Performing & Visual Arts
Welcome to PVA Middle School!
The AACPS Performing and Visual Arts Magnet Middle School Program (PVA) is a three year (grades 6-8) educational choice for highly able and
motivated arts students interested in achieving their maximum potential both artistically and academically. In this program, students will develop the skills needed to be a well-rounded artist/performer by engaging with a curriculum that focuses on technical design and performance.
The PVA program is designed to engage students in intense instruction of the highest quality in the arts offered by highly qualified teachers and
professional art specialists. Experiences in and out of school will be offered to PVA students through a comprehensive curriculum that fosters effective
communication, creative and critical thinking skills, artistic excellence, and an appreciation for cultural diversity.
Before we begin…
General Magnet Program Information
All AACPS Magnet Programs…
Offer students a specialized course of study or an emphasis on instruction that is different from the traditional curriculum offered in AACPS.
Are a key component of Anne Arundel County’s vision for Programs of Choice.
Attract qualified students from all areas of the county who complete an admission process.
Are public school programs and do not involve any additional cost to attend.
o Some programs may have lab, field trip, or exam fees.
Provide transportation through regional consolidated bus stops.
o Private transportation is required to and from the community bus stops. Most bus stops are located at local elementary schools, middle schools, or libraries.
What benefits does the PVA Program offer?
An integrated arts curriculum that weaves arts instruction throughout all academic areas;
Challenging instruction in core academic subjects (math, language arts, science, and social studies);
Extended class periods for dedicated arts instruction;
The opportunity to work along-side professional artists-in-residence;
Frequent performance and exhibition opportunities;
Arts-centered field trips, theatre performances, and museum experiences;
PVA students get to choose from one* of the following Prime Arts Areas to follow through their three years in the PVA Magnet Program:
Dance
Creative Writing and Movement
Visual Arts
Vocal Music
Instrumental Music (Band or Strings)
*Students may audition for up to two Arts Areas, but, if accepted, will only register for one.
A student’s Magnet School is determined by his or her home middle school:
Our Home —
Bates and Brooklyn Park Middle School
Magnet School: Bates Middle School Brooklyn Park Middle School Home Middle
School:
Your Home Middle School is based on your address. This is the school that you would attend with other student’s in your community • Annapolis • Bates • Central • Crofton • Magothy River • Severn River • Southern • Severna Park • Arundel • Brooklyn Park • Corkran • Chesapeake Bay • George Fox • Lindale • MacArthur • Marley • Meade
• Old Mill North • Old Mill South
School Phone: 410-263-0270
School Website: http://www.aacps.org/aacps/bams/index.asp Principal: Paul Deroo
PVA Extended Day and Events Teacher Specialist: Lottie Porch
School Phone: 410-636-2967
School Website: http://www.aacps.org/aacps/bpms/index.asp Principal: Temisha Kinard
PVA Extended Day and Events Teacher Specialist : Melanie Heyl
Prime Arts Subject Instruction
World and Classical Language
Social Studies
Mathematics
Language Arts
Science
Performance Plus (extended days, twice a week)
Monthly Arts Experiences (8 evening and/or Saturday arts experiences)
Prime Arts offers students time dedicated to improving their artistic skills in
their chosen Prime Arts area.
Prime Arts will occur during Performance Plus hours. Performance Plus sessions give student time to take:
Two periods of Prime Arts
World and Classical Language
Physical Education and an Elective Encore
Performance Plus Sessions…
Are extended days that occur twice a week.
Give students the opportunity to survey all arts areas through arts-specific or project based classes taught by our local/regional highly qualified artists and arts specialists.
Performance Plus Sessions topics may include:
Arabic drumming,
Documentary film making,
Mural art design,
Dance with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland,
Acting with Compass Rose Studio Theatre,
Guitar and piano.
The Monthly Arts Experience…
Provides students with the opportunity to see the arts in actions and connect what they’ve learned with the art world.
Gives students the chance to work along side professional artists through workshop and Master Classes.
Includes trips to theater performances, museums, and local colleges. Past Monthly Arts Experience events include:
Taking part in a theater, dance and music workshop and then attend a professional production of The Music Man;
Visiting the Renaissance Festival to see Hamlet and interact with Human Puppets; and
Interviewing local historians to design a mural for the Citizen Advisory Committee.
What will students do during their
*This schedule serves as an example of a typical sixth grade student’s schedule. Your student’s schedule may look different.
**Students will register for the Math course appropriate to their current Math level.
***6th grade PVA students may only chose one elective.
Here is a sample Grade 6 schedule*
Grade 6—Fall SemesterPeriod/
Block A-Day B-Day
Traditional School
Hours
1 Science Science
2 Social Studies Social Studies
3 Math** Math**
4 Language Arts Language Arts
Extended Day Hours
(2 days a week only)
5 Prime Arts World Classical Language
6 Prime Arts Physical
Education
Encore Elective***
Applying to the PVA Program
As with all AACPS Magnet Schools, students must
complete an application process and be determined
eligible for the PVA Middle School program.
Students can apply to the PVA Middle School
program in the fall of their 5
thor 6
thgrade year.
1. Information Nights: Attend the PVA Information Night in the fall to visit
your magnet school, meet the PVA facilitators and teachers, and learn more about the program.
Visit the Magnet Website (www.aacps.org/magnet) for details on any upcoming Information Nights
2. The Application: Complete the online Magnet Application by the posted
deadline.
The Magnet Application opens in the fall and will remain open for approximately two months.
The Magnet Application is posted at https://magnet.aacps.org.
3. The Audition: Sign-up for and complete an Audition.
Information about the Audition is available on the PVA Website
(www.aacps.org/pva). This information may change from year to year.
The Magnet Application Process:
4. Evaluation: The magnet office uses the following criteria to determine
whether or not a student is eligible for middle school PVA:
a) 4th and 5th grade academic records
b) MSA/standardized test scores
c) Audition scores
Students may be eligible through one of two pathways
These pathways are not a ranking system, but rather determine what the
student will need to complete during the application process. Pathway I* Students must have:
A grade average of “B” or above in all subject areas—one “C” is allowable
Scores of Proficient or Advanced in MSA Reading and Mathematics in grade 4
or scores in the 60 percentile or above on nationally-normed tests in Reading
and Mathematics
An average rubric score of a 6 or better on the Audition
The Magnet Application Process:
Pathway II* Students must have:
A grade average of “B” or above in all subject areas—one “D” is allowable
An average rubric score of a 6 or better on the Audition
Scores of Proficient or Advanced in MSA Reading and Mathematics in grade 4—
one Basic is allowable—or scores in the 60 percentile or above on nationally-normed tests in Reading and Mathematics
Two letters of recommendation from a recent teacher and a community member
(teacher, coach, mentor, etc)
*Please note that the only distinction between these two pathways is that students in Pathway II will need letters of recommendation. Both Pathway I and Pathway II students are treated equally in the Lottery.
The Magnet Application Process:
5.
The Lottery:
If there are less applicants than seats available for each Arts Majors, all eligible students will be offered seats. However, if there are more eligible applicants than seats available, a computerized, random Lottery will occur for those Arts Majors to place students either in the program or on a wait-list. It is the belief of the Magnet Office that a Lottery is the most fair way to all
students to determine who is given a seat in a Magnet Program.
Students placed on the wait-list will be offered a seat as space opens up in the program
6.
Registration:
Attend a the spring Welcome and Registration Night for information about the… Enrollment process
PVA Summer Bridge—a one week summer experience for students
to engage in focused arts experiences
The Magnet Application Process:
The Lottery and Registration
Need More Information?
Contact a member of the PVA team:Ken Skrzesz, PVA Teacher Specialist Phone: 410-570-0315
Email: [email protected]
Melanie Heyl, PVA Extended Day and Events Teacher Specialist, Brooklyn Park Middle School Phone: 410-636-2967 ext.6071
Email: [email protected]
Lottie Porch , PVA Extended Day and Events Teacher Specialist, Wiley H. Bates Middle School Phone: 410-6263-0270
Email: [email protected] Lori Snyder, PVA Senior Manager
Phone: 410-224-7284 Email: [email protected]
