Archive for September, 2012

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School Board Award

September 12, 2012

Do you have a supportive school board?

If you answered this question YES I suggest you read this information. The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School Boards Association recognize a school board annually who has demonstrated support for and commitment to high-quality arts education in its school district. This national award recognizes districts that have included all four major artistic disciplines – visual arts, music, theater and dance – in their programs.

If you believe that your school board is eligible please take a look at the nomination form found at www.kennedy-center.org/SchoolBoardAward. The deadline for the application is December 3, 2012.

The award program involves one school board per state that comprises the maximum national pool of nominees. Final selection is made by a national panel of educators and arts professionals including representatives of the KCAAEN and NSBA. The winning school board receives a plaque presented at
the NSBA Annual Conference, along with a cash award of $10,000 to use for their arts education programs.

Full details and nomination materials can be found at www.kennedy-center.org/SchoolBoardAward. The nomination deadline is December 3, 2012. One nomination is invited from each U.S. state. You can
contact your local State Alliance for Arts Education<http://cirrus.mail-list.com/necap/07523400.html> or State School Boards Association<http://www.nsba.org/Services/StateAssociations/default.aspx> to
coordinate a nomination. A list of past winners can be found online<http://cirrus.mail-list.com/necap/00860850.html>.

Posted in Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, funding source, VPA | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

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Maine Music Educators Fall Workshop

September 11, 2012

Penny Mahoney, nationally known Orff-Schulwerk clinician and endorsed trainer in education through movement coming to Maine

The Maine Chapter (American Orff- Schulwerk Association) and

The Maine Music Educators Association are proud to present:

PENNY MAHONEY, BS, MA, Ed. D.

Create & Assess thru the Orff-Schulwerk Process

This workshop will use movement based active learning to create and assess the musical concepts of beat, rhythm, improvisation, form and melody. Be prepared to sing, play and move with friends and colleagues.

Friday, October 19, 2012

9 AM – 3 PM

Le Club Calumet, 334 West River Road, Augusta, Maine (directions below)

Credit: 1.5 CEUs from the University of Maine with a paper and lesson plan ($10. Charge)

(Note: 1.5 CEUs = 1 Recertification Credit)

Cost:  $50. For the workshop (includes lunch) (members, students & retired see below)

 

MAHONEY WORKSHOP REGISTRATION:

Name_______________________________________________________________

School______________________________________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________________

             _____________________________________________________________

e-mail______________________________________________________________

Phone____________________

NAfME or AOSA Membership Number_________________

Enclosed is $50.00 for the workshop__________

NAfME/MMEA or AOSA Members $40.00__________

Student or Retired MMEA or AOSA Members  $15.00____________

Additional $10.00 for the 1.5 CEUs__________

Total Enclosed (checks to “The Maine Chapter”)__________

OCTOBER 12th REGISTRATION DEADLINE!

Mail to: Nancy Cash-Cobb, Windham Primary School, 404 Gray Road, Windham, Maine 04062

More info?  ncash-cobb@rsu14.org or ncashcob@maine.rr.com s-892-1840 h-926-3171 c-671-7064

“Penny Mahoney is the most inspirational educator with whom I’ve had the privilege to study.  Anyone fortunate enough to attend a workshop with Penny will leave armed with practical, engaging activities and a renewed sense of purpose!” – Heidi McCarthy, RSU #4 Litchfield, Sabattus, Wales

 DOOR PRIZES!!!!!

Penny Mahoney Bio

Penny Mahoney BS, MA, Ed. D., Orff Schulwerk Level I – III, and Endorsed Trainer in Education Through Movement, is currently a music specialist, K-5 at the Wolf Swamp Road School, Longmeadow, Massachusetts.  She acquired her Orff Schulwerk certifications from Grace Nash and her Endorsed Trainer in Education Through Movement from Phyllis Weikart.  Penny is an active clinician/teacher trainer throughout the United States as an Orff Specialist and Endorsed Trainer.  She has also served as President of the Central Texas Orff Chapter and Regional Representative to the Board of Trustees of AOSA.

 

Driving directions:

From I-95

Take the ME-3 exit, Exit 113, toward Augusta/Belfast….0.3 miles

Stay Straight to go onto ME-3….0.7 miles

Take the 1st right onto ME-104/W. River Road -continue to follow ME-104….0.7 miles

334 Northern Ave. (Le Club Calumet) is on the right

Posted in assessment, Curriculum and Instruction, Music, Professional Development | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Maine Learning Community of Learners Website

September 10, 2012

What is MaineLearning.net?

MaineLearning.net is an online community of practice for Maine educators. The idea for MaineLearning.net was established after Stephen Bowen, the Commissioner of Education, learned from touring the state in March 2011, of the desire for sharing resources and best practices amongst and between educators.

Thus was born MaineLearning.net: a project designed to leverage limited resources by creating an online collaboration platform that allows groups of educators to share best practices in their areas of specialty, and allows all educators to observe and/or participate.

Currently the Department of Education has rolled out the site with an initial set of practice groups. Arts education has a “Group” called Maine Arts Education Leaders. The intent of the group is to have discussions, share documents, and participate in online activities to collect and share best practices. This is a collaborative space that provides the opportunity for conversations on arts education topics to share ideas, ask questions, and provide feedback to the group members. Along with me (Argy Nestor) the community is made up of the following educators:

  • Jeff Beaudry
  • Bill Buzza
  • Shannon Campbell
  • Cami Carter
  • Suzanne Goulet
  • Charlie Johnson
  • Lisa Marin
  • Jen Nash
  • Leah Olson
  • Jame Perkins
  • Catherine Ring
  • Ben Speed

Each of the MaineLearning.net practice groups follow the “fishbowl” model: group members can collaborate within their group space, but all interested educators, parents, and community members will be able to view the conversations and resources. The topic we are presently discussing is “proficiency based high school graduation”. I suggest you take a minute and read what these arts educators are saying.

In another space in MaineLearning.net arts educators are submitting to the “Resources” section. During the summer Maine Arts Assessment Initiative Summer Institute for the initiative’s teacher leaders the first phase teacher leaders started populating this site with sample lessons and units. The teacher leaders are working on a method for “peer review” of the resources submitted which will provide the contributor with feedback. If you are interested in contributing click on “Recommend a Learning Object” at the top of the Resources page.

The teacher leaders who have contributed resources to date are:

  • Shannon Campbell
  • Jennie Driscoll
  • Charlie Johnson
  • Lisa Marin
  • Jen Nash
  • Jeff Orth
  • MaryEllen Schaper
  • Jake Sturtevant
  • Alice Sullivan
  • Shari Tarleton

The resource section of MaineLearning.net is open to all however you will notice at this time that most of the resources submitted are from arts educators.

Posted in assessment, Communication, Community, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, Leadership, Opportunity, Professional Development, Standards Based Education, VPA | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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The ARTS and STEM!

September 8, 2012

What role should the arts play in STEM education?

As schools continue to emphasize science, technology, engineering and math skills, some educators are pushing for a greater role for the arts — effectively modifying STEM into STEAM, Steven Ross Pomeroy, assistant editor for Real Clear Science, writes in this blog post. By infusing more creativity and imagination into STEM education, teachers can expand students’ understanding of the world and help them see the exciting applications of math and related subjects, he notes. ScientificAmerican.com/Blog (8/22) To read the entire article please click here: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/08/22/from-stem-to-steam-science-and-the-arts-go-hand-in-hand/

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George Stevens Academy

September 7, 2012

Blue Hill Fair

Last week, for the 19th consecutive year, the George Stevens Academy (GSA) Jazz Band from Blue Hill performed during the Harness Races at the Blue Hill Fair on Saturday, September 1st. What fun!

GSAs music educator, Steve Orlofsky, was excited about the performance and very proud of the student’s musical abilities, their pride, loyalty & dedication to prepare 12 tunes in just 6 rehearsals (before school even starts!) and then perform in front of a huge Grand Stand audience!

Sounds like GSAs Jazz Band was off to a GREAT start! Please let us know how you started the year with your students so I can post your proud moments!

2012 Maine State Jazz Champion GSA Jazz Band.
front row, left to right:
Gavin Rogers, Nicole Bakeman & Haley Maiden
2nd row:
Steve Orlofsky, Lucy Jakub, Meredith Olivari, Catherine Nevin, Lorna
Stephens, Ramsay Williamson, Grace Bugbee & Nicholas Steenberg
3rd row:
Ben Olivari, Peter Howell, Jordon Soper, Zach Strehan, Rown
Levangie-Thomas, Oliver Scott, Nate Cole, Sam Elliott & Edward Lameyer

Not pictured are 9 new members: freshmen: Abby Jakub, Grace Hyland, Erin
Niehoff,  Maya Sealander, Nicholas Bianco, & Matthew Stephens. Sophomore
Baxter Forrest & seniors Beck Brownlow & So Young Ihm.

These new members replace the seniors of 2012, Nicole, Haley, Meredith,
Ramsay, Grace, Ben & Sam.

Posted in Communication, Community, Leadership, Music, Opportunity, YAHOO | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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First Lady Invitation for Student Artwork

September 6, 2012

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY – Deadline: 30 October 2012

First Lady Ann LePage announces the Maine is ME Student Art Challenge, in partnership with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. The First Lady invites students in grades K-8 to submit an original work of art depicting what living in Maine means to you.

Selected artwork will be featured in the First Lady’s upcoming new family friendly Love.Read.Learn!™ Baby Journal. The journal is to promote literacy and health to families of newborn babies in Maine and will be provided at no cost to parents of newborns in 2012-2013.

Prompt: Create a 2-­dimensional original artwork that represents what living in Maine means to you. The artwork may be inspired by a wide range of images from favorite places, outdoor activities, foods and state symbols to families having fun together.

  • Students should consider the use of the Elements of Art and Principles of Design.
  •  Student artwork should be two-­dimensional, measure 9” X 12” and may be created using any medium including pencil, crayon, graphic, pastel, watercolor, oils, etc.

Entries must be postmarked by October 30, 2012 and the artists are expected to be notified during the week of November 12, 2012. Please send entries to the  Blaine House – Maine is ME Art Challenge, c/o Paula Benoit, 192 State Street, Augusta, ME 04330.

All selected artists must be a Maine student (grades K-8), during the 2012-2013 school year, and be a legal resident of Maine at the time of his/her application. For complete information and details please click here.

Students must return the student-parents forms with their artwork. Art Challenge guidelines and parent consent forms are available online at: http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/vpa/news.html.

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MAAI Resources!

September 5, 2012

Maine Arts Assessment Resources

Recently revamping the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative wiki moved to the top of the list of “things to do”. It was prompted by a question from the field, a high school art teacher who emailed asking if the information (“notes and/or minutes”) from the summer teacher leader assessment institute sessions was available. He has been following the work of the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) including the blog posts, webinars, and other resources we have made available on the wiki http://maineartsassessment.pbworks.com and Department assessment webpage http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/vpa/assessment.html. It was as if the teacher had whacked me upside the head. I thought “why don’t we post the handouts, links, and information that we provided in each of the sessions?”

That is when I moved the task up to the top of the “to do” list and Catherine Ring and I skyped to determine who had time to do what, and where we wanted to make changes on http://maineartsassessment.pbworks.com to provide as many resources to all of you as possible from the summer institute.

This is another example of the MAAI transparency. If you want to get to the summer resources page quickly here is how to do that. Go to http://maineartsassessment.pbworks.com read through the front page, and towards the bottom you will see in capital letters INFORMATION AND RESOURCES. Click there for the  Table of Contents. Click on 2012 Summer MAAI Institute Resources which will take you to a TON, I mean MEGA amounts of resources on the four main topics of the summer institute; ASSESSMENT, LEADERSHIP, TECHNOLOGY, and CREATIVITY. The workshop facilitator is listed with the information so you know the sources. Along with the four topics there are many other resources including books, .pdfs, articles, research, and so much more it will take you several rainy days to get through all of it. Is everything included from the summer institute? No, this would be impossible since the Teacher Leaders and other participants shared continuously throughout the 4-day institute held at MECA in July/August. But you know what it is like when you get together with arts educators; the willingness to share is unbelievable! Is it only from the summer institute? No, but most of it is. There are arts education resources that have been shared during other workshops and on the Department site.

My suggestion is to share this page with your colleagues, administrators, and determine what you can use for your local curriculum and assessment development work that you are doing this school year. Please let me know how you use the resources that we’ve provided for all of you!!

A great big THANK YOU goes to the MAAI Leadership Team who facilitated the MAAI summer sessions and our New England colleagues who stepped in and did sessions on the Common Core State Standards and National Arts Standards. I won’t mention any names here with fear of omitting some but please know that it is several amazing arts educators!

Posted in assessment, Communication, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, Leadership, Opportunity, Professional Development, Research, Standards Based Education, Technology, VPA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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National Arts in Education Week

September 1, 2012

 September 9-15

Congress designated Arts in Education Week – the second week in September – to promote and showcase the immense role arts education plays in producing engaged, successful, and college-and career-ready students. Celebrate Arts in Education Week 2012, September 9-15!

While Arts in Education Week will take place during busy back-to-school activities, it also offers an extraordinary opportunity to ‘Start with the Arts’ by calling attention to the essential value of learning in the visual arts and performing arts within your school and community.

I invite you to use this opportunity to communicate with your colleagues, administrators, parents, and community members about what you are doing and what your students are creating in your classrooms! Let us know by posting a comment below of your activities.

HAPPY ARTS IN EDUCATION WEEK!

Posted in Communication, Community, Curriculum and Instruction, Leadership, Opportunity, VPA | Tagged | 2 Comments »

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