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Reflections Program
 
 The 2023-2024 Reflections Theme is
 "I Am Hopeful Because...
 
 
2022-2023 REFLECTIONS
 
Scroll down for information about the 2023
4th District Reflections Awards Event 
 
 
 
 "Show Your Voice" 
 
Each year, CUCPTSA participates in the Reflections Program. The Reflections Program challenges students to create art that supports a specific theme. Themes are selected from thousands of ideas submitted by students to the National PTAs Reflections Program Theme Search. The theme for the 2022-2023 season is  "Show Your Voice!". 
 
Online Training for CUCPTSA unit chairs will be provided on August 19, 2022 at 9:30 AM, with a special focus on how to use the online entry form. The session will be recorded and shared in case you cannot attend. Mina Carson will provide the Zoom link to the Reflection Chairs. Contact Mina at minacarson@gmail.com
 
Unit Award of Excellence entries will be due on to Council the week of October 10. 
Units should set their due date to be about 2 weeks before that. 
 
Following is information for the Unit Reflections Chairs from the 2022-2023 CUCPTSA Reflections Chair Mina Carson.  Please direct your questions to Mina at minacarson@gmail.com
  1. Please confirm if the correct Reflections chair for your school has been reported to Mina Carson. Also, let her know if your school is not able to offer Reflections this year, or if you have questions about the program.
  2. Your online entry form is being made this week and will be emailed to the chair, once they are confirmed. Paper entry forms can be used at your school, but advancing entries (and only advancing entries) will need to be entered online as well.
  3. Here is a link to my "Reflections 101" document giving chairs the basics of how to run the program. At the end of the document are links to all the important Reflections resources.
  4. Advancing works will be turned in to Council (CUCPTSA) the week of October 10, so you will want your site deadline to be about 2 weeks before that.
  5. I will provide an online training on August 19th at 9:30 AM, with a special focus on how to use the online entry form. The session will be recorded and shared in case you cant attend. The Zoom invite can be found here. Or join with this link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84607742633?pwd=Vnk0S3BPVXI4WFJZVThnT0hPMWNSdz09
  6. Feel free to reach out to me anytime at this email address (cucptsareflections@gmail.com), my personal email address (minacarson@gmail.com), or by text/phone at 408-310-8519.
  7. I am looking for other people to be a part of the CUCPTSA Reflections team. If youd like to volunteer to help put on this amazing program at the Council level, please let me know. "If everyone does a little, no one has to do a lot."-Charley Harper  
  8. General Rules and detailed Art categories and grade levels can be found below.

Information from the California State PTA
 
Please Note that some of these links to the California State PTA website still list 2021-2022 information.  While most of this will not change, we recommend you check back in early September when the State site is updated. 
   General Rules
 
A great learning experience
 
When children express themselves Participating in the Reflections Program is an opportunity for students to explore and learn about various art forms. It does not matter whether an entry created for the Reflections Program has been created as a classroom assignment or independently at home. Artistic exploration and expression enhance and develop intellectual, social, and physical skills. Creating art is a valuable learning process.

The program is designed to enhance rather than replace a quality arts education. It provides opportunities for students to express themselves and to receive positive recognition for National PTAs Reflections their artistic efforts. Parents, teachers, and community members all play a critical role in fostering a positive learning environment for children.

Participation

Young artists participate in the Reflections Program through their local PTA or PTSA. A student may submit an entry in any of the six arts areas listed below. Only original works of art are accepted.
 
Arts areas - 2021-2022 Descriptions and Rules  
  • Dance Choreography
  • Film Production
  • Literature
  • Music Composition
  • Photography
  • Visual Arts 
  • Special Artist
Grade divisions 
 
Participation in the Reflections Program is organized by school grade. Student works are critiqued against others in the same grade division. This allows recognition and judging of artworks by appropriate developmental age and skill levels.  More detailed information about each of the categories can also be found on the Forms page

Each PTSA/PTA Unit site will chose their input deadline based on the Council deadlines.  Check your unit website for your schools input deadline.

The Reflections Program is structured for PTAs to recognize students at the local, council, district, state, and national levels. Entries are first judged at the local level, where selected works, are chosen to represent the PTA at each subsequent level-council, district, or state-depending on each state PTAs structure. Once entries reach the state level, the state PTA may select entries to submit to the National PTA. Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit are recognized at the annual National PTA Convention and are displayed as a part of the programs traveling exhibit.

 

CUCPTSA and Fourth District Recognition and Honors

The Reflections Program is structured for PTAs to recognize students at the local, council, district, state, and national levels. Entries are first judged at the local level, where selected works, are chosen to represent the PTA at each subsequent level-council, district, and state. Once entries reach the state level, the state PTA may select entries to submit to the National PTA. Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit are recognized at the annual National PTA Convention and are displayed as a part of the programs traveling exhibit.

Blind judging will be conducted by local community members who are experts in their fields. Professional individuals working in the dance composition, film, literature, musical composition, photography, and visual arts fields volunteer to judge student entries at the district level. Awards of Excellence, Awards of Merit, and Honorable Mention are selected in each grade division for each of the six arts areas.

Awards will be announced at award receptions that will take place at the Capistrano Unified Council PTSA on TBD and then to the Fourth District (Orange County) levels, for public viewing.

Deadline for Entries

Each Unit determines their deadline for entries.  For 2022-2023 you should set your dates about 2 weeks before October 10, 2022
 
2022-2023 Reflections Awards of Excellence entries are due to Capistrano Unified Council PTSA from individual schools the week of October 10, 2022.  Individual school (or "Unit") deadlines for entries are sometime earlier than the Council deadline.

General rules

Please remember that:

    • Students may submit entries only through a PTA or PTSA unit in good standing
    • All entries submitted must be original works created for this contest and not be a classroom project or work submitted to any previous contest and must relate to the annual Reflections Program theme: "Show Your Voice"
    • All entries must have a title, artist statement, and required student and parent signatures.
    • Each entry must be the work of only one student. Assistance from teachers, parents, or friends is not permitted except in special cases of disability (such as for those with visual or physical disabilities)
    • There cannot be a tie in the Award of Excellence for any category, but there can be multiple Awards of Merit and Honorable Mentions.
    • Participation encourages creativity and exploration. Students should do their best, but crooked lines, incorrect musical notes, or misspelled words do not disqualify anyone  
    • Student entries not forwarded for the next level of judging will be returned to your schools.
    • Although we do our very best to accommodate all entries, those not meeting the stated rules or that we deem illegible, are incomplete or arrive beyond the deadline, may not be judged or displayed at the gallery event or appear in the gallery program. We thank you for understanding the time restrictions that our volunteers have in order to send all entries to judging and on to the next levels of competition. 
Information for CUCPTSA Units
 
Winning Entry Submission Process:  
Unit Award of Excellence Awards due to CUCPTSA the week of October 10, 2022                     
 
Special Art Evening Events:  
 
Capistrano Unified Council Art Evening
  November 16, 2022
 
Fourth District Reflections Gallery and Reception
  Saturday, February 11, 2023
  1:00 - 2:00 PM - Award distribution by invitation only
  2:00 - 4:00 PM. General Showcase 
  200 Kalmus Drive - Costa Mesa 
  Orange County Department of Education  
 
  
 
 
 
If you would like to know more about the arts, arts education, and arts advocacy, the California State PTA website is a good source of information at www.capta.org
 


   
 

      
Capistrano Unified Council PTSA
PO Box 2183
Mission Viejo, CA  92690  
Elizabeth Mordock - 2022-2023 President
4th District PTA - California State PTA - National PTA
© Copyright 2020 Capistrano Unified Council PTSA