CALIFORNIA STATE PTA ONLINE NEWSLETTER

December 2006

SMARTS is California State PTAs program to encourage arts education. The California State PTA wants to create advocates for quality arts education at every school in California. We hope you will spread the word about the benefits of arts education. Please e-mail this newsletter to PTA district, council and unit members.

In this issue:

1) Advocacy for the Arts

• Updates on the New California Funding for the Arts
• Why Did California Schools Get Arts Funding?
• Keep Arts in Schools Website
• The Art of Scheduling Music

2) Interactive Websites for Parents, Teachers, and Students

• From the Top
• Art Safari
• Keeping Score—Revolutions in Music
• Off the Map
• Picturing Modern America

3) Announcements

• Strategic Recommendations for Maximizing New Arts Funding
• PTA Reflections Program
• News from GLEF: Arts Education
• The National Anthem Project: Teacher Resources
• Create your own Arts Master Plan!

1) Advocacy for the Arts

Updates on the New California Funding for the Arts
Check out these websites for the latest information on California Arts Funding:

California Department of Education Arts and Music Block Grant
http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/profile.asp?id=953

California Alliance for Arts Education News
http://www.artsed411.org/involved/actionforartsedfunding.stm

Why did California Schools Get Arts Funding?
Listen to an interview on KALW radio featuring the PTA.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kalw/.artsmain/article/13/424/982060/Artery/Artery.October.19/

Keep Arts in Schools Website
Website emphasizing that the arts are a vital component to public school education for all students.
http://www.keepartsinschools.org/AboutUs/index.html

The Art of Scheduling Music
The National Association for Music Education provides articles and commentary on scheduling music in the schools.
http://www.menc.org/publication/articles/block/blocksch.htm

2) Interactive Websites for Parents, Teachers, and Students

From the Top
The mission of From the Top is to celebrate kids who've shown commitment to music and the arts.
http://www.fromthetop.org/

Art Safari
Art Safari invites you and your child to explore the painting and sculpture collection of The Museum of Modern Art.
http://www.moma.org/momalearning/artsafari/index.html

Keeping Score—Revolutions in Music
Keeping Score is a project of the San Francisco Symphony designed to make classical music more accessible to people of all ages and musical backgrounds.
http://www.keepingscore.org/index.html

Off the Map
What is visionary art for the classroom? Visit an award winning website from PBS.
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/offthemap/

Picturing Modern America
This site provides historical thinking exercises for middle and high school students.
http://www.edc.org/CCT/PMA/

3) Announcements

Strategic Recommendations for Maximizing New Arts Funding
The California Arts Project shares strategies for teachers, administrators, parents, and others involved in decision making on the use of the new state funds.
http://csmp.ucop.edu/tcap/news/support_visual.html

PTA Reflections Program
Designed to enhance rather than replace a quality arts education, the Reflections Program provides opportunities for students to express themselves and to receive positive recognition for their artistic efforts.
http://www.pta.org/local_leadership_subprogram_1116958614281.html

New from GLEF: Arts Education
Take a look at an archive of arts education resources from the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
http://www.edutopia.org/community/spiralnotebook/?cat=27

The National Anthem Project: Teacher Resources
Resources help teach patriotic music and raise awareness of the importance of music education in preserving American musical traditions.
http://www.thenationalanthemproject.org/teachermaterial/naptm_START.html

Create your own Arts Master Plan!
Kick-Off the Community Arts Education Project in Your School. The Community Arts Education Project is a unique strategy manual to support quality arts education in public schools.
http://www.capta.org/sections/programs-smarts/index.cfm

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To Subscribe:
If you wish to be added to the subscriber list to this newsletter, send an e-mail to SMARTSenews@capta.org. Enter the word "Subscribe" into the subject area or the body of the email and you will automatically be added.

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If you would like to terminate your subscription to the SMARTS newsletter, send an e-mail to SMARTSenews@capta.org and in the subject area type "Remove" or "Unsubscribe" and your name will be removed.

For help or to send comments, suggestions, and inquiries send an e-mail to info@capta.org.

The California State PTA SMARTS newsletter is sent free of charge via the Internet as a service of the California State PTA in the furtherance of its nonprofit and tax-exempt status. Unless otherwise noted, PTAs may reproduce and distribute the materials from the California State PTA website for PTA use without express written permission. California State PTA materials may not be duplicated by any other organization or person without written permission.

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California State PTA

• Does not exert editorial control over materials that are posted by third parties onto its website, or materials that are e-mailed by third parties to any other persons.
• Specifically disclaims any and all liability for any claims or damages that result from postings by third parties.
• Does not exert editorial or any other control over content provided by links from the California State PTA website.

Thank you to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for supporting in part the
California State's PTA's arts education initiatives.