A powerful resource to investigate as you work to implement UDL in your work is the personal stories of people impacted by visible and non-visible disabilities. One place to get started in exploring these stories is the One Book, One San Diego selections for this year. I have been deeply moved by the story of Omar Mohamed in the teen selection, When Stars Are Scattered, and the story of Annette Bay Pimentel in the selection for children, All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything. The San Diego Public Library has a list of additional books similar to these titles. Reading these stories has allowed me to see the challenges these individuals have faced in a new way and gives me additional lenses through which to view the world. The power of adding these lenses cannot be understated. 

This work is not easy, but our students are counting on us to continue to learn, grow, and increase their access to arts education! If you are looking for additional resources and ideas, continue reading this newsletter, the new California Arts Education Framework, and connect with me (@PCrooks_VAPA) and others passionate about arts education on our weekly #CaArtsEdChat chats every Wednesday from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Whether you’ve never participated in a Twitter chat before or are an expert, review the questions and learn how to join the conversation. 

Using the text Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman, this book study is a forum for educators to explore the history and research on grading, examine the problems with many current grading policies and practices, and to better understand the pillars and practices of equitable grading that:

During this virtual six-session book study, participants will discuss themes in the book and engage in conversations around the challenges and opportunities of shifting grading practices and policies to better support student motivation and learning. Additional opportunities for one-on-one or team conversations with facilitators will be made available through optional “office hour” meetings.

A new professional learning series is now being developed locally and at the state-level for arts educators to further explore the specific arts discipline they teach. Please take a moment to complete this short survey and provide input on this series.

Introduction to Arts Integration 

Building an awareness of how to use theatre strategies to integrate arts can activate your curriculum in any content area. Introduction to Arts Integration is a free, online, asynchronous course developed by La Jolla Playhouse to guide educators through a deep understanding of the value of standards-based arts integration, how to develop an ensemble mindset in the classroom, assessment through the arts, and ways to connect community arts organizations to schools. The course includes example lesson plans, teacher testimony, and resources to guide arts integration into standards-based curriculum. 

View the latest VAPA professional learning opportunities on the SDCOE Visual and Performing Arts website.

As we approach the time of year where the weather is cooler and more performances and exhibitions tend to occur, many questions around safely engaging in the visual and performing arts exist. Closely review updates regarding playing wind instruments indoors in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) K-12 Schools guidance and related FAQ released in November. SDCOE created supportive documents such as guidance and information and a presentation that explains the updated guidance, which are based on the most recent materials available and are subject to change as the CDPH releases new guidance. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with your questions and we will do our best to answer them. While we know most performing arts classes are curricular and co-curricular, CDPH continues to include them under the heading “School-Based Extracurricular Activities.”

Save the date for a virtual event featuring state-approved instructional materials for visual and performing arts on Feb. 11. Get a firsthand look at the materials; learn more about the state adoption process for recommended, standards-aligned instructional materials; and explore districts' options in choosing the programs for their schools. Look for the link to register in the next Arts In Action newsletter.

Arts Empower San Diego is making it easier for you to take action in support of arts education. Each month, the organization creates a new set of weekly social media posts, as well as a short paragraph supporting arts education, for newsletters and other forms of communication. The toolkit is available on the Arts Empower website. Share the social media posts using #ArtsEmpowerSD and #theArtsMatter, and encourage your community to do the same! For more information about supporting arts education in your community, contact pauline.crooks@sdcoe.net.

AERO published a digital version of the Arts Pack for the 2021-22 school year with program opportunities for you to incorporate into your curriculum. The AERO website has also been updated with a directory of programs that you can filter by type of event or program and when the program is available for your students.

View complete details and access the application packet. Applications are due Feb. 1. Contact Matt Hayes with any questions at mahayes@sdcoe.net or 858-295-8857.

Whether you are looking for new units to use with your students, plans to share with a substitute, or curriculum for students in quarantine due to COVID-19, you will want to check out the SDCOE distance learning units of study in grades K-12. Focused on grade-level essential learnings in each content area, these units were purposefully designed to integrate content (including the arts), and provide flexibility and choice. These open-source units are being developed in Google to ensure maximum flexibility for teachers to use them with their district’s preferred instructional platform.

The Kyoto Prize Scholarship has a separate application via Survey Monkey and is due by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 9. An important note: Survey Monkey does not allow applicants to save and continue. However, the application has been set up to allow applicants to change their answers after submitting, meaning that they can answer as many questions as they have time for, leave the rest blank, submit their form, and come back to it later.

The La Jolla Playhouse Teen Council (PTC​) is an advocacy and advisory group involving creative and dynamic high school students throughout San Diego County who demonstrate strong leadership qualities and a passion for theatre. The purpose of PTC is to foster the next generation of theatre leaders and professionals through cultivated educational and interactive experiences with La Jolla Playhouse. PTC is an inclusive, supportive space that invites teens of all backgrounds, including, but certainly not limited to all ethnicities, genders, sexualities, gender expressions, and economic backgrounds, to join us in our work. Applications for new teen council members will begin in fall 2022. Check out this American Theatre article about the PTC and other teen councils around the country.

SDCOE, in association with David's Harp and Write Out Loud, is calling for original poems from students in grades K-12 that address the theme Resiliency Through and Emerging From the Pandemic. This is a great way for students of all ages to express their experience of the pandemic. Poems can be based on real experiences or fictional imaginings, and all entries will be collected into a digital magazine for distribution. Free workshops are available upon request. The submission deadline is Feb. 28. For more information visit the Write Out Loud website.

What if you discovered an old tenement apartment covered with 40 layers of wallpaper? What if these layers could be peeled back to reveal the stories of past tenants? In Layer the Walls, shadow and Bunraku puppetry, along with masks, bring to life the stories of Irish, Italian, and Jewish families. Produced by Poway OnStage, this virtual field trip includes pre-show learning modules and extension activities. Learn more about this virtual field trip and sign up to visit.

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for high school students. Free workshops are available upon request and assistance with coordinating school competitions is available. The registration deadline is Dec. 20, but the work can take place through Jan. 31. Individual students who attend a school that is not participating are also welcome to sign up. The San Diego Regional competition is in early February.

Media Arts Center San Diego has been providing filmmaking workshops for all ages for 22 years throughout San Diego County. During Moviemaking Camp, youth flex their technology and creativity muscles by producing original movies. Using a project-based learning model, campers learn pre-production, production, and post-production skills and techniques, such as storyboarding, cinematography, online video editing, as well as green screen and stop-motion photography.

La Jolla Playhouse POP Tour 2022: HOOPLA! 

The 5th-grade talent show is approaching, and everyone is abuzz at Baldwin Elementary. Winston wants to win the talent show with his cheerleading routine to prove to others that he’s more than the unfriendly “Fishboy” nickname they call him. Introverted artist Gina wants nothing to do with the talent show, and she knows that the overzealous (and generally unpleasant) twin sensations, Randy and Brandy, are probably going to win it all anyway. But with the persistence of Elliott, the school’s new kid and resident rebel, these unlikely friends form Hoopla, a dazzling hula hooping trio, and help each other navigate through the pressures of being a kid. POP Tour is traveling around San Diego County Schools in February and March. Book today! 

Playwrights Project is offering free school matinees of our Plays by Young Writers Festival online and on-demand from Jan. 31 to Feb. 13. Your students will watch filmed professional productions of scripts written by five California students ages 13 to 17. Three of these young playwrights are students from SDCOE schools who wrote their winning scripts in a Playwrights Project school residency!

Your reservation includes an education packet that provides background information, and discussion and writing prompts for each play. To reserve your free virtual field trip, email Playwrights Project.

The Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education at the University of San Diego challenges middle and high school educators and their school teams to develop solutions to local and global issues. Students are trained on innovation design thinking and ongoing support is provided to educators. Visit the program website to learn more. Donations ranging from $250 to $1,000 are given to charities on behalf of the winning teams, in addition to other team awards and recognitions. The application deadline is Jan. 10.

Students’ hand-drawn submissions should be on an 8.5 x 11 standard sheet of paper. A scanned copy should be sent to contest@generationsteam.org. For digital art submissions, the preferred file type for digital creation is AI/vector file, but all formats will be accepted. Please submit to contest@generationsteam.org. Submissions are due by Jan. 13.