Back to School Photo Tips

 

There's only one "first day of school" for every child, so capture the day accurately with extra special photos! Whether it's kindergarten, first grade, or any year thereafter, you'll want to preserve that special day forever... and here's how!

Tip 1: Plan ahead. From clothes to lunches to backpacks, there are many things to get together for that first day of school! Don't be scrambling for camera, batteries, and memory cards as you rush your child out the door... make sure you have those things ready beforehand! Hurried activities will only add stress, so the more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your child will be!

Tip 2: Be sensitive to your child’s emotions and needs. Preparing your child for the first day of school AND the first day of school photo is important. The additional stress of taking a photo before heading off to school might prove a bit taxing for your child. Its a good idea to talk about that first day of school photo beforehand with your child... knowing what to expect is a stress reliever for everyone!

Tip 3: Decide where and when will be the best place and time to take photos. If your child’s going off to school on the bus, waiting at the bus stop might be a great place to start! If you’re picking your child up after school, you might want to take the photo in front of the school. This can even work out better because the anxiety over the first day of school will have subsided.

Tip 4: Make it a tradition! The first day of school is a great time to chronicle, in photographs, the growth of your child.  Try taking their picture in front of the same tree or in the same pose each year, and frame or scrapbook all the images together to see their growth right before your eyes, from kindergarten to college!

Tip 5: Don’t forget to photograph those who may not be going off to school. -- younger children, friends, or even dad! The images of those watching can create some wonderful and completely spontaneous images!

Have a great school year and don't forget to keep taking pictures throughout the year!

xo

Jen

Back to School

Back to school is one of my favourite times.  It always feels like New Years to me...the true start of the new year. Everything feels like a fresh start and there is a certain energy in the air. As a student my favourite thing was to go shopping for school supplies. Woolco would have these huge bins of pens and paper and pencil crayons out.  The sheer multitude of stuff made me heady with delight! I loved the pencil cases and binders.  And the second I got home, I would dump the bags of stuff on to my bed and organize absolutely everything. 

Then there was the nervous anticipation for the actual first day.  What should I wear?  A new outfit for sure...nothing too fancy, but something cool. Something that made me feel special. That new outfit feeling fades after the first week, but it was part of the fresh start.

Carter started Grade Two this week.  And at a brand new school on the other side of town.  She has been looking forward to this since we found out she would be attending in May.  But it still didn't come without a touch of apprehension for all of us...change is exhilarating and scary! She can't wait to go back...I love her courage and excitement.

click to enlarge

These shots are from her first two days - New Student Orientation and the actual first day.

xoxo baby girl!

Funding Cuts to Calgary Schools

PETITION TO SAVE ARTS PROGRAMMING IN CALGARY SCHOOLS

URGENT NOTICE FROM SAVE OUR FINE ARTS

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) announced they will have to cut up to 165 teachers as a result of a significant funding shortfall. To read the announcement, check out the front page of the May 5th edition of the Calgary Herald. You can also read the article on the Calgary Herald’s online website – http://www.calgaryherald.com/.

SOFA has learned from a very reliable source this will mean the layoff of approximately 3 – 4 teachers per school. We have also learned this will definitely have a negative impact on the CBE’s ability to provide funding for a number of locally developed courses, including a number of fine arts programs.

It is clear because of the Alberta Government’s cutback in education funding; this will not just affect the Calgary Board of Education. In fact, it will negatively affect every school district in the Province.

Without substantial increases in education funding, we will potentially lose many fine arts programs across Alberta. Further, students currently in the school system will not be equipped with the necessary skills (creativity, critical thinking, communication, innovation, etc.) to compete in an ever changing world (read the articles on Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd in previous posts on our website at http://www.saveourfinearts.ca/).

Now is the time for every parent, student, teacher, business owner, and concerned citizen to stand up, be counted, and make a difference:
Please read and sign the PETITION at: http://www.gopetition.com/online/35101.html.

Please ask ALL your family members, neighbours, friends, co-workers, and anyone else you know to sign the petition as well. There is no age restriction to sign.

If you are an educator, please make sure your students are aware of the announcement by photocopying this note and handing it out.

Please send an email note to your Premier, Minister of Education, and School Board Officials/Trustees expressing your concern about education funding cutbacks. For a listing of contact information please check out our SOFA website at: http://saveourfinearts.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/SOFA-Education-Advocacy-Contacts.pdf.

For those of you in Calgary, you can write to your Calgary Board of Education Trustee by checking out the following website: http://www.cbe.ab.ca/trustees/trustees.asp

Please register on our SOFA website at www.saveourfinearts.ca and click on the red registration button.

There comes a time for each of us to stand up and support what we believe in. If you believe in the value of education, in particular fine arts education - NOW IS THE TIME.
Please check back to our www.saveourfinearts.ca website regularly for future updates. If you have any questions regarding SOFA, please email us at saveourfinearts@gmail.com.



Your truly,
SOFA Organizing Committee