Arts Club

2026-2027 Chairs: Neeti Jain

artsclub@medinapta.org

Arts Club is a creative haven. Kids explore colors, shapes, and textures.

Jump to: Registration | Meetings | Reflections | Policies

GENERAL INFORMATION

Art Program for K-G2:

Fusion Curriculum (Fall): Integrating the concepts of “material storytelling” and “learning from the masters,” the course combines painting, collage, three-dimensional construction, and mixed media to guide students in drawing inspiration from the works of great artists. Through hands-on practice, they can freely navigate among scientific, cultural, and artistic techniques. The course emphasizes the learning path of “appreciation—imitation—creation,” encouraging interdisciplinary thinking and fostering children’s observation, critical thinking, and creative expression skills.

Cartoon Creators (Winter): In the Drawing with Imagination course, K-2 students will explore the basics of cartoon drawing by creating their characters and stories. Children will learn to bring their imaginative ideas to life through simple shapes, lines, and expressive faces, producing unique cartoons and short comic strips. This course encourages creativity, storytelling, and self-expression while helping young artists develop foundational drawing skills in a fun and engaging environment.

World Travelers (Spring): In the Painting Our Planet course, K-2 students will embark on a creative journey worldwide using their paintbrushes. Each session introduces them to a different country or region, where they’ll learn about its landscapes, landmarks, and cultures. Through painting, children will recreate these global wonders, enhancing their artistic skills while fostering curiosity and appreciation for the diverse beauty of our planet.

Art Program for G3-G5:

3D Model Maker (Fall): Integrating the concepts of “material storytelling” and “learning from the masters,” the course combines painting, collage, three-dimensional construction, and mixed media to guide students in drawing inspiration from the works of great artists. Through hands-on practice, they can freely navigate among scientific, cultural, and artistic techniques. The course emphasizes the learning path of “appreciation—imitation—creation,” encouraging interdisciplinary thinking and fostering children’s observation, critical thinking, and creative expression skills.

Cartoon Creators: Expressive World of Cartoon Art (Winter): Delving into the compositional techniques of cartoon art, students will learn to apply exaggeration, simplification, and action lines, mastering character design and scene layout. They will explore the history and forms of comics, and personally experience the creative process from sketch to finished work, enhancing their drawing confidence and expressive ability in a supportive environment.

Printmaking Pioneers (Spring): During the Creating Art with Prints course, students will dive into printmaking and learn techniques such as stamp making, nature printing, and mono-printing. Through hands-on activities, they’ll explore transferring their designs onto paper, creating unique and repeatable art pieces. This course encourages creativity, experimentation, and skill development, allowing students to produce their own collection of expressive and textured prints.

Info Night

The Arts Club Info Night will be held on September 14, 2026, at 5:00 PM at Medina Elementary. The club chair will present details about the program and answer questions.

Who can attend: Parents and students — all are welcome!

Registration

Registration opens: September 21, 2026, at 8:30 AM

Registration Fee: $890 for Grades K–2 and Grades 3–5

Eligibility: Only current Medina Elementary students with an active PTA membership are eligible to register.
Steps to Register:

Purchase or renew your PTA membership.
Access the Arts registration form under My Family’s Forms/Paperwork once registration opens.
Complete the form and payment. If your preferred spot is full, join the waitlist.

Financial Assistance:

Select “pay by check” during checkout to prevent registration delays, and then email Ms. Geck at gecke@bsd405.org to begin the assistance process.
One Registration, Full Year: Registration now covers the entire school year — fall, winter, and spring sessions.

Club Meetings

Club meetings are held on Mondays beginning October 5, 2026.

Tentative meeting dates are listed below, but all dates are dependent on room availability. If we must cancel Arts Club, we will email parents with as much notice as possible.

Month	Days
Oct	5, 12, 19, 26
Nov	2, 9, 30
Dec	14
Jan	11, 25
Feb	1, 8, 22
Mar	1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Apr	5, 19, 26
May	3, 10, 17
Make-up	May 24

Policies

Updated: August 29, 2025

FEES: For a student to participate in any after-school club, there cannot be an outstanding balance on the family's PTA's account. Tuition and all outstanding fees must be paid in full by September 30th, 2025 (or by the next class date if registering after September 30th). If you do not pay all fees by this deadline, your child will be withdrawn from Arts Club and a 5% tuition processing fee will be added to your account.

To remain enrolled in Arts Club, families must timely pay any Medina PTA fees (not just club fees) incurred during the course of the school year. You understand that failure to pay fees on time may result in your student being withdrawn from the club with no refund.

ELIGIBILITY: Our afterschool clubs (including Arts Club) are ONLY for CURRENT-ENROLLED Medina students with ACTIVE Medina PTA membership. Your child must be enrolled with Medina Elementary school at the time they are attending the club and you must have a valid Medina PTA family or individual membership for the 2025-2026 school year. You agree that if your kid is not currently enrolled with Medina Elementary school OR you do not purchase PTA membership by the first class, your child will be withdrawn from all afterschool clubs with no refund.

REFUNDS: If parents withdraw before the first class starts, they will be charged a 5% of tuition. If they cancel before the second class, the fee is 25% of tuition. After the second class, no refunds will be given for any reason.

PROCESSING FEE: Any student registration for an afterschool club that you cancel will incur a 5% processing fee. This includes cancelling a duplicate registration (e.g., when the parents sign up the same child twice for the same club) or cancelling one registration to sign up for a different Medina PTA club on the same day. The 5% fee applies for all transaction types (credit card, cash, or check).

BEHAVIOR:

Intentional violent behavior directed at another individual during the club (including another student, teacher, coach/instructor, parent, or volunteer) and resulting in physical harm is grounds for immediate removal from that club without refund. Medina PTA retains the discretion to remove this student from all other enrolled afterschool clubs/programs and prevent this student from registering for future afterschool programs in the same school year.

Parents and students are expected to behave respectfully to each other and the coaches/instructors:

If the club chair determines that a student’s behavior is disruptive during the program/club, or the student is consistently disrespectful, a warning will be issued to the student and parent. After the warning, a second offense will result in removal of the student from the club with no refund, unless the club chair decides to issue a second warning. The chair may also require the parent to provide full-time adult supervision of the student for the duration of the club. The adult supervisor must be a PTA member and have a BSD background check. A third offense will result in removal of the student from the club program with no refund.

If the club chair determines that a parent’s behavior is disruptive or consistently disrespectful, a warning will be issued to the parent. After the warning, a second offense will result in removal of that parent’s child from afterschool clubs with no refund.

At the discretion of Medina PTA, any withdrawal due to disruptive or disrespectful behavior may also affect the family’s ability to register for future afterschool programs.

PICK-UP: Our parent classroom volunteers are required to stay until the last child is picked up from class. Please respect our volunteers’ time by picking your child up promptly at dismissal time unless your child is staying at Medina Elementary with the Boys & Girls Club. If you wish to permit your child to sign him/herself out from class and walk/bike home, you must complete the Medina PTA Permission Slip for Self-Checkout of Afterschool Clubs found on our website, and return it to our Arts Club Co-Chairs. Repeated late pickups may result in withdrawal from Arts Club with no refund, and you may forfeit the ability to register for future afterschool programs.

ABSENCES: If your child will not be at Arts Club, you must email artsclub@medinapta.org prior to that day’s class start time. You understand that two unexcused absences may result in removal of your student from the club without refund.

Reflections Art Program 2026–2027

reflections---what-my-culture-means-to-me.tmb-small

The Reflections Program is a National PTA arts competition for students from Pre-K through Grade 12. It gives students an opportunity to express themselves through original works of art inspired by an annual theme.

This year’s theme:
“What my Culture Means to Me?”

Important Dates

Medina Elementary submission deadline: Friday, November 6, 2026, by 11:59 PM. Late submissions cannot be accepted.
Bellevue Council submission deadline: Friday, December 4, 2026
Deadline for local PTA and Council entries to WSPTA: Thursday, January 14, 2027
National PTA registration deadline: Monday, February 1, 2027

Competition Levels

Student artworks first advance from the school level to the Bellevue Council level, with the chance to move forward to state and national recognition.

Divisions at Medina Elementary

Primary: Pre-K – Grade 2
Intermediate: Grades 3 – 5
Accessible Arts: All grade levels. Students with disabilities may enter this special artist division and are also encouraged to participate in any category.

How to Participate

1. Create Your Artwork

Follow the official rules for your selected category. Your work must be new and created specifically for the 2026–2027 theme, “What my Culture Means to Me?” All ideas and execution must be the student’s own. Adults may provide technical support only.

2. Choose a Title

Give your work a thoughtful, creative title that reflects your interpretation of the theme.

3. Digitize Your Work

Visual Art must be scanned. A high-resolution scanner is available at Bellevue Downtown Library, 2nd floor. Record or photograph other categories clearly, with good lighting and sound quality.

4. Write Your Artist Statement

Write 10–100 words explaining how the artwork reflects the theme.
Submit the statement as a typed Word document. Handwritten statements are not accepted.
Parents may type for younger students but may not revise or edit the student’s wording.

5. Complete the Student Entry Form

Download the official fillable Student Entry Form (PDF). Complete all required fields, including student name, grade, age, parent/guardian contact information, category and division, artwork title, artist statement, and signatures. If digital tools, apps, or AI-assisted elements were used, describe them in the form’s “Additional Details” section.

6. Submit All Materials Using the Google Form

Submit each entry through the official Medina PTA Reflections Google Form. Email submissions and physical drop-offs will not be accepted. Upload all three required files:

Artwork file (scan, photo, video, or audio)
Artist Statement (Word document)
Completed Student Entry Form (fillable PDF)

For Music Composition entries, especially in middle and upper grades, also include musical notation or sheet music if available or required by your division.

File naming format:
category_division_title_studentname_artwork
category_division_title_studentname_statement
category_division_title_studentname_entryform

Use underscores instead of spaces. Replace “VisualArt” with the category (such as Music, Film, or Dance). For example: VisualArt_Primary_MyCulture_JohnDoe_statement.docx

Submission Guidelines

Submit through the Google Form only; email and physical drop-offs are not accepted.
Each entry must be the student’s original, individual work.
All entries must include the three required files.
Parents may type a young student’s statement but may not revise the student’s words.
For music composition entries, older students are required to include musical notation.
Students must disclose any digital tools or AI used and explain how they were used in the entry form.