A GREAT WINTER PERFORMANCE
We were able to wrap up the first semester of our program with a fantastic Kindergarten fine arts showcase. The students performed theatrical responses to Ms. Gibson's narrated story, "Grandma's Closet". They acted out the scenes with their bodies, motions, facial expressions, and voice. |
| Ms. Gibson's theatre class acting to the story "Grandma's Closet" |
The students have also been learning to connect the movement of their body with emotion words and with sound. In dance class, the kids have been using the music from the movie "Inside Out" to talk about feelings and learn how to communicate those feelings with their movements. They wrote their own dance movements to accompany different emotions and music and in art class they used different colors to create art pieces of those same emotions. (You can see examples of the artwork in the background.)
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| Ms. Evans' dance class performing their own choreography to "Inside Out". In the background, you can see the artwork from Ms. Airhart's class as they connected the emotions and colors. |
HD videos of the performance will be available from the school office.
NEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM RESEARCH
As we build the Dual Language and Fine Arts program, it is essential that the academics, language development, and creative development of our students are all important. Some recent articles and research continue to highlight the benefits of integrated curricula. A recent report was published by the National Endowment for the Arts entitled "The Arts in Early Childhood: Social and Emotional Benefits of Arts Participation: A Literature Review and Gap-Analysis (2000-2015). This report looks at the social-emotional development of students in relation to arts instruction and suggests next steps for further research.
Highlights from the report include...
- Children who participated in a drama-based program saw decreases in disruptive behavior and improvements in self-regulations.
- Children who participate in music-education programs have improved social skills according to teachers.
- Research is referenced in which even toddlers who participate in daily music, creative movement (dance), and visual arts benefit from emotional regulation over the course of a school year.
- Visual and performing arts can improve social skills.
RESEARCH VIDEOS
CONSTRUCTION IS UNDER WAY
After a patient and slow start, construction on our remodel is under way. The first phase of construction is focusing on the renovation of the fine arts spaces. These videos show some of the renovation in process.