Unified Arts

7th Grade: Mastering the Art of Printmaking

Our 7th graders are honing their printmaking skills by exploring the captivating styles of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Students are researching these artistic movements to inspire their designs, which they will meticulously carve into linoleum blocks. This project not only enhances their technical abilities but also deepens their understanding of historical art styles, encouraging them to create intricate and expressive prints.

6th Grade: Observational Drawing and X-Ray Skeleton Hands

The 6th-grade class is immersed in the world of observational drawing. Through careful study and practice, they are learning to capture the details of the world around them. This skill is being creatively applied to a fascinating project where students draw x-ray skeleton hands. By focusing on accuracy and detail, they are developing their ability to see and represent the underlying structures in art, bringing a unique perspective to their work.

5th Grade: Realistic Painting Inspired by James Mertke

Our 5th graders are exploring the realm of realism in painting. Inspired by the beautiful works of artist James Mertke, they are creating their own realistic paintings of fruit and candy. Each student is tasked with painting a candy heart lollipop, drawing inspiration from Mertke's style. This project encourages them to pay close attention to color, light, and texture, helping them to develop a keen eye for detail in their artwork.

These projects showcase the creativity and talent blossoming within our art classes. We are proud of our students' dedication and look forward to seeing their completed masterpieces. Stay tuned for more updates and perhaps a showcase of their incredible work!

The month of February is off to a great start in 3D Art. We are learning routines and settling into the classroom expectations exceptionally well this semester! All students created personalized sketchbooks and portfolios for tracking our creative ideas for our upcoming projects. Our next lessons are Zentangle Paper Sculptures with 5th graders, Celestial Art Metal Tooling, and Architectural Landmarks from Arounf the World with 7th Grade. As always, we focus on the core standards of Creating, Presenting, and Connecting and are learning to assess and reflect on our own artwork. Want more information about any of these projects? Log into Google Classroom to see our instructional resources and artistic inspirations!

7th Grade Vision Portfolios

6th Grade Graffiti-Style Sketchbooks

5th Grade Sketchbooks

In Physical Education, we're off to a great start. Our students are currently returning the signed PE requirements sheet from their parent or guardian. This helps us establish strong communication between home and school. Imagine improving your grade just by returning a signed sheet—pretty cool! Our mission is to stay safe, have fun, and work together, and our students have been excelling at this. We've played Capture the Flag, Spaghetti and Meatballs (where your team tries not to fall into the "sauce"), Helium Stick, and the all-time favorite, 16-way Capture the Flag. Some students have even gone above and beyond, reaching our 4 board and raising their grade above a 3. All great stuff! Below, you'll find our PE requirement sheet and a group doing well during a Spaghetti and meatballs activity.

In Health Class, we have started the semester off with a focus on building our classroom community and simply understanding what to expect during class for the semester. Students have played some games to help them get to know their peers and their teacher. We will cover many topics, for which students will have a wide range of preexisting knowledge, so it is important to us to create a safe learning environment in the classroom. Our first unit will focus on the Health Triangle, a.k.a. the Wellness Triangle, and students will learn about how they are at the center of their own physical, social and mental/emotional health.

Celebrating Our York County Seventh & Eighth Grade Music Festival Musicians

Congratulations to the talented student musicians of Biddeford Middle School and Biddeford High School who dedicated themselves to rigorous preparation and performed at the prestigious York County Music Festival for Seventh and Eighth Grade Musicians! These students are committed to excellence and are gifted musicians in our school music programs.. They represented our district with talent, maturity, and hard work.

The festival, hosted by Biddeford Middle School, took place on Friday January 30th and Saturday January 31st .Students from Kennebunk, Wells, Old Orchard Beach, Saco, Kennebunk, Marshwood, York and Biddeford attended the festival.

The chorus was under the direction of Dr. Amy Kotsonis. Dr. Kotsonis is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of New Hampshire, where she conducts Chamber Singers, Concert Choir, Treble Choir, teaches choral methods, and is an instructor at the Summer Youth Music

School. The festival chorus performed four pieces: What a Feeling from Flashdance, Walk to Jerusalem by Rollo Dillworth, The Cuckoo by Hugh and Glory Road by The Waillin’ Jennys

The band, under the direction of Jimi Neel, performed three pieces. Mr. Neel has been a cornerstone of the York, Maine, music community for over two decades. A Berklee College of Music alumnus specializing in jazz and conducting, Jimi currently leads the concert and jazz programs at York Middle School. The band performed Down on the Delta By Carol Brittain Chambers, El Manto Dorato by Jorge Vargas and A New Light by Tyler Grant.

Please join me in congratulating these students for their outstanding achievements. Their success is a testament to the incredible support of our music educators, families, and community. Biddeford Music continues to grow, and we couldn't be more proud of the time and energy these students dedicate to their instruments!

In the 5th grade, we started our Map of Africa project! In each class, we learn about 5 new countries and the languages that are spoken there. We have also learned and are continuing to practice our basic French greetings / goodbyes.

In the 6th grade, we have been working hard to learn our French numbers, as well as reinforcing our French introductory phrases by having conversations with our table partners.

In the 7th grade, we started keeping notebooks with Spanish vocabulary and grammar that we learn in class. Specifically, we are learning about adjective agreement and the correct ways to use the verbs Ser y Estar.

We have had a wonderful start to the new semester! During this UA we will be exploring a variety of different areas of science skills from data collection, field work and working within a team. It is really important that a group of scientists can work with each other so we started by doing a few team work challenges! One of our challenges was the “Marshmallow Challenge”, where students had to try to build the tallest tower only using spaghetti, 1 yard of tape and a marshmallow. Take a peak at the designs below!

Unified Arts