August 2016

 

 

DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative

August Key Communicator Newsletter 


 

 

Dear Key Communicators,

Happy August! As the summer is winding down, we hope you are gearing up for another exciting school year of providing arts and humanities education experiences to your students. As you may know, the DC Collaborative worked with 122 schools last year and 56 cultural institution members to provide 32,000 students with experiences through the Arts and Humanities for Every Student (AHFES) program and hundreds of educators with experiences through our Professional Development (PD) initiatives.

August is School Partnerships Month at the DC Collaborative! This newsletter will get you familiar with our programs and assist you in registering your school to be a school partner this year.
  • What is Arts and Humanities for Every Student?
  • Become a School Partner!
  • AHFES Orientation
  • Value of AHFES 
  • Help us Provide More Opportunities for More Students! How Your School Can Help!
Wishing you a fantastic end to your summer!

All best,
The DC Collaborative Team
What is Arts and Humanities for 
Every Student?

Arts and Humanities for Every Student is the legacy program of the DC Collaborative, created in 1998 to serve as a vital arts and humanities education resource to the DC public and public charter school communities. The primary goals of the Arts and Humanities for Every Student program are to establish the arts and humanities as an essential component of a high-quality education, and to provide equitable access for all DC Public and chartered public school students to the high-quality arts and humanities experiences available in the DC metro area. These goals are accomplished through the partnership and collaboration of the members of the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative and our School Partners. Schools must be a registered school partner to sign up through the AHFES Lottery.



What Professional Development Opportunities are Available for Educators?

The DC Collaborative, in partnership with its members, offer Professional Development workshops and institutes open to all DC public and public charter school teachers, which focus on dance, visual arts, humanities, theater, and music and how to best integrate these disciplines into their teaching practices. These workshops take place throughout the year at the hosting cultural organization and through the DC Collaborative Professional Development Institute series. Any DC Public School Educator can sign up for three free PDs per year! Schools must be a registered school partner for educators to sign up.

 
Become a School Partner!

Each year the Arts and Humanities for Every Student Program Fall Lottery opens on September 12, in celebration of National Arts in Education Week. Prior to the Fall AHFES Lottery, Key Communicators must return the School Partnership Agreement, pay the School Application Fee and attend orientation.
Return the School Partnership Agreement to [email protected] or mail to:

DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative
1825 K Street, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006


Member Fair and AHFES Orientation

Please join us for the Arts and Humanities for Every Student (AHFES) Member Fair, AHFES Teacher Orientation and DCPS Curriculum Workshop.  

Peruse the 2016-2017 AHFES and PD offerings and other member programs in the Member Fair and attend the AHFES orientation to learn more about the program and go over policies and procedures. Attending an AHFES orientation is required for schools wishing to participate in the 2016-2017 AHFES and PD programs.**

DATE: Tuesday, August 30, 2016
TIME: 4:45-6:30 p.m.
4:45-5:15 p.m.- Member Fair (For members and schools)
5:15-6:30 p.m.- AHFES Orientation and Program Highlights (For members and schools)
LOCATION: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566
Terrace Gallery (Hall of States side)
Farragut West (Blue/Orange Lines) to the FREE Kennedy Center Shuttle
Educator Parking voucher of $7 will be provided at the Kennedy Center Parking Garage will be emailed to members upon registration.


**Note to Educators:
Attendance at orientation is required for any school wishing to participate in the Arts and Humanities for Every Student program for the 2016-2017 school year. If you are unable to attend on behalf of your school, please send a representative in your place.  You can also contact Tracey Wyton, [email protected], to schedule a phone orientation or separate meeting if August 30 does not work for you.

Value of AHFES

Collaborative Effect.
The DC Collaborative works with their member cultural institutions to provide experiences at no costs or low costs to schools. This is possible because of our internal fundraising and the pool of resources that our members contribute collectively, many of whom donate tickets or provide a steeply discounted rate. In addition, some members provide support to reimburse transportation completely. The Collaborative also receives a discounted rate for transportation because of the volume of business given to bus vendors, supporting transportation for 20,000-30,000 students per year. We are able to get these experiences at such a good value, due to the volume of work that we do and contributions of our members who believe in this work. This is part of our "Collaborative Effect."
 
Value.
The Collaborative's average cost is approximately $15 per student when factoring transportation and ticket costs. This means you are receiving a direct cost value of $750 every time your school takes a field-trip with 50 students. For a school with an enrollment of 350 students that is approximately $5,250 in direct costs.* The Collaborative, along with its members, work very hard to fundraise and provide these experiences at no cost (or minimal costs) to your school because collectively we believe that every student regardless of socio-economic status and location in the city should have access to high-quality arts and humanities experiences as part of their education.
*Please note that the $15 per student rate is a minimal cost that the DC Collaborative covers on average, not the full value of the experience. This figure does not factor in all costs that the DC Collaborative or our members incur in making each experience possible. Our value statement, including educational value is available 
In this issue...

        

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More Opportunities for More Students
 
Would you be willing to help with fundraising for the Arts and Humanities for Every Student program at your School? If your school can provide funds to offset 
transportation costs, we can reach other schools that can not reimburse costs and provide more opportunities. We still provide experiences at no cost to the schools a large majority of the time but if your school has the resources, it can help us reach others who do not. Indicate if you are able to provide reimbursements on your School Partnership Agreement or email [email protected]
for more information.

Schools can also help in other ways!
  • Write a letter of Support Template Here
  • Get the PTA involved by asking them to sign up for our email list.
  • Participate in the DC Collaborative StoryBank Blog by emailing us!
  • Join and recruit individual members. Email us for more information.
Media Update
 

The DC Collaborative Media Release will need to be distributed with all permission slips for field trips and for in-school residencies. Spanish version HERE.


 

Please contact:

 [email protected] if you have any questions.