Archive for month: January, 2021
Dyslexia Open House
Date: January 26, 2021
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: Zoom Meeting
Link Below:
https://harmonytx.zoom.us/
Hello parents,
Happy new year! Thanks to State Farm sponsorship, we are thrilled to offer FREE Saturday Coding Clubs for the community!! We will start on February 6 and these 1-hour sessions go on for 10 Saturdays. RSVP is not required. Visit Facebook or Meetup and select your club under Feb 6, find the webinar room link (MS Teams) there to join!
Spring break for most DFW schools is either March 8-12 or March 15-19. So, we are running most camps in both weeks! # of camps have been greatly expanded (thanks to partnerships with Rex Academy & Wize Computing Academy): Minecraft, Kodu, Robotics, Cybersecurity, Virtual Reality & 3D modeling. UTD Biology department will offer a Biology camp as well. We have added two camps for 1st & 2nd graders too. Visit sites.google.com/view/utdsbcc21 for all the details and register here.
Our summer camp schedule will be posted in 2 weeks or so. Stay tuned!
Esteemed Harmony Family,
I hope that you had an enjoyable winter break and are looking forward to an exceptional semester! We are proud to announce that we plan to open an Early College High School (ECHS) program starting the 2021-2022 school year, free of cost. The ECHS initiative provides students the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree or up to 60 college credit hours toward a bachelor’s degree while in high school. Please note the following:
1) You may access our brochure for more details about the program. The brochure contains information on the initiative, the purpose, eligibility, benefits, expectations, and important dates.
2) The application is open to any interested 8th grade student from any school and can be accessed by clicking on this link. The application must be completed and submitted by February 5th, 2021.
3) Students interested in applying for the ECHS must also submit one of the following:
- a) The Reenrollment Form (scholars who currently attend HSA-Laredo)
- b) The school’s general application (students currently enrolled in a school other than Harmony)
We look forward to offering this new and exciting opportunity to our scholars– have an exceptional day and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!
In accordance with the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented students, Harmony Public Schools will begin taking referrals for all interested students in grades K-12 for Gifted and Talented (G/T) screening.
Anyone interested in the educational welfare of these students may nominate them for assessment. Students in grades 2 & up who were tested in Fall 2020 are not eligible to test in Spring 2021. Referral forms are available at the front office and on the school’s website.
Referral Form (English): Parent GT Referral Form in English
Referral Form (Spanish): Parent GT Referral Form in Spanish
The referral forms must be returned to the front office by Monday, February 8, 2021. The Spring GT testing window is set by the campus in February or March. Campuses may elect to use NWEA MAP scores as a prescreening criterion for GT Testing.
For more information about the screening and identification process, parents may contact the school’s GT Coach/teacher.
Educación para estudiantes dotados/talentosos (GATE) Anuncio
De acuerdo con el Plan Estatal de Texas para la Educación de Estudiantes Dotados / Talentosos, Harmony Public Schools comenzará a tomar referencias para todos los estudiantes interesados en los grados K-12 para la evaluación de estudiantes dotados y talentosos.
Cualquier persona interesada en el bienestar educativo de estos estudiantes puede nominarlos para dicha evaluación. Los estudiantes en los grados 2 y superiores que fueron evaluados en el otoño de 2020 no son elegibles para la prueba en la primavera de 2021. Los formularios de referencia están disponibles en la oficina y en el sitio web de la escuela.
Forma de nominación: Parent GT Referral Form in Spanish
Los formularios de referencia deben devolverse a la oficina de la escuela antes del lunes 8 de febrero del 2021.
Para obtener más información sobre el proceso de selección e identificación, los padres pueden comunicarse con el entrenador / maestro de GT de la escuela.
On the first school day after important federal workplace safeguards expired for millions of Americans, Harmony Public Schools’ Executive Board voted to independently provide the much-needed benefits to its 4,000+ employees.
The benefits previously were part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), a federal program which provided American workers a number of workplace safeguards related to COVID-19. Primarily, the benefits included up to 10 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) days if an employee was unable to work due to COVID-19 diagnosis, symptoms, possible exposure, or required quarantine for themselves, a family member, or child care provider.
Those federal benefits expired December 31, 2020. However, The Harmony Public Schools’ Executive Board voted at an emergency meeting Monday night, January 4, to independently extend the same benefits to employees throughout the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
“The Harmony board felt this action was not only an important thing to do, but the right thing to do for our staff and their families,” Harmony CEO Fatih Ay said in a letter to employees Tuesday. “By offering these benefits, our team members can know that their jobs and livelihoods will not be impacted if they need to seek treatment for COVID-19 or stay home with possible symptoms. Additionally, our student families also can know that Harmony is doing all it can to take care of the team members who take care of their students, and reduce potential COVID-19 exposure on campus.”

On the first school day after important federal workplace safeguards expired for millions of Americans, Harmony Public Schools’ Executive Board voted to independently provide the much-needed benefits to its 4,000+ employees.
Harmony Public Schools is a Texas-born, Texas-wide public charter school system with campuses serving PreK-12 students in 23 cities across the state, including Greater Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Waco, Lubbock, Odessa, Bryan, Beaumont, and the Rio Grande Valley. Harmony’s curriculum places a heavy focus on STEM skills, Character Education, project-based learning, and college readiness.
The school system has committed to offering both in-person and remote learning options for students throughout the 2020-2021 school year, and is now accepting applications for new students for the 2021-22 school year.
About Harmony Public Schools
Harmony Public Schools are 58 high performing PreK-12 college preparatory charter schools throughout Texas. Harmony blends the highest standards and expectations, with a rigorous math- and science-centered curriculum and dedicated and engaged teachers and families to cultivate excellence and prepare students to succeed in college, careers and life. At Harmony Public Schools, we believe every child can succeed, and we are committed to helping them realize their full potential. To learn more about Harmony Public Schools and our 58 campuses across Texas, please visit: www.harmonytx.org, and follow us on Twitter at @HarmonyEdu and ‘Like’ us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarmonyTexas.
2019–20 School Report Card
The 2019–20 School Report Cards (SRCs) are now available on the Texas Education Agency’s website. The purpose of the SRC is to inform parents and guardians about a campus’ individual characteristics and its academic performance. Due to COVID-19, all campuses and districts received a label of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for the 2019–20 school year. Therefore, several data points have not been updated, including STAAR® and academic growth data.
If you are unable to access the report electronically and would like a paper copy of the report, please contact your school and ask for a paper copy of the 2019-2020 School Report Card.
Dear Esteemed Harmony Parent,
Attached you will find a copy of the State of Texas 2019–20 School Report Card for Harmony School of Excellence-Laredo. This report is required by the Texas Legislature and prepared by the Texas Education Agency. It is to be sent to the parent or guardian of every child enrolled in a Texas public school. The report provides information concerning student performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®), as well as information on student enrollment, class size averages, and financial expenditures. Due to COVID-19, STAAR® assessments were cancelled for the 2019–20 school year. Therefore, several data points have not been updated, including STAAR® and academic growth data.
The information contained in the School Report Card is required by state law and is briefly described in the enclosed “2019–20 School Report Card Definitions.” The report for our school may or may not have all the information described because the information presented depends on whether the school is an elementary, middle, or high school.
State law requires that the School Report Card display information about the state, the district, and the school. Where possible, the information must be reported by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status of the students and must include at least two years of results.
The School Report Cards can be found online at
A more complete report about Harmony School of Excellence-Laredo, the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR), is available by contacting my office or can be accessed online at
https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/tapr/index.html
Please contact me if you have any questions concerning this report card. Thank you for your continued support of Harmony School of Excellence-Laredo.
Sincerely,
Ahmet Cetin
Principal
For more information please click here
Estimado Padre de Familia:
Adjunto a esta carta encontrará una copia del reporte de las Calificaciones Escolares del Estado de Texas 2019–20 para Harmony School of Excellence-Laredo. Estas Calificaciones Escolares son requeridas por la Legislatura del Estado de Texas y preparadas por el departamento de educación estatal. Este reporte debe ser mandado a los padres o al guardián/mentor de cada estudiante inscrito en una escuela pública. Estas calificaciones ofrecen información concerniente al progreso académico de los estudiantes y también información sobre el número de inscripciones estudiantiles, tamaño promedio del salón escolar, y gastos escolares.
La ley estatal requiere que la información en estas calificaciones sea diseminada. Usted encontrará una breve descripción en el adjunto “Definiciones de las Calificaciones Escolares 2019–20.” El reporte que ha recibido puede o no contener toda la información descrita en estas definiciones pues el reportaje de estos datos depende de si la escuela es una primaria, secundaria o preparatoria.
La ley estatal también requiere que la información sea provista a nivel del estado, del distrito escolar, y de nuestra escuela. Esta información debe ser reportada, en tanto sea posible, por grupo étnico/raza y estatus socioeconómico de los estudiantes y debe de incluir por lo menos dos años de resultados.
También puede encontrar estas calificaciones (school report card) en el internet bajo
Usted puede obtener un reporte más completo sobre nuestra escuela en el informe del Reporte del Desempeño Académico de Texas (TAPR) ya sea que lo pida aquí en la escuela, o lo puede obtener en el internet bajo
https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/tapr/index.html
Por favor póngase en contacto con nosotros si tiene cualquier pregunta concerniente a este reporte de calificaciones escolares. Le agradezco su constante apoyo de nuestra escuela.
Sinceramente,
Ahmet Cetin
Director
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Media & Public Relations
For media requests, please send an email to media@harmonytx.org with details of the request.
For more information, please visit our Media & Public Relations page.
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Website Accessibility
Harmony Public Schools (“Harmony”) is committed to making the information on its website accessible to individuals with disabilities in compliance with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader, eye tracking device, voice recognition software, etc.) and have difficulty accessing information on the Harmony website, please contact HPS Webmaster by email at accessibility@harmonytx.org . Please include the following when communicating with Harmony regarding accessibility issues:
A description of your accessibility concern.
The format in which you prefer to receive the materials.
The web page address of the requested material(s).
The best way to contact you (email address or phone number, or both).Harmony will make appropriate accommodations to facilitate access to any website content.
Complaints regarding website accessibility may be submitted through the Public Complaint process outlined in Board Policy PG-1.12 (Public Complaints).
Please note that some pages on the Harmony website contain links to third-party sites, which are not within Harmony’s control. If you notify Harmony of problems with accessing a third-party site that is necessary to participate in one of Harmony’s programs or activities, we will make the material or information available in an accessible format.
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Report Bullying
If you are experiencing a problem with bullying at Harmony, or have other discipline-related concerns regarding one of our schools, please fill out the form at the link below for the Dean of Students.
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HPS Child Find Policy
Please click here for the HPS Child Find Policy.
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Title IX
As required by Title IX, Harmony Public Schools does not (and is required not to) discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs or activities. This non-discrimination requirement applies to admission to and employment with Harmony Public Schools. Inquiries into issues related to Title IX may be referred to Harmony’s Title IX Coordinator(s) (identified below), to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, or both.
Title IX training presentation link
Harmony’s Title IX Coordinators:
Students/student matters:
Charles Lambert
Director of Internal Investigations
HPS Central Office
clambert@harmonytx.org
713-343-3333 x1104 Employee and applicant matters
Kelly Ann Hebeler
Director of Employee Relations
HPS Central Office
khebeler@harmonytx.org -
Non-discrimination Statement as Part of the School's Admission Policy
It is the policy of HPS not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability in its programs, services, or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, please contact Section 504/ADA Coordinator at (713) 343-3333 located at 9321 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S. Houston, TX 77099.
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Non-discrimination Statement in Career and Technical Education Programs
HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS offers support to school district for career and technical education programs in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications; Business Management and Administration; Education and Training; Finance; Government and Public Administration; Health Science; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security; Manufacturing; Marketing; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics. Admission to these programs is based on enrollment in HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS secondary schools.
It is the policy of HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap in its CTE programs, services or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
It is the policy of HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, or age in its employment practices as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS will take steps to assure that lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in all educational and CTE programs.
For information about your rights or grievance procedures, contact the Title IX Coordinator, CHARLES LAMBERT, and/or the Section 504 Coordinator, IHSAN KARA, at 9321 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S. Houston, TX 77099, Phone: (713) 343-3333.
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Aviso de No discriminación en los Programas de Educación Profesional y
Técnica
Las Escuelas Públicas Harmony ofrecen programas vocacionales en Agricultura, Alimentación y Recursos Naturales; Arquitectura y Construcción; Artes, Tecnología de Audio / Video y Comunicaciones; Administración de Negocios y Administración; Educación y Entrenamiento; Finanzas; Gobierno y Administración Pública; Ciencias de la salud; Hospitalidad y Turismo; Recursos Humanos; Tecnología de la Información; Derecho; Seguridad Pública, Correccionales y Seguridad; Manufactura; Mercadeo; Ciencias, Tecnología, Ingeniería y Matemáticas; Transporte, Distribución y Logística. La admisión a estos programas se basa en el número de estudiantes de secundaria registrados en las Escuelas Públicas Harmony.
Es norma de las Escuelas Públicas Harmony no discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo o impedimento, en sus programas, servicios o actividades de CTE, tal como lo requieren el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda; el Título IX de las Enmiendas en la Educación, de 1972, y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, según enmienda.
Es norma de las Escuelas Públicas Harmony no discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, impedimento o edad, en sus procedimientos de empleo, tal como lo requieren el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda; el Título IX de las Enmiendas en la Educación, de 1972, la ley de Discriminación por Edad, de 1975, según enmienda, y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, según enmienda.
Las Escuelas Públicas Harmony tomarán las medidas necesarias para asegurar que la falta de habilidad en el uso del inglés no sea un obstáculo para la admisión y participación en todos los programas educativos y CTE.
Para información sobre sus derechos o procedimientos para quejas, comuníquese con el Coordinador del Título IX, CHARLES LAMBERT, y/o el Coordinador de la Sección 504, IHSAN KARA, a la siguiente dirección: 9321 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S. Houston, TX 77099, Teléfono: (713) 343-3333.
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TX Transition and Employment Guide
The Texas Transition and Employment Guide provides youth, young adults, parents and professionals with secondary transition resources to facilitate a young person’s progress towards post-secondary goals to education, employment, and community living.
Please choose a version to display the guide:
— English
— Spanish
HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DR. ONER ULVI CELEPCIKAY, MR. HOMER STEWART, MRS. HELEN SHERWOOD, DR. HAKDURAN KOC, DR. OSMAN NAL, DR. OSMAN KANLIOGLU, MS. LAURA GONZALES