2015 reflections chair training
TRANSCRIPT
PTA Reflections Training
September 28, 2015
2015-2016 Reflections Theme
“Let Your Imagination Fly”
Rachel SperryNorthwood, North Dakota
(2017 Theme Search Contest - Deadline Nov. 16th )
Arts Categories•Dance Choreography• Film Production• Literature•Music Composition• Photography•Visual Art
Grade Divisions• Primary: Kindergarten – 2nd Grade• Intermediate: 3rd – 5th Grade• Middle School: 6th – 8th Grade• High School: 9th – 12th Grade
** Each school may submit up to 15 entries per grade division to the county level competition
• Special Artist Category: All Grades
**You may submit any number of entries in this division (does not count towards your 15 entries)
County DeadlineMonday, November 30th
10:30 AM-12:00 PM South County Regional Library (Children’s Section)
4:30-6:00 PM Sugar Creek Public Library (Conference Room)
** Set your school deadline at least 2 weeks before the county deadline.
Reflections Leader’s Guide Rules/ forms Promotional Tools Sample judging scorecards/ participation certificates Gallery of previous state Reflections Winners
Steps to Running a Successful Reflections
Program at Your School
Step #2: Understand the
General and Specific
Category Rules
General Guidelines• Only newly created entries inspired by the 2015-16 theme
• Each entry must be the original work of one student (no
collaboration with other students or help from adults)
• Each entry must be accompanied by an official entry
form, which requires students to include a title and
artist’s statement.
• Use of copyrighted material is prohibited, except for
recorded music in dance and film entries.
Dance Choreography• Must be an original choreographed dance (not a
dance performance choreographed by a teacher)• The choreographer does not have to be a
performer; any number of people may perform in the video, but only ONE student can be the choreographer
• Review suggestions for Quality Recordings• Dance must be in one of the following formats
ONLY: .MOV, .MP4 (Mecklenburg County Rule)• Dance may not exceed 5 minutes and 200 MB in
file size• Flash drives are preferred over DVDs
Film Production• Video must be the original work of one student,
who is the screen writer, director, producer, AND THE CAMERA PERSON (student can only be in their film if they use a tripod)
• No power point presentations• Software used should only enhance, not provide
the primary design• Film must be recorded in one of the following
formats ONLY: .MOV, .MP4 (NOT .MPG or .MPEG)• Film may not exceed 5 minutes and 200 MB in file
size (flash drive preferred over DVD)
Literature• A literature entry is a single literary work (not a
collection of poems or short stories)• Entries may not exceed 2,000 words• Do not mount entries, use 8.5x11 paper (one-sided)• Spoken word audio recordings and illustrations are
okay, but only literary content is judged• Kindergarten and 1st grade students may dictate-
transcribers should retain the same level of language and accuracy
• Another person can type up entry, but original must be attached
Music Composition• Entry must be an original composition (not a
recording of a recital piece)created by ONE student• Entry may not exceed 5 minutes and 200 MB in file
size• Recordings must be in one of the following
formats: .MP3, .MP4 (audio only) – Prefer flash drives
• Middle school and high school entries must include a score, submitted as a .pdf not to exceed 3MB
• Student does not have to be the performer; if computer generated, student must do all the work
Photography• A photography entry is a single photo (groups of
photos must be entered in the visual art category)
• Photo may not exceed 11X14 (including matting)• Added graphics, including lettering, are not
allowed• Confirm that the student was the photographer
(not the parents)• Make sure to mount photos
Examples of Photographic Techniques
montage multiple exposure
Negative sandwich photogram
Visual Arts2D Visual Art
• Dimensions may not exceed 24” X 30” • Entries must be mounted and not thicker then 3/8”
3D Visual Art• Dimensions may not exceed 12” X 12” X 12”• Must include 3 .jpg images of entry from different
angles on a flash drive (3MB limit)• Must include packaging materials
2D and 3D art entries are judged together
Tips for Winning Entries
Do not underestimate the importance of the artist’s statement.
Take the time to properly mount and protect your entries.
Encourage entries of small photos to be reprinted in a larger size – at least 8X10
Encourage participation in some of the less popular categories (dance, film, music)
Step #3: Promote the Reflections Program to
Students and School
Personnel
Promoting Reflections• Flyers: Create your own or print already created
flyer at www.ncpta.org• School newsletters• School bulletin boards• Talk directly to faculty• Offer prizes/ incentives• Morning announcements
Step #4: Collect and Judge
Entries
Judging Guidelines• You can skip judging if you have <15 entries• Don’t be afraid to follow up on questionable
entries:o copyright laws violatedo adult help suspected o rules not followedo not a newly created entry
• Judging should be done blindlyo Cover up student nameso Use judges who do not know the students
• Determine judging processo By categoryo All togethero Combination
Step #5: Prepare
Advancing Entries
Make sure your PTA/PTSA is in good standing:
www.ncpta.org/pta/goodstanding
Go to www.meckpta.org -- click on Reflections; scroll down to this section:
Step #6: Deliver Entries
to the Mecklenburg PTA Council
Bring the following items with you to your chosen drop off location on
November 30th:
Your entries (packaged and labeled correctly)
Local Participation FormConfirmation email showing that you have
entered your entries into the student database
Timeline after Drop-Off
• County winners announced the first week in January• 30 Entries (mostly 1st place winners) advance to State• State winners announced in late March• State awards ceremony: mid April• County awards ceremony: late April • National winners announced in May
o Outstanding Interpretation: 1 student from each arts category -- $800 per student/$200 school/ trip to national PTA convention with a parent
o Awards of Excellence: Top 3 entries for each art category in each grade division -- $200 per student
o Awards of Merit: Next 5 highest scores for each art category in each grade division -- medallion
Step #7: Celebrate and
Recognize Participants