Harmony PTA
General Membership Meeting Minutes
November 21, 2013
These minutes document the Harmony PTA Board meeting which was held on Thursday November 21, 2013, beginning
at 3:47 p.m. These minutes were prepared by the Secretary of the Board.
The General Membership was provided with an agenda, an October 17, 2013 – November 21, 2013 Treasurer’s Report,
and October meeting minutes.
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Principal
Board Participants
Board Members and General
Membership
Kathy Reed
Elizabeth Webber
Jim Widzinski
Cindy Hayden
Mr. Eric Stewart
Standing Committees
Fundraising
School Rewards Programs
Events Committee
Spirit Wear
Ginny Skrobialowski
Ashby Snare
Kim Trombly
Kelly Ambler
Title
Special Committees and Coordinators
Communication (The Hornets’ Nest)
School Store
Website
Constant Contact
Volunteer Coordinator
School Clubs
Loudoun Education Alliance of Parents
(LEAP)
Minority Student Achievement
Advisory Committee (MSAAC)
Special Education Advisory Committee
(SEAC)
Student Council Association (SCA)
Liaison
Student Council Association
Representatives
Carol Bailey
Jim Widzinski
Jim Widzinski
Jim Widzinski , Kathy Reed
Susannah Ruttle
Tracey Downing
Tracey Downing
Brittany Baldwin
Present
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes, Yes
Yes
Yes
Deana Czaban
Henry Thomas
General Members
Lori DeMark
Nancy Stevens
Karen McClellan
Susan Fox
Michael Callaway
George Cassutto
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Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Jim Hepner
Samantha Berman
Camille Murphy
Kristen Hepner
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Agenda
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Call to Order, President
Opening Ceremony
Approval of Minutes, Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Report of the Principal
Reports of Standing Committees
Reports of Special Committees and Coordinators
Old Business
a. New Teacher Grant Awards
9. New Business
10. Announcements
11. Adjournment, President
Minutes
Approval of Minutes
Minutes October meeting approved.
Report of the Treasurer
 Jim Widzinski provided a copy of the Treasurer’s Report dated October 17, 2013 – November 21, 2013.



Our balance on hand is $29,098.59. Total income for this reporting period was $20,033.10 with
$18,346.10 coming from the fall fundraiser. Total expenses for this reporting period were $5,679.72.
Todd Stuckey of LoCo Racing generously donated $275 from the Fall Running Club dues back to the
PTA. These funds were initially provided to maintain the track but since the track is already in great
condition Mr. Stuckey said the PTA could use the funds however they see fit.
Teacher reimbursements are still on going.
Beth Richardson will act as liaison between families in need and the PTA. The PTA has been able to
help a couple Harmony families with club money so far this year.
Report of the Principal
 Academic awards ceremonies were a big success.
 Fall fundraiser went great. Ginny Skrobialowski worked hard and was instrumental in making the fundraiser
successful.
 Everything in going well and the students are having a wonderful year so far.
Reports of Standing Committees:
School Rewards Programs
 Ashby Snare reported that Harmony received a check for $420 from Box Tops for Education.
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Reports of Special Committees and Coordinators
School Clubs
 After School Clubs sponsored by the PTA are covered under the PTA insurance.
 The building use permit the PTA received at the beginning of the school year covers all the After School
Programs as well with no associated fees.
 Club Sponsors must sign an agreement that states they are responsible for the children during the club time.
PTA has such a document but it may need some editing.
 The Drama Program is an Activity of the School and not sponsored by the PTA, so they worked out their
insurance with the school. (Main Street Theater is a vendor and they did have to get insurance).
Loudoun Education Alliance of Parents (LEAP)
LEAP Delegates Learn Online Methods to Help Their Students
From the digital classroom to the way to select the right college, delegates of the Loudoun Education Alliance of
Parents (LEAP) learned about the online tools helping students at their November 13th meeting.
Loudoun County High School English teacher Nick Grzeda showed how he used the Vision program to “flip’ his
classroom. He places his lectures online for home viewing and uses class time for discussions and writing projects. This
model was adopted after some teacher reflection on Grzeda’s part. “Where is the maximum amount of learning going to
take place? What’s going to maximize learning?”
Grzeda said, while his class may appear to be high-tech, “I live in a place called reality.” He has backup lessons in case
students haven’t done their homework. He also stressed that students do not spend all their class time on a computer
and that discussion – including discussion of class work in progress – is the key to student learning. “Even though there’s
technology going on in the classroom, the teacher is still teaching.”
Grzeda said using Vision means his classroom is totally transparent to both students and teachers. Lectures,
assignments, class calendars, objectives and homework are all online. Grzeda also has a one-way texting program that
allows him to remind students of what’s coming up in class (such as tests) the next day. “The only excuse is the dog ate
my Internet.” If students don’t have Internet access, Grzeda said he loads lessons on a flash drive that can be plugged
into a home computer.
Among the things Grzeda has his students doing in class are practice SAT essays. Students can get instant feedback on
why their essays are (or aren’t) up to par and what weaknesses they exhibit. Practice Advanced Placement tests also are
available.
Vision also has changed the way Grzeda gives feedback to his students. “I’m no longer carrying a tote bag of papers.”
Grzeda now grades essays on his laptop and posts his comments in real time, so that students can get quick feedback on
their work. There are also discussion boards where students can critique work and exchange ideas. (Students are
required to write in complete sentences; no “text speak” allowed.)
Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) School Counseling Specialist Beth Doyle and Pupil Services Coordinator Tamara
Christman detailed the Naviance program, which tracks student progress and steers students toward careers or colleges
where they will be successful.
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As freshman, students take an assessment using Naviance that’s similar to a Myers-Briggs assessment. This pinpoints
areas of interest and possible careers. (There are 16 “clusters of interest” students can fall into.) That, in turn, helps
students identify electives that cater to their interests.
Seniors can use Naviance to get a clear picture of their chances of getting into a particular college. Naviance stores the
applications of everyone in a high school who has applied to a particular college or university. (More than 4,000 fouryear, two-year and trade schools are included in Naviance’s data base.) After a student inputs the college of their choice
into Naviance, the system places them on a “scattergram,” which shows where they stand in relation to other students
from their high school who have applied to that institution and where they stand in relation to that college’s admissions
standards.
For instance, the University of Virginia may require students to have a 4.4 grade point average and a 1318 score on the
SAT as its admission profile. Doyle said students may get a “reality check” as to where they stand when they see where
they fall on the scattergram and also might see schools where they would be a good fit.
Heritage Principal Jeff Adam spoke with parents about CLARITY, an online system that lets parents check their student’s
grades, assignments, attendance and assessments. Adam said this system should be used in different manners
depending on the student’s age.
At the elementary and middle school levels, it should be used by parents to check their student’s progress and remind
students about upcoming assignments and areas in which they might want to increase their attention. CLARITY can be a
great way for parents to start discussions with their student about what the student is being taught and allows parents
to ask specific questions about school work.
As students move into high school, Adam said it should be the student who is the primary person using CLARITY to check
their progress and make sure they’re staying on task. He added CLARITY is similar to systems colleges require students to
use to keep track of their course progress. Allowing a high school student to use CLARITY will help them develop adult
skills when it comes to taking responsibility for their education.
As good as the online tools LCPS offers are, Adam cautioned that they are not a substitute for parents communicating
with teachers. “As educators we are certainly in the business of people.”
The next LEAP program will be at 7 p.m. December 11th. The subjects will be STEM, one-to-one computing and Monroe
Technology Center.
Dr. Hatrick also spoke briefly at the end and again encouraged parents to write the letters and attend the
budget meetings to voice opinions for educational concerns
Old Business
a. New Teacher Grant Awards
- The following projects were selected to receive grants through the PTA’s Teacher Grant Program:
Harmony Hikes (Lori Demark and Nancy Stevens) $570
Speech Contest (Kristen Hepner) $175
Re-enactment of Constitutional Convention (Susan Fox) $1000
Bi-Partisan Civics Education Program (George Cassutto) $1000
Soaring into the Future (Michael Callaway) $571
Narrative Non-Fiction Book Clubs (Kristen Hepner) $710
Grade Math Program IXL (Karen McClellan) $1000
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- Brittany Baldwin presented each teacher with their reward certificates.
- Principal Stewart thanked the PTA for creating and implementing the Teacher Grant Program
New Business
 U.S. History teachers Samantha Berman and Camille Murphy presented a proposal to purchase new text books
for the 7th grade History classes. They asked the PTA for $5,827.50 to purchase 105 copies of “Our America,
1865 to present”. The PTA was unable to provide the funds at this time but asked the teachers to submit the
proposal again the next time the PTA does the Teacher Grant process.
 Ashby Snare wanted to know what to do with the large number of rewards that Harmony had through Coke
Rewards and Campbell’s Soup Rewards. It was decided that the rewards would be used for products to fill gift
baskets to be raffled off during Teacher Appreciation Week.
 Kathy Reed to contact Kim Trombley (Events Coordiator) to see what is being planned for the second semester.
PTA discussed a Winter party or possibly a Mardi Gras party. Kim will need to e-mail Ashley Holt in the main
office for dates that are available for a Winter party or a Mardi Gras party.
Announcements
NEXT PTA GENERAL MEETING – The next general meeting will held on Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at 6:30 pm in
the Harmony library.
Adjournment - The meeting adjourned at 4:31 pm.
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