Hi.
Homework tonight is SE state puzzle #7. It is addition. The kids were all like..."what? we know how to add."I then responded saying, "yes, but it is always good to review!" So, they have a quick puzzle to learn more about one of their states and then they can get out and play. Yay!
Speaking of states...ask your kiddo which place in the SE they want to visit the most from our tour. Then ask them why. They wrote about these today. Write the place they say in the planner for $10 tomorrow.
The weather is going to be warming up this week. We will have a sled day on this Wednesday! Kids can buy in for $300. By doing so, they can bring their own sled to school and we will hit the trails for an extra recess. Those that don't buy in can still have have fun watching. I will share this with the kids tomorrow.
On Friday, the 2nd quarter comes to a close. That means we will do our coupon buy in that day. This is when kiddos spend all of their hard earned cash buying some fun coupons. They are $300 each. There is no limit to how many they can buy. We will start the following Monday with a new wallet and start up money (a new color!!!). I told kids today and they were excited.
That is it for today! Have a wonderful evening.
Mrs. Grewell
Monday, January 12, 2015
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but look at what they can do when they stick together...snowman!
Well, hello there! I sure hope you were all able to get outside yesterday. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! Beau, Zach and I spent the day sledding down the driveway, sledding down the HUGE hills behind our house, and riding behind and on the 4 wheelers in the snow. Poor Em was inside sick! :0( She did make it outside for some fresh air long enough to make a fun snowman though. We were hoping for another day just like it today, but Mother Nature just wouldn't cooperate two days in a row. So, we are back to Brrrrr! I sure hope Gwen and Espen enjoyed skiing yesterday. I bet today's races are a little more cold and slick!
Speaking of Gwen...she was our star of the week last week. She brought her bunny, Midnight to share with us. What a fun pet. He wanted to get down and jump around! The kids loved getting to pet him. So soft!!! Gwen also shared that she loves to knit and write stories. What a great kiddo! Thanks for sharing with us Gwen, and thanks dad for bringing in the bunny!
In S.S. we began our tour of some points of interest found in the SE region. We stopped at Jamestown. The kids played a fun board game that allowed them to realize just how hard colony life was, and by hard I mean hard to stay alive. They learned about starvation and malaria. As you can see many of the kids did not survive the game, where some of them did. We concluded that colonists pretty much had a 50/50 chance of making it in the new world before they learned how to plant food and sell the cash crop of tobacco back to England. We will continue the tour next week. Kids will have the chance to try to determine what kind of music they are hearing in this area by listening for certain instruments. They were already tapping their toes and dancing in their seats when I gave them a sample last Friday. Should be fun!
Also this week...
Math: We will wrap up customary measurement conversions. We will also make our game boards for our inquiry projects in Lead 21 using all the ruler measurement we learned last week. Kids now know how to measure to the whole inch, half inch, forth inch, and eighth inch.
Lead 21: We will continue to work on making connections and learning more about the SE region. Students will also continue to read their fictional stories on their own in class.
Language: We will work more on making possessive nouns by adding an 's or s'.
Spelling: Words that change a final y to an i before adding a suffix.
Science: We will learn about two more simple machines that will help us in our PLTW studies.
MT History: State symbols.
Fly Time: Martin Luther King, Ruby Bridges, and Rosa Parks.
I think that about covers it. Have a great Sunday, and I will see all the kiddos tomorrow morning.
Mrs. Grewell
Speaking of Gwen...she was our star of the week last week. She brought her bunny, Midnight to share with us. What a fun pet. He wanted to get down and jump around! The kids loved getting to pet him. So soft!!! Gwen also shared that she loves to knit and write stories. What a great kiddo! Thanks for sharing with us Gwen, and thanks dad for bringing in the bunny!
In S.S. we began our tour of some points of interest found in the SE region. We stopped at Jamestown. The kids played a fun board game that allowed them to realize just how hard colony life was, and by hard I mean hard to stay alive. They learned about starvation and malaria. As you can see many of the kids did not survive the game, where some of them did. We concluded that colonists pretty much had a 50/50 chance of making it in the new world before they learned how to plant food and sell the cash crop of tobacco back to England. We will continue the tour next week. Kids will have the chance to try to determine what kind of music they are hearing in this area by listening for certain instruments. They were already tapping their toes and dancing in their seats when I gave them a sample last Friday. Should be fun!
Also this week...
Math: We will wrap up customary measurement conversions. We will also make our game boards for our inquiry projects in Lead 21 using all the ruler measurement we learned last week. Kids now know how to measure to the whole inch, half inch, forth inch, and eighth inch.
Lead 21: We will continue to work on making connections and learning more about the SE region. Students will also continue to read their fictional stories on their own in class.
Language: We will work more on making possessive nouns by adding an 's or s'.
Spelling: Words that change a final y to an i before adding a suffix.
Science: We will learn about two more simple machines that will help us in our PLTW studies.
MT History: State symbols.
Fly Time: Martin Luther King, Ruby Bridges, and Rosa Parks.
I think that about covers it. Have a great Sunday, and I will see all the kiddos tomorrow morning.
Mrs. Grewell
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Test Results Are In, and Mrs. Grewell is HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!
Hello again. Well, the snow is not letting up. I never made it home last night. With the wind blowing snow, the Red Lodge Highway was a total blackout. Urg. There is sure something to be said to being home. We will try again tonight, but with all this fresh snow who knows. :0) Positive thinking Grewell!
We took the NWEA MAP Math test this morning and kids rocked it! I will text you those results soon. We expect kiddos to be at a 208 or higher when leaving the 4th grade. Right now they should be at least a 202. Those that are not quite there, I am pulling them one on one in math for additional and more direct help. Those that are well above, I am finding ways to challenge them at a deeper level. Accelerated math and Mobi Max also helps me challenge kiddos on their own level. Keep in mind that we are only halfway through the year. We have learned a ton in math, but we still have fractions, geometry, and the rest of measurement to finish up. So, they will grow even more when we take this test again at the end of the year. It was fun to see how excited they were when they saw their score. I am so proud of all of them for doing their very best and taking their time. That is really all I can ask.
Homework tonight is a DMG letter. Kiddos need to write me at least a half page letter. They can write about anything they want. I will respond back as well. They know the drill. :0)
At Fly Time, we have been talking about dealing with anger and frustration. We now know that RED is the color associated with anger, hot is the temperature, tight is the feeling, and how to deal with these feelings, colors, and temperatures when we notice them in ourselves. One of the strategies learned is to do a chill skill. Ask your child for two examples of these. If they can tell you at least two, write CHILL in the planner for $10 tomorrow. They should say something like: deep breathe, mediate, think of something/someone you love, count to ten, walk away for a bit and then come back later, name it/tame it/reframe it, or do a tight squeeze and release.
Next week, we will be taking an in depth look at MLK, Jr, Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges. We will be doing a ton of activities with this in SS class. Then, we will have a parent share night the last week of January to celebrate all their work done. I will post the date soon so you can save the date and get sitters for siblings if needed. It works best if you can just be one on one with your child. They love having all of your attention.
Spelling tests are tomorrow. Basketball fitness club starts tomorrow after school. Library books are due.
Have a wonderful night and enjoy the view of snow falling! Wow!
Mrs. Grewell
We took the NWEA MAP Math test this morning and kids rocked it! I will text you those results soon. We expect kiddos to be at a 208 or higher when leaving the 4th grade. Right now they should be at least a 202. Those that are not quite there, I am pulling them one on one in math for additional and more direct help. Those that are well above, I am finding ways to challenge them at a deeper level. Accelerated math and Mobi Max also helps me challenge kiddos on their own level. Keep in mind that we are only halfway through the year. We have learned a ton in math, but we still have fractions, geometry, and the rest of measurement to finish up. So, they will grow even more when we take this test again at the end of the year. It was fun to see how excited they were when they saw their score. I am so proud of all of them for doing their very best and taking their time. That is really all I can ask.
Homework tonight is a DMG letter. Kiddos need to write me at least a half page letter. They can write about anything they want. I will respond back as well. They know the drill. :0)
At Fly Time, we have been talking about dealing with anger and frustration. We now know that RED is the color associated with anger, hot is the temperature, tight is the feeling, and how to deal with these feelings, colors, and temperatures when we notice them in ourselves. One of the strategies learned is to do a chill skill. Ask your child for two examples of these. If they can tell you at least two, write CHILL in the planner for $10 tomorrow. They should say something like: deep breathe, mediate, think of something/someone you love, count to ten, walk away for a bit and then come back later, name it/tame it/reframe it, or do a tight squeeze and release.
Next week, we will be taking an in depth look at MLK, Jr, Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges. We will be doing a ton of activities with this in SS class. Then, we will have a parent share night the last week of January to celebrate all their work done. I will post the date soon so you can save the date and get sitters for siblings if needed. It works best if you can just be one on one with your child. They love having all of your attention.
Spelling tests are tomorrow. Basketball fitness club starts tomorrow after school. Library books are due.
Have a wonderful night and enjoy the view of snow falling! Wow!
Mrs. Grewell
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
“Happiness is a warm puppy.” ― Charles M. Schulz
Hello there.
Homework tonight is another States and Capital's Puzzle. Tonight we are doing puzzle #22. Which state was the 16th state to join the United States???? Ask your kiddo after they have done their homework and write the answer in the planner for $10. Kids are multiplying two digit by one digit. It should be a nice review!
My heart goes out to Reece and his family tonight. Losing a pet is so difficult. It was much loved, and I know they will miss Cooper very much! Hugs to all of you.
Have a wonderful and warm night! I am going to attempt the journey home! :0)
Mrs. Grewell
Homework tonight is another States and Capital's Puzzle. Tonight we are doing puzzle #22. Which state was the 16th state to join the United States???? Ask your kiddo after they have done their homework and write the answer in the planner for $10. Kids are multiplying two digit by one digit. It should be a nice review!
My heart goes out to Reece and his family tonight. Losing a pet is so difficult. It was much loved, and I know they will miss Cooper very much! Hugs to all of you.
Have a wonderful and warm night! I am going to attempt the journey home! :0)
Mrs. Grewell
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Happy Birthday AJ!!!
Hello there.
The snow is falling, but kids behavior is rocking!!! So proud of all the kids! We even had indoor lunch recess as the windchill dropped us below zero! They did great!
Homework tonight is another state and capital puzzle for a state in the SE Region. Kids are working on those basic facts, which are still an issue for many.
In math we started converting customary length measurements. Ask your child how many rulers are in a mile. If they can tell you, write the number in the planner for $10.
All kiddos except one turned in their biography title today. They have a little over two weeks to finish reading those. They picked some great ones.
We took the SRI reading level test today. This is the short test that tests kids ability to figure out what words mean using context clues. It also tests their vocabulary and text level. I will share the score they got last time we took it (end of Quarter 1) and the score they got this time today via text tonight. Kids should be a 600 or above to be on grade level and want to leave with a 700+ for the start of 5th grade.
On Thursday, we will be doing the NWEA MAP Math test first thing. Please make sure kiddos have a high protein breakfast that day. We are only doing the math one, as that is the one I am most curious about at this point as far as how kids are growing. I am feeling great about reading and language so we will take those in the spring instead. I will share the results with you via text message shortly after that test. I can't wait to see how much they have already grown!
A big late Happy Birthday goes out to AJ. His birthday was January 1st. Since we were out of school we are celebrating it today with some super yummy and fun cake pops! He made some case selling those to his friends today in class. :0) AJ spent his birthday sick with a horrible cough. :0( I hope this one at school was a little bit better. We sure enjoyed it.
Well, that about says it all. Have a safe and warm night. I will be hibernating at my Aunt's house in town again. Not brave enough to face the highway quite yet.
Mrs. Grewell
The snow is falling, but kids behavior is rocking!!! So proud of all the kids! We even had indoor lunch recess as the windchill dropped us below zero! They did great!
Homework tonight is another state and capital puzzle for a state in the SE Region. Kids are working on those basic facts, which are still an issue for many.
In math we started converting customary length measurements. Ask your child how many rulers are in a mile. If they can tell you, write the number in the planner for $10.
All kiddos except one turned in their biography title today. They have a little over two weeks to finish reading those. They picked some great ones.
We took the SRI reading level test today. This is the short test that tests kids ability to figure out what words mean using context clues. It also tests their vocabulary and text level. I will share the score they got last time we took it (end of Quarter 1) and the score they got this time today via text tonight. Kids should be a 600 or above to be on grade level and want to leave with a 700+ for the start of 5th grade.
On Thursday, we will be doing the NWEA MAP Math test first thing. Please make sure kiddos have a high protein breakfast that day. We are only doing the math one, as that is the one I am most curious about at this point as far as how kids are growing. I am feeling great about reading and language so we will take those in the spring instead. I will share the results with you via text message shortly after that test. I can't wait to see how much they have already grown!
A big late Happy Birthday goes out to AJ. His birthday was January 1st. Since we were out of school we are celebrating it today with some super yummy and fun cake pops! He made some case selling those to his friends today in class. :0) AJ spent his birthday sick with a horrible cough. :0( I hope this one at school was a little bit better. We sure enjoyed it.
Well, that about says it all. Have a safe and warm night. I will be hibernating at my Aunt's house in town again. Not brave enough to face the highway quite yet.
Mrs. Grewell
Monday, January 5, 2015
Santa Should Have Brought Me Ice Skates For Christmas! Slickery Out There!
What a great day back! I LOVED seeing all the kiddos (except Josh and Noah B...I missed you guys! Get better soon!) today. We had a packed day of learning and fun.
Homework tonight is a reading assignment in their small leveled readers for Lead 21. They need to read Ch. 1, in Selection 3. There will be a short quiz tomorrow. Two kids finished in class. The rest needed time. All kiddos also have a States and Capital puzzle #25. Can you guess the SE state?
In science we started our unit on simple machines that will help us use our PLTW projects that we built for potential and kinetic energy. Ask your child to give you an example of an inclined plane. They should say ramp, slide, or ladder. If they do, write INCLINED in the planner for $10 tomorrow.
All kids need to bring in their Biography books for the January book report tomorrow. If they were absent when we got them, they need to look at home for one or at least come with an idea of whom they want to read about. I will send them to the library at recess time.
Well, the snow is beginning to stick and fall. We shall see if we have the predicted 10 inches tomorrow morning. It looks as if it is off to a good start though. Get those shovels out. I for one, love to shovel. Luckily, we are staying in town with my aunt tonight. The commute this morning was literally a sheet of ice. Here is a picture. It is not wet road...it is pure black ice! 35mph the entire way here on the highway. Glad we made it safe and only saw three cars off the road. Scary stuff!
The kids LOVED the snow at recess though. I got some fun action shots of them loving the freshly plowed snow hills. We allow kids to play on them (except at lunch) during recess until they become hard ice hills. As long as they are soft, they love to tunnel through and slide like otters. Nothing brings a smile to my face more than kids playing in the snow. Fun!
And, take a look at what AJ and Reece did for me! Awe....so sweet! What you don't see is the total massacre to it with bombing snowballs shortly after it. :0) Awesome!
We had a great time welcoming everyone back and hearing about everyone's vacation. So many fun stories with family and trips. And, of course I got to hear about all the fun gifts as well. It was great to have Espen back safe from Africa. He didn't bring me a real live baboon, but he brought me a hippo instead. Love, love, love it Espen. Thanks for my paperweight buddy! Landon also made it safely home from his family visit from the Philipines. He was so sweet to bring me some chocolate covered mango strips, a fun seashell, and a bracelet made for a good cause. What a wonderful surprise for me this morning. Thanks Landon! It was wonderful to see all the kids again.
Well, have a fantastic night and drive safe in the morning!
Mrs. Grewell
Homework tonight is a reading assignment in their small leveled readers for Lead 21. They need to read Ch. 1, in Selection 3. There will be a short quiz tomorrow. Two kids finished in class. The rest needed time. All kiddos also have a States and Capital puzzle #25. Can you guess the SE state?
In science we started our unit on simple machines that will help us use our PLTW projects that we built for potential and kinetic energy. Ask your child to give you an example of an inclined plane. They should say ramp, slide, or ladder. If they do, write INCLINED in the planner for $10 tomorrow.
All kids need to bring in their Biography books for the January book report tomorrow. If they were absent when we got them, they need to look at home for one or at least come with an idea of whom they want to read about. I will send them to the library at recess time.
Well, the snow is beginning to stick and fall. We shall see if we have the predicted 10 inches tomorrow morning. It looks as if it is off to a good start though. Get those shovels out. I for one, love to shovel. Luckily, we are staying in town with my aunt tonight. The commute this morning was literally a sheet of ice. Here is a picture. It is not wet road...it is pure black ice! 35mph the entire way here on the highway. Glad we made it safe and only saw three cars off the road. Scary stuff!
The kids LOVED the snow at recess though. I got some fun action shots of them loving the freshly plowed snow hills. We allow kids to play on them (except at lunch) during recess until they become hard ice hills. As long as they are soft, they love to tunnel through and slide like otters. Nothing brings a smile to my face more than kids playing in the snow. Fun!
And, take a look at what AJ and Reece did for me! Awe....so sweet! What you don't see is the total massacre to it with bombing snowballs shortly after it. :0) Awesome!
We had a great time welcoming everyone back and hearing about everyone's vacation. So many fun stories with family and trips. And, of course I got to hear about all the fun gifts as well. It was great to have Espen back safe from Africa. He didn't bring me a real live baboon, but he brought me a hippo instead. Love, love, love it Espen. Thanks for my paperweight buddy! Landon also made it safely home from his family visit from the Philipines. He was so sweet to bring me some chocolate covered mango strips, a fun seashell, and a bracelet made for a good cause. What a wonderful surprise for me this morning. Thanks Landon! It was wonderful to see all the kids again.
Well, have a fantastic night and drive safe in the morning!
Mrs. Grewell
Sunday, January 4, 2015
It's a New Year!!!
First though, allow me to share a little...Winter vacation at the Grewell Ranch was full of fun, laughing, snow, feeding cows, and a TON of family functions. Zach's brother, wife, and nephew were here visiting from the NorthEast coast! (Which state could that be students???). We so enjoyed all our time with them, especially all of Tristan's magic shows! Such a sweet little boy! I also got to catch up with many of my Bitterroot Elementary friends over a fun dinner and a few lunch dates. We spent many nights playing family games like Dominoes, Apples to Apples, and card games. Mostly though, we so loved all the fun in the snow. Beau was blessed with his very own four wheeler from Santa. He went up and down Grewell Lane a million and one times. Emma loved being pulled by Zach and Grandpa in the big calf sled up and down the same road. Sledding down the driveway and hills on the ranch was also very fun! Feeding the cows each morning was Zach's task, but we went along with as well. I forgot how much fun cows are to feed. They just come a running when they hear the feed truck. Lastly, we spent a lot of time just hanging out at home. Emma was blessed with a new iPod, so she had fun loading it with apps and music. I read an actual book (not school related!) and caught up on some Netflix shows I had been wanting to watch. Spending time at home is one of my favorite things to do.
All good things must come to an end though. As I type this, I think ah man...already back to work. But, I can't wait to just sit with the kids tomorrow morning at Fly time and listen to all of their Holiday stories. I have reserved the entire time to do just that...catch up.
Upon leaving before break, we had a great time learning and celebrating Polar Express Day. We spent the morning writing Cinquain poems about our yummy hot chocolate after reading the story. We also did some work on some vocabulary that was in the story along with the many similes and metaphors we heard. Lastly, we ended the book part by making a sequence train for the main events of the story. There were 12 train cars that the kids put in order by memory. I was pleasantly surprised at their ability to remember all the details. That means they were making connections to the text!
We took a break and had a wonderful pizza lunch together. A HUGE thank you to Noah B and his family for being my elves and helping me out! I will be sure to pay it all forward! What a wonderful way to spend our last lunch of the year and it was so awesome to meet Noah's dad and older brother. It is clear to see where Noah gets his character from! Thanks again!!!
The afternoon was where we switched from academic to fun. While watching the movie, the kids also built their candy trains. I always love to see how different each scene comes out! Hopefully, they made it home safe and sound. Poor Reece went home sick in the morning and missed out on the afternoon fun. Therefore, Emma, Beau, and I spent a couple hours at his house over the break building ones with him. We were glad he was feeling better and that we were able to hook up and have some fun over the break!
We ended the day with David's Star of the Week presentation. David likes Minecraft, coonskin hats and his family and friends. Thanks for sharing with us David!
This week academically,
Math: We will continue with measurement. We will switch from metric to customary. Customary is far more difficult due to all the different conversions American's have. It is not consistent all the way across like the metric system. You have to know different conversions for distance (inch, yard, mile), weight (pound, ounce, ton), and capacity (cups, pints, quarts, gallons). We will also practice measuring with a ruler to the nearest length using both metric and customary units.
Lead 21 Reading: We will continue with Unit 3: The Atlantic States. We will go into our small groups again. Kids will also be adding independent reading to their rotation plates. We will be focussing in on making connections, rating a story with evidence to back it, fact and opinion, making a 4th grade prediction, asking inferential and literal questions, and visualizing. We will also resist sequencing.
Lead 21 Reading Inquiry Project: We will continue to research information about our chosen states. Kids will begin to build their game boards as well. There will be some work done at home, and some work done at school. The at home part will be later in the week or possibly even next week.
Book Reports: Kids should be reading a biography book. They have three weeks to finish up.
Social Studies: We will tour the SE region. Those that haven't taken their states and capital's test on this region will take it tomorrow.
MT History: We will continue to look into our state symbols.
Science: Project lead the way. We will begin to look into kinetic and potential energy and finish building our cars and pendulums. We will also begin to look at simple machines.
Fly Time: Dealing with anger appropriately and warning signs that we are getting angry.
Check out this awesome picture of AJ! Gotta love when kids start to love the word too!!!
I am hoping that all the travelers got back safe and sound. I have missed all the kids and can't wait to see them all again tomorrow. Drive safe and dress warm. It seems winter has settled in again, and I am sure Mr. Pertuit will be eager to get those sleds out at lunch recess. I am sure my commute will be just lovely, but I will be there!!!
I would like to leave this post with a heart felt thank you. The many gifts from kids and their families warmed my heart. I absolutely loved each and every one of them. I am so grateful to have a job where I love coming to work every day. Having supportive parents is an awesome bonus. You are all so kind, and thank you so much for filling my bucket!
Welcome back and let's have an amazing 2015!!!
Code word: 2015 for $10 on Monday
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