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2023-2024 Reflections: I Am Hopeful Beacause. . .
A Letter to Reflections Chairs
Hello PTA Reflections Chairs & Presidents!
My name is Amanda Black, the South Dakota PTA Reflections Chair for this upcoming school year. Thank you for volunteering and supporting our children in the arts and through the PTA Reflections Program. I love this program because it allows children to express themselves through many different forms of art.
Online registration & entry: Each unit will sign up their local unit on the National PTA website! Each unit will use the Student Entry Portal to enter their artwork and advance their entries. The National PTA Student Entry Portal is designed to allow each unit to upload their entries and advance them to the correct levels. This year local units will advance entries directly to the state level for judging. There will be no council/city level judging.
Start by registering your unit:
1. Go to https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections
2. Scroll down until you see the “Register” button. Click the “Register” link.
3. Enter the needed information such as: PTA name, PTA 8-digit ID number, Chairperson information, address, etc. Please note you will be able to look up your 8-digit PTA ID number if you don’t know what it is.
4. Once you have registered, you will be able to access the Reflections Entry Portal for your unit!
Entering Submissions Online:
After you have received your Reflections entries, you may enter them on the portal https://ptareflections.smapply.io/by uploading artwork, photos, music, etc. onto the portal and creating student entries. *Note: When creating an entry, you will enter the student’s name, address, title of work, and artist’s statement.
1. You are able to note what level of judging the entry is at currently. For example, local, state, etc. All entries placing at the unit level will be advanced to the state level and will appear in the state unit portal for me to view.
2. Note: It is important to make sure that all of the rules have been followed for each entry. An entry that hasn’t followed the guidelines will be disqualified.
3. Make sure to select “South Dakota” on the drop-down menu for the state selection. If the incorrect state is accidentally selected, it will go to a different state.
4. A suggestion: Use the Adobe Scan app to take a picture of each entry. This is a free app and it is amazing! The app will allow you to take more than one photo if needed and then turns your photos into a pdf. The pdf can then be uploaded into the portal. This step works for Literature, Photography, and Visual Arts entries. **For music, dance, and video entries, you will need to upload the file from your flash drive it was received on.
Reflections Winners: Each unit chair is asked to email me a list of the winners/entries that have been submitted to the state. This information should be emailed to southdakotareflections@gmail.com. This ensures that every entry is accounted for in the Reflections portal.
Judging: State Reflections entries will be judged by units across the state of South Dakota by people with experience in each category. If your unity would like to help with judging, please contact me at the number or email listed below.
Reflections Recognition: PTA units and councils are highly encouraged to recognize your students for their amazing works of art! The PTA store, https://stores.shoppta.com/index.lasso?host=SDPTA, has certificates, medals, and trophies. I would also encourage local units to recognize everyone that enters the program with a ribbon.
Stay Connected: There are a number of ways to find information and stay connected!
SD PTA Reflections email southdakotareflections@gmail.com
Text or call with questions regarding Reflections: Amanda Black (605) 216 -7153
Find us on Facebook “SD PTA Reflections”
IMPORTANT DATES:
· Entries submitted to the State level via the portal: December 15th
· Selected units will receive entries for judging by: December 29th
· Judging scores due back to the state: January 17th
· State results will be posted early March
· State award winners are invited to the Reflections Banquet during the State PTA Convention in April
· National results are posted early May
I look forward to working with you this year! Please feel free to contact me with questions about the PTA Reflections program.
Sincerely,
Amanda Black
SD PTA Reflections Chair
Want to get a head start?
These additional resources will help you enhance and improve your Reflections program:
- Local Leader E-learning Course provides an overview of what steps you can take to successfully manage your Reflections program.
- Head to PTA.org/ArtsEd to find and download resources to help you prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in your Reflections program.
- Use the BAND and Your Reflections Program resource to learn about the many features BAND has to offer, including file sharing, chat rooms and posts. BAND can help make managing your Reflections program easier and more impactful.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, National PTA and participating PTAs across the country learned new and successful ways to manage the Reflections program. Check this In Person or At Home Reflections resource to find some of the most impactful tips and tricks discovered.
- Download our Reflections Coloring Book and these Reflections At Home Activities for the whole family. Share these with families in your school community to help inspire them to create!
PTA Reflections Forms
All Reflections Artwork must be submitted to the state competition by December 15, 2023.
The artwork will be judged at the state level for the state competition and the state winners
will be invited to the Reflections Award Ceremony at the state PTA convention.
The dates/theme listed on the forms below may be from previous years, but the rules have not changed.
Please update the date/theme on the sheets prior to providing them to your students.
If you are interested in helping on the Reflections artwork, please email SouthDakotaReflections@gmail.com.
