Northern Virginia District PTA

Download Forms and Instructions

The theme for the 2008-2009 Reflections Program

"Wow!"

In its more than 30-year history, the program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to explore their artistic talents. PTA believes all that children deserve a quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual Reflections Program. The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition. Students in preschool through grade 12 are encouraged to submit works of art in six areas: literature, dance choreography, film/video production, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts (which includes art forms such as drawing, painting, print making, and collage).

The annual PTA Reflections program is one of the best hands-on activities of the National PTA and really is for "Every Child, One Voice." Any child from preschool age through high school's twelfth grade who attends a PTA school is challenged and encouraged to produce an original, artistic entry via literature, music composition, photography, visual art, dance choreography or film/video production. The most imaginative interpretation of a theme through any one of these mediums is the object of the program.

Each year, the Reflections Program challenges students to create art that supports a specific theme. Themes are selected from thousands of ideas submitted by students to their state PTAs. States submit five entries to the National PTA's Reflections Program Theme Search for final consideration. If you are interested in participating in the theme search download the form.

Past Reflections Program themes have included "I Can Make a Difference by . . .", "Dare to Discover…," "If I Could Give the World A Gift…," "Wouldn't it be Great if...," "Suddenly you turn around and…"A Different Kind of Hero"...,"I Wonder Why..., and "My Favorite Place".

The theme for the 2008-2009 Reflections Program is: WOW!

PTA schools throughout Virginia will encourage every child who wants to have a little fun to produce an entry. The children while working on their own Reflections entry will experience several good practices of learning applicable for their school lessons in other subjects.

• They will set their own goal.
• They direct and do all necessary processes to reach their goal.
• They learn to value themselves in reaching the goal.
• They learn to stick with the activity until the goal is completed.
• They discover their own 'voice' and standards of knowledge.
• They develop communication skills in expressing what they need in the way of time, space and materials to realize their ideas.

Adults need to stick close to the children to give them the time and the space, as well as help out providing materials for the realization of the child's idea. These adults may be parents, teachers, mentors or any one who wants to help children succeed.

To receive further information or specific rules and the parameters of each of the six art mediums, contact your local school's PTA/PTSA or download the forms. The school's Reflections Committee will also have the deadline date for turning in the child's completed Reflections entry. Most local deadlines will be from the middle of October through the beginning of November. The PTA will then take on the job of judging and recognizing all the children's accomplishments. 

This judging and recognition will begin at the local school level, then the top entry in each of four age groupings in each of the six arts areas moves on to the Council level, then to the District level, to the State level and finally to the National PTA level.

View the 2007-2008 District Winners
View 2007-08 VA PTA & National PTA Award of Excellence and Award of Merit
View all 2006-07 Virginia State Winners

2006-2007 District Reflections Awards Program

2008 NATIONAL PTA Award of Merit Winner

Visual Art – Middle/Jr. (7th Gr.) Alexander Park of Joyce Kilmer Middle School for his multi faceted vision of “Start out with small deeds of love” and Dance Choreography – Senior (12th Gr.) Sarah Crossland of Westfield High School for her interpretation of “…seeing the color of life: Colorblind”

National PTA Award of Merit Recipients 2006-07

Congratulations to Gracie Terzian (Oakton High School), Kate Hao (Oak Hill ES) and Kyle Gatesman (Canterbury Woods ES)! They earned National PTA Awards of Merit for their Reflections entries.  They had earned Outstanding Interpretation from our District level and the State (VA) level, and now National awards!

National PTA Middle-Junior Division Award of Merit 2005-06

“I Wonder Why…Music Helps to Heal”

Mandy Imbriglia Poe Middle School PTA Annandale, VA

Documents

Instructions for Reflections PTA/PTSA Representatives:

• Reflections District Deadline:  TBD   (Councils/Clusters turn in one Outstanding Interpretation entry for each category/age division to District Chair, Denise Bolton) Access the electronic PDF student entry form above.
• Enter the PTA/PTSA required information on the bottom of the form; highly recommend to not hand write your data . Remember to include grade and age section.
• Save your PDF file to upload to your local web site.
• Also place the instructions along with the entry form on your local web site
• Notify your local members to download the forms from your local web site.
• For hard copy distributions, please use the PDF form to hand out.
• Any other documents, please customize to your local needs and upload documents to your local web site.

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