Thursday, May 30, 2013

Last Post of the Year

YIKES!!! This is the hardest post I have had to make this year and it is because it is the last and I am truly going to miss these kids. We have developed such a family atmosphere in here and they are all so kind & caring toward one anther. They have grown so much individually and as a team. They not only grew academically, but socially, emotionally, and behaviorally as well. We took time this week to reflect in Morning Meeting about how it has helped each of us and there was lots of nice feedback. Yesterday when I was doing Cum Files and putting in NWEA scores, I once again was so excited & pleased at the growth made. WOWZERS!! We also took time to watch our past Smileboxes and just had fun reliving the great memories we made this year. These kids got to do a lot outside the classroom which is such a great opportunity for all and that is because they earned it by making such positive choices. So GREAT JOB TEAM HANKINS!!! I can't wait to watch you continue on your road to successes next year. BIKE TRIP CANCELLED: Yes, we are canceling the bike trip due to good ole Mother Nature and her continuous raining down on us. We will actually spend a little time in the morning doing some MT History and then play some board games and just enjoy our last 1/2 day together. If your child wants to bring their electronics they are so welcome to do so. Dairy Queen Dilly Bars: Yes, the DQ on South Billings Blvd. donated Dilly Bars to every child in School Dist. #2. Isn't that amazing?!!! So if you get a chance to stop in there, take the time to thank them. I want to close this blogging by saying a HUGE Thank you to all of you for your great support and patience of me this year. I am sure there were times you were confused, frustrated, or disappointed with things, but hopefully you now can see why I had to be "tough" on your child possibly at times. It is because I care and BELIEVED in each and every one of them and I had to get them to feel the same way about themselves. Tonight is a good time to talk about their great year, how they have grown to "believe" in themselves, and the movie we watched today called Miracle. I think they will now know why Ms. E. and I like to show it at the end of the year. I know we aren't quite as hard as the coach, but the message is the same. I wish you all a great summer and once again Thank You for sharing your child with me.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Congratulations to All!

Today was Awards Day and we had lots of recipients. First of all, WISH Tutors were: Danara, Jazmyn, Emily, and Sydnee. Honor Choir Recipient was Danara. Bobcat Award for kindness, compassion, and caring was Ethan. BUG Club winners were: Jace, Bailey Sydnee, Dylan, Jazmyn, Elias, Branson, Brayden, Emily, Victor, Danara, and Aaliyah. Terrific Kids winners were: Jace, Jazmyn, Brayden, and Victor. Congrats to all. Great job!! Today was the Staff vs. Character Kids wiffle ball game. Those that represented our class was Sydnee & Ethan. They were voted on by their peers as showing the most sportsmanship last week during our regular games. It was a fun game and everyone enjoyed either playing or being a spectator. We spent all of our money (except for the $80 that we are saving for concessions) today on Ice Cream Sundaes and toppings. Let's just say some of them were awfully full when done. Good choices=lots of money to spend. Tomorrow is the Hoot Movie with Mrs. Anderson in the library from 1-3. We will be doing some Montana History tomorrow along with finishing up some math. Have a great night.

Monday, May 27, 2013

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As you can see the field trip to the ranch was Awesome and we learned so much. Thank you to the Grewell Family for making this happen. If you watched this slideshow, write ranch in the planner for free money. This is going to be a busy week getting all our final stuff in. Tomorrow is Awards Day at 9:00. I left you a message or personally talked to you if your child was receiving an award so I hope to see you there if it fits into your schedule. Also, tomorrow afternoon is the Staff vs. Character Kids wiffle ball tournament. I am going to have the kids vote on the 2 students (1 girl & 1 boy) that they felt displayed the best character throughout the week of games we played against other classrooms. After the game tomorrow afternoon, we are going to have our Sundae Party where the students will buy this with their fake money. They will first purchase a bowl and spoon and a scoop of ice cream, then any more scoops and toppings will be an additional cost. Wednesday they will be watching Hoot with Mrs. Anderson in the Library. They may use their fake money to buy concessions. No treats from home. Then on Thursday we will be watching Miracle. Again concessions may be bought. Friday is our annual bike trip to Hawthorne Park. Make sure your bike is working condition and you have a helmet. If not helmet, let me know tomorrow and I can get you one. As you can see a busy fun last week. We are going to clean out our desks on Thursday morning. Make sure you have an empty backpack to carry all your stuff home. Have a great rest of your weekend.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Awesome Field Trip Today

What a great day out at the Grewell Ranch. The weather cooperated and the kids got to see Montana Ranching in action. We had some concerned kiddos with the branding this year. Yes, it is painful for those little calves, but it is only temporary. I think what bothered the kids the most is that the calves belier/cry as it is happening, but more out of fear than pain. The once released from the chute, they are fine and then they get reunited with their mothers. We got to see bridles, traces, saddles, etc. like the ones that Charlotte in the book used. Zach showed the kids how they shoe horses and of course he saddled up Blue Duck and Emily enjoyed her ride. They got to see show horses in the stable and also a tack room so this all brought the book more to life. Aaliyah had fun collecting eggs in the chicken coop and of course playing with the bum lambs after lunch was a hit. I will post a Smilebox this weekend for you to enjoy. In the meantime talk with your child about the field trip and ask them their favorite part and put it in the planner for money. But for now a HUGE thank you to Zach, Ricky, Noah, and Ms. Erickson for making this awesome day happen. You are all great! Cya tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Field Trip Tomorrow

Tomorrow is our field trip to the ranch. Make sure you dress for the weather. Never know now a days what it is going to be like. Bring sunscreen too and let's hope you need it. Bring electronics for the bus if you choose to. No lunch needed as we have lunch provided for you. We are leaving school at about 8:35 and returning around 2:00. Can't wait as it will be a great day. Emily & Aaliyah were the winners of the drawings. Ask your child what these were for and write drawing in the planner for free money. Most finished their states & capitals test today. They worked real diligently on them for about 30 min. and were then given about 15 min.after that to use a resource to help them. I know even for myself some of these are tough to locate and I want them to learn them correctly and not just guess and not know and get them wrong. Besides how often will we have to know all 50 at one time. Those that didn't finish will be given time to finish either tomorrow when we get back or on Friday. Have a great night.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Happy Tuesday!!

Yes, today was a successful day-we finally made it to Montana being part of the Montana Territory in 1864. Statehood here we come!!! Not so sure we will get that by, but we are hoping. Ask your child who the first governor of MT territory was and who appointed him. Write both names in the planner for free money. We finally played wiffle ball today-against ourselves-I guess everyone is scared to play us-just kidding. We didn't have any games scheduled today because we thought we were going to be on our field trip, but that didn't happen so we practiced against ourselves. Tomorrow we have a scheduled game so wear those tennis shoes. Field trip to the ranch is still scheduled for Thursday so pray for lots of continued sunshine. Tomorrow, Mrs. Anderson is showing the students the movie Hoot. They will be able to buy into the concession stand again with fake money. No treats from home. Today, they had their HE test and they all did super. Way to go Team Hankins!! Have a great night.

Monday, May 20, 2013

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As you can see we finished our Metric Olympics today. Great lessons in measuring. We had one more event that wasn't on the slideshow and that was the marble grab. Students grabbed a handful of marbles and then had to weigh them on the scale. I totally forgot to get the camera out. For each event they had to estimate first, then do the event, measure and then find the difference between their estimate and their actual. Field trip to the ranch is rescheduled for Thursday, May 23rd. Hopefully, it won't be a muddy mess then. So so looking forward to this trip. 50 states & capitals test will be on Wednesday. So much to squeeze in in such a short time. Yikes. Wiffle ball game today with 6th grade didn't happen, but we hope to start playing our games tomorrow so make sure you have those tennis shoes here from now till the end of the year. Have a great night.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Great Weekend of Weather For a Duck!

Wow-this rain is amazing. Yes, it is much needed, but I sure am missing being outside in my yard and working in my flower beds and flower pots. You are going to hear them grow once the sun starts to shine with all this moisture. Due to all the rain, we are postponing our field trip out to the ranch. It will just be too wet and muddy, and besides you can't brand wet animals. I have an email into the bus/district transportation people to see when we can get a bus and reschedule it for. Will keep you posted. Wiffle Ball starts this week supposedly tomorrow. Make sure you have tennis shoes here everyday this week along with sunscreen as I am positive the sun is going to shine. I will be watching for good/true character during these games that we will be playing against other classes/grades. Then the 2 students that demonstrate the best positive character will be chosen to play in the staff vs. student game on Tuesday, May 28th. We started our Metric Olympics on Friday. We finished the javelin throw and the hoop shoot. Ask your child to tell you about them and write Olympics in the planner. We will finish them up this week. In Montana History, we are going to finish up the section on mining/vigilantes and then hopefully get into the tribes/reservations before the year is over. Oh where did the time go??? We will have our 50 states and capitals test on Thursday. We do a little studying in school, but the majority of it needs to be done at home. In Math, we do some end of the year assessing and review of the whole year. In Reading, we are still finishing up Riding Freedom so now that the field trip is postponed we will get to finish it before we go. We are going to finish reading Hoot and then Mrs. Anderson is going to show it to the 4th grade together as kind of a library treat for having an awesome year. Students will be able to buy into the concessions again with their fake money. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Another Fun, Busy Day

Yes, everyone had fun at Field Day and used good character/sportsmanship. Great Job Team Hankins!! Tomorrow we are doing Metric Olympics with both 4th grades. We are in need of a few items. Some of you were asked to bring pool noodles, and I would like everyone to bring carpenter tape measures. Thank you in advance. Remember the field trip on Tuesday to the Grewell Ranch. As you can see we enjoyed the field trip to Pompey's Pillar. Enjoy the pics.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Field Day Tomorrow

Yes, it is Field Day tomorrow so once again pack that sunscreen and wear comfortable clothes and have tennis shoes. No flip flops!!!! Today was a great day at Pompey's Pillar. We had 4 different awesome stations. They were on: geology, sign language, the pillar, and in the interpretive center. Our tour guides were full of wonderful information. Have a great talk with your child tonight about the trip and have them share 2 things from each station which means a total of 8. If they can do this, write Pompey's Pillar in the planner. Also, make sure you ask them who we met from Virginia on our walk up to the pillar. How cool is that!!!!! I will post a Smilebox of pictures sometime for tomorrow's post. Once again I am so proud of these kids. They showed positive character & respect today to everyone we came in contact with. Have a great night.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Pompey's Pillar Tomorrow

We are off to Pompey's Pillar tomorrow. Bring your lunch, sunscreen, electronics for the bus, and wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes. Remember dress for the weather. Soul Surfer: Today we watched the movie Soul Surfer. We didn't have lots of time to talk about it before we left for home so your homework tonight is to have the conversation about how it ties into our morning meeting discussions and how it fits our class motto. Write 3 things about it in the planner for free money. Speaking of money, students that brought things for the concession were paid today and then everyone had the opportunity to purchase a drink and a treat for $20/each. Thursday is Field Day in the afternoon for us from 1:15-2:45. Again remember to be prepared for the weather. We had Library today since we are on our field trip tomorrow during library time. Gabe, Kennade, and Aaliyah you need to get your overdue books into Mrs. Anderson. Have a great night and enjoy the weather.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Movie Tomorrow

HI there- Hope all is well. This is going to be a quick post as I just got back from ND and spending the weekend with my amazing mother. We not only celebrated Mother's Day, but her 89th birthday as well. I am sure you all enjoyed Mr. P. today. Write down your favorite part of the day for free money tomorrow. Tomorrow is movie day. We are watching Soul Surfer. Bring a drink and a treat of your choice. Also, if you brought stuff to share at the concession, you will get paid for that and you can also purchase a drink and a treat at the concession if you choose not to bring your own. Totally up to you. Have a great night and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. I missed you. I told my family as we were talking about the end of the year what a great bunch of kids you are and that I wish I would have put in to "loop" with you next year and move to 5th grade. Oh well, at least I will still get to see you down the hall. Cya tomorrow.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Egg Beds

Remember to bring those Egg Beds tomorrow. Can't wait to see all the creativity. Most students are paid up for the 3 upcoming movies. Have them tell you if they are or not. Write yes or no in the planner for free money. They now know how much money they have to spare for Egg Day tomorrow. They know what they need to buy and be careful of. They will be able to tell you all about it tomorrow after school. We had a very successful walk to our off campus field trip today. Thanks to those of you that were able to come to the BBQ lunch today. Good to see so many of you. Tomorrow is PTA movie night. $500 free money for students who attend with a parent or guardian. Concession stand for upcoming movies here in our classroom. Students who bring treats to share at the concession stand will be paid for them and then they will be able to buy different things with their money. Fun to have choices to have while watching the movie. Have a great night.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

As you can see, Hawaii Day was a fun success. Today, we had our practice Evacuation Drill to the off-site location. The kids did Super and we got there and returned safely without any problems. Today our reading kids read chapter 3 of Riding Freedom. Today is the day she escapes from the orphanage. Ask your child what she needs/does to carry out her plan. Have them predict if they think it will work. If they can tell you this and support their prediction, write "plan" for free money. Tomorrow is the day we walk to our off-campus field trip. Remember to bring your $$$$. Also, wear comfy walking shoes. Egg Day is on Friday. I am giving very little detail on this as it is kind of a surprise, but we have talked about it extensively in morning meetings. What the kids need to do to prepare for this is to make a container/ "bed" for their egg. All I can tell you is that they are excited for this!! One last thing: As you saw on the permission slips for the remainder of the year events, we have 2 classroom movies coming up. What Ms. Erickson & I are planning to set up for the movies is a concession stand just like at the real movies. Students will earn free money for bringing items to share with their class. (21 students). Then they will pay fake money to buy things just like at the real movies. This way they can choose from other items rather than just have the one treat they would bring for themself. Does this make sense? Remember it is totally optional as I know it can be costly. Items can be chips, crackers, candy, juice, etc. (make sure it is like Capri Sun, drinks w/o cups to avoid spillage) if you send drinks. Have a great night and keep enjoying this awesome weather.
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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Hawaii Day Was a Success

Yes, Hawaii Day was lots of fun. Ask your child what their favorite part was and write it in the planner for free money. Surfing & kayaking on the pavement was a bit tough, but everyone gave their best and had fun. Tomorrow we have an off-site evacuation drill. We will be walking to that site. It is over off of Wick's Lane. Remember it is just a practice. As the weather is heating up, make sure your child is showering & using deodorant on a daily basis, wears sunscreen, and has a water bottle. They are spending more time outdoors in PE and other activities coming up. Parent Homework tonight: Yes, my reading kids' parents have homework tonight. Don't stress about it, just think of your child from ages 0-2 and compare/contrast them to Charlotte. Remember to get those Library books back. Have a great night.
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Monday, May 6, 2013

Amazing Field Trip

Today was an amazing field trip packed with so much learning that even my brain is on overload from all the information we got from Jeff. He took us to all the exhibits and shared about the ecosystem, interdependence, herbivore, carnivore, omnivores, predator, prey, etc. and a lot of amazing other facts about each animal. We also had another mini lesson about earthworms and then we dissected owl pellets. Have a conversation with your child about all they learned and what they found in their owl pellets. I bet they will be able to talk about this field trip for a good 10-15 min. Some of the things that stand out in my mind are: ask the size of the biggest eagle nest in the world, how far around an owl can turn their head, and if a chinchilla can go in the water or not. Anyway, for free money tomorrow, write down 3 of the things you found most fascinating about what they share. I will try and get a Smilebox put together of the trip tonight. If not, tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, it is Hawaii Day. Ms. E and I have some fun Hawaiian things planned for tomorrow from 2-3. Have your child dress Hawaiian and bring beach attire (towels, sunglasses, sunscreen, hats, etc.) More free money being offered. Thank you to those of you that have returned the permission slips for all the activities still happening this year. I hope you marked your calendars. But, I will keep you posted on here too. We will have a spelling list this week. We are back into Montana History tomorrow. We are finally on the mining section. Bike/Walk to School Week: Yes, Mr. English announced that this is Bike/Walk to School Week. So if your child bikes or walks to school this week, their name will go in for special prize drawings. All your child has to do is tell me at the end of the week that they did one or the other and I will put their name in for the drawing. Have a great night and as always let me know if you have any questions.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Field Trip Tomorrow

Yes, we get to go see Jeff tomorrow at the zoo. The weather forecast looks beautiful; warm & sunny so bring that sunscreen and a hat if you wish. Also, wear comfortable walking shoes as we will be walking a lot. Also, remember to bring your lunch. He has an awesome day planned for us. Make sure those of you that have inhalers have them in your backpacks just in case. If we have them here at school for you, we will make sure we take them. You should have gotten the permission slip with all the upcoming events on it. It came home with your child on Thursday. As you can see, we have lots planned for this month. If your child wrote on it the cost in fake money that means they have not bought in yet. Make sure you get each thing signed and then mark the events on your calendar. I will also keep you updated of each event here on the blog. Have a great night and cya tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Great Job 4th Graders on Recorders

Yes, once again I am very proud of these kids. They shined at the concert today!! What was your favorite song? Write it in the planner for free money. We started Riding Freedom today one of my all time favorite books. Ask your child where Charlotte ended up when she was 2 years old and why. Write the where in the planner for free money. In Math, we finished up our chapter on Measurement. We are going to have a little assessment tomorrow and then we are off to Metric Olympics on Tuesday of next week. We will be doing these outside as the weather next week is supposed to be beautiful. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Also, next week outside on Tuesday, we are going to do Hawaiian Day. We have fun planned like sitting on the beach enjoying Hawaiian food, surf board races (scooters), kayaking with scooters, sharks/minnows, etc. Everyone should have the $300 buy in as they got at least that for the group project they did where they planned the Hawaiian Vacation for the whole class. Ms. Erickson and I put together a form/permission form with all the extra events going on for 4th grade this year. You will see we have lots of fun planned along with learning to make it a memorable year. These will be going home tomorrow so have your calendar ready to mark it all down. Students know that they have to keep working hard and earning money to be able to buy into these events. Like I have said many times before, positive choices = free money. Many many ways to earn it and have fun. Midterms came home today and I am excited to say that grades are very good. If your child needs to bring up a grade they have 4 1/2 weeks before report card time and BUG Club. If you saw your child's mid-term, write midterm in the planner. Remember to keep practicing those 50 states and capitals. Also, get those April reading calendars back. There will be no May calendar as grades will be due before the end of the month and there are lots of things going on this month. That doesn't mean I don't want you to read, but you just don't have to keep track of it. Reading nightly is a great habit and one you don't want to break!!! Have a great night.