Excursions and Immersions! Week 1

  

Session 1 Arts X-pressers have arrived! This morning, we loaded up our buses all over Orange County, and brought our young artists to the Vanguard University Campus. 

Right now, everyone is getting settled into the campus dorms, having lunch together, and preparing for a weekend of FABULOUS excursions. TONIGHT, we head out to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater to see Pacific Symphony put on their PLANETS concert. The program will include Mozart's overture to The Magic Flute, then Mozart's Violin Concerto no. 5, and finally Holst's The Planets. 

As if this awesome repertoire wasn't enough, the concert will feature images from NASA! Stunning footage from outer space accompanies Holst’s sweeping music, which audience members will recognize as the soundtrack for video games, TV shows and movies. Seriously, we are going to have SUCH a blast, and the campers can hardly wait!


After we immerse ourselves into the wonderful world of classical music tonight, tomorrow we will head over to Musical Theater West in Long Beach for an afternoon of theater. We will see the Sunday matinee performance of Sunset Blvd. The story of this production is set in 50's Hollywood, and follows the journey of a silent-screen actress and a come-back screenwriter as they work together to get back on the screen!

                                                        


Wait...not done yet! On MONDAY evening, we will set out on an adventure to The Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach, where we will get to explore the various artwork displays, and even make some of our own! We will then cap off the night with the oh so ALWAYS very very unique and wonderful Pageant of the Masters. 

This performance consists of "living pictures," where live people are dressed, made up, and posed in front of backgrounds where they look exactly like various famous paintings and other artwork. This year's pageant is called The Big Picture, and will include classic art that inspired early film makers. It should be a night full of all kinds of artistic experiences for our awesome young artists!
                                      




Well that's all for now, friends! There's lots of fun to be had in the next few days as you can see!

See you at the bus!

We can't wait to see everyone on campus! Just in case you've misplaced your bus schedule, here it is. Don't forget your Medicine Labeling Form! Here's the Packing List  in case you need an extra copy.

BUS A

Placentia Yorba Linda Unified Education Services Center

4999 Casa Loma Avenue

Yorba Linda, CA 92886 

Student arrival time: 8:05 am

Garden Grove Unified District Office

10331 Stanford Ave

Garden Grove, CA 92840

Student Arrival Time: 8:45 am

Santa Ana Unified District Office

1601 E Chestnut Ave.           

Santa Ana, CA 92701

Student Arrival Time: 9:15am

BUS B

Saddleback Valley Unified District Office

25631 Peter A Hartman Way

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Student Arrival Time: 8:10am

Irvine Unified District Office

5050 Barranca Parkway

Irvine, CA 92604

Student Arrival Time: 9:00 am

California Elementary

3232 California Street
Costa Mesa, CA                                             

Student Arrival Time: 9:30 am    
                       

View arts-X-press Bus Stops in a larger map 

Countdown to magic

Ermahgerd! AXP 2013 starts in just 7 days!

Just in case you misplaced any of your info, you can download it here.

Medicine labeling form
Packing list
Bus schedule
Parent Presentation flier

We can't wait to see everybody on campus!

Excursion Spotlight: Pacific Symphony

All of our students will have the chance to meet fabulous Pacific Symphony musicians while they are at camp. Many of them will also get the chance to see these musicians onstage!


Session 1 will travel to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater to hear Gustav Holst's "The Planets," inspired by the galaxy itself! Stunning footage from outer space accompanies Holst’s sweeping music, which you’ll recognize as the soundtrack for video games, TV shows and movies.

Session 3 will be part of Symphony in the Cities in Mission Viejo. These free outdoor concerts are a great way to enjoy music under the stars, conducted by our very own Carl St.Clair.

Getting ready!

In case you misplace it, here is all the information that was distributed at the Summer Orientations:
Medicine labeling form
Packing list
Bus schedule
Parent Presentation flier

We're looking forward to summer fun!

Summer Orientations

It's June! That means it's time to start getting ready for realz!

Please plan to attend a summer orientation meeting this week so you don’t miss out on important info on bus stops, excursions, and what to pack. Students are encouraged to attend this meeting as it is their first chance to meet some of their fabulous counselors! Please bring all remaining forms and payments with you.

Tuesday, June 18, 7:00 pm, Building D
Saturday, June 22, 10:00 a.m., Building A

Both meetings are at the Orange County Dept. of Education, 200 Kalmus Dr., Costa Mesa. 

View Larger Map

Can't make it to one of these meetings? Please e-mail us or call (714) 876-2336 to make other arrangements. 

Carl St.Clair as you've never seen him before

Carl St.Clair and musicians of the Pacific Symphony let their creativity fly to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a masterpiece of music, dance and art. If this inspires you, submit your own creative ideas at www.ReRiteofSpring.org


Want to see more? Pacific Symphony will be broadcasting their June 8 performance of Rite of Spring onto the Segerstrom Center plaza for FREE! Activities and pre-concert music start at 5:00 p.m., concert starts at 8:00. Bring your own lawn chair.

Congrats to our 2013 Counselors!

So many great alumni applied to be counselors this year, we really had our work cut out for us. Congratulations to all of our applicants, and (drum roll please...) introducing your 2013 Counselors!

*Returning Veteran Counselor

Week 1
Dominica Cao
Claudia Feghali*
Kara Gee
Bryan Hoang
Erica Maissy*
Jackie Maloney
Hayley McClintock*
Sergio Rodriguez*
Mindy Stevens*

Week 2
Sara Arroyo*
Sol Bermudez*
Emmanuel Cardenas
Ruthie Flynn
Nick Fortinberry
Maggie Joshi
Alie Redmond*
Lily Tesch*

Week 3
Jessica Alire*
Haley Kilar*
Rebecca Murillo
Heidi Nickles
Deanna Okajima*
Ben Paltin
Darlene Tieu*
Brendan Williamson*

Alumni Spotlight

AXP class of 2005 alumnus Natalie Powers goes "Under the Sea" this weekend in Pacific Symphony's Family Musical Mornings. Natalie will help our youngest music lovers explore the underwater world of musical sharks, mermaids and other sea creatures. Captain/ Maestro Alejandro Gutierrez leads the orchestra in music from "Jaws,"” Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Little Mermaid" and Debussy's "La Mer."

2013 Welcome Concert

Top 5 Reasons To Attend the Welcome Concert on May 19, 3 p.m.
1. You get a great discount for the whole family, just by letting the box office know you're part of arts-X-press. $10 for students, $20 for adults at (714) 755-5799.

2. You get to visit the beautiful Segerstrom Concert Hall.

3. Who wouldn't want to hear Pacific Symphony with the Duke Ellington Orchestra?

4. The concert is only 90 minutes long.

5. If you meet Molly in the lobby after the concert, she will take you back stage to meet Carl St.Clair!

Forms Forms Forms!

Let's get through the paperwork and on to the FUN! In case you misplace one of the many registration forms, you can download them all here:
Registration Form
Search, Photo, Address Release
Waiver of Liability
Release for Administration of Medicine
Camper Health History
Licensed Medical Personnel

Click here to request a session change.

We hope to see you all at the Welcome Concert on May 19th!

Registration meetings

The applications are in, and welcome letters will be sent out in early March.
Students accepted to arts-X-press will need to attend a registration meeting in order to get their paperwork and session assignments. You are free to choose the meeting that is most convenient for your family, even if it is not in your district. Students are encouraged to attend with their parents to learn more about the program.

Monday, March 18, 7:00-8:30 pm

Santa Ana Unified School District Office

Training Room

1601 E. Chestnut Ave.

Santa Ana, CA 92701

Tuesday, March 19, 7:00-8:30 pm

Garden Grove Unified School District Office

Annex Conference Room

10331 Stanford Avenue

Garden Grove, CA 92840

Thursday, March 21, 7:00-8:30pm

Newport-Mesa Unified School District Office

Board Room

2985 A Bear Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Monday, March 25, 7:00-8:30pm

Irvine Unified School District Office

Board Room

5050 Barranca

Irvine, CA 92604

Wednesday, March 27, 7:00-8:30 pm

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District

Board Room

1301 Orangethorpe Avenue

Placentia, CA 92870

Thursday, March 28, 7:00-8:30pm

Saddleback Valley Unified School District

25631 Peter A Hartman Way

Mission Viejo, CA 92691-3199 

Map of meetings:

View AXP orientations in a larger map

Ready for overnight camp?

Is your child ready for an overnight camp?

A common and important question we hear from parents is: “How do I know if my child is ready for sleepaway camp?” From our experience we’ve seen that it could be at a different age for each child, even from the same family. Here are some other questions to consider:

• Has my child successfully slept at a friend or relative’s home? If not, arrange a sleepover and see how it goes.  It’s important for your child to know what it feels like to be away from his own home even briefly, before trying a couple weeks or more.
• Does my child get herself dressed and ready each morning without much help, and then again at bedtime?  If you’re constantly reminding her to do things like brush her teeth or shower, you need to encourage her to take more responsibility with personal hygiene.  If it takes your child an unusually long time to shower or get dressed, practice speeding up on these skills before camp and forewarn the camp staff about this issue.  Parents have told us that going to camp has been a great incentive for their children to improve some of these skills.  As part of a community campers learn to cooperate so they don’t keep groups of people waiting.

• How does my child do in social situations?  While many children are shy, especially when they are in a new environment, it’s important for a camper to have basic social skills before going to camp.  Most parents find that their child’s social skills blossom in the supportive environment of arts-X-press, and they make a number of close friends. With the help of a caring staff, arts-X-press is a great place for kids to learn to accept everyone for who they are, and to steer clear of negative behaviors like bullying and cliques.  If your child is actively working on specific strategies to improve social skills, be sure to discuss these with the camp staff.  We have found this kind of input to be extremely helpful to us.

Are YOU ready for your child to go to overnight camp?

If your child wants to go to overnight camp, and you’re the one who isn’t ready, try to be open minded and gather information to understand the idea better.  We find that parents who did not grow up going to camp sometimes have a harder time with this at first, but they often become our biggest proponents after they see the wonderful effects camp has on their child. 

If you’re still wondering if your child is ready for overnight camp, please give us a call: (714) 876-2336.  We’d be happy to talk to you on the phone about it. And be sure to attend the registration sessions listed in your Welcome Letter to learn much, much more about the magic of arts-X-press.
This article is reprinted with our gratitude from ww.maineartscamp.com