SRE Art Appreciation Volunteer Overview

Introducing: Ms. Ferguson

Mr. Ferguson is a Newhall School District art teacher that we share with 4 other schools. Ms. Ferguson will be coming to Stevenson Ranch Elementary on Thursdays to teach art lessons to students in 3rd-6th grades. She will be teaching 6 lessons per class throughout the school year. In addition, she will also have 3 training sessions for art volunteers for TK through 2nd grade classes as outlined below.

What do art volunteers do in TK through 2nd grades?

1. Attend the training session – Lessons are about an hour long and are designed to meet the art standards for the grade levels TK-2 and are adaptable up or down for each grade. Ms. Ferguson will go over the intent of the lesson, explain the steps of the art piece and share examples of the project. Take some notes and some pictures. If you are the only volunteer for your class, you can skip to Step 2.  If there is a group of volunteers for your class, chat together to decide how you would like to approach the lesson. (You can trade off running the lessons or work together to share the prep/teaching/assisting/clean up.) 

2. Schedule the lesson - Talk with your teacher to schedule time for the lesson. Typically, lessons take about an hour in the class or Art Studio. In addition, you’ll need at least 15 minutes before the lesson to set up (before the kids arrive) and at least 15 minutes afterward to clean up. Ask your teacher if they prefer the lesson in the classroom or the Art Studio.  If the Art Studio is the preferred location, contact the SRE Front Office staff (on phone or in person) and check for an available time. Art Studio time must be scheduled ahead of time. If you end up not needing time that you scheduled in the Art Studio, please let the Front Office know so that they can release your hold and mark it as available for someone else. 

3. Prepare for the lesson – It’s a great idea to practice the project ahead of time. You can have your own kid(s) try it to get an idea of where the challenges in the class might be. Make sure you’ll have all the supplies you need for the lesson prior to the lesson day, including pre-cutting paper if needed and checking the Art Studio for supplies. In general, try not to remove all of a supply or tool in case another class is doing their lesson at the same time and will need the same supply/tool. Confirm the date/time/location with your teacher.   

4. Teach the lesson - and clean up afterward - the best part! It’s really rewarding to see what the class creates! Have fun with it!  Be ready for messes and as much as time permits, try to involve the kids in helping to clean up.  The expectation is that the Art Studio is left in clean condition for the next class. Leaving brushes out to dry is ok, but everything else should be returned to its home and the desks must be cleaned off. 

The dates of the parent training for TK through 2nd grade are:

February 3rd, 2 more dates TBD

The lesson will be from 0820-0940a.m.  20 minutes per grade level.

The Art Studio (Room #124)

Guidelines

• If you are going to do a lesson that has the potential to make the desks messy, cover the desks beforehand with large sheets of newsprint or tag board. 

• After your class, please clean the room and put used supplies back where they belong. 

• We suggest you use paper plates for paint (or pieces of scrap tag board) instead of the 6-well white plastic trays, which are hard to clean.

• If you take art materials out of the art room to do a lesson in the classroom, please leave a note listing what you took, and put your name and cell number. 

• If supplies (such as paintbrushes or paint cups in the sink area) need to dry overnight, please come back the next day and put them away.

• If you use the last of something or something is broken or empty, please throw it away instead of putting it back on the shelves. Please let Katie Missey know ASAP so the item can be replaced.

• Claim your class’ artwork! If leaving art to dry (paintings, air-dry clay, etc.), please leave a note near the art with the teacher’s name and grade, your name, and when you will pick it up. Any artwork left behind will be put in the “unclaimed art” bin in the corner of the room. It is your responsibility to get the art from the art room and give it to the teacher – unless your teacher lets you know otherwise. 

• If using the drying rack, load it from the bottom up. Again, leave a note near the art so others know whose it is. If you want to use the rack and there are dry paintings/art on it, stack the dry art and put it in the “unclaimed art” bin with the note of whose it is. If you are drying something small that will fall through the cracks, you can use the manila file folders located by the drying rack to put under the art.

• Talk to your teacher to see if they would like to use art portfolios for the students. (Some teachers prefer to make memory books.) The art volunteer should make the art portfolios. These can be as simple as a piece of tag board folded in half, with duct tape up the sides, labeled with the grade, teacher, and students’ names. The art is stored in the teacher’s classroom. Typically art is not sent home as it is done throughout the year (unless it is a seasonal piece, like valentine’s art for their parents); it is collected and then given to the kids at Open House near the end of the year. The Art Appreciation Program provides the materials for the art portfolios – just let Katie know if your teacher will want art portfolios so that the supplies can be ordered. 

Thanks everyone!  

We appreciate each of you volunteering for the Art Appreciation Program at SRE!

Questions?  

Katie Missey ksmissey@gmail.com (765)524-1381