Harmony Nature Tiger Prints
April 6 , 2019 Volume 64 Week 30
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
- STAAR Testing Dates
- Upcoming Event
- UIL Academics results
- Chocolate Fundraising Payments Due
- Harmony's Got Talent
- Lunch Program Updates
- Important Senior Updates
- A Success Story Merissa R.
A Note from the principal
Dear parents and guardians,
I hope you all had a wonderful week. This week will be the first week of STAAR testing. This is a great time to speak with your child about how important it is to be successful and do their best. Please continue to support your children and encourage them to do well and finish strong this last quarter. I can not express how grateful I am for the supportive parents that I have met with this year.
Please continue to encourage your children to attend tutoring to receive any help they may need from their teacher. Based on the students needs the parents have been notified via email and phone calls. If you are thinking your child needs tutoring and not notified please contact the front office.
Chocolate Fundraising has come to an end, please follow up with the front office to make sure your balance has been paid for the chocolate.
Please spread the word for the enrollment. We accept students from almost all grade levels.
Just in case if you need
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mr. Ilker Fidan, M.Ed
STAAR Testing
Dear Parent(s):
STAAR testing time has come. In April, 7th and 8th grade students will take the first part of the STAAR tests, while 9th and 10th grade students will take the first of their EOC exams. We are confident that our students are ready. Students and teachers alike have been working rigorously since the beginning of the school year to master the skills needed to be successful on the STAAR tests.
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) is a state mandated test that measures the statewide curriculum in Reading at Grades 6-8; in Writing at 7th Grade; in mathematics at Grades 6-8; in science at Grade 8; and social studies at Grade 8. The End-of-Course exams (EOC) are an important part of the graduation requirements for high school students in Biology for 9th grade, Algebra 1 for 9th grade, English for 9th and 10th grade, and US History for 11th grade. All students enrolled in those courses are REQUIRED to participate in this testing.
The tests that will be administered in April are on the following dates. The dates for the May exams will be given in a future letter. Please be advised that no visitors are allowed during testing periods. Also, by state law, students will not be allowed to have any electronic devices in the testing areas.
Several things you can do to help ensure a successful testing experience is that your student arrives on time, fully rested and prepared to test. It is also important to make sure your child eats a good dinner the night before, and a good breakfast the morning of testing. While we suggest that students bring a lunch to school that does not need to be warmed up, one will be provided by the school. Similarly, encouraging your student to do his or her personal best can greatly improve self-confidence levels leading to better performance.
Thank you for all you do to help your student be as successful as possible, and for all of your contributions to Harmony School of Nature. I will be more than happy to assist if you have any questions.
Ilker Fidan,
School Principal
Queridos padres:
Ha llegado el tiempo de pruebas STAAR. En abril, los estudiantes de 7º y 8º grado tomarán la primera parte de las pruebas STAAR, mientras que los de 9º y 10º grado tomarán el primero de sus exámenes EOC. Estamos seguros de que nuestros estudiantes están listos. Tanto los estudiantes como los maestros han estado trabajando rigurosamente desde el comienzo del año escolar para dominar las habilidades necesarias para tener éxito en los exámenes STAAR.
La Evaluación de la Preparación Académica del Estado de Texas (STAAR, por sus siglas en inglés) es una prueba obligatoria del estado que mide el plan de estudios estatal en Lectura en los grados 6-8; por escrito en el grado 7; en matemáticas en los grados 6-8; en ciencias en el grado 8; y estudios sociales en el Grado 8. Los exámenes de fin de curso (EOC, por sus siglas en inglés) son una parte importante de los requisitos de graduación para los estudiantes de preparatoria en biología para el noveno grado, álgebra 1 para el noveno grado, inglés para los grados 9 y 10, y EE. UU. Historia para el 11º grado. Se REQUIERE que todos los estudiantes inscritos en esos cursos participen en este examen.
Las pruebas que se administrarán en abril están en las siguientes fechas. Las fechas para los exámenes de mayo se darán en una carta futura. Tenga en cuenta que no se permiten visitantes durante los períodos de prueba. Además, según la ley estatal, a los estudiantes no se les permitirá tener ningún dispositivo electrónico en las áreas de prueba.
Varias cosas que puede hacer para ayudar a garantizar una experiencia de prueba exitosa es que su estudiante llegue a tiempo, descansado completamente y preparado para la prueba. También es importante asegurarse de que su hijo coma una buena cena la noche anterior y un buen desayuno la mañana de la prueba. Si bien sugerimos que los estudiantes traigan un almuerzo a la escuela que no necesita ser calentado, la escuela proporcionará uno. De manera similar, alentar a su estudiante a hacer su mejor esfuerzo personal puede mejorar en gran medida los niveles de confianza en sí mismos y lograr un mejor desempeño.
Gracias por todo lo que hace para ayudar a su estudiante a tener el mayor éxito posible, y por todas sus contribuciones a Harmony School of Nature. Estaré más que feliz de ayudar si tiene alguna pregunta.
Ilker Fidan,
Director de la Escuela
UIL High School Academics
- Roosevelt Scaggs won 1st place in Computer Applications and 4th Place in Spelling and Vocabulary.
- Andrea Galvan won 2nd place in Ready Writing and 3rd place in Feature Writing
- Jose Soto won 2nd place in Math individual, 3rd place Math Team, 3rd place in overall Science, 3rd place Science Team
- Christopher Rodolph won 3rd place Math Team
- Jacob Garcia won 3rd place Math Team
- Hunter Watson won 3rd place Math Team, 5th place Math individual, and 3rd place Science Team
- Michael McGinnis won 2nd place Physics and 3rd place Science Team
- Alan Rodriguez won 3rd place Science Team
Jose, Roosevelt, and Andrea have all qualified to compete in the Regional competition on April 13th in Tyler.
Please remember to congratulate all of these students and wish our Regional candidates good luck!
Middle school GT field trip to Engineering Day at UT Austin
The students had a great time interacting with engineering ideas and concepts in a fun, all hands on, creative way. The kids had a blast!!!
- The group extracted DNA of a strawberry as an experiment
- looked at the sun through a special telescope with different filters
- got to remote control robots made by high school students
- interact with robots made with wood and gears and discuss the differences with metal robots and wooden robots
- 3D printing of a cookie
- observing the use of medieval devices
Harmony's Got Talent
HPS is starting to promote a new event...Harmony's Got Talent...We are looking for new young singers, magicians, showmen...
HSN auditions will be held on Friday, April 5th after school in the library and the school performances on Thursday, April 12th at 6:00 pm in the Gym.
Two winners will represent Harmony School of Nature on the District Talent Competition on Friday, April 18th at HSI Grand Praire.
And come to see our talented students who will be very famous in the next few years!
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.
Visitor ID
It is always our first priority to keep all students and staff safe in our building throughout the entire day. Please be aware that you will be required to always show a valid ID when visiting our school or picking up a student.
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
We are honored to announce that our school nominee is Mrs. Christine Grudecki.
The winner will be announced in the first week of May.
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 Mr. Dawson 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
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.
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
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
DFW/Waco District Wellness Policy Meeting
We invite all parents, students, staff and other community stakeholders to attend Harmony Public Schools-DFW/Waco District Wellness Policy meeting. The meeting will be held at the district office located at 12005 Forestgate Dr. Ste 110, Dallas, TX 75243 on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 from 9:30am to 12:30pm. We will review our current District Wellness Policy (located on each campus website) and the guidelines set forth in the HPS board approved Wellness Plan (available on each campus website) in regards to nutrition education, Smart Snack Guidelines, fundraisers, exemptions, classroom parties, etc. If you are interested in joining, no RSVP is necessary and we look forward to your attendance. For questions or additional information, please contact Linda Moore at LMoore@harmonytx.org.
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.
Important documents/Notes regards to Lunch Program
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).
Senior Reminders:
You’re almost done! You’ve worked 12 years to get to this moment. Students please make sure you (1) have submitted all of your volunteer hours through X2vol as soon as possible, if you have not already done so, (2) acceptance into a 4 year university, and (3) ensure that you are passing all of your current courses, and have finished and paid for any credit recovery course that might be needed. You will not be able to participate in the ceremony without meeting these graduation requirements.
Mandatory Graduation Practice:
Date: May 25, 2018
Time: 8:45 AM (it will last about an hour and a half to 2 hours)
Location: Duncanville’s First Baptist Church (graduation venue)
323 W Wheatland Rd, Duncanville, TX 75116
Please note, per Harmony policy, students are required to attend graduation practice. Not attending may result in not being able to participate in the ceremony.
Graduation Ceremony:
Date: May 25, 2018
Time: 4:00 PM (Students must report at 3:00 PM)
Location: Duncanville’s First Baptist Church (graduation venue)
323 W Wheatland Rd, Duncanville, TX 75116
Graduation Tickets:
Students are limited to bringing 20 or less guests (this is 5 more guests than last year), the venue does not have the capacity to seat more. The venue will be open for guests at 3:30 PM.
If you missed Herff Jones you can still order your cap/gown online at:
Telephone: 817-244-4645
Address:
3300 Joyce Drive, Suite A
Fort Worth, TX 76116
Have a wonderful weekend!
Summer Dual Credit Registration is now open and closes April 29th!
Dual Credit Registration for Summer Courses is now open for eligible for current high school students and will close on April 29. Students are required to purchase their own books and supplies for Summer courses. Students must have passing TSI scores and have submitted their application to Mountain View College and have obtained a student ID number to be eligible for enrollment. Please make sure you understand the fast-paced environment needed for a May course, it is not recommended for students in 9th or 10th grade.
A Success Story (Merissa R.)
Merissa has been attending Harmony School of Nature since 5th grade. Throughout high school Merissa has participated in National Honor Society, National Green School Society, Track and Field; she currently holds the position of Student Body President in Student Council, and had the opportunity to participate in UT Southwestern Medical Center STARS internship program last summer.
Merissa’s advice to anyone trying to get into highly selective schools is to work hard to have a high GPA and high standardized test scores, and take the most challenging courses available to you. If you are shooting for specific colleges, make sure you do your research. Also, your essays and interviews give you a chance to showcase not only your accomplishments but what makes you unique. Her best advice in this area is to be yourself. These universities are not looking for a specific type of person, but a wide range of interesting and intelligent individuals who will make up a diverse incoming class, you may be exactly what they are looking for.
Merissa would like to give special thanks to her mom for helping her get to this point and for always believing that she was capable of getting admitted to amazing universities. She would also like to thank her teachers and academic counselor, who have also been vital resources for her over these past four years. Whether she needed a sounding board for my ideas or frustrations, or she needed a last minute letter of recommendation, she always knew that she could count on her wonderful instructors and mentors for unwavering support.
Please note one important change in 2018-2019 High School Academic Guide & Course Catalog:
“Starting with the Class of 2021 and beyond (freshman and sophomore during 2018-2019 year), all high school credit courses
Including dual and online (excluding credit recovery purposes)
taken outside of Harmony Public Schools in summer will be awarded credit but not receive points on the GPA calculations”
What if you need to drop a course during the summer?
If you need to drop a course, you are required to drop by going in person to the Dual Credit Office at Mountain View College before the drop deadline for the course you have registered for. Don’t wait if you need to drop during the summer, do it as soon as possible! You cannot drop online or over the phone. The student will then need to inform Mrs. Rivers via email that they have dropped the course (arivers@harmonytx.org).
Dual Credit Helpful Links!
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.
School Day SAT is Coming April 23
We are excited to offer the School-Day SAT® at Harmony School of Nature on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. All 11th grade students will test for free during school hours, at our high school. Offering the test during school hours allows students to participate without changing their routines or missing commitments such as work or extracurricular activities. Major benefits of an SAT ®school day administration include: improves access and convenience; increases overall student participation and creates a college-going-culture; and minimizes test-day stress because students are in a familiar location with familiar staff.
The SAT® is a curriculum-based, high-stakes test that will provide an important measure of academic achievement as students prepare for post-secondary college and career opportunities. Participation in the SAT® also gives students valuable skills feedback, connects them with scholarship opportunities, and helps them select the best fit for college. The SAT® is also used by colleges and universities as part of their undergraduate admission process.
Study Resources:
https://www.khanacademy.org/sat (You can link this account with your College Board account for personalized instruction based on PSAT scores)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
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