Makey Makey Pianos

Today with computer science, pairs of students worked together to create paper keyboards that would play music. Some were quite unique. One student event taped the paper keyboard to his chest to be a "piano man". Now that we have explored circuits of the Makey Makeys, the next step is to have a challenge. Tomorrow students have the task of designing an "old school" joystick, similar to those of the Atari 2600.

Creating our Tie Dye Scarecrow

Our class is making an owl for our class scarecrow. Students cut out feathers, used a sewing machine, and painted a backdrop. Show up Thursday to see the finished project. 

Happy 60th Beck!

Computer Science Kickoff

Today kicked off our class computer science unit. We plan on doing projects each Monday. We started with Makey Makeys, where students experimented with making game controllers out of Playdough. 

Jessie Beck Elementary Turns 60!

With this year being pretty special, with our school in its 60th year, we held an assembly to celebrate. There are not too many things better then magic. The magicians knew how to ohhhh and ahhhh the 4th-6th graders. Hard to believe this is the 60th group of fifth graders to learn at our school. Such a special time. 

The Final Day at JOS

What an amazing trip Journeys Outdoor School was this year. This morning student packed up there cabins and were checked out before breakfast. They transported their gear down to the lodge before breakfast and then filled their stomaches with their last meal, consisting of pancakes, bacon, fruit, yogurt, OJ, eggs, and grits. Stidents also did a great job of clearing dishes, wiping tables , and generally cleaning up after themselves. Students got back into trail groups after breakfast and headed outside for their last get together. 

The Last Evening at JOS

During community time this evening, the majority of students played the game of Gaga. Think of it as gladiator dodgeball in a pit. It is so much fun!  For dinner, the side of baked potatoes was a hit (surprised me), although we had 13 pounds of ort (ask you child what that is, as even learning took place around meals). Our evening activity focused on animal adaptations, specifically on those associated with birds for the hands-on exploration.