August 2024

Make sure to visit me in room 113 tonight at KELLER ELEMENTARY 9/5 for curriculum night. I will be there from 6:00 to 7:45pm

Dear Keller/Oak Ridge Elementary Families,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the art room donations, we are stocked and ready to go. I’m Mrs. Hemmingsen, your child’s art teacher, and I’m so excited to start another year of creativity and exploration with our amazing young artists.

This year in the art studio, your children will have the opportunity to dive into a wide variety of artistic experiences. From painting and drawing to ceramics, sculpture, and textiles, we’ll be exploring both 2D and 3D art forms. Our projects will be hands-on, imaginative, and designed to encourage each student to express themselves in new and exciting ways.

Art education is so important for young children. It nurtures creativity, boosts confidence, and helps develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Through art, students learn to express their thoughts and emotions in a healthy way, build perseverance by tackling challenging projects, and see the world from different perspectives. The skills and values they gain in the art studio extend far beyond the classroom and help shape well-rounded, imaginative individuals.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Art Days: Art can be a bit messy, so please encourage your child to wear clothes that are okay to get paint, glue, or clay on during their art days. Feel free to send in a large shirt/smock that can be stored in their locker.
• Creativity at Home: If your child is inspired by something they’re working on in class, I encourage them to continue exploring their creativity at home. Art is all about expressing who we are, and I love seeing the unique ideas that come from each student. I get many questions from parents about how to support their child with their artistic skills. The answer is, have many different art supplies available (does not have to be expensive: Play doh, air dry clay, scissors, colored paper, glue, watercolors, pencils, oil pastels, crayons, markers, etc.), show excitement when they tell you about and show you their art, proudly display their work at home.
• Art Shows and Events: Throughout the year, we’ll be showcasing our students’ incredible work in art shows and other events. I’ll keep you updated with dates and details as these events approach—stay tuned!
• Communication: I believe in keeping the lines of communication open. If you ever have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat about your child’s progress in art, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

I’m looking forward to a year filled with creativity, imagination, and lots of artistic fun. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me—let’s make this school year a masterpiece!

With a Heart Full of Creativity,
Mrs. Hemmingsen
Art Teacher, Keller/Oak Ridge Elementary School

Laura.Hemmingsen@royaloakschools.org

P.S. We are always looking for clean cardboard (amazon boxes), Beads, String, Craft Supplies, etc. If you would like to donate you may drop them to the main office during school hours.

We also have a classroom wishlist. Link is below.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/EXLM3OHYWZ8M?ref_=wl_share

P.S.S. I will be looking for parent helpers in the near future, keep a look out.