Version 2: Use this for the CORRECTED Poll Link.| April, 2019
April Focus:
Arts Professional Development
Photo of teachers learning to integrate Theatre of the Oppressed into Humanities classes
Chief Sealth, Garfield and Nathan Hale teachers learning how to integrate Theatre of the Oppressed into Ethnic Studies March 25th, 2019.
Almost every Creative Advantage school arts plan includes a goal to increase the number of teachers trained in arts integration. This month we want to help you take the first steps toward meeting your arts integration PD goal.

This issue includes info on:

  • First steps to high-quality arts PD
  • What to look for in a PD Provider
  • Updated Link to Poll: What type of free arts PD you'd like next year?
  • Spring and Summer arts PD from Creative Advantage Partners
First Steps Toward High Quality Arts PD
Arts integration is instruction that connects content and skills from the arts and other subject areas. This approach allows students to deepen their mastery of each subject and skills like creative problem-solving, team work, and critical thinking. Schools and teachers value arts integration for a myriad of reasons. Here are just two from The Kennedy Center:

  • Arts integration practices align with how students learn best: through learning that is active and experiential, reflective, social, evolving, and focused on problem-solving.
  • Arts integration energizes teachers by providing increased professional satisfaction

Once a school arts team decides to prioritize arts integration professional development, here are some first decisions to make:

  1. What arts disciplines do you want to focus on, e.g. dance, literary art, media art, music, theatre, visual art?
  2. What content area do you want to augment with the arts, e.g. literacy, math, science, social studies, etc.
  3. What grades do you want to serve? Will this be a whole school initiative? You could focus on a different discipline in each grade band or something different for primary and intermediate grades.
  4. How much time do you have for training and what time of year will work best for your school?
  5. Once you make these decisions, take a look at The Creative Advantage Partner Roster. Use the filter feature to specify professional development and your desired art discipline.
  6. If you want further help identifying PD providers, consult with Tina LaPadula, the Creative Youth Project Manager at the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. She has a wealth of expertise in arts partnership programming and deep knowledge of the Roster artists.
What to Look For in a Potential PD Partner
Once you have a list of potential PD partners, interview them to find the best fit for your school. Here are some best practices to look for in arts and arts integration instruction for teachers from Gail Sehlhorst, SPS Visual and Performing Arts Manager:

  • The trainer provides written lesson plans for teachers to use

  • The trainer takes the role of classroom teacher and teachers are in role of students experiencing the learning.

  • The trainer annotates their instruction as they're doing it or provides time to explain their instructional moves.

  • The trainer considers the race and ethnicity of students and faculty and selects content that is culturally-relevant to the school (texts, plays, music, references such as children's' stories from other cultures rather than western fairy tales).

  • PD will be longer-lasting when teachers have follow-up mentorships during the year where the teacher and teaching artist can team-teach or watch each other teach then reflect together.
Incentive : Everyone who takes the poll by May 10th, 2019, will be entered in a raffle to receive $100 worth of art materials for your school.
POLL:
What Kind of Arts PD Do You Want?
Next year, we will have a series of events for arts teams, including more school-art spartner meet and greets, chances for arts teams to network and learn from each other, and arts-related professional development. Take this poll to let us know what type of PD you want available.


Spring and Summer Arts Professional Development from Creative Advantage Partners
We are in the home stretch between Spring Break and the end of the year. Take a break from preparing students for spring arts walks, music concerts, multi-cultural nights, and testing, and turn to your SUMMER plans. In addition to a relaxing vacation, summer also provides time for professional development (PD) that we don’t have available during the school year. If you spend some time this summer learning techniques for integrating the arts into your classroom, you could return to school with new tools for increasing student engagement, long-term retention and development of 21st century skills like collaboration and creativity. Also, arts PD is always interactive and creative - a must if you are going to give up your summer free time.

The Spring and Summer PD Opportunities listed below are all offered by Creative Advantage Roster partners, so schools can use their Creative Advantage funds to register for them. To do this, check with your arts team and make sure that the PD aligns with your school arts plan. Then to register, find out if they take purchase orders (POs). If they do, then your school admin secretary can request a PO through B2B. If the provider takes checks instead, then use the District Check Request form .
From the Creative Advantage: 
Creative Advantage Meet-Ups are free casual events for arts educators and teachers led by teaching artists. 
 
Sat. April 27 @ 4:30pm @ Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute 
Led by Dustin Kaspar from SIFF in coordination with the Langston Hughes African American film Festival includes free tickets to In The System.

 
First Thursday, May 2 from 6 to 8pm @ King Street Station
Join devon de Leña for a tour of the yəhaw̓ exhibition at King Street Station (the new home of the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture), including a Q&A with Jessica Ramirez, the Community Curator for the Indigenous Latinx Exhibit at Vermillion Gallery
Art-ivism: A Night Out with the Arts
FRYE ART MUSEUM & ARTSED WASHINGTON
Thursday, May 30, 2019 
6:00 – 8:30 pm

Location: Frye Art Museum

Register here Cost: Free
Photo of teachers in a visual art workshop at Frye Art Museum.
Logo for Bringing theatre into the classroom
"(FULL OF) 100% HONESTY, KINDNESS, FOCUS, INSTRUCTION, PROFESSIONALISM, FUN, LOVE, AND PASSION!”
– 2016 PARTICIPANT

Bringing Theatre into the Classroom (BTiC) is back this summer and better than ever! The BTiC team is gearing up to offer you everything you love about your favorite Teacher Professional Development Program, while also bringing it to the next level, with all-new, diverse classes that will continue to inspire and enrich your teaching. 

What : Seattle Children’s Theatre partners with Book-It, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the Seattle Repertory Theatre to bring you professional development that will equip you with the tools and skills to successfully integrate drama and dance into your entire curriculum. 

When : July 15-19, 2019

Where : Seattle Repertory Theatre

Price : $550 (scholarships and early-bird discount available.) Are you a Creative Advantage School? You can use Creative Advantage funds to pay for BTiC. Talk to your school administrator about setting aside funds today.  
 
PLUS …30 clock hours and 3 credits available!
Registration opens in March for this curriculum enhancing program.

Questions? Contact btic@sct.org or call 206.859.4015 x.1164
Arts Impact 5-day Summer Institute:

K-5 Arts Foundations
Dates:
August 5 – 9, 2019: Seattle
August 12-16, 2019: Tacoma

Time: 9am – 4pm, daily

Cost:
Summer Institute: $900 per teacher (minimum 3 teachers per school)

School Year Mentorship: $1275 per teacher (minimum 3 teachers per school)

Learn more and register here.
Arts Impact logo
Children learn best when their imaginations and creativity are engaged through the arts. Arts Impact trains K-5 classroom teachers how to teach creative movement, theater and visual arts, and how to connect the arts with social emotional learning, STEM and literacy.
Creative Advantage Summer Institute
Save the date: August 15, 2019
We are in the midst of planning our annual August Institute. Here is what we can tell you so far:
It will be free
You will be immersed in art-making
It will be an amalgamation of amazing artists, teachers and students.
Arts Opportunities for Students
Seattle Theatre Group’s (STG) Songwriters Lab
STG's Songwriters Lab is open to students ages 14-19, all levels of songwriting experience & genres/styles of music welcome. The program takes place July 15-20 at The Moore Theatre in Seattle. For more information, please go to: https://www.stgpresents.org/education/songwriters
Resources
As you implement your school arts plans, here are a few websites and people you can look to for help:


The Creative Advantage Page on the SPS website
Resources and tools for arts teams, Creative Advantage news and archived newsletters.

The Community Arts Partner Roster is a vetted list of teaching artists and community arts and culture organizations approved to work in Seattle Public Schools through the Creative Advantage.

The Creative Advantage Website Provides an overview of The Creative Advantage and the value of arts education.

If you can't find what you need on-line, contact the Creative Advantage staff:
 
Audrey Querns -SPS project manager for Creative Advantage (for questions about arts teams and planning, arts partner logistics like contracts and funding)
 
Tina LaPadula - Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Creative Youth Project Manager (for questions about the Arts Partner Roster and working with teaching artists and arts organizations) 

Lara Davis - Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Arts Education Manager

Gail Sehlhorst -SPS Visual and Performing Arts Manager (for questions about arts staffing, curriculum and assessment, and supports for arts teachers)
 
Kate Baker - SPS Media Arts Skills Center Project Manager

Pam Ivezic - SPS Instructional Music Coach (for questions about supports for music teachers and programs)