ECCC PTA REFLECTIONS WORKSHOP SEPTEMBER 8, 2015

Reflections Theme

PRESENTED BY: ECCC PTA CO-VICE PRESIDENT AND INTERIM REFLECTIONS CHAIR ELLI HEATON

The PTA Reflections Program is a proven strategy for increasing family engagement, building school-community partnerships and supporting student success! Today we will provide step-by-step instructions on how to hold a successful Reflections Program at your school!

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES Program Background and Structure Important Dates and Specifics Program Planning Promoting Reflections Collecting and Judging Student Entries Online Process Opportunities for State and National Recognition Recognizing Student Participation and Achievement We are here to help and to give you information on:

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL PTA REFLECTIONS PROGRAM?

PTAs engage nearly 300,000 students and their families in arts education activities each year. Reflect! Explore! Celebrate! ABOUT PTA REFLECTIONS PROGRAM ® “The cultural arts are happiness. Happiness is drawing, dancing, finger painting. Happiness is modeling with clay, making music or a poem, performing a play.” - Mary Lou Anderson, founder of National PTA’s Reflections Program

REFLECTIONS PROGRAM STRUCTURE Local PTA Council PTA State PTA National PTA

PROGRAM MESSAGES All children deserve opportunities to explore and to be involved in the arts including students with special needs. Involvement in Reflections helps develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills and gives students a chance to recognize themselves as artists. Families can support their children’s participation.

REFLECTION ART DIVISIONS Primary Grades Pre-K-2 Intermediate Grades 3-5 Middle School Grades 6-8 High School Grades 9-12 Special Artist All Grades Encourage all grades and abilities to explore the arts.

Dance Choreography Film Production LiteraturePhotography Music CompositionVisual Arts REFLECTIONS ART CATEGORIES Encourage students to submit entries in more than one art category!

GENERAL RULES FOR ENTRY Students must be affiliated with a PTA/PTSA in good standing, as determined by State PTA. ELIGIBILITY Students may submit entries in more than one arts category. ARTS CATEGORIES Student may enter in only one division (Primary, Intermediate, Middle School, High School, Special Artist). GRADE DIVISIONS

GENERAL RULES FOR ENTRY Entrants must submit their artwork and student entry form to their local PTA/PTSA program according to local and state PTA procedures. HOW TO ENTER Only new pieces of artwork inspired by the theme may be submitted. Each entry must contain a completed student entry form with artwork title and artist statement. Use of copyrighted material is prohibited, except for recorded music in dance choreography and film production entries when the title, composer and performer are cited in the submission. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Each Local Unit PTA determines its own judges for the programs. Entries will judged primarily on how well the student uses his or her artistic vision to portray the theme, originality and creativity. FINALIST SECLECTION AND NOTIFICATION

STUDENT ENTRY FORM

SPECIAL ARTIST ENTRY FORM

PARENTAL CONSENT FORM

LEADERSHIP/

HOW TO GET YOUR PROGRAM STARTED

Meet with PTA and school leaders. Get the word out! Get necessary approvals. Establish a local unit deadline for submissions. Provide information for morning announcements. Customize a participation flyer. Include your deadline for entries, how to submit entries and contact information. Post flyers and posters in hallways. Post information on school Facebook page and school website. Ask teachers to send student entry forms and flyers home.

Recruit Judges Recruit through local contacts: school staff, Partners in Education, and the local community including art galleries, photography and dance studios, and professional artists. Aim to find experts in the field to increase the credibility and expand the visibility of your program.

Collect and sort entries Verify that all entries have a complete Entry Form. Check all entries to make sure packaging guidelines are followed. Thank students for participating in Reflections. Conduct judging. Provide rubric and guidelines to judges who will determine 1 st and 2 nd place winners in each category and each grade. Return non-advancing winners to students. Write Thank You note to judges.

SAMPLE JUDGING RUBRIC How closely the artwork communicates the theme, based on the artwork itself and the artist statement. Interpretation of Theme How creative and original the artwork is in its conception of the theme and its presentation Artistic Merit/Creativity The level of skill demonstrated in the basic principles/techniques of the artistic discipline Mastery of Medium 20 pts 10 pts

WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE? National PTA website: pta.org/programs/artsineducation ECCC PTA Reflections Co-Chairs Peer Schools GA PTA Website & Webinars ECCC PTA Website Poster, Rules and Forms

NEXT STEPS FOR ADVANCING TO ECCC PTA FOR JUDGING

IMPORTANT! You must follow the next steps to advance your local winners!!! Failure to submit the following, fully-completed documents will result in disqualification of your student entries (and we don’t want students who worked hard on their art to be sad!) Thank you!

Complete PTA Unit Participation Form Locate form through Georgia PTA website: georgiapta.org/reflections (Appendix F). Complete all sections! Remit with winning entries. PREPARE WINNING ENTRIES FOR COUNCIL JUDGING

Complete Google Doc Form Locate form at Complete form by midnight, Monday, October 25 th. PREPARE WINNING ENTRIES FOR COUNCIL JUDGING

Register Local Unit through Reflections online process. Visit left-side of page, Registration Process. Please have your entries sorted by category (dance,visual arts, etc) and by grade level to expedite the drop-off process at Sprayberry High School.

PREPARE WINNING ENTRIES FOR COUNCIL JUDGING Is the entry form legible? Do you have proper consent and permission? Is the entry an original work of art inspired by the theme and submitted by one student only? Are the pieces being submitted in the proper format? (ie., file format, size, proper length?) Is everything labeled and is the entry form properly secured? Make sure all submissions adhere to the rules If your answer is yes to all of the above, GOOD JOB!!! We appreciate you!

ECCC PTA REFLECTIONS IMPORTANT DATES Monday, October 26th: Midnight deadline to submit Google Doc Form Local Unit winners Wednesday, October 28th: Drop off of all Local Unit winning entries between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. at Sprayberry High School Field House near the Football Field. Friday, December 4 th : Announcement of ECCC Award Recipients Tuesday, February 9th: ECCC PTA Reflections Reception – Pope High School, 7 pm

DROP OFF ENTRIES FOR ECCC JUDGING Wednesday, October 28, 2015 Sprayberry High School Field House 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

CELEBRATE AT ALL LEVELS!

WAYS TO CELEBRATE! School Events School Network News Community-Wide Events East Cobber Display Winning Entries Facebook School Network News

THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND SUPPORTING ARTS IN EDUCATION!