announcement

2023 Public Comment on Federal Grant Applications

We are moving into the time of the year when we make plans and apply for Federal Funds applications (ESSA) for next school year, and we would like to gather parent and community feedback for our applications. Please use one of the public comment links below to share your comments or feedback with us:

Estamos entrando en la época del año en que hacemos planes y solicitamos solicitudes de fondos federales (ESSA) para el próximo año escolar, y nos gustaría recopilar comentarios de los padres y la comunidad para nuestras solicitudes. Utilice uno de los enlaces de comentarios públicos a continuación para compartir sus comentarios o comentarios con nosotros:

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Our Drone Team have made history!

The Flying Tigers have made history! Our incredible team triumphed over middle and high school competitors to secure a spot in the national championship of the Aerial Drone Competition. Our students’ hard work and dedication paid off, earning them both the Tournament Champion title and the Judges Award – a remarkable feat, especially considering that we were the only elementary school team at the tournament. The Flying Tigers truly reign supreme. Let’s give them a round of applause! Go Flying Tigers!

 

 

 

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Harmony Science and Engineering Fair Logo

Join the 9th Annual Harmony Science and Engineering Fair

Dear Students,

We hope you will consider joining us with your projects for our 9th annual Harmony Science and Engineering Fair (H-SEF).

H-SEF 2023 will be virtual in two rounds this year. Details can be found here.

It is open to the 6th -12th grade level students.

The application deadline is March 3rd, 2023.
Registration link: https://harmonytx.org/hsef

H-SEF 2023 Committee

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Harmony makes history, winning TASBO Award of Excellence for finance

Harmony Public Schools is the first public charter school to win the prestigious Award of Excellence in Financial Management by the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO), the organization has announced.
The award is given to Texas school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and education services centers that demonstrate professional standards, best practices, and innovations in the area of financial management and reporting.
The criteria to qualify for the Award of Excellence in Financial Management is stringent, based on financial accounting and reporting guidelines identified by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Financial Accountability System Resource Guide (FASRG). Applicants must submit documents across 11 key areas, which are reviewed by a TASBO accounting subcommittee.
“Making sure that each of our financial decisions is efficient, effective, and, most importantly, ethical is among our greatest operational priorities,” Harmony CEO Fatih Ay said. “In doing so, we are able to maximize our resources and provide our students with the most robust educational experience that can be offered.
“We are extraordinarily pleased to be honored with this award,” Ay said, “and are grateful to our finance team for putting our schools in a prime position to succeed.”
Harmony also was awarded its second Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations by TASBO. The Award of Merit was established in 2009 to recognize Texas school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and education services centers that are committed to following professional standards in the acquisition of goods and services. Harmony remains the only charter school system to earn the award.
“These organizations have gone above and beyond to demonstrate transparency by meticulously documenting their districts’ policies and procedures,” said Tracy Ginsburg, TASBO Executive Director. “Not only have they showcased the ways they monitor spending, improve budgeting, implement controls, and enhance financial reporting, but they have shared their best practices with colleagues throughout Texas, helping even more educational organizations to better utilize taxpayer dollars.”
Members of the district’s finance team will be honored at an awards reception sponsored by Frontline Education in San Antonio, Texas, on February 15 during the 2023 TASBO annual conference.
Led by Chief Financial Officer Ebru Akyildiz, Harmony’s finance department includes 30 team members specializing in six separate subdepartments: purchasing, payroll, grants, budgets, accounting and capital management.
The department has implemented a number of industry-leading best practices, including working with the Texas Education Agency, TASBO and independent, external auditors to ensure transparency and accountability in all financial operations.
For the department’s efforts, Harmony also was awarded seven “A” ratings by the TEA in its annual FIRST Financial Accountability Ratings during the most recent award cycle in 2022.
Harmony also was the first double-rated charter school system in the U.S. to be highly rated (“BBB”) by Moody’s and S&P Global with (“AAA”) long-term program rating that reflects Harmony’s qualification for the Texas Permanent School Fund (PSF) Bond Guarantee Program.
“We are one of the largest Texas charter management organizations, but we don’t want to just speak about our size – we want to be able to speak about our quality and the accuracy in our processes,” Akyildiz said.
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.
Harmony is now accepting applications for both students and team members for the 2023-24 school year.
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School Closing Update for Friday, Feb. 3, 2023

UPDATE: For the safety of our students, their families, and our staff, and out of an abundance of caution, all Harmony campuses in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, as well as its District offices, will remain closed Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. All extracurricular activities on Friday are also canceled.

Please stay safe and warm, and we’ll see you on Monday!

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School Closing Update for Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023

UPDATE: All Harmony campuses in Dallas/Fort Worth, as well as the District Office, will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 2, due to continued unsafe road conditions. All extra-curricular activities are also canceled for tomorrow.
Further updates or changes to school operations will be communicated through our school Messenger system, school website, and official Facebook pages.
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School Closure Update for Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023

UPDATE: All Harmony North Texas & Waco schools, as well as the District Office, will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 1, due to continued winter weather conditions. All extra-curricular activities are also canceled for tomorrow.

We will continue to closely monitor roadway reports for Thursday, Feb. 2. Any additional updates or changes to school operations for Thursday will be communicated through our school Messenger system, school website, and official Facebook pages.

Stay warm and safe!

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School Closing Update for Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023

All Harmony North Texas & Waco schools, as well as the District Office, will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 31, due to anticipated winter weather this evening and overnight. All extra-curricular activities are also canceled for tomorrow.
We will continue to closely monitor the weather for Wednesday, Feb. 1. Any additional updates or changes to school operations for Wednesday will be communicated to our Harmony families through our school Messenger system, school website, and official Facebook pages.
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HSI Euless 2022 Federal Report Card

Federal_Report_Card_2022_161807012

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HSI Euless logo

STEM Festival and Open House

Dear Parents and Community Members,

We are excited to invite you to our annual STEM Festival on January 28th from 10 am to 1 pm. This is a fantastic opportunity for your you to learn what your child experiences at our school about science, technology, engineering, and math through interactive exhibits.

We hope you will join us for this fun and educational event.

We look forward to seeing you at the STEM Festival!

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GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION (GATE) ANNOUNCEMENT

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 1 & up who were tested in Fall 2022 are not eligible to test in Spring 2023. Referral forms are available at the front office and on the school’s website (see below).
The referral forms must be returned or emailed to the front office by January 31, 2023. 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 Coordinator/Teacher.

Parent GT Referral Form in English

ANUNCIO DE EDUCACIÓN PARA DOTADOS Y TALENTOSOS (GATE) 
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 1 y superiores que fueron evaluados en el otoño de 2022 no son elegibles para la prueba en la primavera de 2023. Los formularios de referencia están disponibles en la oficina y en el sitio web de la escuela.
Los formularios de referencia deben devolverse a la oficina de la escuela antes del lunes 31 de enero del 2023. Los campus pueden optar por utilizar las puntuaciones de NWEA MAP como criterios de preselección para las pruebas de GT.
Para obtener más información sobre el proceso de selección e identificación, los padres pueden comunicarse con el entrenador / maestro de GT de la escuela.

Parent GT Referral Form in Spanish

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AWARD CEREMONY

Dear Parents,

 

 

As we come to the end of 2022, we would like to acknowledge our students’ efforts with an award ceremony on Thursday, December 15, 2022.

Parents are allowed to come for the award ceremony but will be required to check in with an ID at the front office before the ceremony. Students are allowed to come in free dress for this occasion. Please adhere to the dress code in our Student Handbook.

 

8:00 am- 10:00 am – Kindergarten and 1st grade students

10:30 am – 11:45 am – 4th and 5th grade students

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm – 2nd and 3rd grade students

A brief explanation of the awards that will be given out:

  1. Perfect Attendance – Students that have perfect attendance for the entire semester with NO school or class tardies, no absences, no early sign-outs. (Excused absences are not considered as perfect attendance)
  2. “A/B” Honor Roll- This award recognizes outstanding students who have earned an A and B average (80-100%) for the end of the first semester.
  3. Specials Award- This will recognize 1 student from each grade level that has made exemplary contributions to their special class. This student has shown exceptional skill and potential in the special area.
  4. “A” Honor Roll- This award recognizes outstanding students who have earned an A average (90% or above) for the end of the first seme
  5. ster.
  6. Principal Award- This will recognize 1 student from each class that has made exemplary contributions to their class and school, has shown strong leadership skills, and is a role model to his/her peers for the entire semester.

Please remember that important instruction is still happening in our classrooms for the rest of the day. Please do not check your child out of class early so they can complete the remainder of their learning.

Let’s go viral by using the hashtag #HSIEulessAwards and post your award ceremony experience on Social Media!

We look forward to celebrating our childrens’ accolades!

HSI Euless Administration, Faculty and Staff

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STAAR INTERIM ASSESSMENT

Dear HSI – Euless Families,

 

Our campus will once again be participating in STAAR Interim testing. STAAR Interim testing will take place the week of December 6 – 8 (Tuesday – Thursday). Testing will begin promptly at 8:00 AM and will be completed by 11:00 AM. Students will resume normal schedules for the rest of the day.

 

The schedule will be as follows:

Tuesday, December 6th – Reading 3rd, 4th, &5th

Wednesday, December 7th – Math 3rd, 4th, &5th

Thursday, December 8th – Science 5th only

As a reminder, the campus will be closed to all visitors, including parents, on testing days. This includes lunch drop-offs. Also, please do not plan on picking up your child early on a day he/she is testing (Avoid scheduling doctor’s appointments on these dates) as students are not allowed to resume an unfinished test. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

To ensure your child’s success on STAAR Interim Assessment, please do the following:

 

  1. Make sure your child is well-rested and has a healthy breakfast,
  2. Ensure your child arrives on time to school (by 7:30 am),
  3. Mentally prepare your child for the testing day,
  4. Please remind your child to use their testing strategies as best as they can.

 

Students who need breakfast will need to be at school before 7:20 am to ensure they have enough time to eat breakfast before testing begins.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email Mr. Kartal at akartal@harmonytx.org

Sincerely,

Haci Ali Kartal,

Testing and Federal Programs & Engagement Coordinator

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We're Hiring

BILINGUAL AND ESL TEACHERS NEEDED!

We're Hiring

Harmony Public Schools is recruiting talented, compassionate bilingual teachers dedicated to helping every student succeed. Harmony offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits and a commitment to excellence in the classroom.

Interested applicants may apply online.

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Dyslexia Awareness Month

October is in the United States. Let’s deepen our understanding of this language-based challenge and try to raise awareness in our community.

 Eight-year-old Evan is one of the brightest children in his third-grade class. He has a wonderful vocabulary and knows everything there is to know about baseball—he can even tell you who played in each of the last ten World Series games and who won. But when it comes to reading about baseball—or anything else—Evan has a lot of trouble. It takes him a long time to read each word, and even longer to read whole sentences. He often has to guess at how you say a word—and sometimes his guess is wrong. Reading out loud is especially stressful and embarrassing. His teacher recently told Evan’s parents that she thinks he might have dyslexia.

 Most people assume that part of being smart is being able to read well. About 100 years ago, though, doctors figured out that some people, even some very smart people who do really well at many other things, have trouble learning to read. This difficulty with reading is called dyslexia.

 Excerpt from: http://dyslexia.yale.edu/resources/dyslexic-kids-adults/on-being-dyslexic/

Useful Links:

What is Dyslexia? – Kelli Sandman-Hurley

https://improvingliteracy.org/brief/defining-dyslexia

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyslexia/videos-about-dyslexia

https://dyslexiaida.org/

https://dyslexiaida.org/fact-sheets/

http://www.dyslexia.yale.edu/resources/parents/

https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/texas-dyslexia-handbook-2021.pdf

Recommended Movie:

Taare Zameen Par- Every Child is Special https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z14uE7U0HY

Ishaan, a student who has dyslexia, cannot seem to get anything right at his boarding school. Soon, a new unconventional art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, helps him discover his hidden potential.

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