Harmony Elementary PTA

Archives for April 2020

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Harmony Elementary SBDM Council Parent Election Results

The results are in for our 2020-2021 SBDM parent election. Thank you to both nominees for your interest in this position. The elected nominee is Julie Bucalos. Her 2 year term will begin July 1, 2020. 

Julie Bucalos 

Julie will have two children at Harmony for the 2020-2021 school year. Anthony will be in 4th  grade and Deanie will be in Kindergarten. Julie has served Harmony as a member of the PTA and VP of the Husky Hustle for the past 4 years. An advocate for children with special needs, Julie has advanced degrees in Special Education. She is a self employed behavior specialist and special education consultant for children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism. Prior to self employment, Julie had a career as a public school educator for over 16 years. Julie understands the challenges faced by KY public schools and seeks to serve and support Harmony so that all children can have an authentic and meaningful educational experience.

Congratulations, Julie! Thank you to everyone for your interest in our school!

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Harmony Elementary PTA Meeting Minutes – 4/14/2020

Below are the main points from this update meeting. To view this Facebook live update meeting you can go to https://www.facebook.com/kyharmonypta/live/

Recording Secretary, Holly Wood

  • The minutes from our March 10, 2020 meeting are available online. Approval of these must be held at next in-person meeting
  • Minutes will be taken from tonight and posted to the website as well. This video will also remain on our Facebook page.
    • These will also reviewed at the next in-person meeting

A Message from our Principal, Sue Hackmiller

I would like to encourage parents and families to refer to the Harmony NTI Family Hub for any and all updates.  Community events are posted there in an effort to help us stay connected.

Parade:  We had planned a parade through our resident area. Unfortunately, as we were planning we were told that we could not host any parades or opportunities to have folks out because it encouraged students and families to disregard the social distancing guidelines.  Our Governor wants all of us to be healthy at home and to forfeit any activities that are non essential. Therefore we will not be hosting a parade of any kind at this time.

Online registration is up and running.  All existing families must register for next year.  All new families should follow the directions on our website so that they can begin the registration process.  We are not accepting any paper documents at this time.  When we are able to be together we will define a time to come in to the school and finish the registration process. In the meantime, families can be sure to gather all of the required documents so that they are completely prepared.

5th grade completion:  We have not made any decisions regarding this ceremony. What we do know though is that we are committed to hosting some sort of completion ceremony and celebration whether that be at the conclusion of this year or the beginning of next.  It all depends on the current circumstances.

Ms. Hackmiller would like everyone to know that she is available each day if anyone needs anything.  Email is the best way to connect with her.

President’s Report, Jessy Maggard

  • Remaining 2020 Planning
    • All spending of PTA funds is currently on hold. We are to pay any outstanding bills that are due or past due.  At this time with school not being in regular session we’ve been asked by the state to hold off on any spending for the remainder of the time that the students are not in the building.
      • Our Spring Event, formerly Mother/Son event, which was to be held in April has been canceled.
      • For our 5th Grade celebrations we will work with Harmony administrative staff and their decision of the 5th Grade Completion Ceremony to see how we can contribute/celebrate. While there likely will not be a picnic this year, as that is often held in late April, we will work to still try to do the 5th grade t-shirts. Please note that all of this depends on what happens in the days ahead.
      • Papa John’s has been very supportive this year for our monthly Dine to Donate Fundraiser nights helping us raise over $500 to date, so we will continue to support them. We will continue with our Dine to Donate Papa John’s nights for April and May. April is coming up this Thursday. And May is 5/21.
  • Spirit Wear
    Our spring spirit wear is ready. Normally Kristen, our spirit wear chair, would’ve picked the items up and distributed them at school. Please review our Spring Newsletter for options.
  • Supply Kits
    • To order a kit, go to   http://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/kits.php?sid=42569  and purchase the kit for the grade your child(ren) will be in next year.
    • To buy your own supplies, you can find the supply lists here on our website .
  • SBDM Nominations and Election
    • This year, there are two options for submitting your nomination form. You may print off the form, complete it, scan it and email it to me at pta.president.hes@gmail.com or you can complete this online Google form. You can find the form at our website under the About PTA Menu.    https://forms.gle/1Q2iAPBZ75ypZS1y6
      Either option you choose, forms are due by 8:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
    • I will compile all nominee statements and send those out by Friday, April 24th.
    • The online election will begin Monday, April 27th and end on Wednesday, April 29th at 8:30pm. This will be conducted as a Google form as well.
      If you will have a child enrolled at Harmony next year, you are eligible to vote in this election. (This includes parents, step-parents, and foster parents.) Every parent/guardian gets 1 (one) vote (same as always), even if they have multiple children in the school. If a parent/guardian votes more than once the last vote is the only vote that will be counted.I urge every parent to participate in this important decision about the future of our children’s school.
      Results will be announced on Thursday. April 30, 2020.
  • Reimbursements
    • This is a reminder to all room parents and committee chairs. Please turn in your reimbursements to Becky as soon as possible.
      • Go to our website, click on the Forms menu, download the Reimbursement form. You can print the form and fill it in then scan or take a photo of it, or complete it electronically.
      • Email the completed form to Becky at pta.treasurer.hes@gmail.com along with scans/photos of your full receipts. Please keep all the originals should we need them later!
  • 2020-21 Executive Board
    • Our nomination committee worked hard during the winter months reaching out to Harmony parents to fill next year’s executive board. For us to have an operating PTA in good standing we must have a President, Treasurer and Secretary. I am happy to announce we have all 3 thanks to some amazing volunteers! For next year..
      The role of PTA President will be held by Kristin Rutledge.
      The role of Treasurer will be held by Amy Keller
      The role of Secretary will be held by Brittany McKenna
      There are 4 more positions that complete the executive board. And we have 3 of those filled at this time.
      Financial Secretary, Marianne Bezuidenhout (Be-zy-den-hout)
      VP Membership, Ashley Smith
      VP Husky Hustle, Co-Chaired by Amanda Besore and Julie Bucalos
      VP Programs, Open
      In addition to our executive board there are many chairperson roles that make up our PTA. Information will be coming out soon on those roles and how to sign up if you are interested.

Treasurer’s Report, Becky French

  • April Budget Report & 2020-21 Draft Budget
    • Both of these can be found here. If there are any questions, please contact Becky. Approval vote for the 2020-21 Budget will be done at next in-person meeting

Announcements/Upcoming Events

  • Yearbooks – While PTA is not compiling the yearbook this year, we wanted to let you know they are still for sale! Order today at  https://harmony.picaboo.com/   Questions about the yearbook? Contact Mrs. Shoup at theresa.shoup@oldham.kyschools.us
  • Papa John’s Harmony Night, Thursday April 16th (This Thursday)
  • Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8th. Our hospitality committee is working on a plan should this need to be done virtually.
  • Next PTA Meeting, Tuesday May 12, 2020 at TBD

Thank you to everyone for your support this year! It’s been an honor being a part of such a wonderful community. We will get through this together. Stay well, stay safe and be healthy at home. Thanks for joining me and good night!

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SBDM 2020-2021 Election Nominees

It’s Time to Elect our 2020-2021 Parent Members Harmony Elementary Site Based Decision Making Council 

April 24, 2020 

Dear Harmony School Parents, 
 
There were two nominations for the parent representative for a 2 year term for 2020-2021. Below are their statements they submitted explaining why they want to be on the council.  

Julie Bucalos 

Julie will have two children at Harmony for the 2020-2021 school year. Anthony will be in 4th  grade and Deanie will be in Kindergarten. Julie has served Harmony as a member of the PTA and VP of the Husky Hustle for the past 4 years. An advocate for children with special needs, Julie has advanced degrees in Special Education. She is a self employed behavior specialist and special education consultant for children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism. Prior to self employment, Julie had a career as a public school educator for over 16 years. Julie understands the challenges faced by KY public schools and seeks to serve and support Harmony so that all children can have an authentic and meaningful educational experience. 

Libby Helgeson 

As a former elementary educator with an emphasis in curriculum development, as well as providing professional development for educators, I have a passion for academic excellence and meeting the academic needs for all students.  I bring education experience from Minnesota, Texas, and Kansas as a parent and/or educator.  As a member of the Site Based Decision Making committee I will apply my diverse professional educational experiences to aide in the continued academic success for our Harmony Huskies.   

The online election will begin Monday, April 27th and end on Wednesday, April 29th at 8:30pm at https://forms.gle/3y1ZsWuzcGZzQmLd7  If you will have a child enrolled at Harmony next year, you are eligible to vote in this election. (This includes parents, step-parents, and foster parents.) Every parent/guardian gets 1 (one) vote (same as always), even if they have multiple children in the school. If a parent/guardian votes more than once the last vote is the only vote that will be counted. I urge every parent to participate in this important decision about the future of our children’s school. 

Results will be announced (and a run-off election held if necessary) on Thursday. April 30, 2020. 

Thank you for your interest in our school, and please let me know if you have any questions. 

Sincerely, 
Jessy Maggard 
Harmony Elementary PTA President 
pta.president.hes@gmail.com 

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Dine to Donate – Papa John’s Night

 

Thursday, April 16th is our monthly Papa John’s Dine to Donate night. Use the promo code HARMONY20 and 20% of your purchase price will go to support Harmony PTA.

Papa John’s now offers a touchless experience with No Contact Delivery service. Here is a link for how our new “No Contact Delivery” service works: https://www.papajohns.com/no-contact-delivery/. Thank you to Papa John’s for your support this year!

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Harmony Elementary PTA Meeting Agenda – 4/14/2020

General Meeting April 14, 2020 – Agenda (Meeting time updated to 9pm)

Due to COVID-19 and the need for social distancing, and given that we are all keeping up with NTI, work schedules and keeping up with our kiddos during the day, this month’s PTA meeting time has changed to 9pm. 

Join the meeting on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kyharmonypta/live/

This will be mostly an informative meeting, but I will be watching the comments for any questions, and do my best to answer them. If I don’t get to your question on the live meeting, I’ll review them all afterwards and get back with you. You may also submit questions to me before the meeting via email and I can address them on the live feed.

Executive Board Members

President, Jessy Maggard
VP Programs, Deirdre Weber
VP Membership, Ari Willey
VP Hustle, Amanda Besore
Treasurer, Becky French
Financial Secretary, Dani Reich
Recording Secretary, Holly Wood

Recording Secretary, Holly Wood

  • Mention of minutes from March 10, 2020 meeting, approval must be held at next in-person meeting

A Message from our Principal, Sue Hackmiller

President, Jessy Maggard

  • Remaining 2020 Planning
  • Spirit Wear
  • Supply Kits
  • SBDM Nominations and Election 
  • Reimbursements
  • 2020-21 Executive Board

Treasurer’s Report, Becky French

Announcements/Upcoming Events

  • Papa John’s Harmony Night, Thursday April 16, 2020 
  • Next PTA Meeting, Tuesday May 12, 2020 at TBD 

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PTA Updates – Spring Edition

Hello Harmony Families! I hope this message finds you and your family well. We are all going through a lot of change right now, and it’s wonderful to know that we have such a supportive staff and community. We are all in this together, and we will get through this. There still things happening with your PTA and there are some updates I would like to pass along to each of you.

Spring Spirit Wear Orders
Spring spirit wear orders are complete. To reduce the number of hands on your orders, and to keep everyone healthy at home, to anyone who ordered spring spirit wear there are a couple of options you can do.

  1. Call Shively Sporting Goods arrange for your order to be shipped to your home. There will be a shipping charge involved in this option and that cost depends on your order.Contact Rob Davis at Shively Sporting Goods 502-448-7272 ext. 19 or email r.davis@ shivelysportinggoods.com
    Be patient with this option please, as it will take time for them to pull your order and prepare for shipping with their limited staff.
  2. Wait until the PTA can pick up the remaining orders in bulk and distribution will be arranged. The timeline for this option is unknown.

It’s time for our annual SBDM nominations and election. Due to COVID-19, the state policy was updated to allow for electronic voting. Please review the attached letter and nomination form. This year, there are two options for submitting your nomination form. You may print off the form, complete it, scan it and email it to me at pta.president.hes@gmail.com or you can complete this online Google form   https://forms.gle/ 1Q2iAPBZ75ypZS1y6    Forms are due by 8:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.

School Supply Kits
With registration upon us, it is also time to prepare for next year with school supplies. We are teaming up again with 1st Day School Supplies to make shopping for school supplies an easy task right from home. Your PTA brings you this as an optional service, not a fundraiser.  So that means the pricing is very similar to what you would find at local stores. Ordered kits will be waiting for your child in their new classroom on open house night.

  1. To order a kit, go to 1st Day School Supplies and purchase the kit for the grade your child(ren) will be in next year.
  2. To buy your own supplies, you can find the supply lists here on our website 

Yearbooks Are Still On Sale!
While PTA is not compiling the yearbook this year, we wanted to let you know they are still for sale! Order today at  https://harmony.picaboo. com/   Questions about the yearbook? Contact Mrs. Shoup at theresa.shoup@oldham. kyschools.us

Upcoming PTA Meeting
We are planning to hold our next PTA meeting virtually at 9pm on Tuesday, April 14th on our Facebook page  This will be mostly an informative meeting, but I will be watching the comments for any questions, and do my best to answer them. If I don’t get to your question on the live meeting, I’ll review them all afterwards and get back with you. You may also submit questions to me before the meeting via email and I can address them on the live feed. The agenda and budget will be posted to our website soon for you to review and follow along. Hope you can join in!

Feel free to contact me with any questions concerning any of the points above. Also, be sure you are following us on Facebook @kyharmonypta to stay up to date on all things PTA.

Thank you to everyone for your support this year! It’s been an honor being a part of such a wonderful community. We will get through this together. Stay well, stay safe and be healthy at home.

Jessy Maggard
Harmony Elementary PTA President