Dear Students/Parents,

DISTANCE LEARNING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

SAMPLE DAILY SCHEDULE

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PmVJQUCm4E&w=630&h=350]

Useful Links

The safety of our students and staff is our top priority at Harmony Public Schools. As new developments continue to unfold regarding the COVID-19 situation, we wanted to provide you an important update regarding the potential impact of the virus on our schools.

While there have been no cases of COVID-19 reported on our campuses or within our school family at this time, out of an abundance of caution we are announcing a temporary closure of all Harmony Public Schools campuses through Monday, April 6. All school activities, field trips, athletics events, and competitions have also been cancelled during this time.

At this time, we are anticipating classes will be able to resume for students on Tuesday, April 7. Staff will return for a work-day on Monday, April 6.

This decision was made after discussions with, and upon the recommendations of, local health officials.  We strongly believe it is the best decision for helping to keep our students, staff, and communities safe at this time.

During this closure, our Harmony team members will continue to work remotely to finalize the details of distance-learning plan to make sure students continue to receive educational services with minimal  interruption.You will receive regular updates how this plan will be implemented.

Additionally, all full-time, non-exempt and exempt employees will continue to be paid according to their normal rate and schedule.

We continue to urge families and team members to stay informed of current Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines related to the prevention of the spreading of viruses, including limiting out of town travel, “social distancing,” and self-quarantine for those who have recently traveled to impacted areas.

We recognize this is a rapidly evolving situation and will continue to aggressively monitor new developments and respond with appropriate actions based on the best interests of our Harmony families and the guidance of local health officials. Throughout this process, we will continue to communicate with you new information as soon as possible. We anticipate further updates no later than the week of March 23-27.

Thank you for your support during these unusual circumstances. With your continued collaboration, together we can provide a healthy learning environment for our students and staff.

As students return from spring break, we would like to ask the Harmony community for your renewed diligence in helping our schools maintain the best-practices for clean campuses established before break.

That of course includes the normal requests regarding washing hands, covering your mouth when coughing, and staying home when sick. However, we also need your help keeping viruses and germs contained by asking your student to immediately report to their campus health office if their experience any of the following symptoms while at school:

• Suspected fever: Student is flushed, student unusually pale, complaints of body aches/pains student is lethargic or unusually tired, student statements of having had a fever or taken medication at home to make them feel better.
• Respiratory symptoms: Dry cough with or without nasal drainage, difficulty breathing (visibly difficult breathing includes using abdominal muscles to breathe, inability to speak more than a couple of words at a time, flaring nostrils when breathing) or statements of feeling short of breath, chest or lung pain, wheezing or grunting with breathing.

Additionally, families should be aware that any student returning from a travel area on the CDC list of at-risk countries for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) MUST see their medical provider before returning to campus. Students will have 48 hours to submit a clearance letter from their doctor before returning to campus. After this, student absences will not be excused. A student cannot return until they have clearance from their doctor or have finished quarantine if medically recommended.

With your continued support and collaboration, together we can provide a healthy learning environment for our students and staff.

Thank you.

P.S. … For more information about COVID-19 and our school system’s response, including additional resources for families, visit https://www.HarmonyTX.org/coronavirus.

Spring Break is almost here for our students and staff members across the state.  We sincerely hope everyone in our Harmony community has a fun and relaxing break before together we begin the final stretch toward the end of the school year.

We understand that many of you will be traveling this spring break. With concerns about the Coronavirus in the minds of many, we want to share a few tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about staying healthy when traveling, as well as provide more info about a few Harmony policies related to returning to school after visiting certain risk-prone destinations.

Tips for Healthy Travel

In general, the same advice for fighting germs and bacteria  applies when traveling as it does when staying home:

• Wash hands frequently and/or use hand sanitizer;
• Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth;
• Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, use a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash hands;
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
• When greeting others, consider an alternative to hugs or handshakes, such as an elbow bump.

Additionally, here are a few additional tips related specifically to those traveling:

• Be aware of your surroundings (including people who are sick) and try to distance yourself as appropriate;
• Avoid areas that you feel might make your more likely to be exposed;
• Know how to get reliable local information about any possible changes to the situation;
• Avoid public transportation, if possible. Confined spaces such as buses, trains, subways, and airplanes may put you at a higher risk of infection;
• When eating animal-based products, make sure they are thoroughly cooked before eating.

Returning to School After Visiting Risk-Prone Areas

Due to CDC travel guidelines, students and families that have traveled to locations that are marked as a Coronavirus risk by the CDC must have a letter of clearance from their medical provider before returning to campus. Failure to provide a clearance letter will result in the student being dismissed home. Students will have 48 hours to provide proof of doctor’s clearance. Any additional absence will require further documentation from the parents or doctor. For a list of countries with COVID-19 travel advisories, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.

Currently these countries include: 

• China
• Hong Kong
• Iran
• Italy
• Japan
• South Korea

Additionally, please be aware that families travelling to China’s Hubei province or mainland China may face a mandatory quarantine and be monitored by public health officials. Any health department guidelines should be followed by any affected families and absences will be waived upon return to school with provision of proof of quarantine. 

At Harmony Public Schools, we take the health and safety of our students and staff members seriously. Harmony is closely tracking all new developments regarding the Coronavirus and will continue to share timely, relevant updates, as needed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please refer to your campus health staff. 

We appreciate your help in supporting healthy and happy learning environments for our Harmony community. 

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

Last Saturday (2/29/2020), 11 of our students entered the Visual Arts Scholastic Event. It is with great pride that I announce that 8 of our 11 students received medals recognizing their abilities against other students in Houston Region 4 North in their respective divisions.

Division 1 – Rahime C. and Jeanne T.

Division 2 – Zukhruf K., Hanife I., and Anna N.

Division 4 – Fiona R., Fiza S., and Olivia H.

These students were recognized as the best in Region 4 North this year.

Congratulations to our students and all who have supported them!