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August 28, 2025

FCCPTA Reflections Training Session

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WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS

PTA Mission:

To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

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WELCOME TO

�FAIRFAX COUNTY COUNCIL PTA

2025-2026

REFLECTIONS KICKOFF AND TRAINING

We Can Do This – and, Keep it Simple and Manageable

reflections@fccpta.org Denise Bolton

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2022-23 Outstanding Interpretation

FCCPTA, VAPTA, and National PTA

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2020-2021�VISUAL ARTS�MIDDLE SCHOOL��FCCPTA, �NOVA DISTRICT PTA, VA PTA &�NATIONAL PTA�OUTSTANDING INTERPRETATION (1^ST) AWARD

Claire Moon

Rachel Carson MS PTA

“My Pieces of Quilt”

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WE ENCOURAGE LOCAL UNITS TO PROVIDE PTA’S REFLECTIONS PROGRAM TO YOUR SCHOOL’S STUDENTS. ��PLEASE CONTACT DENISE BOLTON, REFLECTIONS@FCCPTA.ORG FOR INFORMATION AND TO PROVIDE A LOCAL UNIT POC/REFLECTIONS CHAIR CONTACT INFORMATION. ��FCCPTA IS READY TO SUPPORT, INCLUDING PROVIDING INFORMATION, TRAINING, AND DROPBOX FOLDERS FOR LOCAL UNITS TO COLLECT STUDENT ENTRIES. RECOMMEND LOCAL UNITS START PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION/ANNOUNCE TO STUDENTS NOT LATER THAN OCT 1, 2025. ��MORE INFO AND FORMS:�HTTPS://VAPTA.ORG/PROGRAMS/STUDENT-PROGRAMS/REFLECTIONS ��&��HTTPS://WWW.PTA.ORG/HOME/PROGRAMS /REFLECTIONS�

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Students participate in the appropriate division for their grade: Primary (Pre-K - Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Accessible Arts (All grades).*

*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.

PTA.org and VAPTA.org

Programs, then Reflections in dropdown menus

Information, forms, rules, local leader guidebook, posters, judging rubrics, etc.

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2025-2026 Reflections Due Dates for FCCPTA & Virginia PTA

NLT Sept 30: Local school PTAs announce Reflections call for entries

Aug 27: Virginia PTA 2024-25 Reflections Webinar recording available https://vapta.org/reflections/

Oct/Nov: Students submit entries to local school PTA based on time-line set by school PTA (recommend NLT 15 Nov)

Dec 15: Local Unit first place submissions are due to Fairfax County Council PTA

Jan 24: Council winners due to Virginia PTA and announced

(FCCPTA conducts awards ceremony in/around March)

Feb 20: Virginia PTA winners announced

Feb/Mar: FCCPTA Reflections Awards Ceremony (TBD)

Mar/Apr: VA PTA Student Awards Celebration (Richmond) (tentative)

May 2026: National PTA Winners announced

HOW IT WORKS

Students submit their work of art, with entry form including artist statement, to their local school PTA's Reflections contest in the Fall.

Local PTAs celebrate winners at the school level, and forward one 1^st place winning entry in each age division and art category to their County Council PTA.

Council PTAs select winning entries and submit one 1^st place entry doe each age division and art category to Virginia PTA. Council PTA's hold Student Awards Celebrations in late winter/early spring.

Virginia PTA selects and submits state winning entries to National PTA to compete against students from across the United States, and holds a Student Awards Celebration in April.

National PTA selects and announces winners of the national-level contest in May.

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Collection of Entries

On-line

DROPBOX (preferred)

May need to validate your DROPBOX storage capacity/balance
Your school PTA google accounts (ex: reflections@waynewoodpta.com) may have more storage than personal
Personal dropbox plus is $10/month = 2 TB, plenty; request your PTA pay or reimburse, or
Dropbox links I provide to you (subfolders of my dropbox space)
Collect student entries using ”UPLOAD REQUEST” method, can use folder sharing method for organizing, providing to judges

OR,

Google Drive and Google Form with upload question

In both, can copy links into your webpages, newsletters, emails, etc, for students to access (UPLOAD entries)

Allow for students to submit hardcopy/original or USB drives if on-line submissions challenging for any

On-line or hardcopy/USB drive must include:

Entry artwork hardcopy/file, including music notation hardcopy/file for Middle and High School music composition
Fillable .pdf Entry Form with parent signature

Even if you choose to create google form with all of the Entry Form data elements, I request copy of .pdf Entry Form with parent signature and legible responses

File (online and even hardcopy, on back) naming convention:

1) for the actual entry files:

�

student lastname.firstname.school.category.agedivision.”artwork"

�

ex: Smith.Linda.HayfieldSS.music composition.high school.artwork

Ex: Smith.Linda.HayfieldSS.musiccomposition.highschool.musicnotation

�

2) for the student entry forms:

�

student last name.first name.school.category.age division.entry form

�

ex: Smith.Julie.Orange Hunt ES.literature.intermediate.entry form

Last 2 pages: walk thru using dropbox and google drive/forms

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Best Practices

Use/read

Rules, resources, info at pta.org and vapta.org
Local Leader Handbook from pta.org and vapta.org (Denise’s opinion - as a guideline v. hard rule; keep it a little more simple as necessary)

Fillable .pdf entry form from pta.org (2025 updates)
File Naming conventions
Recruit Judges – arts community orgs, dance schools, teachers, retired teachers, friends, neighbors, board members – don’t underestimate arts appreciation v. Expert judges, especially at school level
Provide Judging Rubric from Local Leader Handbook as a guideline to judges
Google Search for help with DROPBOX, Google Forms and Google Drive tutorials

Ex: ”DROPBOX Folder Sharing” and DROPBOX Request Files”, “Google Drive”, “How to make a google form with upload question”, etc

Highlights for Students/Parents

Each entry is creative work of of one student, and only the student

Must be original creation

Creativity, originality and Interpretation of the Theme are important judging criteria

Entry forms very legible, signed, and attached, must include artist statement

Entry form must have citation when copyrighted material is used, such as background music in dance choreography and film production videos.

Include details on art techniques used (ex: oil or watercolor painting, “stop action video”, use of tripod, original choreography of national/ethnic type of dance; SW tools used for music and film)�

WHEN IN DOUBT, CONTACT ME; MORE HELP AND TRAINING IS AVAILABLE AND COMING SOON!

REFLECTIONS@FCCPTA.ORG

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NEXT (OPTIONAL):�SCREEN SHARE DEMONSTRATION��DROPBOX AND GOOGLE DRIVE

CELEBRATE

Hodgesbadge.com

stores.shoppta.com

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DROPBOX

Also try out folder creation, sharing, etc

DROPBOX STEPS

In Dropbox, open account

Go to Settings

Go to Plan

Look for Personal Dropbox Space (“using X GB of Y TB”)

If only 2 GB, recommend PTA purchase or reimburse you 6 months or year of Dropbox plus ($10/month)

DROPBOX FILE REQUEST (to collect student entries

Use link from me to go to Dropbox folder or create your own Folder(s) (you will be owner)

Go to File Request

New Request

Title

Description

Share File request

Choose “Share a link instead”

COPY

(After folder first time creation, in your dropbox, click on the folder and COPY LINK into PTA webpage, email, news, etc)

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GOOGLE DRIVE

Also try out folder creation, sharing, etc

Google search “How to create Google forms with file upload” - YOUTUBE

STEPS

Google Drive FILE REQUEST (to collect student entries)

In Google Apps, go to Forms

Choose Blank

Type your title in Form Title

Type “Student Last Name”

Select short answer and required

Hit + for next question

Type “Student First Name” and select options

Hit +

Type “Email address”

“Category” and select options such as multiple choice

+Age Division

+Artist Statement

+question

“File Upload”

Section option 1 and select File upload under dropdown menu

Choose option “Let respondents upload”

Max files 5

Max file size 1 GB (each file)

Collect email addresses

Select total file size 10 GB

SEND

Send via Link

Copy

Copy link to your PTA webpage, etc