The last General PTA Meeting of the school year will be this Tuesday, June 2 at 8:30 pm.   Please log onto the Zoom meeting HERE to participate.

Everyone is welcome to participate, but only official PTA members of the 2019-20 school year can vote.  If you can’t attend the meeting but still wish to vote, please check your email for special instructions or ask Candice at [email protected] to resend it.  We will be discussing the changes to our plans due to COVID-19, budget considerations, and electing a new PTA Board for the next school year.

Below is the ballot of candidates for consideration.  Those who are new candidates have written an introduction to voters; those who are incumbents have a description of the role they’ve been performing this year.

PRESIDENT CANDIDATE: SARA MURPHY

Although many of you already know me as The Book Fair Lady or perhaps Warren’s mom, I am now writing to introduce myself as a candidate for the 2020-2021 Herndon Elementary School  PTA President.  I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our current PTA Board, who have served this community well and collectively prepared the PTA for 2020-21. Our children’s next school year will likely look very different, be full of transitions and, unfortunately, great uncertainty. I will lead the PTA in a way that will best support our teachers, we parents and, most importantly, all of our Herndon Elementary School students.

My professional background as a Speech-Language Pathologist has given me much experience in the school setting.  I am familiar with students of all abilities and I am well experienced with supporting teachers in a variety of ways.  Obviously as a parent I want a great educational experience for my kids and constantly look for ways to support the teachers and staff at Herndon Elementary.

Volunteering has been a passion of mine for many years.  I truly enjoy sharing my time and talents with those around me and especially those who are at the center of helping me grow my children!  Our HES community is special.  We have a school full of teachers and staff who are dedicated to helping ALL of our children succeed.  I look forward to helping ensure that we as the Parent-Teacher Association can support the professionals in our building to provide the best opportunities to the students of Herndon Elementary in the coming years.

I hope that knowing you have a dedicated, consistent leader heading your PTA will give you some sense of comfort for the Fall.  I look forward to supporting Ms. Fennessy, her successor,  and all of the staff and teachers as we navigate this unique situation.

VICE-PRESIDENT OF VOLUNTEERS: VACANT
(Contact [email protected] if interested)

 

VICE-PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIP CANDIDATE: MARTINA WILLIS

Hello, everyone!  My name is Martina Willis.  I am a mom of four small kids: a rising 5th grader, twins who are rising 2nd graders, a 3 year old (who enjoys reminding me that she is almost 4 and the boss of everything) and an old chihuahua mix named Zeus, who spends his days wondering why everyone is home constantly and being thankful he is deaf so he doesn’t have to deal with the racket.

I am from Ireland, born and raised.  I met my husband in South Korea, where I was teaching and he was deployed with the US Army.  My background is highly varied but all center around English language arts and sociology.  I’ve been a marketing professional, a teacher, a broadcast advertising producer, amongst many other things.  I have lived and travelled throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.  I have also been a military wife.  These days, I stay home and tend to my little (big) family.  We have lived in Herndon for 6 years.  We love our community and our amazing school.  This past year, myself and two other HES moms started a new Girl Scout troop based out of HES, I am one of the troop leaders.  It has been a lot of fun guiding our fun, enthusiastic, curious, future leaders.

I am very excited to be a candidate for the 2020-2021 PTA as VP of Membership.  I love helping out and volunteering at our amazing school.  I love the community spirit that has blossomed there over under the leadership and guardianship of our incredible Principal Fennessy.  We really are a lucky bunch to have the administration, teachers and all the staff that we do.  They have done amazing things and are so active in our community.  Their true colors have really shown over the past few months.  They have gone above and beyond their call of duty: checking in with their students and families, creating fun challenges for kids to do at home, making fun and educational videos, keeping their students and families involved and motivated.  In some ways, I feel even more connected to our school than I did before.  Our teachers and staff have truly risen to the task.  I am beyond thankful for all that they have done and continue to do.

It is a scary time for everyone.  I know that as a mom it can be terrifying out there in the real world right now but I also know that with the support of our fantastic school community, we can band together and support each other through this difficult time.  This is why I want to be a more active part of our community: I want to help, to support, to participate, to give back – on regular days and on scarier, more demanding days, too.  No one knows what the future holds at the moment, but I know that we are better as a team. Our community can do great things, whether it is physically or virtually; we just need to come together and be present for one another.  The PTA is an amazing resource to carry us all through this time of uncertainty, to raise community spirit, to help our school to continue to be the best version of itself and to support our incredible staff as they try to navigate this new landscape.  I hope that I can represent you all and do all I can as we weather this storm together.

The current PTA are leaving huge shoes to fill, but I am confident that, with their guidance, the 2020-2021 team will also rise up and do amazing things.

SECRETARY CANDIDATE: CANDICE SPAULDING

 

TREASURER CANDIDATE: TOMOKO AZUMA