This year at our 2018 Convention & Expo, National PTA has made a commitment to the arts by supporting New Orleans-based nonprofit KID smART in their work to engage children in dynamic, creative and rigorous learning through the arts.
KID smART was created in 1999 in response to the decreasing availability of arts education in local public schools with the vision to empower all children to unlock their full academic, creative and personal potential. Their current focus is arts integration—linking instruction in the arts with instruction in the academic curriculum to increase students’ academic achievement, build their critical thinking skills, foster creativity and imagination and enhance their social and emotional growth.
In a KID smART classroom, students might learn the water cycle through dance, understand fractions by mixing paint colors or explore complex vocabulary words through pantomime. The learning is rigorous and dynamic; it is designed to engage students with a variety of learning styles and abilities so that all may excel.
KID smART is supporting arts education in the New Orleans area by:
- Partnering with K–8 public schools to embed professional teaching artists in classrooms
- Increasing the capacity of teachers and professional teaching artists to deliver arts-integrated instruction that meets next-generation academic standards
- Creating and demonstrating models of excellence in arts-integrated instruction
- Providing arts enrichment in after-school and community-based programs
- Working alongside others to advocate for the arts and broaden the conversation around the definition of student achievement.
As you can imagine, serving over 3,000 students and 800 teachers annually with a limited budget, KID smART is in need of art supplies. This is where you come in! Please consider donating art supplies either online or in person at the 2018 National PTA Convention & Expo in New Orleans, where KID smART will be showcasing Louisiana mask-making traditions through a fun, hands-on mask-making activity. Drop by during PTA Palooza on Saturday, June 23 from 10:15 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To learn more about KID smART, please visit KIDsmart.org. To donate art supplies online, check out KID smART’s Amazon Wish List. Thank you for your support in giving back to this wonderful organization.
Amy Weinberg is the manager of programs and partnerships for National PTA.
More than 70 students created projects at home from one of the STEAM categories: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. They were then displayed during the schools STEAM Fair for the community to see. The evening included hands-on demonstrations by multiple local companies like StarWitness, STEM for Kids, and Vision Martial Arts. As well as representatives from East Cary Middle Schools Coding and Robotics clubs and St. Mary’s Biology Explorer’s Summer Camp. Families were encouraged to get involved, interact with others and have fun. The school’s Title 1 team handed out free math and reading books and games to over 150 students during the event.
