National PTA Reflections® Arts Program 2015-2016 Let Your Imagination Fly

GoToWebinar Tools to Help You Participate

Today you will learn...

• About how the PTA Reflections program supports student success and connects families and schools to one another and to their community.

• The steps to leading your program and how to gather resources and tools to help make your program a success!

Founded in 1969, National PTA Reflections encourages all students in

prekindergarten through grade 12 to explore the arts for fun and recognition.

To support student success

by providing opportunities for

all students to explore and

be involved in the arts.

Steps to Leading Your Program

1. Starting the Arts

2. Organizing and Planning Your Program

3. Promoting Reflections

4. Organizing Artwork for Judging

5. Celebrating and Recognizing Your Participants

6. Wrapping Up

Step 1. Starting the Arts

PTA.org/Reflections

PTA.org/ReflectionsToolkit

Step 2. Organizing and Planning

Your Program

Customize your Checklist

Download this template to:

• Brainstorm tasks

• Assign roles and responsibilities

• Track due dates

PTA.org/ReflectionsToolkit

Tips for Recruiting Your Team • Consider parents, student leaders and school staff as well as

community partners.

• Announce planning meetings, ask school leaders to make recommendations and extend personal invitations.

• Assign specific tasks to volunteers without requiring their attendance at planning meetings (i.e. assist with collecting entries/judging/celebration event).

• Provide smooth transitions from year to year by recruiting a Co-Chair and committee members to follow in your footsteps.

Identify Volunteer Judges 1. Start early by identifying local arts and

cultural organizations/businesses in your community.

2. Make personal connections and introduce PTA Reflections using the program flier.

3. Recruit artists with formal training/experience in the literary, media, performing and visual arts to increase the credibility of your program.

I Love What I Do! By Alyssa Smith 2015 National Award of Merit

Alkali Creek PTA, Montana

“The World Would Be a Better Place If More People Cared About Each Other”

Maria Elana Tovar 2015 National Award of Merit

Monte Sano Elementary PTA, Alabama

Step 3.

Promoting Reflections

Dance Choreography

Film Production

Literature

Music Composition

Photography

Visual Arts

Arts Categories

National PTA Now Accepts 3D Visual Art Forms!

Check your State PTA’s Visual Arts Rules for availability and submission requirements.

Primary Grades Pre-K-2

Intermediate Grades 3-5

Middle School Grades 6-8

High School Grades 9-12

Special Artist All Grades

Grade Divisions

Distribute program rules and entry form provided by your State PTA

Contact Your State PTA for Rules & Forms

Display posters and fliers announcing the theme, submission instructions and deadline.

PTA.org/ReflectionsToolkit

Celebrate #ArtsEdWeek with #PTAReflections (Sept. 14-18)

Monday Dance Choreography Tuesday Film Production Wednesday Literature Thursday Music Composition Friday Photography & Visual Arts

PTA.org/Reflections

Consider These Tips:

• Work with student leaders to hang posters and encourage their peers to participate. They may even create a Reflections commercial announcing a call for entries.

• Connect with all parents, school teachers and leaders in support of classroom lessons and after school activities based on the theme.

• Customize key messages provided in your Local Leader’s Guide and at PTA.org/ReflectionsToolkit.

• Share your ideas with over 8,000 program leaders on social media using #PTAReflections.

Step 4.

Organizing Artwork

for Judging

Familiarize Yourself with Program Rules

Students must be affiliated with a PTA/PTSA in good standing, as determined by State PTA.

Only new and original pieces of artwork inspired by the theme may be submitted.

Artwork must be the work of one student only and follow all rules and submission requirements.

Submission must contain a completed student entry form with artwork title and artist statement.

Common Reasons for Ineligibility

• Local PTA is not in good standing with the State PTA

• Plagiarism / Resubmission of past Reflections entry

Painted Love by John General 2014 National Outstanding Interpretation Award

Organize Artwork and Support Judges

PTA.org/ReflectionsToolkit

Rank Scores & Assign Awards

Award of Excellence

Award of Merit

Honorable Mention Award

Participant Award

Reference your Local Leader’s Guide for recommendations by your State PTA on

the number of awards per level. Photo Credit: LifeTouch

Step 5. Celebrating and Recognizing Your

Participants

Celebrate All Participants • Use toolkit templates to share

public announcements.

• Present awards and prizes at PTA/School awards ceremony.

• Showcase students and their work at PTA, school board or city council meetings.

• Use #PTAReflections to share photos.

PTA.org/ReflectionsToolkit

Opportunity for Additional Recognition

Contact your State PTA to learn more about district, region and state level recognition opportunities.

Your State PTA will guide you on: • Number of student entries per awards category

that will advance. • Items/forms to accompany artwork. • Instructions for electronic files. • Packaging of artwork and shipping instructions. • Where to send the winning artwork and submission

packet • Due date for submitting entries for Council, District,

Region and/or State level.

• State timeline for award announcements. True Colors by Racquel Charles

Performance at U.S. Dept. of Education

Art Exhibit Opening Ceremony January 12, 2016 U.S. Department of Education Washington, DC National Awards Announcement May 1, 2016 PTA.org/Reflections Reflections Awards Ceremony June 2016 Annual National PTA Convention Orlando, FL

A Million Squares but One World by Priti Godhuly Das 2015 National Award of Excellence

Inglewood Middle School, Washington

Celebrate With Us!

PTA.org/Reflections

Step 6.

Wrapping Up

Report participation numbers according

to your Local Leader’s Guide

provided by your State PTA.

Recognize Partners and Volunteers, Including:

• Students leaders who helped to promote or administer the program

• PTA and community volunteers

• School personnel

• Judges

• Community partners that provided donations, such as prizes or exhibit space

Dream With Eye Wide Open by Vy Nguyen 2014 National Award of Excellence

Austin Parkway Elementary PTA, Texas

PTA.org/ReflectionsToolkit

Return Student Artwork

• Non-advancing original photography and visual arts pieces should be returned to student artists as soon as possible after local recognition.

• Artworks submitted electronically are not returned.

• Please be sensitive to secondary students needing to submit their artwork to portfolios for finals, scholarships and college admission. Love by Lucy Samuelson

National Award of Excellence Northridge Elementary PTA, Utah

Evaluate Your Program

Collect feedback from your team.

Share with your PTA President/New Reflections Chair.

PTA.org/ReflectionsToolkit

Questions?

(800) 307-4782 Reflections@PTA.org PTA.org/Reflections