The Jungle Beat
Mrs. Allen's K-Learners / May 6, 2016
Our mission is to create a culture of intellectual curiosity where all students have ownership over their learning and are inspired to think, innovate, and create.
News and Notes
Parents-I had such a wonderful week of appreciation. I think I have gained 10 pounds from all the treats. My heart has certainly grown from all the wonderful hand made cards, books, and gifts. Thank you all for your continued support and for sending your child to PRS so I could be their Lead Learner. I have been blessed!
Ball Project Update
Cow & Sheep Eyeball dissection
Yes that is correct parents. The learners have convinced me they need to see the inside of an eyeball. They have seen the inside of all the other balls we have studied and they would settle for nothing less for this one as well. Thanks to Ben's mom, we have two eye doctor's, Bryan and Crissie Holman, coming on Tuesday, May 10th. They have many amazing things planned to do with the learners. Top on the list is to dissect a cow and sheep eye for us. The learners will watch the doctor's do this. Any child that does not want to watch this portion will be allowed to leave to go to Mrs. Cobb's or Mrs. Collin's room. We value and respect all learner's choice in this opportunity. They also have planned to show a 3D image of the eye as well. Your learner will not want to miss this. Even if they choose to leave for the dissection portion, there will be many other amazing activities for them to enjoy. The doctors will be here at 8:15. Please make every effort to be on time so your learner will not miss any of this time together.
Our Eyeball Expert-Meet Zaylon's Mom
Zylon's Mom-Our Eye Expert
The Eyeball-Shape of a ping pong ball!
Parents-join me in extending a huge "thank you" to Zaylon's mom for coming to be our "Eye ball Expert." She did an AMAZING JOB! She not only answered our questions but did games with the learners that showed the importance of vision. A favorite moment among all the learners was when she sat with them on the floor and let them feel contacts! Please take a few minutes to watch the video with your learner. This is one of the best experts that has joined us.
Does a basketball have a bladder?
Inside a Basketball
We have been so confused by the basketball. All the inflatable balls except the basketball, that we have had cut open have had a removable bladder. We began to wonder if it was just the ball that Coach K cut open or all basketballs. We invited Coach Fureigh back to see if she could help us. She brought us a new basketball still in the box. She cut it open in front of us so we could discover the answer first hand. Take a few minutes to watch the video and see what our leaners discovered. Big thanks to Coach Fureigh for being our ball cutting expert.
Think + Innovate + Create = Digital Ball Project Book Coming Soon
Parents our digital ball project book is almost complete. I hope to have it ready by the end of this week. I am also looking for a way to print a pdf copy for every child. If you have access to being able to make color copies and would be willing to help with this, please let me know. There may be a small cost for this but it will be well worth having the documentation of all our learning.
Field Day was a success!
Field day was such a marvelous time together. Your support made it a success. I cannot imagine doing this day without your support. The children had so much fun! I have not finished the video from this event. I hope to have it ready by our next newsletter. Too many wonderful pictures to choose from. Thank you Coach K and Coach Hines for all your hard work!
Following the Lead of the Learners
No One Visiting Ball Pump Station
I have very much enjoyed watching the learners transform our room. They have changed the wrecking ball area into an Eye Doctor's Office. It is obvious their interest has taken a new direction. I noticed the other day that not one child visited the ball pump station. As a lead learner this was telling me something very important. It was time for me to add other learning areas. Following their lead, I have added a loose parts area. (There is a great book about this I can't wait to order with the Amazon gift cards that many of you gave me.) We also spent some time allowing the learners to paint their own eyes. The school year may be coming to an end, but the learning in our room is still exploding!
Writing: Narrative, Informational, Opinion
We will be spending the next few weeks reviewing the three main types of writing and posting a piece of each in FreshGrade. We will be re-reading mentor text as well as reading a couple of new ones. Below are text we will be reading for each type of writing. I am amazed at how much our writing ability has grown.
Mark Your Calendars
May 20th Kindergarten Water Day (see flyer for information)
May25th Come Have a Picnic with us (more info to follow)
Below is the link to the pre-approved absence form.
Contact Information
Email: jean.allen@pikeroadschools.org
Location: 500 Avenue of Learning, Pike Road, AL, United States
Phone: 334-495-4113