SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear Harmony Families,
Happy New Year! I hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing Winter Break with your children.
As we begin the second semester, I want to remind you that Harmony DFW will continue to offer our families the choice of in-person or remote learning for the duration of the 2020-2021 school year. Our top priorities are the health and safety of our students and staff, as well as the academic and developmental growth of our scholars. As long as COVID-19 continues to impact our communities, it is critical that our families feel safe and comfortable with their child’s instructional setting.
I also want to re-assure you that Harmony DFW continues to take precautionary measures to provide the safest in-person setting for our students and staff possible. Our regular safety protocols include:
- Temperature screenings for students and staff.
- Frequent hand-washing and use of provided hand sanitizer for students and staff.
- Requiring all students and employees to wear a mask when on campus or in other group settings.
- Limiting average class sizes to allow for social distancing.
- Spacing desks at least six feet apart to maintain proper social distancing and/or installing partitions where students cannot be kept six feet apart.
- Limiting classroom rotations/switches to prevent the spread of germs across campus and to limit person-to-person exchanges.
- Staggered drop off and pickup times to limit person-to-person exchanges.
- Detailed nightly cleaning by contracted company.
- Required Coronavirus Awareness & Prevention trainings for all employees.
Our campuses and District Office are also treated with an antimicrobial coating technology (once a surface is treated, it continues to kill future microbes that land on the surface), post treatment testing (to ensure that all surfaces test below appropriate threshold levels), and conducting a post-treatment assessment with any additional cleaning recommendations.
It is also extremely important for us to remain vigilant about household illnesses, positive COVID-19 cases, and exposures. As a reminder, if your child exhibits any COVID-like symptoms, please be sure to follow Harmony's policies for screening your child and allowing them return to campus after a COVID diagnosis or symptoms. If you are unsure or have questions about Harmony's established protocols and procedures, you may also reach out to your child's campus nurse.
In some related news: I'm pleased to share with you that Harmony Public Schools has taken yet another step to ensure it is doing all it can to take care of the team members who take care of your children. This week, the HPS Board of Directors extended Coronavirus workplace protections that expired for millions of Americans on Dec. 31, 2020. Be sure to read all the details in this month's newsletter!
We look forward to this second semester to work with you and our children to provide the very best educational opportunities. Together, we will ensure the success of our students in the safest environment possible.
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Mr. Harun Karan
Superintendent
Harmony Public Schools DFW District
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JANUARY CALENDAR
Jan. 6: First Day of Second Semester/Start of Quarter
Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Student/Staff Holiday)
Jan. 24-30: National School Choice Week
Jan. 29: Student Holiday/District PD
January is also National Mentoring Month. For information, visit Mentoring.org.
Be on the lookout for news from your child's campus regarding celebrating and recognizing special monthly calendar observances.
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DFW DISTRICT 2020-2021 ACADEMIC CALENDARS
Please note there are two calendars for our District--one for Dallas/Fort Worth,
and one for Waco.
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Re-Enrollment Underway
Re-Enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year is underway! Current Harmony Public Schools families are guaranteed enrollment for the 2021-22 school year by submitting their re-enrollment form in Skyward by Jan. 22, and it only takes a few simple steps:
- Log into Skyward
- Complete the form
- Verify your residence
Re-enrolling allows us to make sure each current student’s spot at Harmony is reserved for the following school year, and assess how many new student seats we have available for other applicants.
Open Enrollment for 2021-22 also continues through Feb. 10. So if you know of a family looking to change schools, encourage them to check us out at HarmonyTX.org/apply!
Other important dates to keep in mind:
- Deadline for Lottery Application: Feb. 10, 2021
- 2021-22 Lottery Window: Feb. 10-19, 2021
- 2021-22 Registration Starts: Feb. 22, 2021
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WINTER WEATHER PROCEDURES
With several weeks of winter still ahead of us, we wanted to remind you to be on the lookout for communications from Harmony DFW and your child's campus regarding possible school delays/closings due to winter weather affecting our area.
The following platforms will be used to keep our communities apprised of any schedule changes due to inclement weather:
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Harmony Public Schools DFW District social media pages
- Campus websites, campus social media accounts
- Automated telephone calls for parents
- Local media outlets that report on Inclement Weather Updates
- Notifications in Skyward/SchoolMessenger
Parents will be notified as soon as possible in the case of an early dismissal or cancelation of after school/evening in-person and/or virtual events.
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COVID Benefits Extension
On the first school day after important federal workplace safeguards expired for millions of Americans, the Harmony Public Schools Executive Board voted to independently provide the much-needed benefits to its 4,000+ employees for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
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.
“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. “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 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.”
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Financial Aid Applications: FAFSA/TASFAS Deadline Approaching!
The Texas Priority Deadline for Financial Aid Applications (TASFA/FAFSA) is only a few days away -- Jan. 15, 2021. The majority of scholarships/grants students will receive will be federal, state, or college level and requires this application. Students will need to apply for their prospective college and include the college name in the FAFSA before the priority deadline to be considered. Funding is issued on a first come, first serve basis for most financial aid (priority given to students who meet the priority deadline). Merit-based scholarships are usually not considered for most colleges/universities unless the students completes the FAFSA/TASFA. Please see your campus counselor for more details.
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Harmony College Fund - College Leaders Scholarships
At Harmony Public Schools, we view our students as lifelong family members. When our students graduate, the journey doesn’t end there. And neither does our support. That's why, in 2017, Harmony Public Schools established the Harmony College Fund (HCF) to provide financial, academic and emotional support to college-bound graduates through scholarships, mentoring, internship programs, and additional services.
The Harmony College Fund aims to offer $500 College Leaders Scholarships to Harmony alumni who are driven and passionate about helping and leading other Harmony students to succeed academically and professionally at their universities. Though the Sept. 25 deadline has passed, interested students can still apply and be considered if funds are available and there is a need at the college they are attending. Applications for HCL scholarships will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and applicants typically hear back within 1-2 weeks after their scholarship application is submitted.
For more information, visit the College Leaders Scholarship webpage.
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ASVAB is Coming to Your Child's
High School!
Students in grades 10 through 12 will have an opportunity to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Test (ASVAB) at their school. The ASVAB is a timed multi-aptitude test which measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. Students can choose to share their scores with a recruiter or keep them private. The test does not have an option to be administered virtually and must be taken in person.
A student interest survey should have been sent by email and included in your child's campus newsletter. Please be sure to sign-up before the campus deadline.
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Grow Your Own Teacher Program (GYOT)
Harmony Public School's Grow Your Own Teacher Program (GYOT) is an innovative fellowship developed to prepare HPS's future educators and leaders. Our program provides a competitive financial opportunity – up to $20,000 for four years – for current HPS students and/or HPS graduates to pursue a bachelor's degree that leads to teacher certification. Apply here if your Class of 2021 student is interested!
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MONTHLY TIP FOR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) AT HOME
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Social and emotional learning (SEL) provides a foundation for safe and positive learning, and enhances students' ability to succeed in school, careers, and life.
This month's tip: Seven Ways to Foster Gratitude.
Research has shown that gratitude plays a major role in both adult and child well-being. It is linked to greater protection from stress and depression, and helps people form, maintain, and strengthen supportive relationships. Those who are grateful are happier and more optimistic, more satisfied with school, family, community, friends, and themselves.
Below are seven ways to help foster gratitude in your family.
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Model and teach gratitude: Showing how to express gratitude through words, writing, and small gifts or acts of reciprocity will help kids to think more gratefully.
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Spend time together and be mindful and present: Giving each other the gift of time shows you love and care for each other; be sure to put down distractions such as smartphones.
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Support your child’s autonomy: Taking ownership over skills, talents, and responsibilities helps develop self-efficacy and purpose.
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Use kid’s strengths to fuel gratitude: This enables them to be more helpful and cooperative towards others by contributing things they know and care about.
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Help focus and support kids to achieve intrinsic goals: Pursuing activities that provide community, affiliation, and growth helps fulfill the fundamental human need of belonging and competency.
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Encourage helping others and nurturing relationships: Helping others and being generous are two key ingredients for making grateful kids.
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Help kids find what matters to them: Having a sense of purpose in life gives youth a compass for creating a meaningful life. Help them discover their passions and find a path to purpose that resonates with them.
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Last month, Harmony DFW celebrated the holidays across the District with a full slate of holiday spirit days, ugly sweater contests, sing-alongs, decorating contests, festive feasts and more!
With help from staff, students also took time to collect toys and food for local organizations, and even helped support the Garland Animal Shelter with hand-made blankets for the animals.
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LOOKING AHEAD
FEBRUARY 2021
Feb. 14: Valentine's Day
Feb. 15: Student Holiday/Inclement Weather Make-Up Day/Admin PD Day
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Follow Harmony DFW on social media! Like and share these stories our social media platforms.
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