The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. John E. Southard

Hi there. I am beginning to actually FEEL like Lewis and Clark! This journey is taking FOREVER!!!!!  We made it to the Bitterroot Mountains today. Yay!!! Tomorrow, we will cross them and head down to the Pacific Ocean. Down Stream from here folks! :0)

Homework tonight is to continue reading the Sacajawea book. They need to read the Chapter entitled, Little Bird Returns. The quizzes were better today for some, but not all. We talked about how in 5th grade, the teacher is going to expect their students to be able to read ALONE and comprehend what they are reading. If they need to read aloud, they need to find a way that that strategy will work for them. These will be our last grades in reading this year.

Tomorrow is World Water Day. Kids are encouraged to bring a dollar donation and wear as much blue as they can. (No hair coloring). This is Arrowhead's last spirit day for 2013-2014 school year. Thanks for all your support.

Final Essays were written today. Kids published them in pen today in their best handwriting. They will be graded and added into the language grades and then placed in their files for their 5th grade teachers to see. What a great 1st impression so many of them are making. So proud!

Two kiddos used their show and tell coupons today. Chase brought in a very cool project he helped do. He created a lego model of the app game, Flappy Bird. So, so creative!



Jen brought in some magic little bead things. I am so out of date on what is in these days. I have never even heard of these before. When added to water, they grow in size! They are also room air fresheners. Who knew???? Crazy! Thanks for sharing Chase and Jen!



It was Ty's early birthday today! He brought in some delicious crepes for us to eat filled with strawberries. Many kids went back for seconds! Yummy! Thanks Ty and I hope you have a great birthday this weekend!



That about does it. Have a great evening!
Ms. Erickson

Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you. Princess Diana

Hi there. 7.5 days left till we become 5th graders (well, not me…I am being held back and will have to repeat 4th again. :0))

It was another busy day in room E5. We went further up the Lewis and Clark trail, tested out on tile pulling probability, edited our rough draft essays, took a quiz on what we read last night about Sacajawea, read more about Sacajawea, and all ate a Dilly Bar thanks to Dairy Queen! Wowzers!

For homework tonight, kids need to read the next chapter in the Sacajawea book, pages 44-51. They again can chose the way they read. However, some found out the hard way today that I wasn't kidding when I said there would be a quiz to hold them accountable for their reading. There will be a quiz again tomorrow on tonight's information. Discussing and connecting to the information is key to remembering facts and details.

Tomorrow is the 4th grade celebration. I mentioned before that my class is not a part of this. It is similar to what we did when you came for MLK, Jr night. Please disregard notices that came home or are posted on the Arrowhead website.

The class lost two privileges today. Due to the amount of kids getting up in the middle of a lesson to fill water bottles from the faucet, we will not be doing it anymore. The procedure is to fill it up right when we come in from lunch if need be. Once one kid does it, they all do it. So, they will need to fill it up at home before school and make it last throughout the day, which should not be a problem. We are in an air conditioned school and should only need a small drink when we come in from outside. The other one is 4 square. While watching today, I heard so many unkind words being spoken. "Your out!" You cheat!" "Nooooo, they played on it. We changed the rules!" It actually hurt my CC Meeting heart to watch and listen to it. All those meetings about being kind to one another and showing grace and gratitude??? What happened??? So, my class is no longer having that activity as an option at recess. They will need to find a different game to play and be kind when doing so. Choices….consequences.

A very cool shout out to Adelaide's family! They made the Gazette! Her entire family (mom, dad, and 8 kiddos) are running in the Heart and Soul Run coming up. The article was a great reminder of just how important exercise is. It also reminded me just how important family time is. What a great example for all of us to follow. Awesome job Adelaide and family!!!!

I had dinner with Rusty last night. He is such an inspiration to me. He is so positive and so understanding of what kids are going through in the real world. He gave me all the shirts. He didn't have any youth large, but said that the adult smalls were just a tad bit bigger. I said that was perfect. So, I have them. I will give them out on Monday before our first wiffle ball game. That way they are all clean and pretty for our team picture to send to him! :0)

A HUGE thank you to all that have volunteered to chaperone the bike trip: Riley's grandma, Max's mom, Spencer's mom, Coewyn's dad, and possibly Trevor's dad. The more the merrier. Just remember, adults need to wear helmets too. I will be happy to pick up your tab for your yogurt as a thank you! :0)

Chase's mom emailed me with an awesome act of kindness. Some parents would like to celebrate the end of the year with a Jimmy John's lunch. We will have this on the last day at 11:00. They will provide the stuff, kids just need to bring a drink. It is a half day, so that is a perfect way to end the year/day. Thank you so much for this amazing treat! Wow!

I leave you with a "Fill My Bucket" that happened to me after school today. Arrowhead staff had a little get together for me for my upcoming wedding. That's right…I am getting hitched this summer. When you see me in the halls next year, I will be Mrs. Grewell. It is pronounced as Mrs. Grew well. It was so nice of them to show me such love and kindness. What a great place to work! Thanks Arrowhead!



Respectfully and Kindly,
Ms. Erickson

Let the Wrap Up Begin!

Hi there. Your child will be a 5th grader in less than 8 days!!!!! How is that for a scary entrance into today's blog post???

Today was a busy, busy day. We spent a large chunk of it doing MT History. Lewis and Clark sure are facing a ton of crazy animals in Montana these days. Ask your child what the White Bear is! If they can tell you what and why then write WHITE in the planner for $10. They should say it is the Grizzly Bear and that the Native Americans called it that because it has a grayish white color on the tips of it's fur, making it look whitish.

For homework tonight, each child brought home a copy of the Sacajawea book that I am reading aloud. They need to read the chapter entitled, On the Missouri River, starting on page 27. They can read it alone, to you, with you, or listen to you read it to them. They will have a quiz on it tomorrow, so discussing it as they go would probably be best. It is their choice however. Please do not have them read on.

In the Tuesday folders, you will find two permission slips. One is for the Spinner's Bike Ride and one is for Pompey's Pillar. Thank you so much for helping me determine needs by writing in the planner yesterday. We only have one need. Does someone have an extra bike that a girl could ride comfortably and safely? If you do, could you write BIKE in the planner too so I know who to contact for it next week. Thanks! Please sign the folder and permission slips and return them tomorrow. Thanks!

We began to test out on our Probability skills in math today. We did probability with spinners today. Tomorrow, we will do pulling tiles. This will be our final unit in math. Grades will be complete on Friday.

In language arts, we began our rough draft essays. These are the final writing assessments we will do for this year. They will be placed in the 5th grade folders as an example for the next teacher to use to see the needs of each student. I will NOT be editing them. They will be allowed time to edit and use resources themselves to make corrections. I don't want to give the next teacher false data.

Alternate Spellers took their last test today. I will grade them tonight and get them back to kids tomorrow. Final test will be on Friday. Book kiddos will test on our last unit on Friday. Words are posted to the right.

Well, I think that about covers it. Have a fantastic night!

Ms. Erickson

There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.

Hello there. Happy Memorial Day! I hope all of you were able to be outside doing something patriotic. Wishing great thoughts to all those in Denver playing in the big baseball tournament. Now, baseball is so American! Or, maybe you took a long hike or had a family BBQ! In the slideshow below, I shared what our family did. Zach's dad and nephew always march in the Joliet parade that also tours the neighboring towns. We caught up with them in Fromberg. It sure makes me proud to be an American when I see this tradition every year! Awesome!

The rest of the slideshow is of Field Day and our Ranch Field Trip. Two awesome adventures! Enjoy!

This free slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Caden was our star of the week last week. He shared some fun things with us. I never knew he was a Viking Fan. All this time, I thought he was a Bronco fan. Who knew! Thanks for sharing with us Caden.

We have two weeks of the 4th grade left. I can't believe it! Where did the year go? We will wrap up our academics this week. This is the last week of spelling. We will focus a lot on Montana History and finish up the Lewis and Clark Journey. We will be ready for our field trip to Pompey's Pillar the last week. I can't wait! I heard from our Pen-Pal teacher that they have new activities this year too. Awesome!

Since we were on our Field Trip to Hardin when the school did their school wide bike trip, we will be doing one on our own the last week of school. On the last Thursday, after lunch, we will travel down the bike trail and backroads to Spinners Yogurt shop to have some treats. We will have plenty of chaperones and Coewyn's dad has agreed to follow us with his truck in case anyone needs picked up or fixed up along the way. He will also transport the two students that shared that they would rather not ride to the shop. Please make sure your child's bike is ready to go and that they have a safe helmet by that day. If you need help doing this, please let me know BEFORE that day. We do have some kids with extra helmets and bikes. Please think ahead to next week, and let me know your child's situation by writing one of three things please for $50 tomorrow...
GOOD-Meaning your child will have a working bike and a helmet.
BIKE-If your child has a helmet but will need a working bike.
HELMET-If your child has a working bike, but will need a helmet.
NONE-Your child will need both a working bike and a helmet.

Permission slips will come home in the Tuesday folder. If you would like to ride along with us as well, please write me a note in the planner. We will be gone from 12:30 to 2:00ish. I am in the works with figuring out the cost of yogurt for each child. They will need to bring their money that day. Please see the permission slip tomorrow with those details.

As the school year winds down, I will be finishing up 4th quarter grades and report cards. Please check to see that your child has NO missing assignments online. They know that I will not chase them down on these. It is their responsibility. Missing assignments are the fastest way to drop a grade.

FANTASTIC FIELD TRIP!

To steal a line from one of my very favorite movies, European Vacation…Sorry Folks, Park's Closed!

What an AMAZING day, and I could NOT have done it without the help of Haylee and Spencer's moms! THANK YOU for making today smooth sailing. That being said, this teacher is pooped! Let's catch up on the blog this weekend (Monday).

Homework tonight is to check for ticks (especially in hair) and take a shower.

If your child can tell you their favorite part of today, write RANCH in the planner.

Enjoy your Memorial Day!
Ms. Erickson

Field Trip Tomorrow!

Hello there!

Tomorrow is the field trip to the Ranch! Kids need to bring a drink for their lunch. Lunch will be a hot dog, chips, watermelon, a deviled egg, and a homemade chocolate chip cookie. If your child doesn’t want that lunch, they will need to bring their own. Hats, sunscreen, and old shoes are a GREAT idea. Kids may wear shorts, but I recommend pants. It is tick season, and the branding will be done out in the taller grass and corrals.

We will leave right away and be back around 2 or 2:30. I will have my cell phone on the entire time, however there are places on the ranch that I don’t get service. Please feel free to call/leave a message/text if you need anything. Of course you can always call the school office as well and they know how to get ahold of me.

Kids MAY and are encouraged to bring electronics for the bus. They will be left on the bus during the actual trip.

This afternoon, the kids had a sub. I had court once again. Boy, can’t we all just get along? :0) Homework is a language sheet. Still having some kiddos leaving out those basic capitalization and punctuation marks. Please feel free to check them and have a discussion if you can.

We took the final states and capitals test today. I LOVED how excited they all were to take it. Awesome. I should have them graded/posted by Friday at the latest. Some kids even took on the bonus of labeling all 50 states on a map. Those that get a 100% will earn 10 points added to their lowest SS grade. Those that miss one or two will earn 5 points. So proud of them for taking the risk. It does not hurt their grade at all. It can only help! There will be no more units or regional studies for this year.

Just a reminder for the Rusty shirts for the wiffle ball tournament. Many brought in their orders today. This is going to be sooooo fun! I will collect orders through Friday and then place the order.

I decided to save all the field day pictures to combine them with the ranch ones. Stay tuned…

Have a wonderful evening!

Ms. Erickson

Awesome Fun in the Sun!

Oh my goodness I am so tired from field day that I can't even think, much less type. Ask your child to tell you their favorite station. If they do, write FIELD DAY in the planner for $50 (since I have forgotten all week). Pictures will be posted tomorrow.

Homework: Spelling Book Work. Page 212, 1-7 and 215, 1-8. Those that will be gone Friday have their spelling test tomorrow. (Everyone is doing book test). Everyone else will test Friday. The 50 states and capitals match test is tomorrow. Last chance studying tonight.

I showed the kids the Rusty shirts today. They thought they would be fun to get as a uniform shirt when we play wiffle ball the last week of school. Awesome! I certainly can't make it mandatory, but if they want one I will sure order them. $15, size, and color diamond they want by Friday please. Rusty will be here next week so he will bring them with him. :0) Yay!

Tuesday folders came home today. Please empty, sign, and return tomorrow for $50.

Have a great night!

Bye!
Ms. Erickson