Welcome Back !

Welcome Parents

Dear Curley Families,

Welcome back to school! I hope everyone had a great summer vacation and is ready for a fantastic school year. I am looking forward to a year filled with creativity, exploration and exciting art!

This year we are planning some interesting activities and projects in the Visual Arts Program. Along with practicing our basic skills with a variety of different two and three dimensional materials and techniques, students will learn about famous artist and the elements and principles of art and design. In addition Fine Art students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades will have the option of selecting visual art courses as an area of concentration for their electives, attending art class two days a week. In the Spring usually the Thursday before April break we will have our Visual Arts showcase

Please visit the classroom webpage here where you will find pictures of past projects and this year’s new projects and activities. Also, be on the lookout for the Art Room News letters that I will be posting before the holidays 

Below, I have included some general information related to the Visual Art Program. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or if you are interested in becoming a parent volunteer at cwall@bostonpublicschools.org

Best wishes for a wonderful school year,
Ms. Drakes (Visual Arts Teacher, Curley K8 School)

Materials: 

Students should have a sharpened pencil and an eraser with them for each class. They can also bring their own, crayons, colored pencils and markers; however, art materials necessary to complete each classroom assignment will be provided for them. Please send any donations to school with your child.  Some of the items we could use are -  paper towels, 5-10 pencils, 1 two -inch eraser, and one container of anti- bacterial  or other hand wipes. If possible please donate any of the above for the classroom.  We also save the rolls from the paper towels and tissue for upcycled projects. Students earn class points for bring them in.

6th, 7th and 8th grade students – In addition to the materials listed above please get a sketchbook with unlined pages. It should be at least 8"x11" and have at least 30 pages.

Art Classroom Rules and Safety:  

For their safety and to create a positive learning environment, students are expected to follow five rules that we discuss in the beginning of the year and reinforce throughout. They are: Listen to directions, stay in your seat, use art materials with care, respect each other and each other's art, and keep hands, feet, and all objects to yourself. The safe use of materials and tools is very important. Before we use materials we discuss the best and safest way to use them. Please discuss the importance of following the rules in the art room and using the materials safely with your children. Parents will be notified if their child is having difficulties with their conduct.

Grading:

Students‘ grades are determined by these five factors: their effort in class, how well they followed the directions, the completion of their work, the quality of their artwork and the timely completion of  assignments. Each of these factors are worth 20% of their final grade for the quarter.