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FAQ: Back to School 2021-22 at Harmony Public Schools

The following is a list of questions commonly asked by parents and students about the start of the 2021-22 school year at Harmony Public Schools.

For more information, visit https://www.HarmonyTX.org/playbook.

Harmony Public Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:  Will Harmony Public Schools offer virtual learning this year?

A:  No. Harmony will return to  face to face instruction  at all campuses for the 21-22 school year as mandated by the Texas Education Agency. We are excited to have our students back in the classroom and will continue to support their social, emotional, and academic growth.

Q:  What will on-campus instruction look like for this year?

A:  Just as before the pandemic, students will attend in-person learning  according to the academic calendar. This calendar can be found on your campus website.  Teachers will provide in-person learning, which includes hands-on activities, small group projects and intervention, station rotations, teacher one-on-one support, etc.

Q:  What COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place for students and teachers?

A:  Face masks are optional for both students and Harmony team members, but are strongly recommended.  Physical distancing may be maintained to the extent possible.  Hand sanitizer will be provided, and students will be encouraged to practice frequent hand washing, use of hand sanitizer, and physical distancing.  Teachers will sanitize high-touch areas in the classroom when necessary.  Because the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving, we may update protocols as the situation dictates.

Q:  My child struggled with virtual learning, and I am concerned they are academically behind.  How will Harmony help my child regain academic progress?

A:  We understand that some students struggled last year.  Our educational teams are here to diagnose learning loss and provide an intervention plan to address it.  This will include regular Response to Intervention (RTI) system implementation, after school tutoring, small group instruction, Saturday school, and summer school options.

Q:  My child excelled with virtual learning last year.  Will they be academically challenged this year?

A:  Yes!  We will continue to provide rigorous instruction with differentiated options for students including emphasis on college and career readiness.

Q:  Will extracurricular activities resume this year?

A:  Yes!  We anticipate all extracurricular activities to resume for students, including academic clubs, athletics, fine arts, UIL, competitions, etc. Check the Clubs page of your campus website throughout the year for new clubs and extracurriculars.

Q:  After a year out of the classroom, how will students and staff be supported in transitioning back to a social setting?

A:  Harmony will provide mental health support to our students and staff during and after the back to school transition period.  Each campus will utilize a Behavioral Counselor and implement support systems to ensure all students and staff receive the help they need.

Q:  Where can I apply for free or reduced price meals?

A:  All students eat FREE this year at all schools! Your child will automatically receive their free meal(s) each day in your campus cafeteria. You may, however, still be asked to complete a Free & Reduced Meal eligibility form once the school year starts, as this plays a crucial role in determining the amount of federal and state funding your child’s school may receive.

Q:  What safety protocols will be in place during breakfast and lunch?

A:  Cafeteria teams will continue to clean and sanitize dining areas.  Physical distancing will be maintained to the extent possible.  Students will sanitize their hands before and after eating, and will not be allowed to share food or utensils.  Harmony will maintain adult supervision in the cafeteria to reinforce mealtime safety measures.

Q:  Will water fountains be available for students?

A:  Students will have access to touchless water fountains and are encouraged to bring their own reusable clear water bottles to use throughout the day.  Water bottles should be taken home daily to be cleaned.

Q:  What if my child displays symptoms of COVID-19 while at school?

A:  The teacher will immediately call the Health Aide, who will pick up the student from the classroom and place the student in isolation to minimize interaction.  The school Health Aide will communicate with the parent/guardian, and the student will be sent home.  The student may not return to school until clearance is given by the school Health Aide.  Additional guidance on the criteria that must be met prior to the student’s return to school is located in the Harmony Public Schools Back to School Playbook, 2021-2022.

Q:  Should I notify the school if my child tested positive for COVID-19 or was in close contact with someone who tested positive?

A:  Yes, families will self-report within 48 hours to the Health Aide if their child(ren) tested positive for COVID-19 or if they believe the child(ren) has been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Q:  How will I be notified if my child is exposed to COVID-19 at school?

A:  If classroom exposure occurs, families will be notified via letter home, call, or school messaging services and the classroom will be sanitized.

Q:  May I visit my child’s school?

A:  Harmony always welcomes visitors to campuses and district offices, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic we will implement some limitations to minimize risk.  Visitors will check in through the front office security system, and we will continue utilization of temperature checks.  All visitors should complete a self-check before entering a school building, and visitors with COVID symptoms should NOT enter school buildings or offices.

 

 

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What to expect at Harmony Public Schools for Fall 2021

The following is a message from Harmony Public Schools CEO Fatih Ay for HPS students, families and team members.

Hello … and happy summer vacation!

 

We hope you are having a fun and relaxing break. Here at Harmony, we’re already hard at work preparing for another exciting and engaging school year for our students and team members.  With the first day of classes just a few weeks away, we wanted to take this opportunity to provide our students, team members, and their families a little more information on what to expect in the coming school year.

 

Here are a few highlights, but expect more details along with our annual Back to School Playbook in the days ahead:

 

 

CAMPUS-BASED LEARNING FOR ALL: Last year, many of our families elected to learn remotely rather than sending their student to campus. Accordingly, Harmony came into the summer preparing to expand and further improve its virtual learning options for families in 2021-22. Unfortunately, state leaders in the Texas Legislature have declined to continue funding for full-time virtual learning in 2021-22 for all Texas public schools, eliminating the option for virtual learning for millions of public school students at thousands of campuses like ours across the state. We are closely monitoring all potential developments and will provide family updates as new developments may occur. In the meantime, we are eagerly looking forward to greeting all of our scholars back in person when the 2021-22 school year begins.

 

 

BACK-TO-SCHOOL TRANSITION HELP: Many of our students will be returning to campus for the first time in a long time this fall. For some of our youngest students, it will be their first time coming to campus ever. So we’ve developed a comprehensive transition plan that focuses on helping students regain possible academic losses from the past two years, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) support, increasing access to campus behavioral counselors, and a behavior intervention system that rewards good choices.

 

 

RETURN OF EXTRACURRICULARS & SPORTS: With proper safety precautions, Harmony students will be able to participate in a full range of in-person extracurricular activities this fall, including sports and other interschool competitions. We’ll also continue to offer many of the clubs and activities that students enjoyed last school year. Keep an eye on the Clubs page of your campus website for more information on activities offered at your Harmony campus.

 

 

MODIFIED CAMPUS SANITATION PROTOCOLS: Health experts have learned a lot about how COVID-19 spreads since the start of the pandemic. So with all of our learners returning to campus this fall, we have modified some of our safety procedures and eliminated others to comply with the most up-to-date guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Texas Education Agency. Chief among those changes is a reduced social distance requirement in some indoor settings, a change in mask recommendations for outdoor activities, and the opportunity for visitors and volunteers to come to campus again under certain circumstances (at principal’s discretion). Look for more complete details on these and other COVID-related guidelines in the coming days in our “Back to School Playbook.”

 

 

MASKS OPTIONAL: According to an order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, public schools are no longer allowed to require their students or team members to wear masks. Instead, masks are optional for both students and team members. Currently, the CDC strongly recommends masks for unvaccinated individuals ages 2 and older. (Ages 12 & Up: Find a free and convenient vaccine clinic near you.) Harmony will continue to offer masks for those who request them.

 

As you can see, helping our students move forward from the past two years both academically and social-emotionally will be key goals of the 2021-22 school year. We appreciate your ongoing support in this critical effort and will provide you more details soon.

 

 

Thank you for being a member of our Harmony Public Schools family.

 

 

We can’t wait to see you this fall!

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Back to School News- Tiger Cub Express

Please Click Below to Read the Tiger Cub Express:

https://www.smore.com/m9k45

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Orientation

Dear Parents, Orientation will take place in person,

Thursday, August 12.

Last Names A-N will be from 8 am-10 am

(Last Entry will be at 9:45 am)

Last Names O-Z will be from 10 am-12 pm

(Last Entry will be at 11:45 pm)

Meet the teacher will also take place at the same time, please bring students.

Estimados padres, la orientación se llevará a

cabo en persona el Jueves 12 de Agosto.

Los apellidos A-N serán de 8 am a 10 am

          (La última entrada será a las 9:45 am)Los apellidos O-Z serán de 10 am a 12 pm(La última entrada será a las 11:45 pm)Meet the Teacher también se llevará a cabo al mismo tiempo, favor de traer a su estudiante.

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Please join us for the Harmony Public Schools S/W District Safety Meeting on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 9:00 A.M.

Zoom Link: https://harmonytx.zoom.us/j/89838569818?pwd=Ty8vazN2Q1EwUitkME5OL0E2WHhJQT09

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Summer Meals Announcement

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Please Click the Link Below to Access Educational Products:

https://www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks/

Please Click the Link Below to Access Educational Products:

https://www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks/

 

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Important STAAR Test Results Information are available on the Texas Student Portal Site (June 28)

Please Click the Link Below to Learn More About Your Child’s Score:

https://texasassessment.gov/

 

The results for the STAAR Grades 3 – 8 exams taken this spring are available on the Texas Student Portal site (June 28).  To access the student portal, you must use the unique access code assigned to your child by the state.  The Texas Student Portal is located at: https://www.texasassessment.com/

To find your child’s unique access code:
•    Log into Family Access.
•    You will see that an online form is now available to fill out.  The form is named “Student Assessment Results.”
•    Click on “Fill Out Online Form” for the Student Assessment Results (note: there is no actual form to complete).
•    On the new screen, click on “1. Student Assessment Access Code” on the right-hand side of the page.
•    You will see your child’s unique access code as well as a link to the Texas Student Portal.  Click the link and use the access code, as well as your child’s date of birth, to access results.

If no access code is listed in Family Access, the Student Portal now has a “Lookup Access Code” link, which is located on the portal site provided above.  After clicking on the “Lookup Access Code” link:
•    Type in your child’s first name in the first box.  PLEASE NOTE THE NAME IS LIMITED TO 10 CHARACTERS.
•    Type your child’s social security number or state-assigned number (S-Number) in the middlebox.
•    Complete the Date of Birth information.
•    Click on the blue “Go” button
•    On the screen that appears, click on the blue “Go” button

The Texas Education Agency reports student performance by four categories:  Did Not Meet, Approaches Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, or Masters Grade Level.  Your child passed the STAAR exam if your child’s score falls in the Approaches, Meets, or Masters Grade Level categories.

 

Thank you,

 

A partir de hoy, ya puede consultar los resultados de los Exámenes STAAR de los alumnos de 3º a 8º grado que tomaron los exámenes en el segundo semestre, en la página Portal del Alumno de Texas. Para entrar a la cuenta del alumno, deberá utilizar el código personal de acceso proporcionado por el estado. El Portal se encuentra en: https://www.texasassessment.com/

Para obtener el código personal de acceso de su niño:

  • Inicie sesión en el Acceso para las Familias de Skyward.
  • Verá que tiene un nuevo formulario en línea en la pestaña Online Forms. El nombre del formulario es Student Assessment Results (Resultados de la Evaluación del Alumno).
  • Haga clic en Ver (View) y después en Llenar el Formulario (Fill Out Online Form) (nota: no hay un formulario en sí para llenar).
  • En la pantalla que aparece, haga clic en 1.Student Assessment Access Code (1.Código de Acceso a la Evaluación del Alumno) en la parte derecha de la pantalla.
  • Ahora verá el código personal de acceso de su niño (Access Code), así como el enlace al Portal del Alumno. Haga clic en el enlace y utilice ese código de acceso, así como la fecha de nacimiento de su niño, para ver los resultados.

Si no encuentra el código de acceso en Skyward, el Portal del Alumno ahora cuenta con un botón llamado Encuentra Mi Código de Acceso (Find My Access Code). Después de hacer clic en Find My Access Code:

  • Escriba el nombre de su niño en el primer recuadro. NOTA: EL RECUADRO DE NOMBRE TIENE UN LÍMITE DE 10 CARACTERES.
  • Escriba el número de seguro social (social security number) o número asignado por el estado (S-Number) en el segundo recuadro.
  • Escriba la fecha de nacimiento.
  • Haga clic en el botón azul Go.
  • En la pantalla que aparece, haga clic en el botón azul Go.

La Agencia de Educación de Texas informa sobre el desempeño del alumno utilizando cuatro niveles: No Cumplió con el Nivel del Grado (Did Not Meet), Cerca del Nivel del Grado (Approaches Grade Level), Cumple con el Nivel del Grado (Meets Grade Level) y Domina el Nivel del Grado (Masters Grade Level). Su niño pasó el examen STAAR si el nivel de su niño dice Approaches, Meets o Masters.

Gracias,

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Exploration Summer Meal Dates

 

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