https://sites.google.com/cps.edu/waters-art-lab/home

This year, I am working with CPSArts to enhance Fine & Performing Arts Communities of Practice throughout the District. There are six of us promoting best practice for fellow elementary visual arts educators around the city. It has been an intensive experience for leadership growth and a great way to share pedagogy, methods and expertise with other art teachers.

In December, I led a collaboration with MCA (and worked with Georgia's dad:)) to talk about culturally responsive arts education and trauma-informed teaching. I learned a lot from professionals in the field and was glad to promote this important work throughout CPS.

In January, I enjoyed leading a workshop that shared our Visual Journals studio process with fellow CPS visual art teachers. Adult artists experienced the same projects Waters students K-8 are doing on Day 2 of our art lab. What fun to see Rakefet Hadar's Soulpages method spread to other CPS students---and be a small part of that ripple...

Thanks to CPSArts for an impactful leadership opportunity, great cohort experience and the honor to share the powerful things happening at Waters Fine Arts with a larger community! I look forward to our work in the upcoming months!

PLEASE WEAR RED to help us chase away bad luck and celebrate new beginnings as we start off 2025 with a bang!

All classrooms K-8, who are in Art Lab this semester, are hard at work creating a variety kinetic artworks and puppets to feature in our upcoming annual Lunar New Year Parade. All primary grade students will be ringing in the new year with us as we parade up and down our school halls and 4-8th graders will be our cheer squad---February 14, 2025 (2:30-3:00PM)!

Please join us! If you can help out creating our festive ambiance---please sign-up below. If you can help our ribbon dancers stay untangled on the day of our parade---please let me know:))!

Thanks for your support!

“Without community, there is no liberation.”
― Audre Lorde

This month we have LAUNCHED S2 and our new class schedule with plenty of peace circles, new visual journal activities and looking at Lunar New Year community art projects through the lens of oral history and global storytelling. We have explored Carl Jung's archetypes in AS2 (S2 Middle School Choice-based Visual Art) using Know & Love's personality survey (Take it yourself using the link below:))!) to help determine our Genius Hour project collaborations, and are getting ready to have our first session with our Preschool Buddies next week. It has been a busy three weeks full of fun!

As we move forward from our Lunar New Year celebration students will begin studying Pablo Picasso as an innovator, inventor, multi-talented artist and upcycler extraordinaire...We will also look at his work as a peace activist and changemaker. We will begin our study looking at his peace bouquets and doves as a community action throughout February. These artworks will be the underpinning of our Spring Art Show 2025.

We are excited to partner once again with Students ReBuild (https://www.studentsrebuild.org/projects) to create our upcoming art show and our Peace & Sensory Garden--- in collaboration with Ms. Muzzy, Wavemakers, Grrl Scouts, Student Voice Committee, Critter Club and our Parent Arts Leadership Team (Parent ALT). We will be creating artworks that are inspired by and imbuing peace throughout spring semester. In addition to Pablo Picasso, we will study many other artists who have dedicated themselves to creating peace---mindfulness, community, non-violence and love---with art, throughout history and across the globe. We also plan to refurbish our garden mosaics (Nonnas) and create some new native garden signage along the way:)!

Each artwork that will be created this semester will facilitate a $5 gift to organizations promoting peace world-wide through generous donations from Students ReBuild's Spark Peace initiative's corporate sponsors. Global organizations that will benefit from Spark Peace donations include 100Cameras, Kids for Peace, Ceeds of Peace, CARE, Choose Love, Earth Tones, Green Horizon Ventures, 4H, Maui United Way, Architecture for Humanity, Global Nomads Group, Unicef USA, Wecloming America, Aegis: Preventing Crimes Against Humanity and Ripples of Hope. We are glad to share with students that, as Greta says, "You're never too small to make a difference." Our Grrl Scouts and Wavemaker Clubs have already led the charge---raising $260 in one session last week! BRAVO artists!

In addition, our Parent Arts Leadership Team will hosting a revamped Maker Week this spring. We will be creating Peace Project Art Pop-ups in classrooms and around campus. We plan to start soon after Spring Break. We will be working with all grade levels and all talents are welcome:)! Please email me if you would like to help us in this community endeavor--- alvecchioni@cps.edu.

With Kindness,

Mrs. Vecchioni

**All new S2 Club dates are featured below and our Parent ALT Meeting for February 2025 is scheduled for February 19th---3-4:30PM. All are welcome to attend:)!**

We are an ensemble of parents, students, teachers and staff that are excited about fine arts programming---exhibits, performances, showcases, arts festivals and literary salon events. We need your ideas and enthusiastic spirit to help us give Waters kids the BEST arts education we can...

We build community together and have a lot of FUN:)!

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Our NEXT PLANNING MEETING is February 19, 2025! (3:00-4:00PM)

Otsaliheliga:)!

🌀ALL STUDENT Wavemaker Art Clubs are on THURSDAYS in February:)! Please note meeting dates on our calendar below: If no school, no meeting. Thanks in advance! 🌀

2024-2025 Wavemaker ART-IN-ACTION Clubs include:

KIDS Arts Leadership Team (ALT) & CRITTER CLUB (5-8)

FIRST THURSDAY & THIRD THURSDAY EACH MONTH (3PM - 5PM)

SEMESTER 2 MEET DATES

• 🐰 2/6, 2/20 🐰
• 🐰3/6, 3/20 🐰
• 🐰 4/3, 4/17 🐰
• 🐰 5/1, 5/15 🐰
• 🐰 6/5 🐰

Wavemakers Arts Advocacy & Grrl Scout Troupe #27333 (1-4)

SECOND & FOURTH THURSDAY EACH MONTH (3PM - 5PM)

SEMESTER 2 MEET DATES

• 🌎 2/13, 2/27 🌎
• 🌎3/13 🌎
• 🌎 4/10, 4/24 🌎
• 🌎 5/8, 5/22 🌎

*LUNCH CREW LITERARY SALON LIBRARIANS (2 & 3 grades) will be each Wednesday this year! Let Mrs. Vecchioni know if you are interested in joining us:)!*

From CPSArts:

"As a Fine & Performing Arts School with Demonstration Site Status, your school will receive the following:

Badge Certification
Feel free to use this official badge on all school print and virtual documents.

Innovation Grant
Your school will receive a $10,000.00 innovation grant to support the expansion of your arts and arts integration curricula into contemporary and innovative spaces. We encourage you to consider emerging technologies in artistic disciplines and arts integration. We will release further guidance on how to spend these funds as we approach the start of the school year.

Increased Visibility
Your school will become a beacon of inspiration, hosting visits from teachers and administrators at other Fine & Performing Arts Schools who want to learn from your strengths.

Teacher Leadership Opportunities
Your teachers will join a pool of presenters for Fine & Performing Arts Schools professional development, and they will have opportunities to share their successes and experiences with their peers.

Lending Library Early Adopters
Your school will have the opportunity to be an early adopter of the Fine & Performing Arts Schools Lending Library, which will include advanced and specialized art-making equipment. We will issue guidance for how to access this library around the start of the school year."

*This great news and more was cited from The FULL REPORT below. Check it out:)!