CALLING ALL ARTISTS AT COLLEGE PARK ELEMENTARY!
Reflections is an annual National PTA art program that recognizes creativity and artistry in children from Pre-K through Grade 12. Reflections has been bringing the arts to life for more than 10 million students since 1969. The theme for this 2024-2025 school year is “ACCEPTING IMPERFECTION.”
Please encourage your child(ren) to participate in one or more of the following categories:
DUE DATE TO SUBMIT ENTRIES IS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2024 AT 11:59 PM (PT).
HOW IT WORKS:
Each student can choose to submit no more than one original art piece per category. That means that each student can potentially have six art pieces submitted in total, as long as there is only one art piece submitted for each category. After the submission deadline, a panel of reviewers from College Park Elementary (comprised of teachers, staff, and parents who are not related to any of the student artists being considered), will meet to select the top winners per category, per grade division, from all the art pieces submitted by students just from College Park Elementary.
The grade divisions are as follows:
- Primary (Pre-K through Grade 2)
- Intermediate (Grades 3-5)
- Middle School (Grades 6-8)
- High School (Grades 9-12)
- Accessible Arts (All grades welcome)*
* Students who identify as having a disability and may receive services under IDEA or ADA: Section 504 may enter in the Accessible Arts division or grade division most closely aligned to their functional abilities. The Accessible Arts division welcomes students from all grades and abilities and offers non-artistic accommodations (e.g. adaptive technology; transcribing; holding a camera) for students to participate fully in the Reflections program.
The 1st place winners from College Park Elementary per category, per grade division, then advance to the Irvine Unified Council PTA (IUCPTA). The top winners from the artwork submitted to the IUCPTA move on to the Fourth District PTA level for consideration. The top art pieces submitted thereafter to California State PTA by the districts are then considered for Outstanding Interpretation, Awards of Excellence or Awards of Merit. Outstanding Interpretation and Award of Excellence entries then go on to represent California in the final National PTA review round.
WHY SHOULD MY CHILD PARTICIPATE?
The Reflections Art Program is completely optional for College Park students. But just because participation is optional doesn’t mean that it’s not a worthy activity for students to try! Reflections encourages students of all ages to:
- Unleash creative talents and be inspired
- Express themselves imaginatively in their artwork
- Experience the fun and joy 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
Our College Park PTA will provide some AWESOME awards and prizes to participants and top winners. Students will be recognized for their effort, artwork, and achievement in front of their peers, teachers, staff, and school community. This is something that they can be proud of and a great way to build confidence and character.
One thing to note: Your child does not have to be an art prodigy in order to participate! This is all about YOUR child’s artistic interpretation, however it may look or sound. As long as it meets all the requirements outlined in the official rules (linked further below), we highly encourage our College Park students to just go for it — create something original and amazing in their own eyes and share it by participating in the Reflections Art Program.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
- Review the General Rules for Reflections. Take a moment to review these rules before getting started: https://capta.org/programs-events/reflections/general-rules/
- Determine the category or categories in which your child wants to enter an art piece. Each student can submit only ONE art piece per category. Multiple submissions within one category may result in being disqualified. Students can participate in more than one category as long as only one art piece is submitted per category. Click on the links below for the guidelines for each category:
- Create the original art piece(s). Review the guidelines linked in step #2 above again to ensure your child’s artwork is eligible.
- Submit the completed art piece(s) online here: College Park Reflections Submission Form. If your child is submitting an art piece in more than one category, each art piece will need to be submitted separately.
- All entries are submitted online. Visual Art and Photography physical art pieces do NOT need to be dropped off at the front office at College Park unless they place and move up to the Council competition. We will contact winners with details on when and where to drop off their submissions.
- All online submissions are due by Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 11:59pm PT.
You will receive more info about your child’s Reflections submission(s) and results from our College Park reviewer panel about three weeks after the submission deadline. Please look out for email updates from the PTA and/or in the Weekly Splash during that time.
For more inquiries, you can visit: https://capta.org/programs-events/reflections/ or email us at reflections@collegeparkpta.org.
GET INSPIRED BY REFLECTIONS!
Watch this short Reflections introduction video to learn the basics of the program: