Hello 5th GRADERS!!!!!

Hello there.

Here we are...our last post. I miss you already!

Never fear Dominic's sweet little puppy is here to cheer us up! How adorable is she???Thanks for sharing her with us Dominic!



It will be a rough day tomorrow. I am not ready to give these kiddos up yet!

This hasn't been the easiest of years for me personally, but working with your kids has been a lifesaver. To watch them grow up has been such a fun and exciting adventure. Remember day one?? They were so little, still 3rd graders really. Now, they are all grown up and practically 5th graders.

I want to thank all of you for all your support this year. Not only professionally, but personally as well. I will not be returning to Arrowhead next year. That saddens me greatly and it was a surprise that happened today. I'm not going to go into the details, but rather am going to look forward to the future. My work/time here is done. It is time to go make a difference somewhere else. I will miss all the families, friends, and students. I hope that we stay in touch. I am on Facebook and would love to connect with all of you and see pictures of your kiddos growing up.

Know that I am always around for any reason forever.

So, one last time I will say my favorite phrase....

Thank you for being you, so I can be a better me!
And, of course, always, always, remember to BELIEVE!

Love,
Mrs. Grewell (Tammie)

1.5 Days Left

Hi there.

We are almost there!!! Field Day take two was again successful. The kids had a blast! Thanks to all the volunteers! And thank you to Mother Nature for providing the sunshine!!!



There will be a sub tomorrow morning. I will be back at noon.

Wiffle Ball was super fun this morning against our friends in Mrs. Gleason's class. Those 811 shirts sure looked great! Way to go Team Grewell! We play again tomorrow morning. Kids don't need to wear their shirt again however. Thanks!



Here are those Project Lead the Way projects. Quite the little engineers! Funny, how they are all so different. They had to figure out a way to move boxes full of food out of the delivery truck into the building without having to carry them or exert a ton of human effort (like pushing or pulling). Creative!

This digital slideshow made with Smilebox

Tomorrow is our auction. Kids even get paddles to bid with. :0) Time to spend that hard earned cash!

Tomorrow will be my last blog post. How will you ever live without it? What will you do with all your time? :0) Don't worry...I will miss doing it as much as you will miss reading it.

Homework: Clean out backpacks so that it comes empty except planner. Kids will bring home all supplies tomorrow. They will not need their backpacks on Friday. Remember that they are out at 11:45 on Friday!!!!

Speaking of homework...many of you have asked for some stuff to do with kids to keep them fresh over the summer. I sent them home with 4 packets. I told them that if they do a little each day they will do so much better next year. I also told them to keep the orange one in the car to do when they re driving from here to there and are bored. You would have thought I killed them with all the groans and moans. :0) I also encouraged them by telling them if they bring back ALL four done in a 4th grade quality work, I will order Jimmy Johns/Wendys/Subway for them and they can come over and eat with their old teacher!!! Of course, this is all optional, but I do feel it is important that kiddos keep up on their studies every now and again over the summer. You're welcome. :0) If they show you this, please write MRS GREWELL ROCKS in the planner for a final $100!!!!

Have a wonderful evening.
Mrs. Grewell

2.5 Days Left!

What a fun, fun day! We made it back just before the skies opened up! It was BEAUTIFUL out at Pompey's Pillar. Question for your kiddo...Which animal was here when Lewis and Clark came through...the bison or the buffalo? Write their answer in the planner for $10 tomorrow. Enjoy these sneak peak photos. The rest will be ready and posted soon!

If kids want to make an Inuksuk, they need to bring in their rocks by tomorrow. (Small and flat are the best).

We had some donated auction items come in today. The kids surrounded the back table to take a look at what they want to buy. Hoping a few more come in tomorrow. The auction is Thursday.

Our Wiffle Ball game against Mrs. Gleason's class is tomorrow morning. Please have kids wear their 811 shirt if they got one. If not, please have them wear a white t-shirt. Then, we have field day in the afternoon, so they can't wear their white for that. Please help them to remember to bring a different shirt for that. Thanks!

There is no homework tonight!

Mrs. Grewell

3.5 Days!!!!

Hi there.

Well, the news Inquiry projects about Ecosystems went great! All filming is done. Now comes the editing. We will watch them later this week.

We also finished up our PLTW unit. Kids were successful in creating a machine using a pulley system and some way to convert man's energy into mechanical energy to move a box across a distance of 12 inches. I will share video soon.

Tomorrow is Pompey's Pillar. We leave right at 8:30 and will be back around 1:4ish. Students need to pack their lunch (soda is fine) and wear closed toe shoes. The weather looks iffy, so I suggested rain clothing or umbrellas. Sunscreen and Bug Spray need to be applied BEFORE school. Thanks. Chaperones, please arrive at 8:15. Thanks.

On Thursday, we will do our last Auction with our fake money. I have some collected items to bid on, but I asked kids to take a look around at home for some gently used items that they could donate. If each kiddo donated one or two items that would be so helpful. I told them it was their homework to at least look around. Please send in items as soon as tomorrow so kids can start to plan their spending. Also, make sure they have YOUR approval to bring the items. Thanks!!!

Speaking of donating...tis the season to donate unwanted school supplies. I am always in need for the following year in my classroom supplies. We always need extra markers, colored pencils, calculators, and glue sticks. If your kiddo wants their entire tub, that is awesome. Please write NO DONATE in the planner if you want them to bring their stuff home. If you would rather have less stuff around the house, please write DONATE in the planner so they know come Thursday when we clean house.

We sure wish Mr. Noah B good luck! You are one amazing kid and one heck of an artist! Wow!! Thank you for bringing in your puppy today too. What a cutie. Have a wonderful summer vacation with your family Noah!

Have a great, great night!
Mrs. Grewell

4.5 Days Left Moms and Dads!

Hi there. Happy Sunday, and Happy Last Week of the 4th grade. That seems very odd to type that. Doesn't it feel as if we had just begun? I can't believe it is almost time to say goodbye.

It will be a sad day tomorrow as it will be Noah B's last day. He is traveling for his brother's graduation. We will sure miss him this week.

Tuesday is our trip to Pompey's Pillar. Hopefully we don't get rained out.

Wednesday is our make-up field day. We also have our first wiffle ball game. We will be playing against Mrs. Gleason's class. Kids need to wear their 811 shirts on this day. (I sent them home with them last Friday). Kids that turned in their 811 drawing on time to be mailed out got a shirt from them. There were a couple that didn't . They can just wear a white shirt that day to match us. Please don't let them wear them until Wednesday so they stay nice. :0)

This weekend I was able to catch some talented kids in action. Gwen played a great soccer game. She is quite quick on her feet. I also got to see Gabrielle play the piano in her recital. So pretty! (She is sitting by the window in this picture). She is going to play it again for the class tomorrow. I am betting that Gwen will also bless us with her song as well. :0)



Last week's trip to Spinners was a wonderful success and a ton of fun. We had not injuries and everyone loved their yummy treat. A HUGE thank you to all the chaperones: Morgan's Mom, Krissy's mom, Avery's mom, Gwen's dad, and Noah L's sister and dad in the truck. Without all these amazing helpers, we would have not been so successful. It was because of all of them that we never needed to use the truck. Woohoo!!! We had a GREAT surprise while at Spinners...Mrs. Pelia showed up. She was a teacher at Arrowhead last year and was very loved. She was back in town for Mrs. Powell's retirement party, and we arranged a surprise visit at Spinners! Fun times!



Speaking of surprises, Miss. Krissy surprised me on Friday with this beautiful necklace. So, so pretty. I wore it to church today and received many compliments on it. Thank you so much for such a beautiful gift Krissy! You certainly filled my bucket and made me feel very special.



We will be presenting our last inquiry projects for Lead 21 Reading this week. Kids are doing news broadcasts. Kara's dad came in on Friday and helped us out a TON! A BIG thank you to him!!! Now, the kids are ready to do their own. Kids made a list of things they needed to bring from home to use as props or their costumes. All groups need to be ready to be filmed tomorrow, even though some may not get filmed until Tuesday or Wednesday. I wish we had more time as we were invited to tour the news station and do our broadcasts from there. How cool would that have been. I just can't see it happening this week. I am so grateful for the invite form KULR8 through! Amazing!!!!

Have a wonderful, wonderful week!
Mrs. Grewell

Spinners Bike Trip Tomorrow!

Hi.

Apparently I lost my brain yesterday and forgot to blog! :0)

Gabrielle used her show and tell coupon today. We got to see some pretty amazing crafts that she has done at home: sketching, painting, and creating quote signs to hang in her room. Such a talented young lady!!

Speaking of talent...check out AJ and Avery singing the states and capital's song. How in the world did they memorize all that??? Well done kiddos!

Customize a slideshow design

Spinners is on the agenda for tomorrow. We will go no matter what unless we see lightning in the area or that it is pouring so hard it would be unsafe. Drizzle though...yep we are going! Dress appropriately please.

Remember....

1. Working Bike
2. Helmet (kids may not go without one)
3. $5.00 (Kids will keep this and pay when we get there)
4. Please try to have kids bring a sack lunch as we will be eating in the classroom before we go. The cafeteria will be open, but it is not our regular time so the fewer hot lunchers the better.

5. CHAPERONES...we leave at 11:30 sharp. So, please arrive at 11:15 to hear safety talk. Your choice to wear a helmet, but you are a role model for kiddos. :0) I will buy your yogurt upon arrival. Order whatever you want. Thank you!!!! (I have Gwen's dad, Krissy's mom, Morgan's mom, Avery's mom, and Noah L's dad is driving the truck.) Mr. Pertuit will lead the way, and I will bring up the rear. The other adults will spread out and stay with a  group of kids. The truck will be at check points along the way. (Mr. Lewis...we will give you the map tomorrow...see Mr. Pertuit). If a child needs assistance or a ride, a chaperone will take them to the check point closest to them. The ride usually takes 20 minutes max. Therefore, we should return around 12:45 at the latest.

6. Students with owed/missing work will STAY and work on it rather than come on the ride. I will bring their yogurt back for them. Please, please, please don't make me the bad guy in this. Ample warning has been given to kids for at least a week on this. Please check online for missing work. There are only two out there now. :0)

It is RAINBOW day at Arrowhead tomorrow as well. It will be fun to see all the green shirts riding bikes down the road. Yep...4th graders need to wear as much green as possible tomorrow. (No hair dye or face paint) please. Just throw on that green shirt and call it good. :0) Don't forget that $1 donation for St. John's gardens. Awesome way to give back to our many volunteers! This idea was generated by Mrs. Stevenson's 2nd graders. So sweet.

Today, we talked about two things at Fly Time.

1. Inuskuks. These are rock towers that form a shape of an animal, person, or other item that represents peace. This is a Native American custom, usually in Alaska, that represents a sacred place to just sit and reflect or wait. In our Sacajawea book we discovered that Clark found two piles of stones on top of Pompey's Pillar when he climbed up there. My guess is that these were similar to this tradition, as Pompey's Pillar was a sacred place for the Crow Indians. Many boys would climb it and fast while waiting for a mission or spirit dream. It was also a lookout place for the Crow during the Battle at the Little BigHorn. Kids need to collect some stones (average size and flat work best) for next week. They will then use the hot glue guns and create an Inuskuks of their own that the can put in a quiet place they like to sit and reflect or wait. This should also serve as a reminder that Pompey's Pillar was a sacred place before it became a National Monument.

2. Shorts Warning. With warm weather, comes shorts. For girls especially, we discussed the Billings School District Policy. Shorts need to be longer than the child's finger tips when they put their arms down by their sides. Short shorts are in, and believe me it is almost impossible to find ones that are longer in Billings, but they are out there. Kids may also layer with leggings. Now that the warning has been issued classroom wide, from this point on it will be a phone call home to bring in new ones or borrow from the lost and found/school. Thanks for checking on this before kiddos walk out the door.

Homework tonight is a Sacajawea paper. Kids need to write a brief statement about what happened in the book in the beginning, middle, and end. They then need to illustrate with a picture that MATCHES their words below. 4th grade quality and EQ will factor in their grade. Kids also need to make sure and color their Lewis and Clark game pictures as well. They know my expectations. If you play the game with them tonight, write GAME in the planner for $50 tomorrow. It is pretty fun!

MT History notebooks are due tomorrow.

Tomorrow is our last library day. As of this point, everyone has their books turned in. Yay!!!

I leave you with a couple of pictures of field day part one from yesterday. The lightning in the distance cancelled the rest. It is rescheduled for next Wednesday. Mr. Pertuit needs volunteers, especially DADS. Please contact him through the office ASAP if you can help out. Thanks.



Have a great, great night. Looks like Mother nature doesn't want to play baseball again tonight! Boo!

Mrs. Grewell.

7.5 More Days!

Hello there.

Great day! We started our last project in PLTW. Kids were given a story about having to unload a truck full of boxes of food to the food bank. How will they get them from the truck into the building using as little man power as possible. They have to come up with a machine that will do the work for them. Many of them thought of the conveyor belt which was awesome. Tomorrow, they will begin to design their plan on how to do this with the materials they have. Should be interesting! Ideas???? Share them with your kiddos! :0)

Tomorrow is field day. Arrowhead asks that no white shirts be worn on this day due to water station. It is just not appropriate at school. Thanks.

If it rains, field day will be moved to next Wednesday. The decision won't be made until lunch time tomorrow.

I took the Spinner's orders this morning and sent them in. The yogurt will be ready to go when we get there. We will go rain or shine! Don't forget those helmets, working bikes, and $5.

There is some missing work out there. School is not over, and homework is still not optional. Kids should have brought it home today. Those that have missing work and need extra time at school will be offered a quiet place during field day and field trips to catch up. Thanks.

Homework tonight is to read Ch. 9 in our Sacajawea book. Enjoy!!! Only two left!

The Tuesday folders came home today. Inside you will find information about our last spirit donation day. This one is close to home. Your $1 contribution will help buy flowers for our dear friends up at St. Johns. If you have ever been up there, it is like a magical garden. So beautiful!!! The residents up there are at Arrowhead 5 days a week volunteering with your kiddos. We have three just in our class. The spirit day part is Rainbow Day...just like their colorful gardens up there. 4th graders are to wear the color green on Friday. Teachers are wearing purple. Fun!

Landon and David....remember those library books please. :0)

I leave you with a picture of two kiddos that used one of their coupons today. Reece and Noah B enjoyed a day sitting on the yoga balls rather than their chairs today. Kids need to use those up soon. Lane and Noah L. don't forget your sodas tomorrow. :0)

Have a great, great night.
Mrs. Grewell

Happy Memorial Day!

Hello there. Happy Memorial Day weekend! Hopefully you were able to find a ceremony or picnic somewhere to celebrate those that have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. If so, write MEMORIAL in the planner for $50. As for my family, we went to the ceremony at the Rockvale Cemetery. Zach's father and nephew marched their way in. Zach's dad is the one holding the American Flag and our nephew is playing the drum. We go to this yearly, and every year it hits me. We are one pretty lucky country! If you can see what the name of the street was called that they marched down, write it in the planner for another $50. I SOOOOOO want to live on this street. :0)



The Ranch field trip was a BLAST! My goodness their learning came to life! They were also 100% well behaved and received many compliments. We had a great time together, as you can see!




Each child went home with a leather strap bracelet (just like the one Charlotte wore in our story) and a branded piece of wood with Zach's brand. We thought this would help kids remember all that they learned whenever they looked at it. A HUGE thank you to my husband for making all of these!



A BIG thank you to Morgan, Gwen, and Lauren's mom for all their help. It was great to not have to worry about problems arising with so much help. Awesome!

Next week is another busy one. We have field day on Wednesday and the Spinner's Bike ride on Friday. Fun times! In between, we will be learning, learning, learning! We will also wrap up our Sacajawea book this week along with our Lewis and Clark Unit in our MT History notebook.

Have a wonderful night!
Mrs. Grewell