The Reflections Program is a national arts recognition and achievement program for students. Since 1969, over 10 million students across the nation have taken part in this popular PTA program. The Reflections Program provides an excellent opportunity for students of all ages to:  Unleash their creative talents and be inspired  Express themselves imaginatively in their artwork  Experience the joy and fun of making art  Tap into critical thinking skills to create art inspired by the annual theme  Receive positive recognition for their original works of art As an added bonus, in showcasing and celebrating student talent, the Reflections Program increases community awareness of the importance of the arts in education.

 Artwork must be the original work of the student  All artwork must be based on the Reflections theme Theme: Let Your Imagination Fly  Student entry form, signed by a parent, must accompany each piece  Rules for each category, including size/length limits, are available on the Jeffco PTA website

Students create a work of art based on the theme in one of these categories:  Visual Arts – Drawing, Painting, Sculpture (NEW!)  Photography – Film or Digital  Music Composition – Instrumental or Vocal  Film Production – Live Action, Documentary, Animation  Dance Choreography – Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary  Literature – Short Story, Essay, Poem Your school can decide how many of these categories you want to use.

 Primary (P – 2 nd grade)  Intermediate (3 rd – 5 th grade)  Middle School (6 th – 8 th grade)  High School (9 th – 12 th grade)  Special Artist  All grades  Students with disabilities who receive services under IDEA or Section 504  No formal criteria; parents & students should decide

 3D artwork now accepted! No size limits – sculpture, dioramas, fiber work, ceramics, jewelry, etc. – see Visual Arts rules Must provide 3 photographs for judging and display (National PTA requirement) We don’t have room at Jeffco to display all 3D art – please mount photographs of work  Note about the National PTA online system – our local tests are still not working correctly, so for now, please use the Excel sheets

 Market the program & collect entries  Arrange for judging  Display entries & celebrate in your school  Turn winning entries in to the district  Coordinate a volunteer for one district-level task  Pick up entries after they are displayed for the district and/or state level program  Communicate results of district, state, and national program to your school’s participants  Return entries to students

 You must run the program through a PTA in good standing  Set your deadlines appropriately, leaving time for judging, display, and celebrations  Jeffco turn-in: November 7, 2015  Reserve space at the school for display and awards  Recruit volunteers

 Posters and other materials available on the Jeffco site. Buy a $3 poster to benefit our scholarship fund.  Have rules and entry forms available at the school or on your school’s website  Send information home with students  Enlist teacher help to promote the program to their students  Use school newspapers, Facebook, announcements

 Judges should be recruited from outside the school  Use professionals, retired teachers, teachers from other schools, local college programs  Judging needs to be unbiased and anonymous  Judges choose up to 3 entries from each category and each grade division to move on

 Use school bulletin boards or display cases to display all entries  Great way to promote the program for next year

 Get ribbons and print certificates for either all participants or just your winners – certificates and ribbon orders available on the Jeffco site  Have an awards evening to present certificates  Include special guests or school personnel

 Use the Excel sheet on the Jeffco website to enter all student information for those students moving on. it to us.  Volunteer for at least one time slot at Jeffco – signup on the Jeffco website  Prepare your entries for turn-in  Bring entries to turn-in day  Invite your winners to the Open House  Pick up your entries on take-down day

 All artwork must be prepared as instructed on the “Entry Packaging Guidelines” on the Jeffco website.  Jeffco cannot accept 3D works – mount 3 photos of the work on a mat and prepare the same as other visual arts and photography entries.

 Turn-in: Nov 7  Judging: Nov 14  Hang Day: Dec 5  Open House & Awards: Dec 6  Take Down: Dec 13  All events held at Red Rocks Community College

Individual School Reflections Program: All entries are collected, judged, displayed 3 Awards of Excellence are given under each category/division and advanced to Jeffco PTA Reflections during Turn In Day Other entries returned to students Jeffco PTA Reflections accepts and judges all entries. All entries are on display during Open House Jeffco PTA selects 5 Awards of Excellence and 1 Award of Merit; these winners are invited to the Awards Reception Awards of Excellence only are advanced to State PTA Reflections All entries not advancing to State are picked up on Take Down Day and returned to students

State receives entries from Jeffco, El Paso, Denver and Regional Units 1 Award of Excellence and 2 Awards of Merit are given in each category/division. Awards ceremony in March. National PTA selects 3 Award of Excellence winners, and 5 Awards of Merit in each category/division and one Outstanding Interpretation Award in each category. Jeffco PTA will inform all local unit chairs of winners at each stage. We ask you to inform your students who advanced of the results. Colorado PTA sends one entry per category/division to National PTA.

 Check out the “How to Run Your Program” on the Jeffco website for detailed requirements and helpful suggestions  Be sure you are signed up for our newsletter – link to MailChimp on the website, or Cindy  National PTA site has online courses and other information  National PTA Reflections Webinar – August 5 – sign up through National PTA site

 Jefferson County Reflections: Cindy Vaughan-Sanger  National PTA Reflections:  Colorado State Reflections: Tonya Aultman-Bettridge