Archive for month: March, 2020

Dear Harmony Families & Team Members,

For the past 20 years, Harmony Public Schools has established an educational model built strongly on the foundations of science-based learning and responsible citizenship in our communities.

Currently, all available science from community health experts continues to tell us that the best way to be responsible members of our communities is to have our students and staff remain at home.

This is why we have determined that it is in the best interest of our students, team members, and communities to discontinue in-person schooling at our campuses and administrative offices statewide until further notice.

While these facilities remain closed, instruction and learning at Harmony schools will continue. Our classes are operating online through our established digital learning tools, taking advantage of many of the technology tools and blended learning methods already practiced in Harmony’s  physical classrooms. Because our teachers and school leaders will remain available to guide our students each school day, we anticipate instructional continuity during these unusual and difficult times. To request access to a Chromebook and/or for questions regarding internet access, please contact your child’s campus.

(For more information on our at-home learning program, visit HarmonyTX.org/AtHome . To request access to a Chromebook or internet access, contact your child’s campus.)

We will also continue to offer free meal services to children in our communities, as local and state safety guidelines allow.

We thank you for your support and understanding in making this critical decision. We also are profoundly grateful for the extreme determination and Harmony pride shown by both our students and team members these past several weeks. Time and again you have proven why Harmony Public Schools is an institution where excellence is the standard.

We will continue to provide timely updates as new, relevant information comes available, and inform you immediately if our campuses reopen prior to the end of the school year.

Thank you and be well,

 

Fatih Ay

CEO | Harmony Public Schools

Dear Families,
In an effort to continue to meet the food and nutritional requirements of every student while our campus is in closure for the COVID-19 outbreak while also observing recommended practices for containment, we are changing our meal distribution procedures effective tomorrow, Monday, March 23, 2020.

We will now distribute multiple days’ worth of meals twice weekly:
• Mondays from 11am – 1pm: breakfast, lunch and milk will be distributed for each student to have nutritious meals for Monday lunch – Thursday breakfast.
• Thursdays from 11am-1pm: breakfast, lunch and milk will be distributed for each student to have nutritious meals for Thursday lunch – Monday breakfast.
While the meal pickup location for our campus will remain the same, in order to maintain the safety of school personnel, vendor servers, and parents/guardians, the distribution process will change as follows:
• All individuals will maintain a 6 feet social distance during meal distribution.
• Tables will be set-up with the meal sacks on them. Parents should drive up, step out of the car, approach the table, and take the number of bags per child 18 and under in the vehicle.
We look forward to serving you soon.

Harmony Public Schools
*************************************************************************************
Queridas familias,

En un esfuerzo por continuar cumpliendo con los requisitos alimenticios y nutricionales de cada estudiante mientras nuestro campus está cerrado por el brote de COVID-19 y al mismo tiempo observar las prácticas recomendadas para la contención, estamos cambiando nuestros procedimientos de distribución de comidas a partir de mañana, lunes 23 de marzo, 2020.

Ahora distribuiremos comidas de varios días dos veces por semana:

• Lunes de 11am a 1pm: se distribuirá desayuno, almuerzo y leche para que cada estudiante tenga comidas nutritivas para el almuerzo de lunes a jueves.
• Jueves de 11 am a 1 pm: el desayuno, el almuerzo y la leche se distribuirán para que cada estudiante tenga comidas nutritivas para el almuerzo del jueves y el desayuno del lunes.

Si bien la ubicación de recogida de comidas para nuestro campus seguirá siendo la misma, para mantener la seguridad del personal escolar, los servidores de los proveedores y los padres / tutores, el proceso de distribución cambiará de la siguiente manera:

• Todos los individuos mantendrán una distancia social de 6 pies durante la distribución de comidas.
• Se colocarán mesas con los sacos de comida en ellas. Los padres deben conducir, salir del auto, acercarse a la mesa y llevar el número de bolsas por niño de 18 años o menos en el vehículo.

Esperamos servirte pronto.

Escuelas públicas de la armonía

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. 

 

Con preocupaciones sobre el coronavirus y la gripe prominentes en la comunidad, nos gustaría
recordarles a las familias que, para evitar la propagación de enfermedades contagiosas en la
escuela, recomendamos que su hijo permanezca en casa fuera de la escuela si experimenta
síntomas de gripe o resfriado. Para decidir si enviar o no a su hijo a la escuela, considere las
siguientes recomendaciones:

---

Considere mantener a su hijo en casa por un día adicional de descanso y observación si tiene
alguno de los siguientes síntomas:
• Congestión nasal o goteo nasal y / o tos
• Dolor de garganta leve (sin fiebre, sin exposición conocida al estreptococo)
• Dolor de cabeza
• dolor de estómago leve

Definitivamente mantenga a su hijo en casa para recibir tratamiento y observación si tiene alguno
de estos síntomas:
• Fiebre (más de 100, su hijo puede regresar a la escuela solo después de que su temperatura
haya estado constantemente por debajo de 100 grados, por vía oral, durante un mínimo de 24
horas)
• Vómitos (incluso una vez)
• Diarrea
• escalofríos
• malestar general o sensación de fatiga, incomodidad, debilidad o dolores musculares
• Tos congestionada (húmeda) o malhumorada frecuente
• Mucha congestión nasal con sonarse la nariz con frecuencia
Para ayudar a prevenir la gripe y otros resfriados, enseñe a sus hijos buenos hábitos de higiene:
• Lavarse las manos frecuentemente
• No toque los ojos, la nariz o la boca.
• Cúbrase la boca y la nariz al estornudar o toser, use un pañuelo de papel, tírelo y luego lávese
las manos.
• Evitar el contacto cercano con personas que están enfermas.

---

Los resfriados son los más contagiosos durante las primeras 48 horas. Un niño que tiene fiebre
debe permanecer en casa hasta que esté "libre de fiebre" por un mínimo de 24 horas. Un niño que
comenzó a tomar antibióticos debe tomar el medicamento durante 48 horas antes de considerarlo
no contagioso y poder regresar a la escuela. A menudo, cuando un niño se despierta con vagas
quejas (la forma en que comienzan los resfriados y la gripe) es aconsejable observar a su hijo en
casa durante una hora o dos antes de decidir si traerá o no a la escuela. Su hijo debe poder
participar físicamente en todas las actividades escolares al regresar a la escuela. Mantener a un
niño enfermo en casa minimizará la propagación de infecciones y virus en el aula.
Gracias de antemano por ayudar a que este año en la escuela sea lo más saludable posible.
Si tiene alguna pregunta o inquietud, no dude en llamarnos al 281-741-8899

 

Sinceramente,

Asistente de salud

Contagious illness letter Spanish