Arts Extravaganza was a Hit!!!!!!

WOW! What a wonderful finish to a fabulous week. Arts Extravaganza was full of art experiences through guest artists, hands on activities, and a huge, school wide student artshow! There was a large turnout for this special event and fun was had by all! Thank you to all the faculty, staff, and parents that volunteered to make this a perfect evening!

Cultural Arts Week is Really Rocking!!!

We are having a BLAST this week with all our guest performers. Monday we had SUGAR AND SPICE who entertained us with puppetry - very funny! On Tuesday we had a small group from the Synphony come and play for us as well as teach us about the instruments - beautiful! On Wednesday we had Glenis Redmond, "Miss Poetic" share her wonderful poetry in a very dramatic style - captivating! On Thursday we had ORISIRISI entertain us with the stories and drums of Africa - exciting! On Friday we have the Banjo Man from the Listening Project allowing us to experience the county - knee slapping! On Friday Night we have ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The big finale! This is TONS of fun. Guest artists, hands on art activities, school wide student art show, food, and the PTA basket auction. Make sure to be there to experience this awesome event.

Click on this blog post title and see all the wonderful photographs of our week's activities. Thank you, Melanie, for documenting for us, through photographs!

Kids Art Fair had an Awesome turnout.

On Monday and Tuesday evening we hosted our Kids Art Fairs so our parents could come purchase their child's artwork matted and framed. It was beautiful!!!!! I almost wish we could keep the work up all year long, right there in the lobby, because it makes such an incredible impact when you walk in the school. We had a wonderful turn out on Monday and Tuesday nights, with all attending amazed at the talent our children possess.

We are still selling the artwork through Friday Night at our big Arts Extravaganza. If you have not purchased your child's work, it is not too late.

Thanks to all who helped volunteer during the event!

Two Opportunities to Show Off Our Young Artists

Coming up VERY QUICKLY is the ELEMENTARY LIBRARY SHOW for the 2009-2010 School Year. It is a part of our celebration of the Arts during Youth Art Month (YAM), even though, this year it will be up April 1st (not an April Fools joke :-). On that planning day, art teachers from around the county will be installing this show at several libraries around the county, with beautiful works of art from their schools. Chets Creek's work will be displayed at the Pablo Creek Library for about two weeks after instillation. Make sure to go visit the Library and see the exquisit work by our students.

The second opportunity we have is the FAEA (Florida Art Education Association) Digital Student Art Show. For this show, student artwork is photographed and sent in to be JURIED. Our Chets Creek Cultural Arts Committee will pay the $5.00 per work entry fee required for these entries. Once Selections are made for the show, a digital powerpoint is produced that is shown during the FAEA Conference in the Fall AND to tour Florida for a year. From these piece, jurors also choose certain works for special awards. We have had the opportunity to send in several pieces for this show. Good luck to all students whose work was entered.

What Color is our Future?

An interesting question with the current conversations in our State Senate and House of Representatives. What color will our future be?????? It might be bleak in shades of gray as our students will be without much that they need in their immediate future. With more and more money, time and talent being pulled away from education, and that I mean a WELL ROUNDED, COMPLETE, education, our children have very little to look forward to in terms of jobs, income, and ability to survive, much less succeed, in the years to come. NOW IS THE TIME TO BEGIN CONTACTING YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU WANT!!!! After all, they ARE supposed to represent you.

It is also vitally important, that to survive in the 21st century, that students be well able to create, to make connections, to discover needs and to invent. This comes from using the creative side of the brain that helps us to see the big picture. These abilities are taught and experienced in the Arts. They are not a frill or fluff. They are essential to the education of our students. MAKE SURE OUR DECISION MAKERS, who, in many cases are NOT educators, know that the arts must remain a vital part of our students education.

What is YAM???????????

What is YAM, you ask??? Why it is Youth Art Month and it happens every March. This is the month where we celebrate the arts and the impact it has on our children, our students, our schools, and our community. According to the Council for Art Education, the purpose is....

1. To direct attention to the value of art education which develops divergent and critical thinking; multicultural awareness, and technical communication, and expressive skills.

2. To increase community, business and governmental support for art education.

3. To recognize art is a necessity for the full development of better quality life for all people.

4. To expand art programs in schools and stimulate new ones.

5. To increase community understanding and interest in art and art education through involvement in art exhibits, workshops, and other creative ventures.

6. To provide additional opportunities for individuals of all ages to participate in creative art learning.

7. To encourage commitment to the arts by students, community organizations, and individuals everywhere.

8. To recognize art education as a viable component in the total education curricula that develops citizens of a global society.

9. To reflect and demonstrate the goals of the National Art Education Association that work toward the improvement of art education at all levels.

If you have not stopped by Chets Creek and walked our upstairs gallery, then you are in for a treat, as we have displayed spectacular works by our students for all viewers to enjoy.

DID YOU SEE THE SUPER BOWL????

As I sat with the majority of the country, watching the Saints and the Colts battle it out, I found myself anticipating the commercials. I actually heard it said that many people were really excited to see the commercials during the game, with some watching the game mainly for that purpose.. My thought was "THANKS TO THE ARTS" and the creative minds of the graphic artists that put all those together. Not to mention the field design, uniforms, banners, equipment, advertisements, logos, cameras, Jumbotrans, architecture, just to name a few.
Amazing how much art is integrated into the SuperBowl, as well as everyday life.

Sleeping under the Stars

FIRST GRADE SLEEPOVER.......what a fun day, filled with all kinds of activities dealing with SPACE..............THE FINAL FRONTIER! It started with a flashlight studded parade complete with aliens and a storm trooper. Then they broke off into stations, all dealing with space. In the art room, we did

12th Birthday Candle up

Once again, Chets Creek celebrated its birthday with the addition of a new candle. This years theme is "Orchustrating A Symphony of Student Success" so the candle was all about different musical genres. I have to admit, I think it is one of my favorites. My question is......after this wall is filled.......where will we go next??????? The world may never know.

Mrs. Snead goes to School

This past November I had the opportunity to attend a Portrait Workshop with Ann Kenyon, an internationally known artist, at the UNF Campus. WOW! Did I ever learn what I didn't know about painting portraits in oils!!!!!!! This was an all day workshop and I must say, I was exhausted at the end. On interesting point was I experienced some of the frustrations the kids feel when they are tackling a challenging project with me. Many times, I will tell them to look at their work and figure out what it needs. They tend to look at me with blank stares and say "I don't KNOW what it needs." Well, I was feeling their pain during the production time. I would look and know that my portrait definitly needed something but I could not figure out what. I was having trouble getting the right color mixed with the paints and ......well, I could go on and on. Ultimately, I did paint a portrait that looked like a human being, however, it did not do justice to the beautiful model I was painting. BUT, the great thing was the EXPERIENCE! I know I have a lot of work to do to be successful at Portraiture, but I know that I was motivated to do the work and get better. What a wonderful experience!!!!

LIME GREEN... the color for 2009-2010

Have you noticed that new artwork has FINALLY begun to fill our frames and cases on the 2nd floor? Well, if you are not sure, look for the lime green tags and you will see fresh work. We are framing 2-D work and are replacing old 3-D pieces with new ones. Make sure to look around when you are up there. We have some fabulous artists here at the Creek!

PTA REFLECTIONS "VISUAL" PARTICIPANTS

This year's entries for the PTA Reflections Visual Arts Exhibit are ready to compete! We had some very nice art pieces as well as photographs. These student's work will compete locally. Those selected at the County level will then compete at the state level. If they are selected at the state level they will then go on to compete at the national level. Congratulations to all these students and good luck!!!!

Another Great POW WOW!

Every year our Kindergarten classes study about various Native American tribes for two to three weeks, in their classrooms. I try to have the students work on a small clay piece when they are with me to teach the importance of that medium to these people, as it was used to create vessels, bowls, everyday items necessary to life, ceremonial items, as well as items with which to barter.

To culminate the entire unit of study, the whole kindergarten class participates in a huge POW WOW, including Native American music and dances. The resource team is responsible for running the various centers that the students visit throughout the day. My job is to talk about natural dyes and paints made by the early Native Americans and then let the students experiment by painting with beets, paprika and tumeric. Always fun! The students really have fun playing with food, but they also learn a lot about having to be resourceful with what you have available.

FAEA Conference Report

I can't believe how much time I DON'T have to post info on my blog. It has been forever!

Just wanted to say the FAEA Conference was wonderful as always. It seemed I was really in "collage" mode as most of my workshops dealt with collage techniques. One was particularly interesting, as it dealt with layering digital images ( on a very wide variety of papers) to create a collage. I am thinking I need to think about doing this with some of my 5th grade classes.

My other workshop was about different collage techniques, using a large variety of media. It was fun and refreshing. I had done something like that before BUT we can always use a second time around reminder.

I attended the District Workshop and was amazed at the art advocacy and activities going on around the state. We came back with some wonderful ideas for DATA to think about.

One workshop I attended was a lecture on how one school created large mosaic murals. I am thinkin'.....I am thinkin'............

The big thing that happened was I was elected to the FAEA (Florida Art Education Association) board as the Elementary Chair for the state of Florida. WOW! I start officially in January. Now I can really get great ideas from around the state.

I will try to blog more often so I can share all the wonderful things happening here , and now, around the state.

Miss Fravel Moved to Music City

So it has been almost 6 months since I completed my internship and graduated from UNF. Amazing how it only seems like yesterday I was teaching the students about maps and helping with the Kids Art Fair Fundraiser!

After graduation I looked for jobs in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and Tennessee. I saw more jobs for art teachers in Nashville then anywhere else, so I made the decision in May that I would move to Nashville, TN.

However, they have a strict policy to not see anyone for interviews unless they have a TN teachers license, I started the long paperwork process as soon as I graduated, first needing a FL license, then needing to apply for an out of state teachers license in TN. The good news is I just got my TN teachers license last weekend! The bad news is all the jobs have been filled at the moment.

I moved in August, now living with one of my best friends and her family. They have helped me adjust to the new environment and shown me what an exciting town Nashville can be! There is a lot of support from the community to keep art and music in the schools since it is Music City, and there is a growing art scene here. I am very excited about how much they seem to love art here, and the new superintendent is really doing a lot to improve the school systems here for students and teachers.

I start substitute teaching next week, which will be a great way to improve my classroom management, as well as learning more about the schools and students around the area. I have also been doing some volunteer work in the area as well through a great organization known as Hands on Nashville. Volunteers can participate in many different kinds of activities in and outside of the schools, so far my favorite volunteer work has been going bowling with the blind.

I certainly miss Jacksonville and can only hope my experiences in the schools here will be as wonderful as Chets Creek, but I feel I am off to a great start experiencing the town and getting involved in the community.

Here's a picture from the park downtown, Cenntenial Park, its a very large and beautiful park, there are always people there jogging, picnicing, painting, and enjoying the outdoors. There is a giant Parethenon replica which you can see in the picture in the middle of the park.



And here is a picture from the Opry Hotel, which is one of the largest (or maybe it is the largest) hotel in the country and its right next to the Grand Old Opry (one of the big tourist attractions here). Inside the Hotel are lavish gardens you can walk through.


I hope everyone is doing well and having a great school year so far!

WELCOME TO STEVE TAMBURRINO!!!

Many of you who walk the halls of Chets Creek Elementary have heard the name Tamburrino plenty of times............as it pertains to Music Teachers. Now you are going to hear it twice as much because MR. TAMBURRINO will be teaching Art, two days a week. We are very excited to have him and can't wait to see him rolling through the halls on his way to our students' classrooms. Welcome, Mr. Tamburrino, we are all glad you are here!

THE VALUE OF ART!!!!!!

You may have seen this on other art blogs, but it is important enough to repeat here, as well. If you ever wondered WHY it is important to teach art to ALL of our students on a regular basis, you might want to read "10 LESSONS THE ARTS TEACH." This is by Elliot Eisner and was sent from the National Art Education Association.



1. The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships. Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.



2. The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.



3. The arts celebrate multiple perspectives. One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.



4. The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstances and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and a willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.



5. The arts make vivid the fact that neither words in their literal form nor numbers exhaust what we can know. The limits of our language do not define the limits of our cognition.

6. the arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts traffic in subtleties.

7. The arts teach students to think through and within a material. All art forms employ some means through which images become real.

8. The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said. When children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel, they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will do the job.

9. the arts enable us to have experience we can have from from no other source and through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.

10. The arts' position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.

SOURCE: Eisner, E, (2002). The Arts and the Creation of Mind, In Chapter 4, What the Arts Teach and How It Shows. (pp. 70-92). Yale University Press.

Pretty cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a lot more going on in the Art Lab than meets the eye!

A NEW YEAR BEGINS

As the 2009-2010 school year begins to unfold with our new theme, "Orchestrating a Symphony of Student Success". the Art Department is prepareing to scaffold the academics with "right brained" expression and understanding. All of us are excited about the lessons we have planned and the work that will come from our student body. The following are a few things we could use in the Art Lab and on the Art Carts. Any and all items are greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

"Trash" Treasures:
Styo egg cartons
clean soup/veg. cans
old cd's or DVD's
old broken jewelry
small wood scraps
small game pieces
unwanted craft items
"cool whip" like containers
unwanted fake flowers/foliage
old working hairdryer
flat Styrofoam pieces
old calendars
"family friendly" magazines
Any thing that might be fun
to glue or add to an art project.

Art Wish List:

Baby wipes

Lg bars of Ivory soap

Heavy duty alluminum foil

hydrogen peroxide

med. wooden skewers

jewelry wire (or similar weight)

glossy photo paper

HP 02 photoprinter ink (5 seperate colors)

chicken wire

Thank you so very much for any and all donations.

Art ABOUNDS at Chets Creek

We really have a blessed situation this year in that we have 5, that's right, 5 art positions this year. Besides Mrs. Kristy Sappington and me (Jennifer Snead), we have three other "1 day a week" art teachers that will be teaching and motivating our students. Mrs. Cecilia Dushey-Ward is a veteran instructor that will be here on Tuesdays. I am excited that she will bring much wisedom and experience with her to enhance our program. Mrs. Elizabeth Miron is a new teacher this year, but don't be fooled. She is very smart and quite sharp so she will hit the ground running with some fresh ideas and enthusiasm. She will also be here on Tuesdays. Both of these teachers teach four days at another school so we really appreciate the fact that they are giving us their best on their one day at Chets Creek. Now you may be wondering at this part of the article about our fifth person. Well, at this time they have not been hired. But when that person gets here, I will introduce you to her (or him). That position will be with us on Thursdays.

On a sad note, Ms Hallie Spooner has left us to take a job at home in Ohio. She was, and of course still is, a fabulous art teacher and will be a tremendous asset to the school she serves. We will miss her greatly!!!! Best to you, Ms. Spooner!

So heres to a year full of art and creativity! Be looking for the masterpieces to soon be hitting our walls.

Summer Fun

Make sure to look back at last year's entry about different art activities that can be done at home this summer. It would be under June 2008. When all the rain comes, kids find themselves inside with very little to do, unless they are glued to video games, the following are some fun art activities they might be able to do with simple supplies that are found around the house. HAVE FUN! GET CREATIVE!

1. Find scrap cardboard. Use one piece as the back piece and use scraps to glue onto it into different shapes. When finished, rub a litte glue over the surface and cover with a layer of heavy duty foil. Rub carefully to make the shapes come through the foil clearly. use a dull pencil to draw into the foil to make thin line designs. If you have black temperal paint (with a small amount of liquid soap added), black ink, or even black shoe polish, then rub it over the surface of the foil and then rub off with a paper towel. The effect is the look of tarnished silver.

2. Get a bar of soap and use a plastic knife to carve it into a new shape. Be very careful to carve slowly and to take off only a litte bit of soap at a time to keep from braking the soap. This is a very relaxing activity. You wont want to stop.

3. Scrap paper, such as wrapping paper, construction paper, notebook paper, newspaper, and any other kind of paper you can find, can be torn into interesting shapes and glued onto a background sheet to create a fascinating collage. Draw on top with crayons to add interesting details. Subject matter could be landscapes, animals, food, flowers, still lifes, ....just about anything.

4. When on vacation, keep a visual diary of where you went and what you did. Draw a picture with a lot of detail that tells the story of your trip. Have fun getting other people to "read" the drawings to find out what you did.

5. Using photographs, create interesting collages that tell the story of an event; a beginning, middle, and end. Photographs could come from magazines or from personal pictures. Use and many as you can to create a sequence that creates a short story.

6. If you have access to a digital camera, see if you can take some interesting shots that show different perspectives of ordinary things. How interesting and creative can you be with what you see?

7. Using wood scraps and/or parts and pieces of old broken jewelry or toys, use a strong glue (with parental help) to build a new sculpture. See how you can make it balance. You could build an imaginary animal or a fun looking robot.

These are just a few ideas. I bet you could come up with some of your own. Leave me an comment to let me know what you came up with. How did you use what you have around your house to create a wonderful piece of art??????