Hi there. I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend. As I am writing this, I have the windows open and am feeling fall in the air. I am hoping the owl on this blog relays that message to Mother Nature and fall comes to stay soon. Fall is my favorite season! What is yours? Write your answer in your child's planner for a $10 bonus tomorrow.
It was awesome to see so many of you at Saturday Live. What a perfect day for it! Students that attended will receive their reward on Monday! Thanks for all of your support for Billings Schools!
The NILE field trip slips went out and most of you returned them. Almost all students have bought in. That is awesome! We will have our second field trip to the Yellowstone Detention Center at the end of October. The jail you say?? Yep. We have went for five years now and it is one of the most fantastic and meaningful field trips I have ever been on. It is not scary, but it is real. We will be studying the impact of drugs and alcohol during Red Ribbon Week. Mrs. Hankins and I bring in many guest speakers to cover all different angles of this topic. Now is the time to help kids understand that their choices NOW as a 4th grader will build them into the person that has to face these choices later. This is one of our favorite weeks to teach because it is all about character. One of the conditions for a speaker to come in and talk to our class is that they have to show how their topic relates to good character and how choices equals consequences. Parents are encouraged and more than welcome to meet us at the jail and take the tour as well. The staff is amazing and they do a great job linking all that we have talked about throughout the week. It is the perfect way to end Red Ribbon Week. More to come on all of these events in October.
This week we will be moving away from Hurricanes and into the water cycle. We will be taking a close look at the four main components. We will also come to the realization that we are drinking the very same water as the dinosaurs did way back when. Wow! That will lead us to the topic of helping to keep our only fresh water supply clean and healthy. A fun song will be stuck in their heads about the cycle going round and round. Watch for the link soon.
This week we will also be starting our 4th grade states and capital's study. We will start in the Northeast and work our way west, Just like Lewis and Clark did! In about two weeks students will need to be able to identify the Northwest states on a map and match them to their correct capitals by memory. I have listed them off to the side for you to study with them. I suggest making flashcards and printing off some blank maps for practice. I will also be sending home a laminated blank map for them to use ALL throughout the year. Students will not be tested once and then move on, each time we move to a new region, there will be review states and capitals as well. They need to commit these to memory for life. As you and I know, we use state location information all the time in life. As Bradley Chalkers would say, watch the news if you don't believe me. :0) Who is Bradley Chalkers? Ask your child if they are in my reading class.
This week's spelling words are homophones. We have talked about these before during our DOL (Daily Oral Language) time. When studying this week, make sure you use them in a sentence. On the test, they must get the right homophone on the right number as well as spelling in correctly. For example, if I say I saw two birds and your child writes down too on the blank then it would be marked incorrect. A little more thinking this week. Love a challenge!
Grade reports went home last Friday. I am surprised with all the straight A students I have this year! Either I am not challenging them enough, or I am an even better teacher than I thought I was! I suppose it is neither, and they are just awesome smart kiddos this year! Yeppers! All students are doing very well, and I am proud of each of them.
Our star of the week last week was Christopher. He did an awesome job sharing all his fun stuff. He loves scouts and has earned many pins and patches since he joined in the 1st grade. Next week, it is Ramsey's turn! Can't wait to see what she has to share. I love learning more and more about each kid weekly!
Lastly, a huge yummy thank you to Halle for the delicious chocolate chip cookies on Friday. She overcooked at home, so thought she would share with us just because. Awesome! She made some bank by selling them to her friends for $10. We love special treats! Thanks Halle!
Enjoy your Sunday. Play outdoors! If you are like me, enjoy watching the Extreme Home Makeover show tonight. The first lady, Michelle Obama, will be lending a hand in changing a families life forever. It really is the small stuff in life that makes a difference. If you do watch it with your child, write down OBAMA in the planner and earn $50 tomorrow at check in. :0)
