Picture retakes will take place on Wednesday, November 10th. Students will wear their uniform.
To order online, visit https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/ and enter our picture day ID EVTDKHRSJ.
Picture retakes will take place on Wednesday, November 10th. Students will wear their uniform.
To order online, visit https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/ and enter our picture day ID EVTDKHRSJ.
Dear HSI Families,
We invite you to join us for our Lobos Family Night on Monday, November 15th, from 4:00 – 5:00 pm. Please use the link below to RSVP by 2:00 pm on Friday, November 12th.
Here are just a few things you can look forward to during the evening:
*Pizza
*Door prizes
*Free dress for scholars whose families attend
*Hear from our leadership scholars about our school creed & their personal leadership on campus
*Learn about our character school efforts & what scholars are learning about in SEL class
*Get assistance from teachers about games, software and strategies that can be used at home to help with overall academics as well as foundational skills
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you then!
CPS Energy is excited to bring to the Harmony School of Innovation’s teachers, leaders and families awareness of the available residential assistance programs through CPS Energy. They will have a virtual evening presentation on Thursday, November 4th, at 5:30 by Paula Torres to discuss the program details, benefits and application requirements for anyone to be able to participate in our residential programs.
The Zoom link will be shared on Class Dojo and through email. Should you have any questions, please contact Julia Martinez at 210.353.2300.
One of the questions we hear most from prospective parents interested in applying to Harmony Public Schools is “I’ve been looking at schools near me, but I don’t understand – what is the difference between a charter school and an ISD public school?”
Public charter schools have grown exponentially in the past 25 years – both in Texas, and around the country – but we understand why many parents who grew up in a traditional independent school district setting themselves may still have questions.
That’s OK. We’ve got the answers to all of your biggest questions about charter schools.
A charter school is a public school, and in many ways very similar to a traditional ISD school as you might think of one.
However, what makes charter schools different is what we believe makes them special. In a word, that difference is “choice.”
Way back in 1995, the Texas State Legislature decided that even though there were a lot of great schools in Texas, a one-size-fits-all approach to education might not work for all families. Each child is unique: some with special gifts, others with special challenges, and all with special dreams for their futures.
To help better serve every Texas student, the Texas public charter school system was created to allow independent, education-based nonprofit organizations called Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) to open and operate free public schools for Texas students with the promise that they would provide a new school choice in education for local Texas families.
For some charter schools, that new choice might be a curriculum that focuses on dual-language learning. For others, it might be helping students who have dropped out of the traditional school setting reclaim their path to graduation.
At Harmony Public Schools, we specialize in hands-on, project-based learning with a heavy emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), as well as advanced college preparedness and character education.
DID YOU KNOW?
Of the roughly 100 schools in Texas certified as official Texas STEM Academies be the Texas Education Agency, 23 are Harmony Public Schools high schools – more than any other school system in Texas!
Thirteen Harmony high schools have also been named among the Best STEM High Schools in the U.S. by Newsweek.
As long as a student lives within its geographic boundaries of the school, any child can attend a Texas public charter school. However, unlike traditional ISD schools where students usually must attend whichever nearby campus they are “zoned” to, public charter school geographic boundaries are generally very large – often covering multiple communities or counties. These large geographic boundaries are another way Texas public charter schools offer Texas families a choice in their student’s education, and are unique from traditional ISDs. For example, rather than sending their child to an ISD campus near their home address, a parent may prefer for their child to attend a school near a grandparent’s home, or the parent’s place of work. Or they may prefer to send their child to a campus that specializes in a specific curriculum, like STEM, or with a higher TEA accountability rating than their neighborhood ISD school. All of these are options with Texas public charter schools.
Texas public charter schools are free to attend. Applying to a Texas public charter school is also free.
They don’t. Charter school students are never “cherry picked” from an applicant pool. Any student who applies to attend a charter school will be accepted, so long as they meet three basic criteria:
RELATED: Learn more about Harmony Public School’s application, enrollment and lottery processes
A student can apply to a charter school at any time during the school year and be accepted if space is available. However, most Texas public charter schools also offer an open enrollment period each year specifically for prospective new students. During this time, families can learn more about their charter school options and enter their name for the enrollment lottery, which is held in the event there are more applicants than available seats. For Harmony Public Schools, open enrollment runs each November 1 through February 10.
MORE INFO: Learn more about how to apply to Harmony Public Schools.
As opposed to a traditional ISD school, which receives its funding primarily from the taxes local homeowners pay each year combined with additional funding from the state, charter schools receive their primary funding from the state and federal governments. Additionally, charters often receive both public and private grants to fund many of their innovative academic programs. For example, in recent years Harmony Public Schools has received grants of varying amounts from the U.S. Department of Education, the Texas Education Agency, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and the Elon Musk Foundation, among others.
No. By law, Texas public charter schools must be nonprofit entities. All funds received are used in the service of our students and school teams.
That’s a decision that’s up to each charter school. At Harmony Public Schools, we do have a uniform policy. (Our students do get regular “free dress” days, though.)
Charter schools offer almost all of the same programs and extracurricular activities as ISD schools, though just like at an ISD school, the exact selection of extracurricular opportunities varies from campus-to-campus. Traditionally, charter schools specialize in offering a wide variety of academic-focused extracurriculars. For example, at Harmony Public Schools, some of our most popular extracurricular activities are our groundbreaking eSports clubs, LEGO robotics, rocketry, computer coding, and biomedicine. Our schools also compete in a wide variety of sports, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, and football.
Just like traditional ISDs, Texas charter schools must remain in good academic and financial accountability with the Texas Education Agency. That includes annual inclusion in the TEA’s Financial Integrity System of Texas (FIRST) and Overall Accountability ratings. Charter schools that do not meet these standards face closure by the TEA. Finally, to help families easily understand how their charter school is performing, the TEA has created a Charter School Performance Framework (CSPF), which grades charter districts on overall academic performance and closing achievement gaps.
There are a few other differences between Texas public charter schools and ISDs, but most don’t impact the day-to-day campus life of our students. For example, charter school boards consist of appointed volunteers with a unique interest in education, rather than private individuals who have chosen to run for election. However, charter school board meetings are still open to the public to attend and participate.
We couldn’t possibly share all the things that make charter schools a unique and important part of the Texas educational environment in just one article. So if you have more questions, we’d love the opportunity to tell you more. Just tell us what you want to know in our Let’s Talk family communication platform, and we’ll reach out with an answer soon!
Our Trunk-Or-Treat is coming soon! Join us Friday, October 29th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. We will be accepting candy and small pumpkin donations for this event. Donations may be left at the front office.
There will be music, activities, food and a costume contest! Tickets may be purchased now with debit/credit card (link below) and will be available for pickup the day of the event. We will not accept cash before or on the day of the event. The pricing for the concession and pumpkin painting is listed on the site and tickets are $1 dollar each.
For children who wish to participate in the costume contest, it will be held in the gym at 6:30 p.m. We will grant prizes to the top 3 costumes of the night.
Please share this with your family and friends. This event is open to the community and we will even have some community partners/businesses joining us:
TruFit Walzem
Kids N More Dentist
Small Town Nutrition
Bexar County ESD #10
Walmart Neighborhood Market – Converse
Windcrest Fire Department
CPS Energy
Jon Wayne
We are THRILLED and can’t wait to see everyone there!
Link To Purchase Tickets:
https://harmonytx.revtrak.net/gr-san-antonio/harmony-school-of-innovation-san-antonio/trunk-or-treat-snack-sale/#/v/trunk-or-treat-snack-sale-
You are invited to our Storybook Parade that will be held on Friday, October 29th, at 8:30 AM.
Parents do not need to check-in at the front office — you may line up outside along the cars in the parking lot on both sides to see the parade (from cafeteria to gym).
The main gates will be closed or blocked off at 8:05. Parents will need to find other parking at that time.
Costume restrictions (Costumes may not):
Be a horror-themed costume
Have a mask
Have blood or gore
Have a weapon of any kind (gun, sword, sceptre, pitchfork, trident, knife, bat, bow and arrow, stick, club, slingshot, axe, etc)
Have a hoodie
Have holey leggings or pants
Have open-toed or high heeled shoes (including platform styled)
Costumes requirements (Costumes must):
Be a storybook character
Have the book present during the parade
Be knee length or longer
May use light makeup
May have leggings underneath (without holes)
Have shoes
Thank you and we look forward to having you attend!
Calling all Harmony Family Veterans:
We would like to invite you to be part of our Veterans day celebration that will take place on Thursday, November 11th. The celebration will begin with a parade of our Harmony Veterans at 8:30 am, followed by breakfast for our Veterans in the 3rd-floor cafeteria. Our couple of our 8th-grade students will escort you in this parade as you walk the hallways and are honored by our students and staff. Please arrive no later than 8:15 am to sign in with the front office with your driver’s license.
Harmony Family Veterans — Please click on the link below to RSVP.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6gdbXWh2r_See-T5_6r-IcISmo80ijCf2eRjMjrO-P_1LnQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
Students may dress in red, white and blue on this day (blue jeans are fine).
Join us in celebrating being a Drug Free Campus! We invite you to participate with us in our spirit dress days October 25-29. This year’s theme is Drug Free Looks Like Me™.
MONDAY (Oct 25) – Wear red to kick off drug free week (jeans okay)
TUESDAY (Oct 26) – “Support Each Other To Be Drug Free” – Twin day (coordinate with a friend/peer and dress alike)
WEDNESDAY (Oct 27)- “Lei Off Drugs” Wear lei’s and Hawaiian clothing
THURSDAY (Oct 28)- “Peace Out To Drugs” – Wear tie dye shirts (jeans okay)
FRIDAY (Oct 29)- Dress up as your favorite Book Character. Students must bring a book or cover page that goes along with the book character costume.
Costume restrictions (Costumes may not):
Be a horror-themed costume
Have a mask
Have blood or gore
Have a weapon of any kind (gun, sword, sceptre, pitchfork, trident, knife, bat, bow and arrow, stick, club, slingshot, axe, etc)
Have a hoodie
Have holey leggings or pants
Have open-toed or high heeled shoes (including platform styled)
Costumes requirements (Costumes must):
Be a storybook character
Have the book present during the parade
Be knee length or longer
May use light makeup
May have leggings underneath (without holes)
Have shoes
Thank you and we look forward to having you attend!
Friday, October 22nd, is Wear It Pink Day. Students and staff may come dressed in pink from “Head To Toe” To Support Breast Cancer (jeans are okay).
For media requests, please send an email to media@harmonytx.org with details of the request.
For more information, please visit our Media & Public Relations page.
Harmony Public Schools (“Harmony”) is committed to making the information on its website accessible to individuals with disabilities in compliance with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader, eye tracking device, voice recognition software, etc.) and have difficulty accessing information on the Harmony website, please contact HPS Webmaster by email at accessibility@harmonytx.org . Please include the following when communicating with Harmony regarding accessibility issues:
A description of your accessibility concern.
The format in which you prefer to receive the materials.
The web page address of the requested material(s).
The best way to contact you (email address or phone number, or both).
Harmony will make appropriate accommodations to facilitate access to any website content.
Complaints regarding website accessibility may be submitted through the Public Complaint process outlined in Board Policy PG-1.12 (Public Complaints).
Please note that some pages on the Harmony website contain links to third-party sites, which are not within Harmony’s control. If you notify Harmony of problems with accessing a third-party site that is necessary to participate in one of Harmony’s programs or activities, we will make the material or information available in an accessible format.
If you are experiencing a problem with bullying at Harmony, or have other discipline-related concerns regarding one of our schools, please fill out the form at the link below for the Dean of Students.
Please click here for the HPS Child Find Policy.
As required by Title IX, Harmony Public Schools does not (and is required not to) discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs or activities. This non-discrimination requirement applies to admission to and employment with Harmony Public Schools. Inquiries into issues related to Title IX may be referred to Harmony’s Title IX Coordinator(s) (identified below), to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, or both.
Title IX training presentation link
Harmony’s Title IX Coordinators:
Students/student matters:
Charles Lambert
Director of Internal Investigations
HPS Central Office
clambert@harmonytx.org
713-343-3333 x1104
Employee and applicant matters
Kelly Ann Hebeler
Director of Employee Relations
HPS Central Office
khebeler@harmonytx.org
It is the policy of HPS not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability in its programs, services, or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, please contact Section 504/ADA Coordinator at (713) 343-3333 located at 9321 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S. Houston, TX 77099.
HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS offers support to school district for career and technical education programs in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications; Business Management and Administration; Education and Training; Finance; Government and Public Administration; Health Science; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security; Manufacturing; Marketing; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics. Admission to these programs is based on enrollment in HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS secondary schools.
It is the policy of HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap in its CTE programs, services or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
It is the policy of HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, or age in its employment practices as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS will take steps to assure that lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in all educational and CTE programs.
For information about your rights or grievance procedures, contact the Title IX Coordinator, CHARLES LAMBERT, and/or the Section 504 Coordinator, IHSAN KARA, at 9321 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S. Houston, TX 77099, Phone: (713) 343-3333.
Las Escuelas Públicas Harmony ofrecen programas vocacionales en Agricultura, Alimentación y Recursos Naturales; Arquitectura y Construcción; Artes, Tecnología de Audio / Video y Comunicaciones; Administración de Negocios y Administración; Educación y Entrenamiento; Finanzas; Gobierno y Administración Pública; Ciencias de la salud; Hospitalidad y Turismo; Recursos Humanos; Tecnología de la Información; Derecho; Seguridad Pública, Correccionales y Seguridad; Manufactura; Mercadeo; Ciencias, Tecnología, Ingeniería y Matemáticas; Transporte, Distribución y Logística. La admisión a estos programas se basa en el número de estudiantes de secundaria registrados en las Escuelas Públicas Harmony.
Es norma de las Escuelas Públicas Harmony no discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo o impedimento, en sus programas, servicios o actividades de CTE, tal como lo requieren el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda; el Título IX de las Enmiendas en la Educación, de 1972, y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, según enmienda.
Es norma de las Escuelas Públicas Harmony no discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, impedimento o edad, en sus procedimientos de empleo, tal como lo requieren el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda; el Título IX de las Enmiendas en la Educación, de 1972, la ley de Discriminación por Edad, de 1975, según enmienda, y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, según enmienda.
Las Escuelas Públicas Harmony tomarán las medidas necesarias para asegurar que la falta de habilidad en el uso del inglés no sea un obstáculo para la admisión y participación en todos los programas educativos y CTE.
Para información sobre sus derechos o procedimientos para quejas, comuníquese con el Coordinador del Título IX, CHARLES LAMBERT, y/o el Coordinador de la Sección 504, IHSAN KARA, a la siguiente dirección: 9321 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S. Houston, TX 77099, Teléfono: (713) 343-3333.
The Texas Transition and Employment Guide provides youth, young adults, parents and professionals with secondary transition resources to facilitate a young person’s progress towards post-secondary goals to education, employment, and community living.
Please choose a version to display the guide:
— English
— Spanish
Click here to see Harmony Public Schools Admission Policy.
HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DR. ONER ULVI CELEPCIKAY, MR. HOMER STEWART, MRS. HELEN SHERWOOD, DR. HAKDURAN KOC, DR. MEHMET ARGIN, DR. OSMAN KANLIOGLU, MS. LAURA GONZALES