Weekly Arts Wrap Up- 1/13/17

Welcome to another weekend!

Let's start this weekend off with a celebration!!!  I am excited to share with you the district WINNERS of the annual BCC Martin Luther King Jr. Art Contest.  We have 9 students this year who have been chosen as winners in the 17th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Art Contest. At the BCC breakfast, they will announce which place each poster won. The keynote speaker this year is Cape Verdean American filmmaker/historian Claire Andrade-Watkins, a professor of Africana and Postcolonial Media Studies at the Institute for Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson College as well as a 2016 Visiting Scholar, Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, and a Fellow, Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University. Mrs. Andrade Watkins was a 1995-1996 Fulbright Scholar in Cape Verde and a recipient of an American Philosophical Society grant in l997.  Congrats to the following Fall River Artists!

  • Morton: Eden McCausland   
  • Talbot: Alexia Springer, Nalah Jovan, and Savannah Pimental, and the 4th student remains anonymous
  • Kuss:  Julie Norverca, Alannah Young, Emily Vaillancourt, and Emily Noversa
Check out these young designers at Durfee!
This new course, entitled "Design" asks students to work through the design process via fashion design, interior design, graphic novel design..  It's an amazing group of trail blazers, led by the fabulous Ms. Ana Arsenio!

And check out the Letourneau 3rd grade with Terry Walkowicz and her New Bedford Symphony Orchestra musicians as they help students connect aspects of space and planetary movement through musical composition..  Common vocabulary was evident in this interdisciplinary learning experience for students, and it was fascinating to see and hear the connections between orchestral pieces and the way the planets move around the sun.  She continued to discuss graphing movement (as she did with us last year) in sound as it moves upward and downward, but made connections to science and the planets.




Planning Ahead:

  • MLK Day- Monday
  • End of term 2: January 27th.
  • PD Day: January 30th. Plans for the district to come together for a half-time chat are in the works! 
  • Monday, Monday...  You will have two more "missing Mondays" in the month of January- plan accordingly!
  • Formative Meetings: I have reached out to all teachers on one year plans and we have our Formative Meetings scheduled! Please reach out to me if you need support around any of this process.  Upload or bring to the meeting any artifacts that you would like to discuss as rationale for the midway point in terms of SLG and PPG, as well as for the 4 Standards.  We will discuss, check in as to where you are in your action steps and then plan for the remainder of the cycle.  Based on this meeting's discussion, I will write the formative report and share it with you.  Included in this document will be commendations and recommendations for growth.
Durfee Stuff:
  • The newly designed Durfee High School needs YOU! Next steps involve a "Visioning Meeting" with the architect team. Maria has emailed the staff with more information because WE (would love and) NEED YOU (of course it's not mandatory, but would be a great way to be a part of the plan) to be part of this process by attending two four-hour planning meetings on January 19th and 31st from 3 to 7PM.
  • Department Meeting- Wednesday, January 18th at 2:45- PD reflection
  • Semester 2 Starts- Tuesday, January 31st
  • Grading window closes on 2/6
  • PT Conferences- 2/8- 5 t 7PM
PD Day "Trailer"

Never Work Harder Than Your Students!
I had discussed this last week as a possibility, but the day will start with the superintendent message, so I will hold on this one..  Can't wait to see you all together on Monday!

Art EXPO!
We are also going to work on the plan for our annual K-12 ARTS EXPO during the PD day.  Mapping out the locations for each school, and attributing a number of bi-folds will help us to be organized and ready for our families!  Save the date- Thursday, April 27th from 5 to 7PM!

Solo Fest Planning!
Itinerant Band and Orchestra directors will continue to flesh out the plan for this huge district wide event.

Orf Methods!
Our own Jay Treloar will be working with music teachers sharing strategies for Orf instruments in the classroom.

Using Tech and Text in the Art Room!
Our own Victoria Arons (with a possible surprise co-presenter) will be walking teachers through the use of engaging text and technology in the art room.  You will also leave with a little surprise at the end of this PD!

Dick Blick comes to Fall River!
A teacher rep from Dick Blick Providence will be with us for two hours to show us some great new art supplies and ways to plan engaging lessons for your students with these.  You will leave with a work sample and supplies!

Common Mapping Time!
We will continue to work on our scope and sequencing for grades K-8.

In closing, keep sharing/sending in those lesson plans weekly with me!  I DO read them and it helps this busy lady keep a pulse on all of the great work that you plan for OUR KIDS.

Thank you and let's go, PATS!!!
Jackie

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