Call to Order #
The virtual meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM. 37 participants were present. Executive Committee members in attendance:
- Sharon Burd, President
- Ken Venable, VP for Educational Programs
- Clare Rosenberger, VP for Fundraising
- Megan Miller, VP for Community Relations
- Meredith Greene, VP for Events
- Ashley Farrugia, VP for Staff Appreciation
- Christian Lindstrom, Treasurer
- Dan Burd, Secretary
PTA Updates #
Approval of Meeting Minutes #
Membership voted to approve the December 13, 2022 meeting minutes.
Treasurer’s Report #
Christian Lindstrom, Treasurer
Christian provided the Treasurer’s report. The financial statements are here and here.
Events #
Meredith Greene, VP for Events
Meredith stated that Winter Wonderland has changed to a skating event to be held at the Pentagon City ice rink from 6:00 to 8:00. It will be a free event. People are asked to sign up and to wear spirit gear.
Staff Appreciation #
Ashley Farrugia, VP for Staff Appreciation
Ashley requested that volunteers sign up here to deliver treats to Abingdon staff on the Friday before the Super Bowl at 10:00. She also stated that teachers will be given Valentine cookies. Additionally, she said that Abingdon will host Girls on the Run in the spring.
Educational Programs #
Ken Venable, VP for Educational Programs
Ken stated that enrichment will start next week, on Tuesday, January 17. Ken is also working on getting lights in the crosswalk on Abingdon where we used to have a crossing guard.
Fundraising #
Clare Rosenberger, VP for Fundraising
Clare said that the Read-a-thon will be the first two full weeks of February (Secretary’s note: the Read-a-Thon has since been moved to March). She encouraged parents to log their minutes and ask relatives for donations. This is the PTA’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Clare also wants to do a book swap.
Community Relations #
Megan Miller, VP for Community Relations
Megan stated that the winter coat drive and the gift card collection were big successes. The snack pantry continues and there is a new SignUpGenius link to help with that.
We’re also starting a drive for gently-used clothing to build an “extras” closet for students who have an accident or get hurt. There will be a bin out front for that.
Secretary’s Report #
Dan Burd, Secretary
Dan said that the county-wide Reflections ceremony will be held at Washington-Liberty High School on January 17 at 6:30 PM. Three Abingdon students’ art will be featured. This is the first time in about ten years that Abingdon will be represented on the county level.
Dan also spoke about the difficulties of an Abingdon parent with limited English proficiency in deciphering their child’s report card. Dan reached out to PTA officials at other schools, who confirmed their families encountered similar difficulties. The CCPTA took up the issue and drafted a letter to APS outlining potential solutions.
President’s Report #
Sharon Burd, President
- The PTA had received requests to supply feminine hygiene products. However, by state law, school systems are required to make these available. APS has not been in compliance with this law. In response to our inquiries, the CCPTA drafted a letter to APS urging them to comply with the law, and APS replied saying that they would.
- We will have an MLK Day of Service in the Abingdon Garden on Monday, January 16 from 10 AM to 12 PM to cover the garden in cardboard and woodchips to suppress weeds.
- We will be selling Lovelines in the yearbook, which are little messages that students’ families can place in the yearbook. They help offset the cost of the yearbooks, so that we can give yearbooks to the entire 5th grade graduating class at no cost to them. We will share more information about this soon.
Principal’s Report #
David Horak, Prinicpal
Anne Oliveira, Assistant Principal
Michele Micael, Assistant Principal
- Feminine hygiene products ought to be available throughout APS schools by this summer.
- We had a very successful Middle School Information Night last night with about 50 families in attendance.
- There will be no boundary changes for next year. We are at about 95% capacity and APS expects attendance to be consistent next year.
- The 2023-2024 calendar was approved in the week before break.
- Let us know if you or someone you know would like to serve as a substitute teacher.
- Students in first and second grade, and students who are new to Arlington in 1st-5th grade, will take a cognitive abilities test. Those results should be posted. It’s a snapshot of a child’s abilities on one day.
- There’s a kindergarten information session coming up on January 30. In February and March there will be in-person information sessions.
- There are other standardized tests going on now or soon. January tends to be a little more test-heavy. Without snow days, we can complete those tests and return to instruction.
Questions and Answers #
Q: The PTA has received requests for headphones, but this need may be best met by the school or by APS. Can the school meet the need, or would the school benefit from PTA advocacy to APS?
A: The school will meet this need. We provided some headphones in the beginning of the year but they broke.
Q: Given recent deaths in the Abingdon community, how can we best support Abingdon staff?
A: Be there for the staff and help in any way possible.
Counseling at Abingdon #
Vasthy Delgado, Renee Edwards and Sarah Mullinax — School Counselors
Presentation slides are available here.
Abingdon’s counselors’ presentation described:
- The role of counselors at Abingdon
- Classroom and schoolwide counseling programs
- The roles of other members of the Student Support Team
Questions and Answers #
Q: What can be done to support a student who is self-harming?
A: Please have their parent refer them to us.
Adjournment #
- The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 PM.
- The next meeting will be Tuesday, February 21 at 7 PM.
/s/ Dan Burd, Secretary