Harmony News
January 29, 2021
Principal's Welcome
Report Cards
Attendance Reminders
Please notify us regarding any planned absences.
By LCPS policy, principals are authorized to excuse students who are absent because of illness in the immediate family or emergencies that, in the judgment of the principal, require a student to be absent, or trips that extend or enhance a student’s education, when such trips are approved in advance by the principal.
Please communicate with Mr. Stewart in advance of any traveling.
Math Course Selection Information
If you have any questions about math course selections and how data will be used (including MAP scores), please check out this LCPS video: 2021-22 Middle School Math Course Recommendation Information Session for Parents/Guardians
Hybrid Orientation(s) Pending
The School Board is meeting February 2 to consider motions and dates to return students to school. We do not know any confirmed dates. However, once those dates are set, we will be having several self guided tour opportunities for the incoming hybrid students to get a preview of their classroom locations (starting with 6th graders who have never been in the building).
Once we hear something, will will send out our dates and times for the visits.
Spelling Bee News
This year, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has developed an online testing platform that will allow Harmony to host a school spelling bee program virtually. In place of our traditional spelling bee program, we will hold one level of competition through a online spelling and vocabulary tests.
The first step to spelling bee participation is for you to register for the Scripps National Spelling Bee's online testing platform by visiting https://online-test.spellingbee.com. You must register your child by 11:59 pm on Friday, February 5th. We encourage you to watch this video tutorial that will walk you through the registration process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ThKRsffiFc
Once you have registered, your child must complete the test before 11:59 on Friday, February 12th. These tests can be taken on any device with a web browser, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones. Our school champion will move on to represent Harmony in the Loudoun County regional spelling bee program, which also may include online tests in lieu of in-person spelling bee events.
The first step to spelling bee participation is to register at online-test.spellingbee.com by Friday, February 5th. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about our school spelling bee program. I look forward to having your child compete to represent our school!
Meghann Donohue / English Teacher / SALT /SVWP Teacher Consultant / NBCT '07 and '17
Student Goals Set During Advisory
Recently, Hive Time (Advisory) staff and students spent time on Goal Setting. Please follow up with your child and help discuss their goals.
Hybrid vs. DL Number Update
These are the current numbers from the family decisions back in December:
Hybrid selections = 516 or 48%
Distance Learning (DL) = 552 or 52%
Approximate Amount of Students = 1,068
THANK YOU!
Recent Information about SOL Testing and Opting Out
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) requires that state and federal assessments be delivered under secure, standardized testing conditions in the presence of school personnel and may not be administered remotely to students. Students in any instructional model (100% distance or hybrid) must attend school in person to participate in Standards of Learning (SOL) testing.
To support students’ health and safety, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) will ensure that health mitigation procedures are in place and social distancing is observed. Transportation will be provided to students who reside within a bus zone.
LCPS will be administering the Spring Writing SOL test to students enrolled in grade 8 Reading and English 11 March 1-March 26 and the Spring Non-Writing SOL tests to students in grades 3-12 May 3-May 28. Students enrolled in a high school level course must accrue standard credits by passing a course and verified credits by passing an SOL test or board-approved substitute tests toward graduation.
While we encourage all students to participate in assessment, we understand that some families may have concerns about the in-person testing requirement. Parents who do not wish for their student to participate in state and/or federally mandated assessments may indicate their refusal by emailing their student’s School Testing Coordinator. A parent refusal form can also be found on the LCPS website.
Questions regarding assessment administration or requirements may be addressed to patrick.white@lcps.org, assistant principal at Harmony.
- What are the repercussions of refusing grade level SOL tests? There are no negative repercussions for refusing a grade level SOL test. Refusals do not impact a course grade, promotion, or course placement. Refusals also do not impact high school course selection, diploma options, and are not shared on high school transcripts/college admissions documents. Make up testing would not be offered and is not required.
- What are the repercussions of refusing high school level SOL tests? There are no negative repercussions for refusing high school level SOL tests; however, failure to take an SOL test may delay the student from acquiring the necessary verified credit for their diploma. Students whose parents refuse testing this year may take the test next fall or may skip the test altogether and take the SOL test associated with the next course in the progression. For example, a student currently enrolled in Algebra I, whose parents refuse the test may wait and take the Geometry SOL test next spring (May 2022) to earn the 1 verified credit in math needed for their diploma. Students currently enrolled in Geometry or Algebra II don’t need the verified credit as they already have it for Algebra I so there is no impact on them.