Registration is tentatively scheduled to open on March 11, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. Classes fill up fast, so please be prepared to register as early as possible.

Dates for the 2024 SMAART program are still pending approval. The program typically begins the first Monday in June after school lets out. It runs Monday through Friday from approximately 8:45 AM to 3:30 PM.

The 2024 SMAART program is currently slated to be available for rising 4th through 8th (current 3rd through 7th) Grade students. We hope to have courses available to rising 9th through 12th Grade students, as well. This request is currently pending district approval.

Pricing for the 2024 SMAART Program has not yet been approved. The full cost of last year's program was $200. The use of CCSD transportation was an additional $100. Fees can be paid online with a link that will be included on the registration form. It can be paid in full at once or in installments.

All fees are waived for students who attend Title I schools upon request.

The SMAART registration form will have a section to select whether or not your child will require district-provided transportation to attend the program. If they do, you will be asked to select the CCSD school location that is most convenient for you to have your child picked up in the morning and dropped off in the afternoon. We will work with transportation to plan a bus route that will likely include your selected location (or one that is very close by) so that your child can have the transportation needed to attend SMAART.

Once registration closes on May 3, we will begin working with CCSD's transportation department to determine bus routes and develop a transportation schedule. We will be in touch with you with those details once everything is worked out. 

SMAART is only for students identified as Gifted and Talented in the Arts (GTR). Students need to have gone through the GTR identification process and identified as Gifted and Talented in the Arts in order to be eligible to attend SMAART. 

For more information on the GTR Nomination/Identification process, please click here.

Students attend the program Monday - Friday for three weeks. 

In the morning, students will attend their major area class. This is the class that you will be selecting for them on the registration form (and where they will be doing the most intensive projects). After lunch, students will attend two minor area classes. These classes are scheduled by the SMAART program and rotate each week. 

PLEASE NOTE: Students who participate in the SMAART Band and SMAART Strings programs stay with those ensembles throughout the day and do not take any minor area classes. Students participating in the SMAART Musical will take SMAART Singers as one of their minor area classes each week.

You will be notified within two weeks of registration to let you know which class/major your child has been accepted into.

When registering for SMAART, students should select their top three choices for a major area class. The VPA office will notify parents of the class that their child will be registered for (based on availability) within two weeks of registration.

PLEASE NOTE: Minor area classes are created by the SMAART program leaders and are designed to give students other experiences outside of their selected choices. Students rotate into two different afternoon classes each week for a total of six afternoon class experiences. SMAART Band and SMAART Strings students will remain with their ensembles for all three weeks of the program. SMAART Musical students will have the SMAART Singers course as one of their minor area classes.

A class list will be available later in the school year. If a class does not appear on the registration form, it means that the class is full. If there are no classes available in your child's identified arts area, you are welcome to choose a class in a different arts area if that is of interest to them.

If your child is going to miss more than three days of SMAART, we ask that you allow the opportunity for other students to sign up for the program. SMAART is very intensive -- students who miss more than three days will have a difficult time catching up and may hinder the collaborative work that takes place with other students in their major area classes.

No -- minor area classes are scheduled by the SMAART Program administrative team. Every effort is made to make sure that students have an opportunity to experience all available art areas (Dance, Drama, Music, Visual Arts).

Students attending SMAART for the first time need to choose a class within their identified arts area. If this is not a student's first time attending SMAART, then they can choose classes outside of their identified arts area.

PLEASE NOTE: If this is a student's first time attending SMAART and there are no classes available in their identified arts area, they are permitted to choose a class in a different arts area.

Yes! If your child has been borrowing a school-owned instrument to participate in band or strings at their school, then their school should provide that same instrument for them to participate in SMAART Band or SMAART Strings. If you encounter any issues with securing an instrument for SMAART, please contact Nick Nafpliotis for assistance (nicholas_nafpliot@charleston.k12.sc.us).

If you still have questions or require assistance, please contact our Visual and Performing Art Lead Teacher, Nick Nafpliotis.

nicholas_nafpliot@charleston.k12.sc.us