• Visual Art- Lydia Stewart, Art Teacher, Oak Hill and Kings Creek

    2018-2019 School Year - Letter to Parents/Guardians

    Dear Parents and Guardians,

    I hope that you all had a wonderful summer and are ready for another exciting year of Art! We have already begun reviewing what we had learned last year and students are beginning their first projects of the year. We will be doing many different types of art depending on the age group and grade level of the students.

    Kindergarten and First Grade are a combination class and they will focus on basic skills as they explore the Elements of Art and Principles of Design by using different mediums such as oil pastels, chalk pastels, watercolors and tempera paints, paper projects and printmaking to name a few.

    Second and Third Grades will be exploring the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design through exploration of medium, learning to draw using 3-D methods, realistic drawing, using imagination to create new characters, learning to use shading and highlighting, paper arts and, of course painting.

    Fourth and Fifth Grades are a combination class and will be exploring 3-D art, such as paper mache and sculpture, painting, abstract art, using a variety of mediums, learning how to implement the Elements of Art and Principles of Design in meaningful creations, using clay for storytelling, and printmaking. They will also be looking at artists from NC and around the world.

    Middle School classes will be beginning with sculpture and will be learning about The Elements of Art and the Principles of Design through drawing in one-point and 2-point perspective, using value to create interest, using the color wheel to create art in different hue schemes, learning about artists from all over the world and throughout the ages. They will be painting, drawing, sculpting, problem solving, collaborating and critiquing.

    Note: In order to further enhance skills in reading and math, our class will begin with a few minutes of language art skills and or math skills before we begin art.

     

    GRADING

     

    Grading for each level will follow the guidelines of the S, N, U, model and the 10 point grading scale and are as follows:

    K-5th grade - S,N,U  (Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, Unsatisfactory)

    6thgrade - 8th grade

    A - 93 to 100 |  90 to 100 percent 

    B - 85 to 92   |  80 to 89 percent 

    C - 77 to 84   |  70 to 79 percent 

    D - 70 to 76   |  60 to 69 percent 

    F - 69  |  59 percent and below

    My grading is based on participation, positive behavior, craftsmanship, collaboration, quiz and test scores and EFFORT!!

    Kindergarten through Fifth Grade will be graded on participation (50%), positive behavior (20%), craftsmanship and effort (30%). They will receive an S, N, or U as stated above.

    Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade will be graded on participation (50%), Positive behavior (10%), Craftsmanship (25%), Collaboration (teamwork) (5%), and tests/quizzes (10%). They will receive a letter grade as stated above.

    Students will be successful in art when they give 100%. I take points off for repeated negative behavior. I also deduct points for sloppy work, missing work or work that took little or no effort. I understand that sometimes students have to leave early or miss class and I do not deduct points for absences. However, I do expect students to catch up on missing work. Any missing work will result in a zero.

    Parents will be able to check comments daily through ParentPortal. I post any comments I may have in my gradebook. If students show negative behavior, disrupt class or destroy property I will call parents. Please remember to give the school updated contact information in case of problems or an emergency!! I cannot contact you unless I have a correct and working phone number!!

    We will communicate about art through Artsonia, our Online Student Art Museum! Parents MUST register their students through www.artsonia.com/permission. This is a website that is safe and I will be posting ALL student artwork on Artsonia. Students do not have to share their artwork with anyone, but this does provide a very good way to show their artwork to parents, grandparents, relatives and friends. Students can even have their own fan clubs. They can earn awards (certificates) for their achievements as well. If you do not register, your student’s art will still be posted but it will not be seen by anyone but me. The artworks will stay on Artsonia forever so you can always view your child’s art, even when they grow up and have children of their own!

    Artsonia also helps the school by donating 20% of proceeds to the art program. Every purchase you make with your child’s artwork will help us to buy more art supplies for the school. You can order items anytime! We will also be having special opportunities for purchases throughout the year that you will be invited to participate in.

    Parents may also look on the school website under “Specials” to find out about upcoming events, updates on our projects and to see our art gallery.

    If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at school at 828-754-6128 or by email at lstewart@caldwellschools.com.

     

    I am looking forward to another great year with our fantastic artists!