"District Office Display"

Every school in the Madison District displays student's artwork for one month at the District Office. February is the month that Simis artists get to show their hard work. Pieces from each grade level are represented, and are chosen based on creativity and craftsmanship. If you would like to see their work in person, the district office is located at 5601 N. 16th Street and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m till 4:30 p.m.

"Build a House" 2nd Grade

Second graders have been working as architects and designers creating houses. They start with a sketch of the interior, filling four rooms with furniture and detail. They add a little color to plan out each room.

When they finish their sketch, they fold a piece construction paper to create the interior and exterior of their house. On the inside, they use a ruler to create four rooms and a staircase. They design each room using a pencil and then outline their drawing with sharpies.

They add color to the interior using construction paper crayons. These crayons are specially made for construction paper. They show up thick and vibrant. Students use at least one different color for each wall.
When the interior is complete, the students design the exterior. They cover the house by repeating a pattern. Some students use bricks, blocks, and different types of lines. They use the a color sharpie that matches their house to make the pattern blend in. The students cut out windows, cut and fold doors and design a roof and a chimney. When all the different parts are finished, they construct their house.

"Pastel Patterns" 1st Grade

First graders created a project based on their favorite food. After they chose a food, they practiced drawing, outlining and coloring it.

We talked about patterns, and how they repeat. The students had to create a pattern by drawing their food 4 to 8 times. If their pattern was successful, you could predict where the next food would go.

When they had created a successful pattern, they started a final copy. They drew and outlined the foods to create their pattern. They added thick layers of oil pastel, and used their fingers to smooth and blend the color. When they finished, they outlined one last time with a black oil pastel to make their foods stand out.

"Bus Contest" 3rd Grade

Simis third graders had the opportunity to enter the Valley Transit "Cool Bus Stuff Contest" in October. They had to create an image of a city bus or the light rail that promoted community, environmentalism and safety. We had about ten students who entered finished pieces. Twelve pieces were judged and selected out of close to 700 entries and chosen to be used in a calendar. Out of the twelve winners, Simis had three pieces selected! Valley Metro came to Simis and gave an assembly for our winners. They received their artwork back framed, calendars, and a prize package. You can view the artwork at...

Contest Winners

And you can learn more about the contest at...

Contest Information

"Three Birds" Kindergarten

The kindergartners finished their sketches (see November 3rd post) and are working on their paintings. They start by sketching a cardinal, a goldfinch and blue jay with a pencil. Then they outline it, and add branches for the birds to perch on.

The students then move on to watercolor. They paint each bird with its primary color, and then paint the sky blue. They save the branches and leaves for last, since brown and green aren't primary colors. Some students who finished early even added nests with eggs.

"Dinosaurs" 1st Grade

The first graders created dinosaurs with textured skin by layering pieces of constuction paper (see Oct. 20th post). When they finished, they drew backgrounds on watercolor paper and glued their dinosaurs onto them. They finished their pieces by painting the environments.

Here are a couple finished dinosaurs that are being displayed in the classroom.

"Ornaments" After-school

Students from throughout Arizona created ornaments for this year’s Capitol Christmas Tree. Over 5000 ornaments will adorn the 85 foot tree in Washington, D.C. Simis fourth graders signed up to participate in after-school sessions to create their ornaments. They all worked off of a similar theme, using sun shapes to represent their home state. They built armatures using newspaper and tape, and then covered the surface with papier-mache. Once they were sturdy and dry, they painted their sculptures using acrylic paint.

With only four sessions, many of the students came in for extra time to meet their deadline for entry. The pieces turned out great and really reflected the student’s hard work. When the ornaments are finished being displayed, they will be donated to charity.