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January 2007 Newsletter


SMARTS: BRING BACK THE ARTS

CALIFORNIA STATE PTA ONLINE NEWSLETTER

January 2007

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
  • Arts and Music Block Grants: The Check is in the Mail!
  • Updates on California Funding: More proposed for next year!
2) Interactive Websites for Parents, Teachers, and Students
  • Broadway: The American Musical
  • Building Big
  • Electronic Field Trip: The Influence of Art on Yellowstone
  • Del Corazón!
3) Announcements
  • Strategic Recommendations for Maximizing New Arts Funding
  • Learning Through The Arts Cyber Conference
  • The Arts and Civic Engagement
  • Photo Contest: California Through My Eyes

1) Advocacy for the Arts

Arts and Music Block Grants: The Check is in the Mail! The first allocation of the arts and music on going block grant -- $78,750, 938-- is scheduled to be mailed to school districts in mid January. This represents 75% of the total allocation of $105 million in the state budget. You can find more information about LEA allocations at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r14/artmusic06result.asp

Updates on California Funding: More proposed for next year!
California Alliance for Arts Education News http://www.artsed411.org/involved/actionforartsedfunding.stm

2) Interactive Websites for Parents, Teachers, and Students

Broadway: The American Musical
Visit this website chronicling the evolution of the Broadway musical (1904-2004).
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/

Building Big
Help kids think about structures they see every day and the impact of technology on society.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/

Electronic Field Trip: The Influence of Art on Yellowstone
Join us as we visualize Yellowstone with the eyes of an artist.
http://www.windowsintowonderland.org/art/index.htm

Del Corazón!
Watch video interviews with Latino artists in this media-rich bilingual Web site. http://delcorazon.si.edu/

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

Learning Through the Arts Cyber Conference
Visit the video gallery of the Cyber Conference.
http://ci.sbcss.k12.ca.us/vapacyberconference/video.html

The Arts and Civic Engagement
People who participate in the arts are people who help make communities thrive, according to a study released by the National Endowment for the Arts.
http://www.nea.gov/news/news06/CivicEngagement.html

Photo Contest: California Through My Eyes
How do you envision California? What represents California to you? Check out this contest from LegiSchool.
http://www.csus.edu/legischool/photo_contest/index.html

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.

To Unsubscribe:
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.

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.

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