Spring??? Spring???? Are you out there Spring????

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Hi there. Happy Snowy Spring! Really Montana?? My daughter kept saying today, "Mom, it is warm out, and it is snowing." I just shook my head and said, "Only in Montana my girl, only in Montana!" I am wondering if anyone is an avid hunter out there. I may want to put out a hit for a certain groundhog soon. :0) C'mon sun…push your way through!

Snow or not, as you can see above the kids had a wonderful time snuggling with some spring baby chicks. Adorable. It is always fun to see the "tough guys" turn soft and sweet with the baby chicks. The chicks visited 13 classes total on Friday. Can I just say, that I am no longer a fan of chicken poop (not that I ever was) or of chirp, chirp, chirping. But, as always it was sure worth it. It is so great for kids to experience different lifestyles whenever they can. It will be even more fun to see them on the real farm at the end of the year. 

Speaking of that…I am planning on asking Indian Education for All to fund the money for the trip to the ranch. (And they might not because they are already funding our Pompey's Pillar trip for all 4th graders). But, I figure the worst they can do is say no, so I will ask soon. However, if they say no, I need a back up plan. Would you be willing to pay? Because it is out of town and we need the bus all day, last year it was close to $300 I believe. So between our class and our pen pal's class it would be around $10 each for the trip and the branding lunch. Would you be willing to pay that? If so please write YES in the planner. If no, write NO. Those that do, will earn $10 bonus money. It will be easier for me to plan if I know what our choices are. Trust me though…it is worth it and it wraps right into our MT History, S.S., and novel we will read in language arts class soon. 

Academically this week, we have a full week and only have 4 days to do it. 

S.S.-We will take a look into some Native American legends/stories. Kids will add some fun pieces to their MT History notebooks. The following week, we will dive into Lewis and Clark. This will take awhile and will prepare us for our Pompey's Pillar field trip. They will literally see their learning come to life out there. Montana is soooooo cool! Kids also have their SW states and capital's test this coming Friday.There are only 4 states in this region. I have listed them off to the side. 

Science: The science fair is THIS Thursday. See older posts for Mrs. Auch's message to you. Our kids will be in the gym presenting from 1:00 to 2:00 on that day. Please feel free to stop in and listen to them present at anytime during that hour or just come in and wander around anytime that day. It will be in the gym. Questions…Mrs. Auch is your go to person! I can't wait to see all the fun discoveries the kids made. 

Language: Commas and quotations. 

Spelling: Back to normal. I will post the book words soon. Alternates will test on Tuesday and then again on Friday. 

Lead 21 Reading: Nature's Neighborhoods continued. We will also begin small group rotations again this week. We will focus on a review of all skills learned thus far in order to keep them fresh in our mind for the NWEA MAP testing coming up the first week of April. We will also add point of view as a new lesson. 

Math: We will finish up geometry and review some fractions again. We will also dive back into percents and decimals along with a review of graphing. Review, review, review. 

C.C. Meetings: Being true to yourself and your future self. This isn't an issue I see a lot of in my class, but it always a great reminder. We will read some great literature about the subject and also watch Rusty's show.

Lastly, I would like to leave you with a challenge. Would you grab a cup of coffee and watch this video? I will be sharing it in CC this week with the kids. If you do watch this, write WATCHED in the planner for another $100. If you watch it all the way through and really focus in on it, I think you, like me, will discover just what education is all about. :0) https://vimeo.com/79444520

Well, I think that about does it for the week. Enjoy tomorrow with your kids! Hopefully everyone travelled safely to the basketball tournament in Casper. 

Think SPRING!

Ms. Erickson