Message from Principal Fels

October, 2006

Dear Students and Parents,

I welcome you to Mark Twain Middle School and Arts Academy as we begin our first year of the Academy.

On behalf of our staff, we pledge to provide you with a most advanced educational environment. We know you will do your share in working toward your maximum potential. Together, we will continue to strive to make Mark Twain the best school in Los Angeles.

Parents are urged to become active members of our councils dedicated to serving the needs of our student body. Please be sure to look for the announcements about our October 4th meetings.

At Mark Twain, we believe that we have an important responsibility to help students make connections in learning. When we teach children to sing or play an instrument, we teach them how to listen. When we teach them how to draw, we teach them to see. When we teach them to dance, we teach them about their bodies and about space, and when they act on the stage, they learn about character, plot development and motivation. When we teach students about traditional arts and introduce them to the great masterpieces of the world we teach them to celebrate their collective roots and their own cultural place in history.

The arts provide connections to other disciplines, including language arts, social studies, math, computer science, and science. Consequently, the arts deserve a central place in the school curriculum. Engaging in the arts also challenges us to think differently. Creating and evaluating are the most complex forms of cognition, and these skills are reinforced through the arts. In the "No Child Left Behind Act," Congress named the Arts as one of the core subjects that all schools should teach.

Current research data indicates that good arts programs in elementary and middle schools build skills that translate into other subjects and act as a motivation for further learning. The Arts meet the needs of all students from the student at risk to the gifted child. Children participating in Arts classes exhibit fewer discipline problems and have better attendance records. Enhanced language arts development and reasoning skills that are essential to the understanding of complex mathematical concepts are also reinforced by Arts instruction.

By providing our students with the background and skills to understand and appreciate the unique qualities of the various disciplines of visual arts, music, dance and theater, our students will be well equipped to take their places in society as critical and creative thinkers.

Our test scores are up again. With your help, we will continue our growth!

Sincerely,

Jeff Felz
Principal

2224 Walgrove Avenue Los Angeles, California 90066 310.305.3100