Week of MAY 2nd

Last Thursday, Brennen's awesome dad, Dave, came and talked with us about recycling. He works for Schnitzer Steel. I learned a ton and it tied in fabulously with Earth Day and our study of magnets. A random fact I remember: It takes six weeks from drinking the beverage in an aluminum can to recycling it into a new can. Aluminum can be recycled an endless amount of times. The heat from the recycling process sterilizes that can and kills any bacteria (a few were worried about drinking from the same can as someone else!). Thanks again for sharing so much knoweledge with us, Mr. Ellis. And thanks for the cool magnet tools.

Ty discovered that his baseball hat must contain iron, because the magnet from Mr. Ellis stuck right to it! Ha! Many kiddos had thiers stuck to their braces, which cracked me up!

Ashlyn mastered her last name in cursive, which made me so proud!

Takoda and his high school brother, Cole, bought a cool science project that allowed them to hatch tripod fish eggs. He brought the poster to show the class and has agreed to bring "Bob" in when he gets a little bigger!

Here's a close up of those cute glasses!

Josiah did a research project on Legos. I was impressed with his poster and the interesting information he gathered. Did you know that Legos were originally made from wood? That the company started in Denmark? Or that the Lego figurines have holes in their head to prevent children from chocking? That in Danish Lego means "play well"? 

Thanks for teaching us so much, Josiah!

How in the world is it already May?!? I am sad that I only have 21 more days with this fabulous group. They have won my heart, that's for sure!

A reminder that we will be testing on May 3, 4, and 5 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). Please make sure that your child gets a restful night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast. Also, they may want to have some gum in their backpack. Thanks for all your support at home to ensure that students SHINE this week!

Here are some upcoming dates that you may want to mark on your calendars: 

May 3 - 10:30 1st-3rd Bike/Walk event         2:15 4th-5th Bike/Walk event

May 3, 4, 5: NWEA/MAP testing for our class

May 6 - No School 

May 11 - 1:00 5th Grade Band Concert 

May 13 - 8:45 = 3rd Grade "Goin' Buggy" program

May 13 - 1:30  1st/2nd Spring Fling singing for parents

May 13 - Last day to check out books at the Library

May 20 - ALL Library books due back!

May 23 - 1:00 5th Grade Orchestra Concert

May 25 - 8:45-8:55  5th Grade Blacklight Show - ALL invited

May 30 - No School

June 3 - Last day of school!!!


Code Word: May Flowers

Week of April 25th

Maggie did a cool trick at recess!

Devlin did a neat science experiment that extracted DNA from a strawberry!

Ty found an example of comparatives and superlatives in his book. We have been working hard on adjectives that compare! (ex: tall, taller, tallest or beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful)

Christian is missing his two front teeth, which too cute!

Bennett and I went to the PBR last weekend, which was a blast! 

I always love watching my previous students play the recorder! Can't wait to watch these lovely people next year!

I wish they made gumball dresses in my size! :)

It was Miss Mallo's last day on Tuesday. We sure will miss her in our classroom! Thanks for everything, Sheena! 

This week in reading we will finish the story What a Great Idea. Last week we read about some interesting inventions that came from MISTAKES (including the chocolate chip cookie and antibiotics). Proof that even marvelous things can come from mistakes! Our theme vocabulary words this week are: risky and benefit. We will focus on the skills of monitoring comprehension, analogies, identifying the main idea, and prefixes that tell where. 

In math, we will continue learning about two-dimensional shapes. Last week students learned about open and closed figures, the difference between lines, line segments, and rays, as well as identifying angles (acute, right, or obtuse). This week we will work on classifying quadrilaterals, drawing quadrilaterals, and describing triangles. 

Have a great three day weekend! 

Code Word: Quadrilaterals

Week of April 18th

This cracks me up, as we continue to struggle with equivalent fractions! :)

My teacher heart was so happy when Tristan pulled an empty Kleenex box out of the garbage and exclaimed, "I found a rectangular prism!"

Mr. Pertuit and his wife took Bennett horse back riding last weekend and he L-O-V-E-D it!

This week in reading we will start Unit 8: New Ideas. It is a fun unit that allows that kids to explore great inventions, as well as brainstorm future inventions that would make life easier! I am always amazed at the incredible ideas that these 8 and 9 year olds have! We will focus on the theme vocabulary words of: inspiration, discover, and ambition. During reading rotations, we will focus on the skills of monitoring comprehension, asking and answering questions, generalizing, and noun suffixes. 

In math, we are moving onto Chapter 12: Two Dimensional Shapes. This week we will focus on describing plane shapes, angles, identifying polygons, and classifying quadrilaterals. I just love geometry and am looking forward to exploring these concepts with my favorite people! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

Code Word: No School Friday 

Week of April 11th

Grace got a cool new Star Wars backpack... Love it, Gracie!

I took this picture so I always remember Ty's love for area and perimeter. Seriously, the kid smiles through ALL of math - it's a teacher's dream! :)

Sometimes when I look out at Ashlyn, her glasses fall down her noise while she is working. I just adore that girl!

Camden got an awesome new buzz cut. Perfect for this warm weather!

Carson has been putting gel in his hair, which I told him that he needs to stop because it is simply too cute! ;)

We have done five mini-lessons on grit and perseverance lately. Ask your child what Ormie, Sparky, Mojo, and Michael Jordan have in common! (Hint: they NEVER give up!). 

Christian's dad, who is the Sheriff of Rosebud County, came and talked to the class. It was fun to watch him use his handcuffs and taser. The kids asked great questions and realized what a truly heroic job law officers have. So very grateful for those who serve and protect to keep us safe! Thanks for the visit, Randy!

And this last picture just makes my heart happy. I love tulips. I love sunrises and sunsets. And I love all they beauty that surrounds us in this world. 

This week in reading we will focus on the theme vocabulary words: scattering and memory. We will read an awesome story called "Fishing Day." We will focus on the skills of making predictions, identifying the setting and moral of stories, and sequencing events. 

In math, we will continue on with Chapter 11. We had a mid-chapter quiz this week and the majority of students have a nice grasp on area and perimeter, so now we will dive deeper into those concepts. 

For social studies and science, we will do some activities relater to Earth Day, which is coming up. 

A couple important testing dates to mark on your calendars:

Our class will take our Spring NWEA/MAP tests on May 3rd, 4th, and 5th and we will be taking our Smarter Balance tests the week of May 20th-24th! Please, please, please let me know if you are planning on being gone any of these dates, as your child will need to make them up before they go. Thanks for your support and understanding! Also, your child is allowed gum while testing, so it may be a good idea have a pack tucked away in their backpacks!

Remember that there is NO school this Monday, as it is a PIR day (work/training day for the teachers). I look forward to seeing all the lovely mom's on Friday from 7:15-8:15 at Memories for Moms. 

Lastly, a lot of students are coming to school with no water and no snack. Please ask your child if they are in need of either of those items. It makes the day go more smoothly... Thanks!

Code Word: Grit