Statement of Purpose

Fine and Performing Arts Wilton Public Schools Grades 3-5

We believe that our most challenging and fundamental purpose is to offer programs of artistic, aesthetic, and academic excellence while making the search for knowledge, personal expression, and understanding a continuing quest. We encourage all students to achieve their fullest potential in order to prepare them to function responsibly in a rapidly changing world and to lead full and productive lives. We strive to assure that these efforts will take place in a spirit of mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation among all those involved in the process of education. Using the Arts as a vehicle, we aim to illustrate connections between curricular subject areas. We also believe the Arts can provide each student with a feeling of individual worth and importance as well as compassion, understanding, and respect for the worth and dignity of others.

Our art curriculum at Cider Mill focuses on meeting the National Core Standards for Visual Art, which can be found at: http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/.  

We will also be discussing themes and Big Ideas that will help students make connections between art, their academic subjects and the world around them.

Here are some of our goals for your student this school year:

• Practice problem solving and critical thinking.
• Learn about history and culture through art.
• Use a variety of methods to express abstract ideas and emotions.
• Learn to trust their own creativity.
• Learn about concepts, materials and techniques that will help give them control of the visual images they produce.
• Develop an advanced art vocabulary that will help them to understand and speak about works of art.
• Create artwork that they are proud to share.