So much news to share! Please take a look at this week’s Tiger Mail.
Archive for month: February, 2023
We are moving into the time of the year when we make plans and apply for Federal Funds applications (ESSA) for next school year, and we would like to gather parent and community feedback for our applications. Please use one of the public comment links below to share your comments or feedback with us:
Estamos entrando en la época del año en que hacemos planes y solicitamos solicitudes de fondos federales (ESSA) para el próximo año escolar, y nos gustaría recopilar comentarios de los padres y la comunidad para nuestras solicitudes. Utilice uno de los enlaces de comentarios públicos a continuación para compartir sus comentarios o comentarios con nosotros:
- https://forms.gle/4MDcws1H3CCeKAmy8 (English)
- https://forms.gle/qhwNcRvXgzSqJk1a7 (Spanish)
This week’s Tiger Mail is filled with great things.
Dear Students,
We hope you will consider joining us with your projects for our 9th annual Harmony Science and Engineering Fair (H-SEF).
H-SEF 2023 will be virtual in two rounds this year. Details can be found here.
It is open to the 6th -12th grade level students.
The application deadline is March 3rd, 2023.
Registration link: https://harmonytx.org/hsef
H-SEF 2023 Committee
There is so much happening around campus! Please take a look at the Tiger Mail to see everything going on.
Harmony Public Schools is the first public charter school to win the prestigious Award of Excellence in Financial Management by the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO), the organization has announced.
The award is given to Texas school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and education services centers that demonstrate professional standards, best practices, and innovations in the area of financial management and reporting.
The criteria to qualify for the Award of Excellence in Financial Management is stringent, based on financial accounting and reporting guidelines identified by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Financial Accountability System Resource Guide (FASRG). Applicants must submit documents across 11 key areas, which are reviewed by a TASBO accounting subcommittee.“Making sure that each of our financial decisions is efficient, effective, and, most importantly, ethical is among our greatest operational priorities,” Harmony CEO Fatih Ay said. “In doing so, we are able to maximize our resources and provide our students with the most robust educational experience that can be offered.
“We are extraordinarily pleased to be honored with this award,” Ay said, “and are grateful to our finance team for putting our schools in a prime position to succeed.”
Harmony also was awarded its second Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations by TASBO. The Award of Merit was
established in 2009 to recognize Texas school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and education services centers that are committed to following professional standards in the acquisition of goods and services. Harmony remains the only charter school system to earn the award.
established in 2009 to recognize Texas school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and education services centers that are committed to following professional standards in the acquisition of goods and services. Harmony remains the only charter school system to earn the award.“These organizations have gone above and beyond to demonstrate transparency by meticulously documenting their districts’ policies and procedures,” said Tracy Ginsburg, TASBO Executive Director. “Not only have they showcased the ways they monitor spending, improve budgeting, implement controls, and enhance financial reporting, but they have shared their best practices with colleagues throughout Texas, helping even more educational organizations to better utilize taxpayer dollars.”
Members of the district’s finance team will be honored at an awards reception sponsored by Frontline Education in San Antonio, Texas, on February 15 during the 2023 TASBO annual conference.
Led by Chief Financial Officer Ebru Akyildiz, Harmony’s finance department includes 30 team members specializing in six separate subdepartments: purchasing, payroll, grants, budgets, accounting and capital management.
The department has implemented a number of industry-leading best practices, including working with the Texas Education Agency, TASBO and independent, external auditors to ensure transparency and accountability in all financial operations.
For the department’s efforts, Harmony also was awarded seven “A” ratings by the TEA in its annual FIRST Financial Accountability Ratings during the most recent award cycle in 2022.
Harmony also was the first double-rated charter school system in the U.S. to be highly rated (“BBB”) by Moody’s and S&P Global with (“AAA”) long-term program rating that reflects Harmony’s qualification for the Texas Permanent School Fund (PSF) Bond Guarantee Program.
“We are one of the largest Texas charter management organizations, but we don’t want to just speak about our size – we want to be able to speak about our quality and the accuracy in our processes,” Akyildiz said.
Harmony Public Schools is a Texas-born, Texas-wide public charter school system with campuses serving PreK-12 students in 23 cities across the state, including Greater Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Waco, Lubbock, Odessa, Bryan, Beaumont, and the Rio Grande Valley. Harmony’s curriculum places a heavy focus on STEM skills, Character Education, project-based learning, and college readiness.
Harmony is now accepting applications for both students and team members for the 2023-24 school year.
Harmony Public Schools – Central Texas is committed to prioritize the safety and well-being of our scholars, staff, and parents. As a precaution, due to travel conditions in addition to power, water, and utility outages, all schools and the district office will remain closed on Friday, Feb. 3 for our scholars and staff. Classes will resume as normal on Monday, Feb. 6. Please remain safe and warm.
Harmony Public Schools – Central Texas leadership team is currently monitoring travel conditions in addition to power, water, and utility outages. We want to ensure our HPS CTX community is safe and that our schools are ready for opening. We will continue to update families and staff on social media and via text, phone calls, and emails. An announcement for Friday, February 3 will be shared this afternoon. Please remain safe and warm.
El equipo de liderazgo de las Escuelas Públicas de Harmony – Central Texas actualmente está monitoreando las condiciones de viaje además de los cortes de energía, agua y servicios públicos. Queremos asegurarnos de que nuestra comunidad HPS CTX esté segura y que nuestras escuelas estén listas para abrir. Continuaremos informando a las familias y al personal en las redes sociales y a través de mensajes de texto, llamadas telefónicas y correos electrónicos. Esta tarde se compartirá un anuncio para el viernes 3 de febrero. Por favor, manténgase seguro y cálido.
Due to continued icy weather, dangerous driving conditions, and power outages throughout the Austin metroplex, HPS CTX offices and schools will remain closed for all of our scholars and staff on Thursday, Feb. 2. We will continue monitoring and provide updates on Friday’s schedule tomorrow. Please stay safe!
Debido al continuo clima helado, las condiciones de manejo peligrosas y los cortes de energía en todo el área metropolitana de Austin, las oficinas y escuelas de HPS CTX permanecerán cerradas para todos nuestros estudiantes y personal el jueves 2 de febrero. Continuaremos monitoreando y brindando actualizaciones el viernes. horario mañana. ¡Por favor, mantente a salvo!