Welcome Back!

Hope the first week back was filled with great things for all of you...  In our schools this week, I saw:

• New music teacher Steph Tierno in her new music classroom at Fonseca, working in a circle on getting to know each other!
• Fonseca Veteran art teacher, Deb Cabral with a group of excited first graders!
• Silvia's Steph Pereira getting her amazing art studio ready for her young artists- if you want to see an environment that engages and is artfully organized, check this one out!
• Henry Lord's 7th graders, learning expectations through music with Mr. David Monte!
• Kuss Artists Sondra Arnold and Karen Graca, busy at work, prepping and working with their scholars.
• Greene artists busy making their personalized name plates with Ms. Arons
• Letourneau's own Becky Csizmesia closing up music class with a little video-guided step by step dance tutorial to "Happy" by Pharrell!  
• Talbot art students designing portfolios and completing an identification task of the Elements and Principles!
• Durfee band students busy practicing, tuning and getting ready for performances!
• Durfee arts students problem solving through art and design tasks that will no doubt hook them into the learning for the semester!

I am so happy to be back. Working with my team and seeing you work with our kids makes my heart smile.

News items I would like to share:

• We welcome eight new members into our Fine and Performing Arts Family!  We will have them share a little about themselves at our first whole group meeting this fall!  Welcome to the best F&PA Department in the State!  :)
• Both Heather Pereira and Gary Bigelow have been awarded a total of over $1,500.00 in projects that they requested this summer through Donors Choose.  Kudos to you both!
• Fonseca Elementary School has a music classroom again!
• We will be a part of a huge fund raising event this fall, held at The Narrows.  This concert will be a tribute to Fall River native Michael Troy Manuels, singer and songwriter.  Proceeds from the concert will go to the Durfee Music Program.  Stay tuned for details, and mark your calendars!  November 6th from 1-4!

Nuts, Bolts and Calendar Stuff:

• Durfee Faculty- Don't forget to take attendance in every class!  Also, faculty meeting on the 13th, and department meeting on the 21st!
• All F&PA Faculty- Please, when sharing/submitting lesson plans, consider sharing with me also!  This gives me a more informed look at what you are planning week to week so I can come by and visit!
• Itinerants and Durfee Faculty- Please upload your weekly lesson plans to the new folder on the drive that is shared with you by Monday morning.  
• Middle School Faculty- I have Kuss, Morton and Talbot's CPT times on my calendar.  I will be visiting weekly as I had in the past.  
• Music K-5 teachers- Please discuss the opportunity that Terry Walkowicz has for us with your building leadership- I would like to let Terry know which schools will be participating with their 3rd Graders.  This year, the task is titled "Gravity in Space and Sound."  Super cool stuff.  Terry will bring the NBSO to your schools and teach your students.  The concert and busesare the only parts of this experience not covered by the Music in the Parks grant.  Deadline is next Friday- let me know!
• Music K-5 Teachers- Also, you should have received your K-8 Music Subscriptions at your school if you put in the request with me.  Let me know if you do not have it and you requested one.
• The Big Yellow School Bus Grant- Want one?  Application opens Wednesday the 21st!

May your weekend be filled with art, music and drama (the good kind)...

Jackie