VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS (VAPA) at TOPANGA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Our mission is to further develop our school’s arts programs in order to provide meaningful and inspiring content for our children. We believe that by making art accessible to everyone, we strengthen our community and foster freedom of expression, creativity and the celebration of life through the arts.
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EDUCATION
Per our charter, Topanga Elementary Charter School (TECS) has invested time and resources to develop a one- of-a-kind arts education experience for our children, including the following:
GOALS
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
VOLUNTEERS
There will be plenty of opportunities for you to participate in your child’s art education this year! Keep your eyes open for invitations from VAPA to get involved. We also hold regular open meetings that will be announced in the school calendar and Friday Focus.
DONATIONS
We are looking for donations to help transform our currently empty work room into a fully-stocked Creative Space.
Donations include:
The Arts Room is a multi-purpose space. If you have experience with designing modular spaces, please contact us.
Thank you for getting involved, with your support we have no doubt that we can elevate arts education at Topanga Elementary to new heights!
Sincerely,
The VAPA Committee
Pearl Aday, Erin Cullen, S. Miria Jo, Tracy Murphy, Erica Phillipson, Michelle Ramos, Adeline Ramage Rooney, and Bianca Sapetto
For more information, contact VAPA at topangavapa@gmail.com
Download Flyer
EDUCATION
Per our charter, Topanga Elementary Charter School (TECS) has invested time and resources to develop a one- of-a-kind arts education experience for our children, including the following:
- Visual & Performing Arts Curriculum: TECS provides a formal arts curriculum for all grades K – 5, including Art, Dance, and Music. TECS also offers after-school music programs including RockStar and Orchestra. As of 2018, TECS now has dedicated Art & Music classrooms.
- Topanga Enrichment Programs (TEP) – the TECS booster club - funds many of the visual and performing arts enrichment programs at Topanga Elementary Charter School.
- Dedicated Visual and Performing Arts Committee (VAPA): The Visual and Performing Arts Committee was established in 2017 as a sub-committee of TEP, to evaluate and suggest ways in which the arts program at Topanga Elementary Charter School can grow and improve.
- Art Trek / Dedicated Art Teacher: for the 2018-2019 Calendar year, a large group of parent volunteers received Art Trek training and taught art lessons to each class. TEP/VAPA has raised funds for a dedicated art teacher to start in 2019-2020.
- Student Art Show: Parent volunteers organize an annual student art show featuring works by all students at Topanga Canyon Gallery.
- TECS Auction: Every year, each class creates a unique and meaningful art project which is sold at the auction to raise funds for TEP.
- Fall Variety Show: VAPA produces an annual variety show and art gallery featuring visual arts and performing arts by Topanga Elementary Charter School students of all ages.
- Spring Musical: TECS is known for our annual Spring Musical. About a third of the school’s students and numerous parent volunteers participate in our popular productions each year.
- The Story Pirates: VAPA sponsors school-wide events with The Story Pirates Changemakers, who turn kids' original stories into wild sketch comedy musicals featuring professional actors.
- Art Lunch Club: Parent volunteers supervise art projects for kids during recess.
- Lunchtime Music: VAPA sponsors local musicians to play during lunch for the students.
- Field Trips: Kindergarten and first-grade students visit Theatricum Botanicum every year.
GOALS
- We want to add MORE theater, music, and visual arts programs to the school in 2019-2020! We are looking into adding a choir, a fifth-grade theater workshop, and much more.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
- The VAPA Art Lunch Club created art for the newly dedicated Canyon Sage’s Senior Center building at the Topanga Community Center.
- We collaborated with the Science committee and Topanga Tile to add space-themed tiles to our art wall!
- More outreach is planned for 2019-2020
VOLUNTEERS
There will be plenty of opportunities for you to participate in your child’s art education this year! Keep your eyes open for invitations from VAPA to get involved. We also hold regular open meetings that will be announced in the school calendar and Friday Focus.
DONATIONS
We are looking for donations to help transform our currently empty work room into a fully-stocked Creative Space.
Donations include:
- Art supplies (various drawing and painting mediums, textiles, tools, canvas, paper, clay etc. etc.)
- Musical equipment
- Cleaning Supplies
- Drying Racks
- Modular furniture
- Art Books
- Smocks or Aprons
- Monetary donations are always appreciated!
The Arts Room is a multi-purpose space. If you have experience with designing modular spaces, please contact us.
Thank you for getting involved, with your support we have no doubt that we can elevate arts education at Topanga Elementary to new heights!
Sincerely,
The VAPA Committee
Pearl Aday, Erin Cullen, S. Miria Jo, Tracy Murphy, Erica Phillipson, Michelle Ramos, Adeline Ramage Rooney, and Bianca Sapetto
For more information, contact VAPA at topangavapa@gmail.com
