Published for the Arts Based School Community
December 5, 2024
How We Do It and Why
By Mary Siebert, Founding Arts Director, retired
“A Well-Tempered Mind demonstrates that by working together, we can make a difference in our children's lives and replace cultural bankruptcy with a full pocket of good music. Lord knows we need it."—Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center
“This book should persuade parents and administrators to give education in music its deserved high priority in the schools under their care.” —Walter J. Freeman, M.D., professor of Neuroscience and Molecular & Cellular Biology, UC Berkeley
Five adult musicians perch on teensy first grade chairs, gleaming instruments at their lips. A crisscross-legged group of first-graders gathers curiously on the carpet. There is a nod, a collective deep breath, a glorious burst of music. Little eyes grow wide and round, little mouths drop open. Wiggles become statues, leaning forward. One little girl turns to stare at me, flushed with delight, as if to say “Can you believe this miracle?” then she quickly turns back. When the music stops, the children sit in bewildered, delighted silence for a moment. The classroom teacher begins the applause, children join in. The smiling musicians introduce themselves and their instruments, and ask the children for comparisons. “What is the same about these instruments? What is different? Which one plays the lowest?” (Demonstrations follow.) The children learn that small instruments play higher than large instruments, just as little dogs have high barks and big dogs have low barks. It the first day of “Quintet” in the 1st Grade.
The Quintet has worked with ABS students every year, since we opened our doors in 2002. They will visit first grade classrooms eight times this month, linking their performances with the first grade academic curriculum. The work of this distinguished group of professional musicians is chronicled in A Well-Tempered Mind, a book by Peter Perret. Maestro Perret is Conductor Emeritus of the Winston-Salem Symphony, former ABS band director, and one of the founders of our school. He was inspired to create the “Bolton Quintet” after reading of experiments in neuroscience which produced evidence that active listening to music helps develop cognitive abilities in children. With five instrumentalists from the W-S Symphony, he designed a cleverly crafted curriculum that links with reading, comprehension, story structure, science, and math. Mr. Perret worked with Dr. Frank Wood, professor of Neuropsychology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, to develop and test the Quintet program. ABS participated in the study, which was shown to cause significant improvement in emerging readers, reflected on standardized test scores.
One of the hallmarks of the group is that they perform right in the classroom; not in a concert hall. The children grow to regard these musicians (and their instruments) as friends. Music is selected and prepared with meticulous care, including everything from Mozart to the Pink Panther; all performed just a few feet away from 1st graders’ ears. We are honored and delighted to host the Quintet again this year.
Thank You for Making Giving Tuesday a Success!
We are thrilled to share the exciting results of this year’s Giving Tuesday campaign! Thanks to the generosity of our incredible community—and a special Matching Gift Challenge sponsored by generous alumni grandparents—we raised an additional $9,890 to support The Arts Based School and its mission.
This year’s Matching Gift Challenge doubled the impact of every dollar donated, thanks to these alumni grandparents who believe in the transformative power of education and the arts. Their commitment and your contributions have combined to make a meaningful difference for our school and our students.
Your support helps us keep the arts at the core of education, nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love of learning. Together, we’re empowering the leaders, creators, and innovators of tomorrow.
Thank you for believing in our mission and for making this Giving Tuesday such a resounding success. Your generosity reminds us of the incredible strength and heart of our ABS community. Every gift counts, and every act of kindness helps shape a brighter future for our students.
6th Grade Art Installation: Walter the Hippo Goes to the Museum!
Big news for our 6th-grade artists! This week, one of the curators from the Iredell Museum visited ABS to pick up “Walter,” the Nile River hippo sculpture created by our talented 6th-grade students. Walter is now en route to his temporary home at the museum, where he will be revealed as a surprise to the students during their upcoming field trip.
The museum staff have gone above and beyond, giving Walter his very own display and making him an official art installation. This is a huge honor for our students and a testament to their creativity and hard work!
We’re so proud of our students for bringing Walter to life, and we can’t wait to celebrate this exciting achievement with them!
School Calendar 2025-26
The ABS Board of Directors is considering the school calendar for 2024-25. If you would like to review the draft calendar and provide feedback, please respond to this form.
School Calendar Considerations
- 1050 hours of instruction
- Major breaks coincide with WS/FC schools
- Trimester system allows teacher workdays to coincide with parent/teacher conferences
- Snow Make up days are built into calendar throughout the school year
- Gather input from teachers, staff, and parents
Middle of the Year MAP Testing Dec 16-17-Grades 5-8
ABS uses Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to assess each student’s academic growth. We will give students in grades 5-8 MAP tests to determine each child’s instructional level and to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the areas of math and reading. Grades 3-4 will test in January. Your child will take the tests on a computer. MAP tests are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for your child’s level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. And with MAP tests, we can administer shorter tests and use less class time while still receiving detailed, accurate information about your child’s growth.
Parent Council Notes:
Join us for the December Parent Council meeting scheduled for December 13 at noon. This is a virtual only meeting. Here’s the link to join.
High School Information Night-Rescheduled for December 17
ABS will host counselors, teachers, and administrators from several area high schools for an information session on December 17th from 6-7pm. This will include a brief introduction from the high school reps and time to ask questions and gather information from a variety of schools. High School Information Night will take place in the 7th Street building and all 7th and 8th grade families are invited to attend.
Kids STEAM Night Out
Join Mrs. Hoffman and Mrs. Gledhill for an evening of science, technology, and art fun on Friday, December 13th, 5:30-8:30pm! Dinner will be served. All proceeds will benefit the ABS STEAM Club. The cost is $30 per child, $25 for additional siblings. Spots are limited- Registration begins Friday 12/6. Open to any ABS Student K-8.
Sign Up- https://bit.ly/DecSTEAMNight
Winston-Salem Holiday Parade
ABS has been invited to walk in the Winston-Salem Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec 7, 5-7 pm. Our Kids and Builder’s Club members will walk in the parade representing the Arts Based School. We are planning to walk the parade route with some of the props from several of our shows, including the animals from Lion King, the Dragon/Snake from 3rd/1st grade shows, and the giant puppets from Magic Flute. Come out and cheer us on!
K-Kids and Builder’s Club families, please complete this form to let us know if your child will be participating in the parade. If you are able to chaperone, that would be great too! We need one adult for every 10 kids.
Prospective Parent Tours
School tours for prospective parents begin in October. They are scheduled weekly on Tuesdays at 9:30am at South Campus and Thursdays at 9:30am at North Campus. Each tour is limited to 10 adults in an effort to limit the disruption to our students and teachers in the classrooms. Parents interested in learning more about ABS and how to enroll their child, should contact the front office to sign up for a tour- 748-4116. Applications will be accepted beginning January 1. The lottery will be held the second Tuesday of February.
Inclement Weather
In the event of inclement weather, ABS will announce school closings on local TV channels, under “The Arts Based School”. This information will also be posted on the ABS website (www.artsbasedschool.com).
Our school calendar has three inclement weather days “built in” so we do not need to make up the missed day on December 3. Any lunch orders for 12/3 that were paid have been credited back to the student's account.
ABS Regular Board Meeting
The ABS Board of Directors will meet in person on Tuesday, Dec 10 at 5:45pm at ABS North Middle School building. Board meetings are open to the public.
Around Town…
Spring Theatre presents A Christimas Carol Unplugged December 17. You may recognize some of our ABS students, Brooks Butner and Jessica Borrero. For ticket information, check out the webpage. https://www.intothearts.org/campus-events/acc-unplugged
Daniel Marks Celebration of Life
ABS students are invited to attend the event “Daniel Rocks” on December 21st at FirstHand Climbing gym. Daniel Rocks will be a celebration of the life of ABS student Daniel Marks and a way to introduce young people to bouldering (indoor climbing) - an activity Daniel greatly enjoyed.
Daniel, who played young Simba in last year’s production of “Lion King”, was beloved by many at ABS. He passed away this summer after a long battle with cancer.
“Daniel Rocks” will feature several of the things that Daniel loved. There will be a tie dye station and a mac & cheese cook-off. Come try out climbing on lots of easy routes, learn from experienced climbers, all while listening to some of Daniel’s favorite rock tunes.
The event is from 11am-2pm on December 21st and new kid climbers climb for free. A waiver must be completed and can be done online at https://www.firsthandclimbing.com/ or at the gym, which is located close to North campus at 1024 N Chestnut Street.
Contact Kate at [email protected] with any questions.
Please come to Daniel Rocks and share this invitation with other young persons in the Triad who might be interested!