kevin from Connecticut. He did a GREAT job sharing how the NE region is similar and different from ours. We learned so much about their economy, their size, their population density, and their state symbols. It sure is different over there. I don't know about your child, but I sure was proud to be a Montanian by the time he left. Too many people in one small place for me! Some of the information he shared will show up on the final test for the NE region.

Speaking of tests, the states and capitals test is quickly approaching. We worked on our flashcards today. I also had them tell me what state I was pointing to. Practice, practice please.

In MT History, we continued on with our State Symbols. We learned the state gem, grass, animal, and bird. We will talk about the flag next. How does ours compare to the Crow Indian flag? What do the symbols on both mean? We will find out the answers to these questions soon!

Homework tonight is DynaMath. Kids need to do page 3. Last night they read about how there is 89 days in winter on Earth. When subtracting, we discovered that meant that there were 276 days left for summer, fall, and spring. I then asked if that meant that all seasons had 89 days? To solve that we did 89 x 3 and found it to be 267. That is 9 days short of the 276 left. So....which season has more or do they all???? I posed a challenge to google it. If they find out, please write the answer in the planner for $20 tomorrow.

Challenge math homework was given out tonight (not required, only for those that were up to the challenge). It was a three by two multiplication crossword. Kids shouldn't need any help and they should know if their answers are correct by filling out the crossword. If one is not fitting, then it is not correct (or the other one is not correct). Today, we had many kids doing 4 by 4 and even 5 by 5 multiplication problems. I couldn't even do the 5 by 5s on the calculator. They were so big! Wow!!!! Love that they are loving this. Tomorrow, we will do some common core standard testing, including these types of problems. This helps me see who needs more and who is ready for new material. We will all move onto measurement very soon.

Don't forget about those basic multiplication timed tests this Friday. I am hoping to see growth each time. Who is going to add to the exit out club this week????? :0)

Some of you have asked about the weekend homework. I have cancelled it. We are not ready, and I decided to do it in class. The part I was going to send home will now be done in class. The only part that will come home is to practice their presentations. Thanks for your willingness to help!

Have a wonderful night!
Ms. Erickson

To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow!

Hi there! Happy Tuesday!

It was a pretty basic day in the 4th grade. Kiddos selected their animals for their endangered species report. We will do the research in class this week. They will have some take home work to do over the weekend. I rarely give weekend homework, but this one needs some time at home. More on that later.

In computer lab today we worked hard on exiting out on addition on our xtramath program. Some kids are sooooo close. Tonight they HAVE to do two sessions (at least) for homework. I will be checking for completion on my screen tomorrow morning. We also practiced our states and capitals.

Also for homework tonight kids need to study their spelling words, practice their flashcards, and complete Page one and two in DynaMath!!! Yep it is back! Gotta love those!!!!

Tomorrow we will have our guest speakers from NY and Massachusetts. They will be great!

In math today we practiced our double digit by double digit math problems. Some kids aced that test and moved on to triple by triple! Wowzers!!!! They enjoyed the challenge. Kids had to check in after each problem with me before they could move onto the next. Between the volunteer and I we were able to get a lot of kiddos on the right track. A HUGE thank you also to McLean. He aced out so quickly, I appointed him as a third volunteer. He did great!!!!

Tuesday folders went home today. Inside you will find the multiplication test we took yesterday. Students had three minutes. We will test again this Friday. I would like them signed and returned. I want to compare them each week and make sure that studying is happening at home and scores are going up. Congratulations to Haylee and Spencer. They aced the test with a 100%. They do not have to take the test again!!!!

Barnes and Noble night is still needing volunteers. If you can donate an hour of time that night, please write YES 4 BARNES in the planner for $20. If not, write NO. I will then give the names to Max's mom and she will contact you to set up the schedule that works for you. What a great event, and I am sure your child would also be able to help along side you! Thanks.

Have a wonderful night with your kiddos!
Ms. Erickson

You are Beautiful. You are Magical. You are Capable. You are Wonderful. Believe it!

This free picture slideshow made with Smilebox

Happy Veteran's Day!!! I will let the slideshow above show/tell you about what we learned today. We are so grateful for our military forces. It all started way back in 1918. World War I had just ended. During that war, a soldier took time to notice all the red poppy flowers in Flander's Field. Today we listened to that story and heard the poem being sung. Veteran's Day was not always called Veteran's Day. We created a timeline to show the confusion with the name during History. No matter what it is called, it is pretty darn special! Ask your child to describe their visualization when they heard the word Soldier. Why did they put a poppy on their picture and how did they make it? If they can tell you write the word VETERAN in the planner for $10. They should use details from information above.

In SS today, we made our North East Region flashcards. I also shared the test with the class. They will have to find each state on a blank map and then match its capital to it. They will have a word bank, so they won't have to memorize the spelling, but will have to spell them correctly from the word bank. I recommend that they make another set of flashcards for home. The test will be next Monday. We will study in class, but kids need to study at home as well. All states and capitals are off to the right.

We took our multiplication tests today. Kids had three minutes to do 50 problems. They will be sent home and require a signature in tomorrow's Tuesday folders.

Tomorrow is the first day of Fitness Club. It starts after school. Kids need to be picked up promptly 50 minutes later. They must have the permission form sent home in last week's Tuesday Folders. It is not too late to join. If you need another slip see Mr. Pertuit in the morning. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Gym shoes are needed for tomorrow.

Homework tonight is to finish up spelling if needed (Page 72, 1-20 Types of Sentences) and a question sheet on Veterans Day. I would like them to practice writing the answers in complete sentences. It would be amazing if you could help by checking over those and offering them some feedback on what a complete sentence looks like.

Rumor has it the sun is going to be out tomorrow and melt all of our beautiful snow. It was such a surprise to see it this morning, as Silesia didn't get any (and we always get snow!). Made for a surprisingly slick drive in once I hit Laurel. Please remind kids that warm clothes help them stay dry and healthy. Thanks!

I leave you with some fun pictures I snapped at the Rocky Bowl this weekend. Man those boys all played hard! What amazing character I saw on and off the field by coaches and players! Great job boys!!!! You are all winners in my book! Below that is the video I showed the class this morning about the poppies. If you watch it, write the word POPPY in the planner for another $10.

I BELIEVE the Broncos are going to win the Rocky Bowl Today!

It is Veteran's Day (Rememberance Day) on Monday!!!!!!! This is one of my favorite days to be a teacher. There is sooooo much character involved on this day, and you know that is right up my alley. We will do some fun activities that help kids define and appreciate all that this holiday entails. Thank a soldier today!

In order to celebrate this holiday, I invite all students to wear red, white, and blue on Monday. Let's look like a human flag!!!! Those that do, will earn not only USA pride, but will also be $20 richer. :0)

There is a flower that people all around the world wear on Veteran's Day (Armistice Day). What is it? Have your kiddo research it with you. There is even a poem about it called, "Flander's Field." We will be using this flower on Monday. Write the name of the flower in the planner for $10 on Monday.

Here is a look at this week academically:

Math: Continue on with double by double digit multiplication and annexing those zeroes. Later in the week we will work with the elapsed time, and metric/customary units of measurement standards. By the end of the week, students should be able to identify which unit of measurement they would used to measure a given situation. THE BASIC MULTIPLICATION TIMED TEST IS THIS MONDAY! Kids need to know their basics 0-12 like they know their name. Thanks for practicing these all last week.

LEAD 21 Reading: We will be entering our last focus area for Unit 2: Endangered Animals. This is where one of our inquiry projects will come from. Each student will select an endangered animal and use technology and books to research some facts about it, including why it is endangered and how it is being helped to repopulate. Next weekend, kids will have the take home part of this to work on. They will need to create a poster with pictures only. The pictures will be clues as to what they will share with the class. They will not be able to use a script or notes. I want to know what they really know. More details and a grading rubric will come later this week.

Language-Action Verbs. We will quiz out of this on Thursday.

Spelling-Words that have the vowel + r sounds. We have three types this week. Ones that have an ear sound, an air sound, or an are sound. Test will be on Friday. Those that passed with a 100% last week will be able to add to our alternate group this week. Challenge, challenge. I even put some homophones on there this week too!!! No child is forced to do the alternate list. They may always go with the book words. Alternate words come from a 5th and 6th grade site. I am also hoping to have a guest speaker in spelling this week. One of the lessons in the book deals with fire safety. How cool would it be in a fireman actually came in and taught this. Boy....if we only knew one of those in our classroom??? Oh I know, Trevor's dad!!!! Thanks for doing this one for us Alan!!! :0) Fun!

Regional S.S.- We will begin our NE region. Kids will make their flashcards this week for their states and capitals. So many of them already know many of them, which is great!!! I will also share with them what the test looks like so there is no surprises. I have placed the list on the right of the blog as well for kids to use to study or make additional flashcards at home. The test will be next Monday. On Wednesday, I have arranged for both our class and Mrs. Auch's class to have some guest speakers come in. One is from Massachusetts, and the other is from New York. They will share their knowledge of why the NE region is so unique and some of the historical accounts that happened there that helped to form it into the region it is today. They will also share how it differs from the region Montana is found in. Pretty exciting to get first hand information!!!

MT History-We will press on with the State symbols.

Lastly, we will be having some students come in from Rocky Mountain College to do two lessons with us this week. They will be SS and Science based. I am sure they will be awesome!

I am just about ready to have some volunteers in the classroom. I really could use some that like to do math and can work one on one with kids at all levels, and some that like to read with a small group that needs to read their daily reading aloud. I would like to veer away from the reading part and focus more on the skill part when I meet with kids in a group. I also need some to flash kids basic flashcards. If this would work for you on any day, please write me a quick note in the planner. I will get in touch with you this week with the times. Daily though we have math in the morning (after 10:00) and reading after lunch. Thanks!

As you can see below, we had a great time celebrating Montana's 124th birthday! We found the major rivers, lake, mountains, and cities on our cookie maps. And of course, we had to give it some blue sky (frosting) to make it the Big Sky Country that it is known for. The best part of it though was gobbling it up. Yummy!!! What a great tasting state! Happy Birthday Montana.



Upcoming Events at Arrowhead: Please mark your calendars.

Nov. 14th-BELIEVE Fundraiser pick up for parents from 2-6 pm. Arrowhead sold $26,000 and they got to bank $12,000.00. Wowzers!!!

Nov. 15th-BELIEVE school wide fundraiser assembly. Prizes will be given out. 1:45 pm.

Nov. 15th-Donuts for Dads. In the gym on Friday from 7:15-8:00 am. Donations accepted.

Dec. 5th-Barnes and Noble Family Night. Volunteers needed.

Dec. 20th-Reflections Art Projects are Due if participating. What a FANTASTIC event!

The numbers came in, Kaitlyn's Voice hat day raised over $450 dollars. She was able to buy an ipad that will help her be more successful in school and in her hearing. Over 350 kids came to the Halloween Family Fun Night! Great fun was had by all!

Miss. Casasha was our star of the week. She loves to sew when she is bored and her dad got a real sombrero from Mexico. We just learned about this in class. What a great self to text connection Casasha! She also shared the crests of her family heritage. Now that is cool, and yet another connection to her academics in class. Thanks for sharing with us Casasha!



Well, that about sums up the upcoming week. I leave you with these fun pictures of some boys that all of us should be so proud of! Caden, McLean, Tyler, and Max are in the Rocky Bowl this weekend. Good luck boys! I will be there to cheer you on!