November Art Update!

Hello and welcome to December! Let's take a look back at what took place in the Westlawn art room during the month of November. It was a busy month, particularly with the big Veteran's day celebration! As each of our Veteran's and guests entered the doors of Westlawn they were not only greeted by a friendly bunch of 5th graders, but were also greeted by the Patriotic Pinwheels hanging from the ceiling (made by our WL kindergartners) and the giant flag mosaic with all of our Westlawn faces! Thank you very much to Mr. Cowie and Mrs. Roller for adding the 350+ pictures of students and staff to the flag!

Of course the students have also been busy in the art room, learning, creating, imagining, problem solving, exploring, and more! Please take a look at your child's grade to see some updated pictures and descriptions. Please also continue to have conversations with your child about what they have been learning in art! Hopefully they have something neat to share! If not, maybe you need to pry a little more☺

See you at the end of December!

Oh, and by the way... thank you so much to the families that have donated items to the art room! It is so appreciated! We are starting to run low on kleenex and sponges. We could always use more candy for the candy jar as well (for class rewards)! If you have leftover Halloween candy you want to get rid of, send it my way! (dairy free is preferable please)

Thank you and take care!

Artfully yours,

Mrs.Miller

October Art Update!

Hello and welcome to November! Thank you for stopping by to see what your child has been up to in art class during the month of October. ALL Westlawn students have worked diligently to complete their artwork that will be submitted to Original Works very soon! You should be receiving information about this Westlawn fundraiser in the upcoming weeks from our PTO! Don't pass up an opportunity to purchase items with your child's one-of-a-kind artwork! They will make terrific gifts for the holidays! Check out your child's grade to see some of the completed projects☺

Here's a little preview...

Another highlight from the month of October was our 5th grade Art and Music Field Trip! 

Check out this good looking group! We had a blast on the trip. More pictures from the field trip are under "5th Grade."

I also wanted to make mention of an art opportunity that is taking place THIS FRIDAY (November 4th) at the Community Cultural Center. They will be holding an art class "Techniques in Cray-Pas (Oil Pastels) with Janann Miller from 10am-12pm. What a great thing to have your kids do on a day off of school! To see more information check out this link... http://cedarburgculturalcenter.org/childrenart.html

I will continue to post information about any art opportunities I know of, both on my blog and my informational board outside of the art room. I hope your kids have a chance to take part in some fun art experiences outside of school! Please let me know of any opportunities that YOU know of that I can advertise for our Westlawn families!

Lastly, I will likely be looking for a couple parent volunteers next week leading up to Veteran's Day! I am planning to put together a BIG project for that special day when we invite Veterans into our school. Send me an email if you might have some time to volunteer during a school day next week! srmiller@cedarburg.k12.wi.us

Thanks again for stopping by!

See you again at the end of November☺

Artfully yours,
Mrs. Miller

September Art Update!

Hello and thanks for checking out the Westlawn Art Blog!

Well, the first month of school FLEW BY! Seriously! Where did it go? Within the first handful of weeks we have been able to accomplish a LOT in the art room! ALL students (kindergarten through 5th grade) had a chance to participate in our first mini art project of the year, that was made into a BIG collaborative display! The students designed a leaf using water colors and oil pastels, putting their own personality into the project. Together, the leaves created a BEAUTIFUL tree that reminds us of the growing we hope to do this school year. We have been discussing the growth mindset (that you likely have heard of) and how it applies to us as artists. The "Power of Yet" is very applicable in the art room, as there are many things that the students would like to do, but can't do... YET! The students will be reminded of this throughout the year as they attempt to GROW as artists. We are aiming for growth, not perfection ☺

Collaborative Tree Display (fall 2016)

ALL Westlawn students also began creating their sketchbooks (a project that they will make each year in art). THANK YOU to Piggly Wiggly, once again, for donating enough paper bags for our 2nd-5th grade sketchbooks that have a special feature, handles! While the kindergarten and 1st grade students finished their sketchbooks, the 2nd-5th grade students took a break from their project to start their next project... for ORIGINAL WORKS!
If you have never heard of Original Works, it is a neat fundraiser we do at Westlawn every other year. The company "Original Works" has a whole line of products that can be purchased with YOUR CHILD'S ARTWORK as the design. The PTO will be sending home information about this fundraiser so you and your family can purchase products in time for the holidays! They make fabulous gifts! Take a look at your child's grade to see pictures of their "original work" in progress☺

Please also take a look at the Volunteer Information if you wish to volunteer in the art room this year OR make a donation of supplies. I GREATLY appreciate parents that are interested in volunteering, as I simply cannot do it all myself!

Thank you for supporting your child's education and their involvement in the arts! I look forward to a great year with your child and am excited to see them GROW this year!

Welcome Back!

Hello and welcome back Westlawn families!

Please stay tuned for the first art update of the year, coming at the beginning of October! You will be informed of art blog updates at the beginning of each month via email.

If you are curious to learn more about the art curriculum at Westlawn, please check out the tab "Art Curriculum."

As always let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I look forward to sharing all of the happenings in the art room this school year! See you soon!

May/June Art Update!

Well... I guess this is it! We have come to the end of the 2015-2016 school year! Thanks so much for taking the time to check out these blog updates in order to stay connected to life in the art room and to support your child's education. As I state in my teaching philosophy, I believe that every child has been created uniquely and has something special to offer. Whether they are incredibly gifted in the area of art, or just enjoy exploring different art mediums and materials, I hope that each student enjoys their time in the art room and appreciates the opportunity to create and learn about art. I am honored and privileged to be their teacher! Truly!

The month of May was spent finishing up projects, and those projects reveal some of the students' best work this school year! The beginning of June was spent passing back artwork that the students hadn't yet received. Thank you for your patience as you have been waiting for the artwork to be sent home! It is a whole lot easier for me to dedicate one class to sending home artwork rather than sending it home sporadically (my brain can't keep track of what I sent home and when). The kids have so much fun passing back the artwork and some of their reactions to getting back artwork are priceless. They are so excited to reflect back on all the hard work they put in over the school year and to see their growth throughout. I also love hearing the phrase..."Oh yeah, this project! I totally forgot about this project! (as if they did it three years ago, haha).

Enjoy checking out the grade levels to see all of the students' hard work.

Also... I am always in need of extra help in the art room... SO... if your child would be interested in helping out in the art room later on in the summer (towards the start of next school year) I would be happy to accept their help and would gladly treat them to an Out and Out treat as a thank you ☺ Send me an email if you are interested. I am looking for a group of 3-4 responsible, helpful students, that love to clean and organize!

Thanks again and have a SPLENDID AND SAFE SUMMER!!! ☺

Sincerely,

Mrs. Miller

April Art Update!

Welcome back to the Westlawn Art Blog for another art room update! There will only be one (maybe two) more updates before the school year comes to a close. It has been, and continues to be a pleasure to teach your children, something I don't take for granted. I hope they are enjoying what they are doing in art class and are teaching you a little something too ;)

This past month we did some recycling and reusing by creating two projects from empty t.p. and paper towel rolls. The 2nd grade students made some Pop Art Popsicles and the 4th graders are still in the midst of creating Telescopes for their upcoming 4th grade musical. Thank you to those of you who sent in those items! We are set for now ☺

Speaking of recycling and creating art out of cardboard... did you hear the Westlawn Cardboard Challenge is happening again this year? What a neat opportunity to have fun making an original art creation! I believe the deadline for sign ups is May 13th. Have your kids sign up if you haven't already!

NEWLY on display in the front hallway of Westlawn are two third grade projects... Collagraph Prints and Warm and Cool Agamographs. Two of my favorite projects I teach ☺ Check them out below...

Collagraph Prints featuring Ms. Ingham's 3rd grade class

 Warm and Cool Agamographs featuring Ms. Beebout's 3rd grade class

Don't forget to check out YOUR child's grade to see what they've been up to! See you back here at the end of May. Chow for now ☺

March Art Update!

Hello and happy spring break everyone! If you are not laying out on a beach somewhere (oh how I wish I was), I hope you are at least enjoying some extra quality time with your family and are finding some time for rest and relaxation from your normal routine. I'm glad you're here to take a look at what the kids have been up to in art during the month of March. Our biggest art related event during this past month was the Cedarburg Cultural Center Student Gallery of Art that started on March 13th! If you have not made it over there to see the artwork from the Cedarburg schools, as well as some of the other schools in the area, you need to go! You will not be disappointed! Of course there is also professional artwork around the perimeter of the gallery, so LOTS to see, from all ages!☺Congratulations to those Westlawn students whose artwork was selected to be on display! Check out pictures from the art gallery opening on the "Art Shows" section of the blog!

Westlawn art display at the Cedarburg Cultural Center Gallery of Student Art

Other displays that have been featured in the front hallway of Westlawn during the month of March include the following...

Clay Picture Frames featuring Ms. Laux's 2nd grade class 

(put up over spring break and will stay up for most of March)

Henri Rousseau Inspired Jungles featuring Mrs. Huber's 2nd grade class

Clay Coil Mugs featuring Mr. Noel's 4th grade class

THANK YOU to the handful of families that donated disinfectant wipes! We are set ☺

If others are in the mood to donate as well, we are still in need of sponges and candy (for class rewards). Also... EMPTY TOILET PAPER ROLLS!!! The second grade students are beginning their "Pop Art Popsicle" art project and need more toilet paper rolls to create the popsicles. I have some, but need more! Those can either be delivered directly to me or dropped off in the paper bag outside of the art room door. THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your help ☺

As always, please visit your child's grade to see more pictures and updates. Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you around school!

February Art Update!

Welcome to March! Glad you stopped in to take a look at what the students did in art class during the month of February. WOW... it's been a crazy month. The students and I have been awfully busy, particularly with the creation and completion of all the space themed projects that were on display for this year's Westlawn carnival! Between displaying those projects, preparing for our art and music 5th grade field trip, choosing and prepping artwork for two art shows, and maintaining all other day to day tasks, I am wiped, to say the least! But... it's all worth it when I see the joy on a student's face when their artwork is on display for all to see, or hearing from a parent how much their child enjoys art class and how much they've grown as an artist. Comments like that mean the world to me, so thank you for your continued support in your child's education and and interest in their involvement in the arts.
Please check out your child's grade to see lots of pictures and descriptions about what took place during the month of February.

Other News:

• If you are at all interested in helping out in the art room, please email me! I often need extra help and am so grateful to have willing and available volunteers!
• We can use some of the following items in the art room if you are willing to donate them... disinfectant wipes, sponges, and candy (for occasional classroom rewards).

Below are some pictures highlighting our busy, but fun, month of February...

Westlawn 5th graders at the Harley Davidson Museum on their combined art and music field trip!

Westlawn artwork on display in the Cedarburg District Board Room.

3-D artwork at the District Board Room

5th grade space craft sculptures on display for the Westlawn carnival!

Some more artwork from the WL carnival... pictured here are 4th grade space chalk drawings!

December/January Art Update!

Thank you for visiting the Westlawn Art Blog to check out what the students have been up to in the art room during the months of December and January! Many of the art projects from these previous months were multi-step projects that took a number of classes to complete. There were also the occasional classes where the students would spend some time working in their sketchbooks (always a valuable use of time!), taking an assessment related to their unit of study, or doing a one day seasonal project to break up their longer term projects. We continue to have lots of fun in the art room and the students continue to impress me with their hard work, creativity, and overall great behavior. They make my job a joy! Please take a look at what your students have been up to by clicking on their grade!

Pictured below are the Westlawn art displays that have been up since the last art update...

Catching Snowflakes featuring Mrs. Sheppard's Kindergarten Class

Clay Snowmen featuring Mrs. Spaeth's 1st Grade class

Sketchbooks featuring a variety of 2nd-5th grade students

When I Grow Up Self-Portraits featuring Mrs. McCalmont's 1st Grade Class

Coming soon...

5th Grade Hero Prints

3rd Grade Creative Color Wheels

4th Grade Clay Coil Mugs and Vases

And...

SPACE themed artwork by ALL of the students that will be displayed at the Westlawn Carnival on February 20th!

Speaking of the Westlawn Carnival...

I will be entering a watercolor painting of Westlawn into the auction! The auction item will be a 11.75x36 inch print of the original painting that I gifted Dr. Sanders when he retired last year. There will only be ONE copy for sale... so don't forget to enter your bid!

Speaking of Dr. Sanders...

Have you heard he published a book? I actually had the honor of illustrating it and to see it printed in book form is SO COOL! Below is the link to the book as well as an article written about PJ and his collection of stories. Dr. Sanders is an avid hunter and his book contains stories of his adventures (and misadventures) with his beloved dog Josie. Who knew our formal principal had such a gift of writing?! There are even rumors that he will be writing more in the future... possibly a children's series?!

http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Josie-Between-Hunting/dp/1515388352/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450577262&sr=8-1&keywords=the+Gospel+According+to+Josie

 https://townnewstoday.com/pj-sanderss-the-gospel-according-to-josie-signing-book-talk-thursday-evening/?area=grafton-cedarburg

Thanks for stopping by! We'll "see" you again at the end of February!

Coming soon... December/January Art Update!

Due to a a shortened month of December (with winter break) and the fact that all students are still in the midst of their current projects, the next art update will be December and January combined. Please check back at the end of January to see a bunch of pictures and descriptions about happenings in the art room. See you then!