Harmony Nature Tiger Prints
February 9, 2019 Volume 57 Week 23
Harmony School of Nature
Email: hsnature@harmonytx.org
Website: https://hsnature.harmonytx.org/
Location: 8120 West Camp Wisdom Road, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: 972 296 1000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hsanature/
Twitter: @HSNatureDallas
Highlights for the Week
- Enrollment Season - Spread the good news!
- Parent Teacher Conferences 2/12
- STEM Fest 2019
- ZAP (Zeros are not permitted)
- Harmony Parent of the Year
- HSN Excellent Educator of the Month
- Detention
- Mandatory Tutoring
- Spirit Days and Bonus Spirit Days
- Fundraising
- Student Conductor
- Student ID (Mandatory)
- SKY Ranch information 6th
- GT Field Trip to UT Austin
- Senior Trip Information
- Summer Internship for 10th and 11th grade
A Note from the principal
Dear parents and guardians,
First and the most item of the week is the STEM Fest. This is a great opportunity for your HS Tigers to show what they have learned in the classroom and a great opportunity for you to show your support to them. You are highly encouraged to join with your close friends, family members, neighbors, and anyone else you think of. There will be fun activities for the age of 3 to any age.
Second of all, I would like to emphasize the importance of mandatory tutoring. Tutoring is very critical for your students because all of the tutorials and Saturday schools are set based on the previous test result. The assigned tutorial will be crucial to the success of the student. Students who are placed in tutoring must stay for all the assigned sessions until the end of the tutoring session. For any questions please feel free to reach out ifidan@harmonytx.org.
Fundraising season is currently going strong; please be ready to support our students. Different Fundraising activities are already up and running. However, the biggest and extremely important one (world's finest chocolate) has started. The funds will be used for school activities, including but not limited to Field Trips and Athletics. Please contact Mr. Goodson (dgoodson@harmonytx.org) for details. Please check our newsletter(Tiger Prints) every Friday for more information.
Harmony schools have begun accepting applications for next year as of November 1. Based on the statistics, word of mouth is the best way to increase the number of applications. Please share with your relatives, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. We have a free shirt for every new student you refer to the school and enrolls. We also have yard signs that you may put in your front yard. If you are interested in having one please contact the Front Office to get one. If you prove you have the sign posted, the student will get a one-day free jean pass on Thursday.
As you all know, we have two dismissals one at 3:20 pm and one 4:00 pm; for both dismissals, students are expected to be picked up within 30 minutes.
Even though we have sufficient minutes to cover all TEKS, we would like to add more minutes into our academic calendar. Therefore the two early dismissals days at end of each semester will be full days. In addition to this, we are going to add 10 minutes every day in the second semester. Please see the Updated Calendar, Bell Schedule in the attachment.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mr. Ilker Fidan, M.Ed
Parent-Teacher Conferences February 12th -2019
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We would like to invite everyone to our upcoming Parent Teacher Conference event that will be held this Tuesday, February 12th from 4 PM to 6 PM. If there are any specific teachers you would like to meet with, please schedule an available time using the link below. Please do not remove any appointments from the list. If your teacher is booked or showing as not available, you can also set up another day/time with that teacher via email.
Hope to see you there! Thanks for your own going support.
STEM Fest 2019
Please encourage your students to take responsibility for the festival day.
ZAP ( Zeros aren't permitted)
Harmony School of Nature is initiating a new program called ZAP -Zeros Aren't Permitted.
Our goal is to assist students and help them out to complete their missing assignments and turn them in.
With this program, we aim to minimize the students' Zero's in the grade book and get them ready for the upcoming district and state assessments.
We are pulling students to the library during;
- before school ( from their drop off time until the first bell)
- advisory
- after school ( right after the last block till 4:00 pm)
You as a parent will be getting phone calls or emails to inform you if they need to stay after school.
We will continue to work with students until they have no missing assignments.
How to obtain STAAR test results
To obtain your child’s STAAR test results history on Texas Assessment Data Portal
Go to: https://txparentportal.emetric.net/login
You will need your student access code and date of birth
-To obtain student access code you will need student’s first name and social security number
Como obtener sus resultados de STAAR
Para obtener los resultados de STAAR en Texas Assessment Data Portal
Va a la pagina: https://txparentportal.emetric.net/login
Necesita su codico de acceso de su estudiante y su fecha de nacimiento
-Para obtener su codico necesita su primer nombre y numero de seguro social
Harmony Parent of the Year
At HPS we believe parent involvement in a child's education is crucial. When parents put in the extra effort to get involved in their children's education, children will feel better, develop positive attitudes toward school, and grow to become productive and successful citizens.
The purpose of the HPS POY Award is to acknowledge and honor parents for exceptional parenting skills and achievement, as well as, contribution, service, and leadership in support of children, families, schools, and communities.
Excellent Educator of the Month
Dear HSN Family,
Our staff of the month and the nominee for "Excellent Educator Award" is our ELA/ESL Teacher Ms. Tracy Ann Smith.
Now, as you did before for Ms. Hunter who was selected "January Excellent Educator" by NBC5 And SMU, we need your support again. It is an easy entry...basic contact info and why your teacher nomination inspires you in less than 500 words. It took me less than 10 minutes to do the nomination start to finish!
And please spread the word...
Nominate a Teacher Who Inspires You | NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth https://www.nbcdfw.com/on-air/contests/Nominate-a-Teacher-Who-Inspires-You-492108841.html?_osource=mobilesharebar
You all deserve the best...Thank you for your cooperation.
Spread the Word / Invite Friend
It's easy; just follow these directions:
Like our Facebook page and get one jeans day!
Like two posts and get one jeans day!
Refer someone who enrolls and get a free uniform shirt!
Show Mrs. Tanwar proof via screenshot or email to get your jeans bracelet.
Tutoring
The following is the schedule for tutoring:
Monday and Thursday: Math, Social Studies, and Writing
Tuesday and Friday: Reading and Science
Detention
Dress Code
Dress code policies are still in effect! No hoodies are allowed in the building. Parents will be notified and consequences will be given. Students can wear solid colored pullover sweaters, sweatshirts or cardigans. School cardigans and fleece jackets can be purchased at the front office for $15. Credit cards or money orders only.
Friday Spirit Days
Fridays are Spirit days! Students are allowed to wear blue jeans and a spirit or college shirt. Jeans must be blue and cannot be ripped, torn or shredded or look like they are.
BONUS Spirit Days
World's Finest Chocolate Fundraising
We will have started a fundraiser to raise funds for both the athletics programs as well as the school activity fund. I know we as a Harmony School of Nature family want to provide the best possible experiences for our students and that requires money. So we have begun our world’s finest chocolate fundraiser. This is one of the most lucrative fundraisers for the school with a wonderful return on investment.
Unlike in the past when we have done this fundraiser, Mr. Fidan has allowed for a number of prizes for students both individually and as an advisory class or student organization. For each box of chocolate that a student sales they will be given a free dress pass for a Thursday and a raffle ticket that they will be able to put into a raffle for a prize. Each of the following prizes will have its own raffle bowl so students can put all of their raffle tickets into a single prize bowl or try to win multiple prizes by splitting their tickets between multiple prize raffles. The prizes will include a 2 different $100 gift cards of the student’s choice or A Harry Potter box set. Also, the student that sales the most boxes of chocolate will win a Nintendo Switch. As well as the individual prizes the advisory class or student organization that sales the most boxes will be given a pizza party. I know that with the support of our administration, all of our wonderful staff, and our amazing parents our students will take the incentives provided and make this a successful fundraiser. I look forward to seeing the success of this fundraiser and would like to thank all of you in advance for your support.
Thank You,
Dr. Goodson
Summer Learning Opportunity
As HPS engagement team, we are so excited to announce a new summer learning opportunity for our high school students in Spain. Program details are below and advertisement materials are attached.
Program highlights
- First-come, first-served basis, ONLY 25 seats available
- Only rising 9-12 grade (14-17 years old) boys and girls
- Application form and $600 deposit must be made no later than February 1,2019
- Trip cost $3400 includes airfare, accommodation, transportation, 3 meals per day, guided tours, park & museum fees.
- Payment plan is available. Last payment must be paid by June 1,2019
- Departure/Arrival cities are Houston & Madrid
- Students and parents can contact Campus Engagement Coordinator(Ertuna- room 304) for more information contact
- 16-22 June 2019 : Real Madrid Campus Experience
- 22-25 June 2019: Madrid and Toledo Trip, Warner Bros Madrid, etc.
Please see advertisement materials about Real Madrid Campus Experience & Madrid-Toledo Trip 2019
1. Poster
2. Campus Experience 2019 (English) I Fundación Real Madrid (Short Video)
3. Presentation
4. Campus experience information
Do not hesitate to contact Mr. Ertuna, if you have any questions.
Student ID
Badges have been distributed to all students. The students are required to wear their badges around their neck at all times. Lost or damaged badges must be replaced. The $5 fee will be collected at the front office, via credit card or money order. A temporary badge will be issued if a student forgets theirs at home, but after three attempts, they will be required to replace their badge. Please help them remember to bring their badges to school.
STUDENT CONDUCTOR
We are implementing a new program called Student Conductor. Students who are tardy will scan their badges and receive a tardy slip. Parents will be notified via email each time their student’s badge is scanned. Consequences will be given according to the number of tardies. Please contact the front office or respond to the emails if you have any questions or concerns.
Tardy Sweeps
School starts promptly at 7:55 am. While we understand that traffic can be an issue, our students are missing out on valuable instructional time when they arrive late. We have begun implementing tardy sweeps between classes and students will receive consequences when they are tardy. The consequences range from detention to in-school suspension. Please help us encourage your students to get to class on time.
No tardy student will get "no tardy party" end of this semester.
The following consequences will be issued for tardies:
5 tardies - detention
10 tardies - detention
20 tardies - in school suspension
30 tardies - out of school suspension
6th Grade Sky Ranch Trip
GT FIELD TRIP
Engineering Day at UT Austin Saturday February 23rd. The huge event has all hands on activities for students to explore and learn about science, math and engineering plus, they get to do at the University of Texas in Austin! It is for middle school grades and their parents plus, there is no cost!! Parents please watch for permission forms to come home soon!
Credit card payments
Please note that we cannot accept cash payments or credit card payments over the phone for any item or service in the front office. You are welcome to pay by check or credit card (in person). If you are paying by check, please include your date of birth and driver's license number on the check itself.
National Lunch Program
Cafeteria Policies
- Students are not allowed to share food, due to allergies and dietary constraints. This includes bringing in food for celebrations, such as birthdays.
- Microwaves are limited. We strongly recommend that students bring lunches that do not need to be heated up or are in a Thermos-type container. Please refrain from sending items that have to be heated for more than 2 minutes to help alleviate wait times.
Students are not allowed to purchase a la carte items if their account has a $0 or negative balance. If they are purchasing a milk, we will allow them one charge as a courtesy. The Lunch Clerk will inform the student and parent that there must be funds in the meal account for a la carte purchases. The next attempt to purchase a la carte items will be denied until the account shows a positive balance.
The district charge limit applies to reimbursable meals only and not a la carte purchases.
Meal Charge Policy
Nutritious meals are available daily for a price of $1.70 for breakfast, $3.00 for lunch, and $0.50 for a la carte milk. Each student is provided a lunch account on to which money may be deposited. Households are encouraged to set up an account in School Cafe (www.schoolcafe.com) to view meal balances, make a payment, set low balance alerts, and schedule automatic payments. Payments may also be made in the school office.
Should a student’s meal account balance fall below $0, he /she will be allowed to charge up to -10 $ DISTRICT LIMIT. Once the negative meal account balance limit is reached, the student will receive an alternate meal. Alternate meals consist of cereal, fruit, and milk for breakfast; and for lunch, a sandwich, vegetable, and milk. If a student is later approved for free meals, he/she will begin receiving meals immediately. However, the household is still responsible for paying the negative account balance.
Most important meal, Breakfast
Breakfast is available from 7.30 am until 7:45 am. The breakfast menu can be found on the school website, front office and posted in the cafeteria.
Student Drivers - Parking Permits required!
Harmony School of Nature Tampa/Orlando Graduation Trip
Important Reminders
****Arrival and Dismissal Procedures****
Letter to Seniors
Dear Seniors/parents/guardians,
This is a reminder that the FAFSA/TASFA State Priority Deadline was on January 15, 2019 for institutional scholarships and grants. It is extremely important that your FAFSA was finished on time to ensure you will receive institutional financial aid (scholarships and grants). The impacts 4 year colleges and universities in Texas (not 2 year colleges). Please make arrangements to get this done if you haven't already.
The 10 colleges that you list on your FAFSA are extremely important, please make sure your list is updated to reflect your college list and the financial aid packages you are wanting to receive. Please note, many colleges must receive the students SAR report (from FAFSA) before giving any kind of financial aid (this will only be sent to the 10 colleges you have listed on your FAFSA), other colleges require the student to do a special application for financial aid (Ex: Texas Woman's University has this). Please make sure you know what your college/university requires so you don’t miss out on Financial Aid.
Counselors will be setting up meetings to go over Financial Aid letters with students/parents/guardians in April to help make the best decision by May 1st (National College decision day!). Students will need to confirm their enrollment at the college they have decided to go to or they may be dropped (colleges will start to accept students on the waitlist after this day).
Please take a moment to look over this amazing Scholarship opportunity with Scholarshot.
Brief Summary: Students can receive up to $6,000 per year for Texas Public College/Universities, they must meet with an academic counselor to keep them on track (called an academic manager), keep up with a journal (every two weeks). Students with an EFC score of 5500 or less are strongly encouraged to apply. We have a representative coming to speak with our seniors on January 17th during Advisory.
https://scholarshot.fluidreview.com/
Please make sure you are working on finishing your volunteer hours and any credit recovery. These are required to participate in our graduation ceremony!
Upcoming Events for Seniors:
February 5- Herff Jones is coming HSN to show Cap/Gowns
February 12- Herff Jones is coming to take orders and payments
Have a wonderful weekend!
Dual Credit Classes Start on Tuesday, January 22nd!
Mountain View College Spring classes start next week! Please make sure your student has confirmed their enrollment into their course if they have signed up, the student may be ineligible to get college credit if they do not do this step. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with their Mountain View Student ID number at all times and is always needed to register for a course. If a student is unsure of how to check their Mountain View Class Schedule or log onto Blackboard, please have them watch these instructional video and follow the steps:
How to Log onto Econnect and check Class Schedule (Video)
How to Log onto Blackboard for the first time (Video)
Please note, Harmony School of Nature Counselors do not have any access of any kind to reset passwords, find usernames, etc. for Mountain View College Accounts. If the student is still having trouble after watching the videos, please have them call the helpline.
More Information on How to get into Dual Credit and AP Courses
Course Selection for 9-11th grade Students
Counselors will be starting course selections soon for 9th through 11th grade January 22nd! Students please make sure you take your selections seriously, we will not be accepting any changes after the window is closed. The master schedule is built to accommodate the classes originally chosen by student. Please note that administration reserves the right and has the responsibility to only make changes as necessary to meet graduation requirements, balance class sizes, correct administrative or clerical errors, reflect changes in school personnel, or other educationally appropriate reasons.
Course Selections and 4 year graduation plan meeting for 8th grade students
Students in 8th grade will begin the process of developing a Personalized Graduation Plan (PGP) for the next 4 years in high school. A Personalized Graduation Plan is a 4- year plan that each student makes to help guide his or her course selection to meet the criteria of the chosen endorsement. Parents are strongly encouraged to schedule a meeting in February to meet with a counselor to discuss the plan their student has chosen. More details for making an appointment are coming soon!
AP Appeal Documents and Forms (Due February 15) Please note, students will need to have all forms turned in by the deadline to be considered into the AP or Honors course by the Advanced Academic Placement Committee.
AP Teacher Recommendation Form
Dual Credit Agreement (Due February
15th)
Dual Credit Agreement (for Dual Credit courses in the students school schedule)
Are you ready for your Summer Internship?
There are two summer internships we are working on with our students (students are not limited to these, if you know of any others please share them with your counselor). The Dallas Mayor’s Intern Fellows program and UT Southwestern Medical Center STARS program. You can view the requirements at the links below:
Link to requirements for Dallas Mayor’s Intern Fellows (10th-11th grade only)
Link to UT Southwestern Medical Center STARS program (11th grade only)
High School Credits
As the semester comes to a close, Counselors would like to take a moment and remind students that credits matter. Please make sure you are passing your classes. Not passing can often result in the need for credit recovery courses (they cost $100 dollars per semester) and for seniors it can impact the ability to graduate.
2018-2019 Counselor Assignments
8th Grade- Mrs. Senlik
9th Grade- Mrs. Senlik
10th Grade- Mrs. Rivers
11th Grade- Mrs. Rivers
12th Grade- Mrs. Rivers, Mrs. Senlik, Mr. Ertuna (students are assigned based on advisory classes and should now know who their counselor is)
Mrs. Rivers
Room 309
Mrs. Senlik
Room 308
Mr. Ertuna
Room 306
Please remember, you should never have to pay to complete a FAFSA application. If the application is asking you for money, then you are on the wrong site!
PTSO Contact Information
Need to contact the PTSO or want to keep up to date on what we're doing?
Here are the ways to keep in touch:
Email: hsnaturepto@gmail.com
Website: hsnaturepto.org
Facebook: @hsnaturepto
Instagram: @hsnaturepto
Valentine Harmony Grams
Send your friends, teachers and staff Harmony Grams for Valentine's Day! You can send chocolate heart lollipops and heart shaped balloons by turning in the order form to the front desk, or order online at: http://bit.ly/HarmonyGrams2019
Harmony Grams will be delivered on Valentine's Day.
Boxtops - Deadline to turn in: 2/22/19
Cell Phone Policy
Students using their cell phones will have them confiscated and they will be given to the front office. Any student refusing to give a cell phone or other electronic device to school staff shall be subject to disciplinary penalties in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. Parents will be required to come in and sign paperwork to retrieve the phone. Students cannot sign out their own phones. Please note that the use of camera phones for recording is strictly forbidden on the school premises at any time.
Morning drop off off update:
In order to help expedite the morning drop off process, we are making a slight change starting October 22nd. Students arriving after 8 am will need to be dropped off at the front of the school. As always, students arriving after 8:15 am must be signed in by a parent. Remember, students arriving after 8 am are marked tardy, so please make every effort to arrive before school starting time. for every minutes they are late will be recording as they are losing instructional time.
Chromebook Policy
Students will be assigned a specific Chromebook in each classroom and must always follow school guidelines for Internet safety.
A/B Week Schedule
Parent Connect
Check the Academic Programs website regularly for information on