Second Semester Begins

Welcome to second semester! 

Students who had Info Media first semester are now in Art.  Eighth grade art class (hooray, I have 8th grade again!) is every day for the entire semester.  Sixth grade classes are on an every other day (A/B day) schedule.  Phy Ed. will stay the same for them, but on days they were going to Info Media, they will now come to Art.

I'm really excited to see all the fabulous talent that will be coming in.  This week will be focused on getting to know the students and going over some basic procedures.  We'll be making "Panther Paws" as our first warm-up activity.  The students only need to bring a pencil every day (hence the name of the blog).  I highly recommend that students keep a few pencils in the art room.  I have a special storage spot behind my desk that they can access their pencils.  I know this seems like a small point, but having a pencil is half of being prepared for class.  Also due by Feb. 3rd is the Art Contract.  This just explains to parents/guardians ways to get ahold of me, what we're going to do in class, and general procedures.  Please remind your students to show you this, have it signed, and returned by next week Friday.

The Specialists here at West have come up with a new system for serving detentions.  We will be calling home whenever a student receives a detention (ie tardy more than three times, extreme disruptions etc..).  Students will have a week to serve the detention before it becomes a referral for lunch detentions (until the original detention is served).  Students have morning, lunch, and after school options for serving their detentions, so hopefully no one will be recieving a referral. 

Aaaggghhh!!! 6th grade Clay Screamers!

..........they're coming!!!!!

I absolutely love this project.  The 6th graders created these wildly creative screamer characters and all were eagerly anticipating seeing the finished product.  We began with simple pinch pots.  The students were shown how to score and slip hand built additions like eyes, tongues, teeth, arms, fins, spikes...you name it.  After drying and being bisqued fired (ask your student what that is, we spent lots of time on great ceramic vocabulary), the students were able to glaze their creatures in the colors of their choice.  This project really sparks the kids creativity and I've had many comments from friends and family far and wide about how cool they are.  It's definitely one of my favorites to teach and the results are always amazing.

Adaptive Art Winter Display

I love, love, love my Adaptive Art class.  These kids work so hard to create their art projects and their efforts really show their creativity and sensitivities.  I'm fortunate enough to have the pleasure of teaching these kids everyday all year, so we can really dive into units.  Near their regular classroom is a display case that we change throughout the seasons with themed units (see the blowfish one from earlier this year here).  Winter has always been an exciting one.

For this display we focused on the works of Henri Matisse and made faux stained glass cut-outs.  We also recycled water bottles into penguins, and Mrs. Styza our student teacher taught a great lesson on making snowmen (notice the Aaron Rogers hommage).  The other middle school students always respond positively to what these kids create, which is great to witness.  The CD students take a lot of pride in this case and I think it brings lots of smiles to all of us here at West.

6th Grade Abstracts

Mrs. Styza worked with our 6th graders to create these very exciting and sophisticated abstract art works.   The students viewed and discussed many different abstract artworks that artists have created.  They then tried their hands at "blind contour" drawings.  I was very impressed with the beautiful drawings they did.  The last step in the process was painting.  Our students really seemed to enjoy picking out their own colors and changing their compositions with paint.  Well done 6th grade!

7th grade Dream Houses

Mrs. Styza worked with our 7th grade students to create these Dream Houses.  The students looked at a variety of real and imagined fantasy houses.  They were challenged to draw from an interesting perspective (birds-eye, x-ray, blueprint).  They then used watercolor and permenant markers to complete their creations.  It's obvious to see our Panther artists are very imaginative and creative.

PTSA Reflections, West Milwaukee Intermediate Panther Artists.

A BIG congratulations goes out to our panther artists who participated in the annual Parent/Teacher/Student Assoication's Reflections contest.  This contest challenges students of all ages to reflect and create personal artworks a central theme.   This year's theme was "Diversity Means...".  We had six talented Panther Artists who submitted artwork for the contest.  These artists had to create their artworks at home with no help from adults whatsoever.  All of our artists' works will be going on to be judged at the state level.    

A very nice ceremony was held at Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School and the winners at the local level were announced.  It was fabulous to see a few of our own West Milwaukee families there. 

Libby B. with her artwork.

Brian J. standing by his art work.

The winner for the visual arts for the middle grades was our very own sixth grader, Austin K.!!!  He did a fabulous job working on this project and we're all proud of him.  Congratulations Austin!

Austin K. was the winner of the middle division

To learn more about local and national PTSA sponsored art contests please go to:http://www.ptareflections.org/

Assemblage/Collage Boxes

Mrs. Styza introduced a really fun project to the seventh grade classes.  The students learned what assemblage and collage are, and how different artists, like Joseph Cornell, use them in their artworks.  They were then challenged to create a personalized assemblage/collage box for themselves or to give as a gift.  They were all given a generic, 5"x5" cardboard jewlery box, and were encouraged to bring photos, magazines, and found objects from home to create their projects.