SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear Harmony Families,
It's hard to believe we are now in the last quarter of school! I encourage you all to stay the course as we near the completion of the school year. With that, please allow me to share some information and reminders you might find useful.
Campus Teachers of the Year
Be sure to check out Harmony DFW's campus Teacher of the Year winners in this month's newsletter! It goes without saying that all of our Harmony teachers deserve recognition for their tireless work this year to bring your children the best education possible under the most challenging of circumstances. But unfortunately, we could only select one winner elementary and one secondary teacher from each school. Please consider sending notes of congratulations to our winners, as well as notes of thanks and encouragement to ALL our educators, on a job well done!
Health and Safety
Thank you for continuing to follow our COVID-19 guidelines. We sincerely appreciate your continued vigilance and commitment to the health and safety of our students and staff members. While we don't know what guidelines will still be in place when school starts in August, we will certainly communicate that information to you prior to the start of the new school year.
Support for Harmony DFW Families
Harmony DFW is committed to supporting our families and community during times of need--not just during the school year, but also over the summer. If your family is struggling with basic needs, please let us know so that we may help to connect you to available resources. Just reach out to your child's campus and we will do our best to put you in touch with the appropriate organizations.
Follow Us!
If you aren't already, be sure to follow us on social media! Our District's social media accounts are one of the best places to get information about what's happening at Harmony, especially over the summer months.
Official District Facebook: Harmony Public Schools DFW District @DFWHarmony
Official District Twitter: Harmony Public Schools DFW District @DFWHarmony
Thank you again for your continued support and partnership!
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Mr. Harun Karan
Superintendent
Harmony Public Schools DFW District
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APRIL CALENDAR
April 2: Good Friday/District Holiday
April 4: Easter
April 16: Parent/Teacher Conferences
April 22: Earth Day
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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2021-2022 Approved Academic Calendars
The Harmony Public Schools Executive Board has approved academic calendars for the 2021-22 school year. The first day for students is Aug. 12. Please note that there are two calendars: one for our Dallas/Fort Worth-area campuses, and one for our Waco campuses.
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Campus Teacher of the Year Winners Announced
Congratulations to Harmony DFW's 2020-2021 Campus Teachers of the Year! Campus winners will now submit their applications to the District Office by April 23. After which, a District committee will review and score the applications to choose one District Elementary and one District Secondary Teacher of the Year winner. Good luck to all! And congratulations to ALL our Harmony educators on continuing our tradition of academic excellence!
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Now Hiring for 2021-2022
Harmony DFW is hiring for the 2021-2022 school year! We are looking for innovative teachers, and enthusiastic and knowledgeable professionals to join our team.
Come see how working at a public charter school differs from traditional ISDs, and how we work to not only prepare our students for college and beyond, but also how we support teachers to make an invaluable difference in their students’ lives.
Learn more about upcoming job fairs, opportunities to grow your career, details of one of the best benefits packages in education, and so much more at https://www.HarmonyTX.org/careers.
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Partners in Education: Fort Worth Education Partnership (FWEP)
Harmony Public Schools - DFW District would like to recognize a very unique community relationship with the Fort Worth Education Partnership (FWEP).
FWEP’s vision is that every Fort Worth area student deserves the opportunity to have access to a high-quality education. With that goal in mind, FWEP strategically gathers Tarrant County charter schools to look to the future and plan for success through growth.
FWEP has sourced donations to Harmony Public Schools, invited us to take part in their annual School Choice enrollment fair, & connected HPS to area businesses and community leaders who then become our advocates. We are grateful for this partnership.
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The School Day SAT is Coming April 13
Juniors will be taking the School Day SAT on April 13. Currently College board does not allow for virtual or remote testing. Some of the major benefits of taking the SAT can help determine scholarship ability, as well as admission into the college, and major they intend to study.
Scores are projected to be be released by May 8.
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Online SAT Tutoring Available
UpReach Learning, part of the Harmony Education Foundation, is offering an 8-week long online SAT and College counseling camp that will start on April 10. This SAT Camp is designed to prepare students for the upcoming SAT test on June 5, 2021. During this camp, experienced college counselors will also provide helpful tips to the students for their college applications. All Harmony Public School students will receive a 10% discount.
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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 offers some SEL best practices:
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Take an assets-based approach that focuses on your child’s strengths. Emphasize children’s strengths and ‘SEL superpowers’ before talking about what they can improve on. For instance: when your child brings home a graded test or assignment, first discuss what she or he did well. Then shift the discussion to what can be improved. Focus on process-oriented skills versus the outcome.
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Explore emotions by asking your child how they feel. Send the message that feelings matter, are normal, and that you care about them. Encourage children to use ‘I’ statements when talking about their emotions; help them unpack what it feels like to be happy, excited, stressed, or frustrated.
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Model empathy and kindness as well as sharing and helping behaviors. Utilize daily interactions- such as helping an elderly neighbor- to encouraging sharing and helping behaviors. Explore options for children to participate in community service projects or volunteering opportunities and talk to them about giving back.
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Read books to (or with) your child. Seek recommendations from your child’s teacher or a librarian for stories on themes that both interest your child and are relevant to the SEL skills they are learning in the classroom. Read these books together with your child and explore how the characters handle conflict or form relationships.
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Empower your child to solve problems on their own. Resist the temptation to step-in and offer solutions to a difficult situation your child is encountering. Instead, ask probing questions to help your child solve the problem on their own. Discuss how decisions might impact others (positively or negatively) and what the pros and cons or solutions might be.
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Model emotion labeling and emotion regulation when you encounter stress, frustration, or anger. Specify a ‘quiet area’ in the house that can be used to cool-down. When you encounter ‘trigger situations’ that may cause you to get angry or irritated, name what you’re feeling, take a few deep breaths, and talk as a family about what everyone can do to stay calm.
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Be willing to apologize. Show your child that it is important to apologize after an outburst, misunderstanding, or conflict while modeling respect and kindness.
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Harmony Communications Dept. Wins Industry Awards
Harmony Public Schools' Communications Department received several Texas School Public Relations Association's "Star Awards" for outstanding work in the communications field at the TSPRA's recent annual statewide conference. In TSPRA's 20-year history, this is not only Harmony's first award, but the first award for any charter school organization.
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DFW District Director of Communications & Marketing Susan Campbell took home a Bronze Silver Award for a poster she designed for last year's Harmony's Got Talent event. Though the event was unfortunately cancelled due to the pandemic, the poster was still eligible for submission. Harmony's Central Office also took home several awards as well.
GOLD AWARDS:
Sadan Gunonu – Central Office
Event Video: ‘Harmony Junior Solar Car Challenge’
John Boyd – Central Office
Promotional Video: ‘Harmony Public Schools' at- home learning program keeps students learning even when they can't be on campus’
John Boyd – Central Office
Promotional Video: ‘Harmony Public Schools help students navigate their path to college and the career of their dreams’
SILVER AWARDS:
Brock Scott – Central Office
Feature Video: ‘Harmony Public Schools offering Esports extracurricular clubs at campuses across Texas’
John Boyd – Central Office
Specialty/Novelty Writing: ‘Dear Parents’
BRONZE AWARDS:
Susan Campbell – DFW District
Poster: ‘Harmony’s Got Talent’
John Boyd – Central Office
Press Release: Face Shields Efforts
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LOOKING AHEAD - MAY &
SUMMER 2021
May 27: Last Day of School
May 28: Teacher Workday
May 31: Memorial Day/District Holiday
SUMMER:
Aug. 2: First Day for All Staff
Aug. 12: First Day of School
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Follow Harmony DFW on social media! Like and share these stories our social media platforms. |
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