November 28, 2007
Outside the Box – Juliann Talkington
On November 13, the school was filled with sounds of native American music, the beat of drums and the smell of Native American food as the Panama City Renaissance School participated in a Native American Fall Festival event. The event was organized by Kate Estes, the English/History teacher, who grew up on the outskirts of an Indian reservation. The second grade students presented plays they had written. The other children enjoyed watching the presentation and then participated in a Native American dance. After the dance, parents, teachers and children enjoyed a feast of meats, soups and vegetables.
November 27, 2007
News Herald – Juliann Talkington
On Friday November 16, a beautiful fall day, Ms. Yao’s Kindergarten class at the Panama City Renaissance School visited Zoo World in Panama City Beach. In addition to having a lot of fun, the children also reinforced science concepts and practiced their Chinese. The bears, giraffes and llamas were some of the favorite exhibits. There is nothing better than “real world” experience to reinforce what is learned in the classroom.
Outside the Box – Juliann Talkington
On Friday November 2 and Saturday November 3rd, the PCRS Artist in Residence, Kim Griffin, and her second grade students created a street painting for the Madonnaro Emerald Coast Street Painting Festival in Panama City. During class, the children learned about color and shading. The street painting project was the perfect place to practice shading skills and learn about working with chalk on an uneven surface. Everyone had a great time and the final product was admired by many people who attended the festival.
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November 26, 2007
Outside the Box – Juliann Talkington
Panama City Renaissance School students kicked off the holiday season with a visit to the Sea Breeze Health Care retirement home on November 23. They sang holiday songs in English, Spanish and Chinese; presented handmade cards and handed out cookies. The children spent about an hour talking with the residents who came to the common room, visiting residents in their rooms and greeting people in the halls.
November 25, 2007
Outside the Box – Juliann Talkington
On Monday, November 19, David Kozan, Senior Project Engineer with CDM, spent his lunch hour at the St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club. But instead of hopping on a sailboat for a spin around the bay, he reinforced the science and engineering principles of levers and pulleys for Ms. Wu’s second grade class at the Panama City Renaissance School. Mr. Kozan designed a number of hands-on experiments and demonstrations to reinforce the concepts the children learned in the classroom . The demonstrations and experiments included lifting a heavy bucket by hand and with a pulley, by hand and in a wheelbarrow, and by hand and with 4×4 fence post that was used as a lever. The children learned first hand how leverage makes it possible to lift heavier items more easily and also observed how a set-up of pulleys could make it relatively easy to move a heavy load. Hands-on activities like the ones Mr. Kozan designed help PCRS children learn about “real world” applications for science and technology and make learning about how the world works fun.
Outside the Box - Juliann Talkington
In second grade, the children learn about water and wastewater. In addition to in-class details of how water gets to and from our houses, the kids had a hands on demonstration of the water purification process by David Kozan, Sr. Project Engineer with CDM.” (more)
November 23, 2007
Outside the Box – Juliann Talkington
On Friday November 9, children from Ms. Song’s pre-K4 and first grade classes at the Panama City Renaissance School visited the FAMU Public Health Entomology Research and Education Center in Panama City, FL. Dr. Peterson and Dr. Zhong talked with the students about ongoing research in the laboratory including mosquito surveillance, equipment calibration, and arthropod identification. The children were able to observe fish that eat mosquito larvae and hold large cockroaches. In addition, the children were also able to experiment with microscopes and look at other aspects of the laboratory. All the kids had fun talking with Dr. Zhong in Mandarin Chinese. And most importantly the children had another fun experience with science!
