Reflections

Utah Reflections Online Guide

Complete training materials are available at utahpta.org/ref.

Note to PTA presidents: Reflections is now 100% online and easier than ever to run. Open communication between local schools, councils, and regions is essential to keep the program running smoothly.

Schools must be in good standing by December 1 of each year or their entries will be excluded from participating in Reflections at the state level. Please make sure that your membership dues are paid and that your bylaws are current or renewed. Bylaws take time to renew because you are required to post them for 30 days.

Please provide your Reflections Specialists with contact information for your council/region specialists, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses. You also need to share contact information for your specialists with your council/region specialists at the earliest possible date so they will not miss out on trainings and deadline information. Sharing and using contact information between the levels is essential. Also, please provide your specialists with the information needed to register with National PTA, which includes your unit ID number and bylaws expiration date.

Getting Started 

1. Become an Admin for Your School in Utah Reflections Online.

   • Reflections is run through Utah Reflections Online. To manage your school, you will need to designate at least one person to be your school’s admin.

   • Admin access should be set up by the level above you, but can also be set by the previous admin(s) for your school. If you are having trouble finding out who your admin is for the next level, please email reflections@utahpta.org and include your school name.

   • When you are set as an admin, if you did not already have a Utah PTA account, you will receive an email instructing you to create a password. You will then have access to log into Utah Reflections Online at utahpta.org/ref. If you already had an account, you will not receive an email. Individuals who have registered for convention, online training, or other Utah PTA programs or who have judged Reflections likely already have Utah PTA accounts.

   • Once you log into the system, click on the red Reflections Admin tab. You may now manage your unit, entries, and judging. Before you launch your program, delete any admins who are no longer involved in Reflections. To do this, click on the admins tab. You will then see all the admins listed for your school.

   • To remove an admin, click the red “Remove” button to the right of the name.

   • Trainings for Utah Reflections Online can be found at utahpta.org/ref.

2. Register Your PTA for Reflections

   • Register with National PTA at pta.org/reflections. All schools, councils, and regions must register by November 1. This is not the same thing as being assigned as an admin for Utah Reflections Online. Registering helps National PTA collect data to monitor and improve the program.

   • Click on “Register with National PTA.”

   • You will need your school name, address, eight-digit PTA ID number, contact person, email, and phone number. For the contact person and phone number, please put the Reflections Specialist’s information and not the school’s.

   • You will see a confirmation screen, but will not receive a confirmation email.

* Registering with National PTA will not make you an admin for your school. They are two separate processes.

3. Organize and Plan

   • Many hands make light work. Recruit others to be on your Reflections Committee. Back-to-school night is a great time to put out a sign up sheet.

   • Join the Utah PTA Reflections Facebook Group. This valuable resource will connect you with Reflections Specialists from all levels of the program.

   • Find judges. Remember judges should not be from your school and should have some knowledge of the category they will be judging.

   • Dates to remember: When are entries due to local schools? When are entries due to council? When are entries due to region? At the local level, you get to choose your own deadline. Find out now when the deadline is for the next level and set yours about a month before that date. This will give you ample time for checking entries, judging, scoring and recognition.

   • Every school is required to use Utah Reflections Online found at utahpta.org/ref.

   • Consider creating a dedicated Reflections email for your school and assigning that email as an admin. This way your school will always have online access and will only need to change the name and phone number associated with the account when a new specialist takes over the program.

   • Entries cannot be uploaded for your school without an admin being assigned. Any admin can add new admins for their level or below. Multiple admins are allowed.

The complete Local Leader’s Guide, rules, training videos, and everything else Reflections can be found at utahpta.org/ref.