CCES Special Areas Newsletter
Art, Music and PE Updates
Music with Mr. DeStefano and Mrs. Ingraham
March is in Music In Our Schools Month
While we are fortunate to have a thriving music program at CCES, we like to celebrate Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM) every school year by shining a brighter light on the importance of music in our lives. This year’s MIOSM theme is “Music Inspires!” and we hope to inspire our students to keep on making and enjoying music. Here are some MIOSM activities that have been planned for the coming month:
Interactive Bulletin Board: Music is a part of almost every activity! Students should consider how music has inspired them to play an instrument, do a dance, play a sport, write a story or create a picture. Students can post their musical inspirations by writing about them or drawing a picture to post on the bulletin board outside of the music rooms across from the gym. Pictures of student inspirations will be posted on Twitter. How does music inspire you?
Performances: in celebration of MIOSM, we have several concerts planned during the month of March:
- Fulton County Choral Clinic: On Saturday, March 18th: Twenty six (yes – 26!) CCES chorus students will be participating in the Fulton County Choral Clinic. They will join students from throughout Fulton County to learn songs with three Fulton County music teachers, then perform a concert for family and friends that same day! The concert will take place at Autrey Mill Middle School at 2:30 PM. We hope to see you there!
- Play the Recorder Day: On Sunday, March 19th: students from the Orff Ensemble will be participating in Play the Recorder Day. They will join recorder players from throughout the Atlanta area to perform a free concert. Mr. DeStefano will also be performing with both the Atlanta Recorder Society and with fellow Fulton County music teacher Melissa Delman (Lake Forest Elementary). The concert will take place at Church of the New Covenant in Doraville at 3:00 PM. We hope to see you there!
- Second Grade Concert: On Tuesday, March 21st: CCES Second Graders will present their concert “Going On A Picnic” at 6:30 PM. The concert will feature students singing, playing instruments, dancing and having a good time! Second grade students should report to classrooms between 6:00-6:20 PM so they can get lined up and be ready to start on time. More information about the concert will be sent home with second grade students soon. We hope to see you there!
As always, we are honored to have the privilege of teaching music to your children. Happy Music In Our Schools Month!
Art with Mrs. Nail and Mrs. Steffensen
We have moved into our next units of study. Kindergarten, First and Second Grades are engaged in printmaking lessons. Monoprinting is what it’s all about, stamping with objects that we have covered in paint.
In Kindergarten, we are studying the artist Jim Dine. We learned that he is a pop artist, using things from everyday life in his art, like his bathrobe! Dine is also a big fan of heart shapes. We are weaving paper to create a background and then stamping a giant heart on top.
First Graders are enjoying books about robots and discussing having a robot of our own. Not surprisingly, most of us want a robot to do our chores and homework! Students are dipping found objects-marker caps, cardboard tubes, corks, cardboard-in paint and then stamping on a large piece of paper to create lines and shapes that form a robot. We will be adding color to these as well.
Second Graders will be studying Native American symbols and then using stamps of these symbols to create a short story without words. Our backgrounds will consist of paper with our chosen warm or cool color scheme.
Third, Fourth and Fifth Graders are all currently using clay. We are taking our previous clay knowledge and combining it with new techniques to create unique ceramic artworks. Fulton County Schools used SPLOST funds to purchase new clay ovens, or kilns for several schools. We are fortunate to have been included and now have an extra-large, completely digital kiln!
Coil pots are being constructed in Third Grade. We already knew how to make a pinched pot and one of these became our base. We also had attached clay to other clay before and knew how to slip and score to make these bonds secure. This year, we added coils, or rope-like pieces of clay to our clay technique toolbox. Along with small spheres and other forms, these coils helped make our pots taller. Each was unique and we are excited to add glaze, our special clay paint.
Fourth and Fifth Graders are in the middle of a choice-based clay lesson. We learned about our three options through Padlet presentations, books and museum materials. Each student sketched an idea based on one of these inspirations and then we got to work with clay. It has been exciting and inspirational to see our students’ ideas take shape. No two are alike! In the coming weeks, these clay pieces will be fired in our kiln. Students will then be given some choice about finishing the surface of their ceramic artwork.
Enjoy all of spring’s breathtaking beauty and color!
As always, thank you for your support,
Mrs. Nail and Mrs. Steffensen
Physical Education with Mr. Abel and Mr. Sylvester
Hello CCES families,
February was an awesome month in Phys Ed because we focused on our HEART health. We talked about the important function of the heart and how it carries oxygen to our working muscles. We are also participating in our Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser for the American Heart Association. Thank you to those who have already donated.
March is National Nutrition Month. We will discuss how good nutrition is vital in keeping our body healthy. We will play several nutrition activity games in class this month.
Nutrition Tips for your student:
- Try to make sure his/her school lunches also are healthy. Consider packing meat and cheese sandwiches, cheese sticks, fruit, cut-up vegetables, yogurt, crackers, etc. Also be sure to limit juices and soft drinks and encourage water and milk.
- Setting a good example yourself will make it easier to encourage and establish good, healthy eating habits.
- Encourage healthy after-school snacks like fruit, veggies and low-fat dip, graham crackers and peanut butter, cheese and crackers, etc.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast helps jump-start digestion and metabolism.
The week of March 20th we will have a HEALTHY SNACK CHALLENGE where the students will be encouraged to bring in a healthy snack. The healthy snacks will include fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
Thank you for always encouraging your wonderful students to be active and healthy.
Kindly,
Phys Ed Team