Graduation pictures for PreK, Kindergarten & 5th Grade will be on Thursday, March 23rd.  This is NOT a free dress day, so please have students dressed in their school uniform.  Caps & gowns will be provided for this picture day.  Note: Please be sure your student is in attendance on this day…there will not be a makeup day for graduation pictures.

We hope you have enjoyed a fun and relaxing Spring Break!  Tomorrow will be our first day back and we would like to have all students arrive on time at 7:45am and in full school uniform.  Tomorrow will be a busy morning as we all head back to school and work, so be prepared and plan your morning drive, pack some patience on the road and when you arrive to the HSS Monday morning driveline.  We can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow!  Have a great remainder of your day!

announcement

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:

In the spirit of celebrating Black History Month and the inspiration of equality, we’d like to celebrate with our Black History Month Spirit Week with the theme of “We’re Better Together”. Please remember all Spirit Week attire must be school appropriate.

 

Monday – No School / President’s Day Holiday – have read aloud time at home with the following suggested Black History month suggested books:  Scholastic Suggested Books: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/book-lists/29-books-for-black-history-month-.html

Talented Tenth & Black Excellence Tuesday – dress up like your favorite African American hero (artist, actor/actress, poet/author, athlete, doctor/STEM innovator, musician, singer, dancer).

Wonderfully Diverse Wednesday – wear red, black and/or green or your family’s cultural colors, shirt, head wear or other apparel to participate in our celebration of equality in our school.

Equality & Positive Message Thursday – wear jeans & a shirt with a positive message of equality, diversity or togetherness.

HBCU College Pride Friday – wear an HBCU college shirt or colors, hat or other college apparel (feel free to wear Ms. Williams’ alma mater Grambling State University :=)

There will be a Student Holiday and Harmony District Professional Development Day on Friday, February, 17th.   We will also have a Student & Staff Holiday on Monday, February 20th.
Enjoy your long weekend!

Spring is here and it’s time for fancy photos.  Spring Picture day will be Thursday, February 16th and it is a FREE dress day.   Students may wear school appropriate outfits.

Please review the Harmony Public Schools Letter including information regarding the 2023-2024 School Year Lottery Process:  Harmony Public Schools 2023-2024 Lottery Information

Harmony Science and Engineering Fair Logo

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

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.

As a reminder, we will operate with regular school hours beginning Monday, February 6, 2023.  All classes will resume at 7:45am.

Harmony Public Schools – Central Texas is committed to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our scholars, staff, and parents. As a precaution, due to travel conditions and power, water, and utility outages, all schools and the district office will remain closed on Friday, Feb. 3, for our scholars and staff. Classes will resume as usual on Monday, Feb. 6. Please stay safe and warm.
Las Escuelas Públicas de Harmony – Central Texas se comprometen a priorizar la seguridad y el bienestar de nuestros estudiantes, personal y padres. Como precaución, debido a las condiciones de viaje y los cortes de energía, agua y servicios públicos, todas las escuelas y la oficina del distrito permanecerán cerradas el viernes 3 de febrero para nuestros estudiantes y personal. Las clases se reanudarán como de costumbre el lunes 6 de febrero. Manténgase seguro y cálido.
Due to continued icy weather, dangerous driving conditions, and power outages throughout the Austin metroplex, HPS CTX offices and schools will remain closed for all of our scholars and staff on Thursday, Feb. 2. We will continue monitoring and provide updates on Friday’s schedule tomorrow. Please stay safe!
Debido al continuo clima helado, las condiciones de manejo peligrosas y los cortes de energía en todo el área metropolitana de Austin, las oficinas y escuelas de HPS CTX permanecerán cerradas para todos nuestros estudiantes y personal el jueves 2 de febrero. Continuaremos monitoreando y brindando actualizaciones el viernes. horario mañana. ¡Por favor, mantente a salvo!
Due to inclement weather and dangerous road conditions, all Harmony Public Schools – Central Texas campuses and offices will be closed on Wednesday, February 1st for all students and staff.  We will continue to monitor the weather conditions and will keep you informed of any changes to the school day on Thursday.
Debido a las inclemencias del tiempo y las peligrosas condiciones de las carreteras, todos los campus y oficinas de las Escuelas Públicas de Harmony – Centro de Texas estarán cerrados el miércoles 1 de febrero para todos los estudiantes y el personal. Continuaremos monitoreando las condiciones climáticas y los mantendremos informados de cualquier cambio en el día escolar del jueves.
UPDATE: Due to the winter storm and out of an abundance of safety, all Harmony Public Schools – Central Texas schools and offices are closed for students and staff tomorrow, Jan. 31. We will continue to monitor weather conditions and will provide updates for Wednesday. We wish you a warm, secure day at home tomorrow.
ACTUALIZAR: Debido a la tormenta de invierno y por seguridad, todas las escuelas y oficinas de las Escuelas Públicas de Harmony – Centro de Texas estarán cerradas para los estudiantes y el personal mañana, 31 de enero. Continuaremos monitoreando las condiciones climáticas y brindaremos actualizaciones para el miércoles. Le deseamos un día cálido y seguro en casa mañana.

Elite Learning provides after school care for our students until 6pm daily.  There are currently a few spots available for Elite Learning’s After School Care Program  and there is no waitlist!

If you are in need of after school services for your student, please review the registration info letter:  Elite Learning Parent Letter

HSS-Austin will present its annual Science Fair on Friday, January 13th.  We look forward to viewing the wonderful projects that our 3rd-5th grade students have created.

Project Judging – 2:45 pm

Parent & Family Viewing – 3:45 pm

Awards Ceremony – will be held during Fall Awards Ceremony

 

Please note: ONLY 3rd-5th Science Fair Participants will stay after school to set up.  All other students must be picked up at regular Friday dismissal at 2pm.

We are so excited to announce an amazing event we will have here at HSS next week! The Southwest Dairy Farmers will bring their Mobile Dairy Classroom on Monday, January 9th!  We will have presentations for all of our students.  This event will be available via Livestream on our HSS Facebook page.  For more information about the program, visit: https://www.southwestdairyfarmers.com/

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

Join us as we host our annual Winter Concert & Holidays Around the World Holiday Event.   We will begin with grade level performances.  Families will then be able to participate in a tour of our Holidays Around the World display throughout the school before you leave for the evening.

Please be mindful of our limited space for parking and concert seating by limiting attendees to just your family.

Concert Performance Times (students should arrive 10 minutes before their concert time):

PreK-1st Grade – 4:30pm  

2nd-3rd Grade – 5:10pm  

4th-5th Grade – 5:45pm  

Are you considering joining our school for the 2023-2024 school year and you want to learn more about our campus?  Please join us as we host several Open House and Tour events.

Please review the Open House dates available and reserve your tour spot today:  HSS-Austin Open House

Wednesday, December 7th,  4:30pm

Wednesday, January 18th, 4:30pm 

Wednesday, February 8th, 4:30pm

 

We hope to see you soon!

It’s time for our last spirit week of the year…December’s Holiday Cheer Spirit Week!  Our December Spirit Week will be dedicated to spreading the holiday cheer!   Remember: All spirit day attire must be school appropriate according to our Harmony Free Dress Policy.

Monday – Marvelous Monday-Wear anything that makes you feel marvelous or comfy & cozy

Tuesday – Holiday Best Tuesday -Wear your favorite holiday outfit or accessories (headwear, scarf, hat, etc.)

Wednesday – We’re Rocking the 80’s Wednesday – Wear your best 80’s outfit to celebrate the 80th day of school!

Thursday – Holiday/Ugly Holiday Sweater Day Thursday:  Wear your best or worst holiday sweater or shirt & jeans

Friday – Holiday PJ Friday:  Wear your favorite warm & fuzzy holiday/holiday colored pj’s

 

Don’t forget to post your Spirit Week Photos on our Facebook page or email Ms. Williams with the subject: “Holiday Cheer Spirit Week” to appear in Tiger Talk!

Central Texas District Safety Meeting will be held on Dec. 9, 2022, from 10:00-11:00 am. The link is Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

We will have the 2nd round of Harmony District Assessments next week. Please have students at school on time by 7:45am for test instructions. This will be for our 3rd-5th grade students only.

District Assessment Schedule:

Tuesday, December 6th: 3rd-5th Grade Reading

Wednesday, December 7th: 3rd-5th Grade Math

Thursday, December 8th: 5th Grade Science

 

Test Prep Suggestions for Students:

  • Have a good breakfast before testing
  • Get enough sleep the night before
  • Take your time and try your best on the test to show us how much you have learned!

Enjoy your family and celebrate during our Thanksgiving School Holiday & Break during the week of Monday, November 21st – Friday, November 25th. We will see you for classes to begin on the following week Monday, November 28th.

We're Hiring

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.