Art Room Updates

Dear Families,

Welcome to the new school year with Art classes taught by Mr. Woodward. If you are new to the district, my name is Ryan Woodward, and I will be one of the teachers for the art classes at Upton Elementary School. I also teach classes at Addams Elementary, and a few years ago, I began teaching at Churchill Alternative High School.

New families and students starting kindergarten this year should be receiving an email from Artsonia soon. This is the program we use to document all of the student work throughout the year. Some projects may not come home right away if I am displaying them, so this is an excellent way to see current work and also keep a portfolio that will show artistic growth. The program will also have fun ways for you to order items with your child’s artwork printed on them. A portion of the proceeds also comes back to the program, helping to ensure top-quality materials for our lessons.

My goal is always on process over the final product, so understand that not every project will look beautifully refined, but will be an expression of your child's imagination. I try to avoid projects that have students follow step by step, where everyone ends up with the same thing. I strive to create an environment where students feel comfortable and safe to express themselves and be creative.

I will send out updates as we progress, but many projects take weeks, maybe even months, as I only see the students once a week. Below is a quick list of what each grade will be starting the year with. Please reach out with any questions.

ryan.woodward@royaloakschools.org

Sincerely,

Ryan

DK = Experimentation with materials

2nd Grade = Mata Ortiz inspired effigy ceramic pinch pots

3rd Grade = Surrealism based projects

5th Grade = 1 point perspective drawings of the front of the school