February 2008 Newsletter

SMARTS: BRING BACK THE ARTS

CALIFORNIA STATE PTA ONLINE NEWSLETTER

February 2008

SMARTS is California State PTAs program to encourage arts education. 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.

March is Arts Education Month: Get READY

This March, California State PTA and the California Alliance for Arts Education are coordinating a statewide campaign to bring elected officials into our schools to witness the power of learning in the arts. Join with PTA members throughout the State:

Invite Your Legislator to Your School
Find Your Legislator:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/port-zipsearch.html

Click below for a list of suggested activities:
http://www.artsed411.org/involved/toolkit_suggested.stm

Sample Thank You letter
http://www.artsed411.org/involved/toolkit_samplethankyou.stm

Please let your elected official know:

• Parents strongly support arts education as an essential component of quality education for all children.

• The ongoing investment in arts education is making a difference in the lives of children and must continue in the years to come.

• Local evidence from the schools and districts demonstrate the difference that arts education is making in preparing our children to meet the challenges of the future.

Arts Websites for Parents, Teachers and Students

Counting on Art
Explore the paintings of Horace Pippin and Wayne Thiebaud and themobiles of Alexander Calder to discover and practice math and visual art concepts.
http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/counting_on_art/

Meet Me at Midnight
Take a journey through the Smithsonian museum’s collection.
http://midnight.si.edu/default_flash.html

The San Francisco Symphony Presents
A music learning Web site for children and families
http://www.sfskids.org/templates/splash.asp

Announcements

Statewide Leadership in Arts Education Conference
Reinvigorating Arts Education in California Schools: What's the Story?
April 21-22, 2008
http://www.ccsesa.org/index/attachments/Conference_registration%20flier.pdf

Westinghouse Student Video Contest on the Forms of Energy
Students in middle and high schools are encouraged to prepare a three to seven minute video (VHS or DVD) on positive aspects of the various forms of energy, including nuclear energy.
http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/Community/student_video_contest.shtm

An Unfinished Canvas. Arts education in the San Francisco Bay Area: A supplementary status report
http://policyweb.sri.com/cep/publications/BayAreaReport.pdf

Keep Arts in the Schools.org
Take a look at this web site that provides extensive research, news, resources as well as tips on how to get involved.
http://www.keepartsinschools.org/Programs/index.php

Visual & Performing Arts
The California Department of Education provides guidance forimplementing and improving visual and performing arts programs.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/vp/

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

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