Do You BELIEVE In Me?

Howdy there!!! As a farmer's wife I have to say that I am LOVING this rain. As a soccer mom...not so much, and I think Noah's mom would agree. However, look at the medal he won! Wow! Great job Mr. Noah L! :0) I don't know about you but my lawn is about up to my knees. Should be fun mowing that this week.

Speaking of this week, it is going to be a fun one. We will be coming out to the Grewell Ranch on Friday. We leave right away and will return about 2. A branding lunch will be served (hotdogs, chips, watermelon, deviled eggs, and a homemade cookie). Kids need to bring their own beverage. They may bring soda or whatever they want. If kids don't like the menu, they can sure bring a sack lunch too.

In preparation of our trip, we will finish up the novel Riding Freedom. It is a story about a girl that dresses up as a boy to escape her life as a woman trapped in the kitchen at her orphanage. It is based on the true story of Charlotte Parkhurst. She becomes a famous stagecoach driver and loves horses more than people. The kids have LOVED listening to it each day. On our trip, our first stop will be to see all the horses and their equipment that is mentioned in the book. One lucky kid will get to ride a horse (be lead on it) if their ticket is drawn and have parent permission. If this is your kiddo, I will send home a note to sign. The story will come to life, as our presenter has also read the same book to ensure he hits all the things mentioned.

We calved early this year, so our branding is completely done. So, instead, we will have a piece of wood for each student that they can have branded and take home. I will show a video in class of the actual branding process. If you have ever been branding, you know that this might just well be a better option. PU! We have quiet a few animal LOVERS in here this year, so I was a little worried about the process anyway. A win, win for all.

We do have some baby animals this year. Over at Zach's brother's house he has baby geese, pigs, and some sheep. We will visit them after the horses. Of course we will go collect eggs in the chicken house and feed them as well.

Lastly, we will take a look at some equipment used in farming.

Please remind kids on Friday that they need to be on their best behavior and always be safe around animals. This means no running, no touching (unless okayed), and no loud noises. We don't want to have anyone or any animal get hurt or spooked.

Homework this week will once again be reading the Sacajawea book. I am cracking up how much these kids love this book and the QUIZZES! Really??? So cool! I love that they love learning. We will add many hands on activities to our MT History journals this week as well that will help solidify the information they are reading about.

Last week in Project Lead the Way Science, kids were given a flashlight and asked to take it apart and figure out how exactly it works. They had to follow wires from the on button to the battery and then to the circuit board. As you can see, they eventually figured out the path of energy: Chemical to mechanical to light to thermal. Wow, and all at the touch of a button!

I leave you with a special request. I spent some time this weekend finally reading your letters to me about how your kiddo has changed this year due to maturity and our Fly Time Meetings. From day one, I expressed to you that I am a 70% character building teacher and a 30% academic one. Now, that you have seen the growth yourself and the test scores, you can stand with me by saying that when a teacher wins the heart and trust of a teacher, the academic ability naturally sets in and flows out like a waterfall! Mrs. Gleason (third grade) and I took last summer and carefully designed Fly Time with a superhero theme for both our classes. We selected all the books that helped to bring the six traits of character to life. Thanks to Carl's dad and a PTA grant, we were able to purchase all of those books.

Now, Bri and I are ready to move it to the next level. We both recently went to a workshop about kids with autism and ADHD. It was a class that was designed to help teachers find strategies that help these kiddos be successful in our classrooms. What Bri and I quickly discovered is that they were using morning meetings and many of the ideas that we were using with all kids. They introduced us to the curriculum that they were using and Bri and I both immediately looked at each other. It was all done in a SuperHero theme. NO WAY! It is all done for us! We don't have to go searching for creative ways to get our messages/lessons across, and it is going to help all kids be successful. We both said...We gotta have this for next year! We understand that this is not for your kiddos, but I would love to give you the opportunity to pay it forward. Bri is doing the same thing (and I will have some of her kiddos next year). We have set up a Go Fund Me account in order to accept donations to purchase a set of books for each of us. The entire thing is close to $600. Obviously, Bri and I can't fund that ourselves, but if we all pitched in a little we could make it happen. We have entitled it, Do you BELIEVE in me? That is exactly what I am asking you. Has your child been influenced by me this year and my passion for character education? Have you seen enough proof that when this is established the academic results are also there? If so, I ask that you consider helping future generations do the same by making a donation. We also put this on Facebook, and Bri is adding it to her blog as well. We BELIEVE this can happen! A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Dowler who spotted it on Facebook and made a donation already. Bri and I were jumping up and down and screaming like school girls when we saw it change from $0. Exciting!!!!! (Yes we are SUPER dorks when it comes to this topic!) Thank you so much in advance, and yes it is tax deductible! :0) Here is the link to donate: http://www.gofundme.com/ut23k4cw, and this has been approved by Mrs. Meier. Thanks!

Have a wonderful, wonderful Sunday!
Mrs. Grewel