HSANA is proud to offer a trip in February of 2013 to Washington D.C for high school students. There will be a meeting on Monday May 21 at 6 pm in the meeting room. Please come to get more information. This trip is open to all incoming 9 through 12 graders. Please contact Mrs. Carrington at scarrington@harmonytx.org or at 251-5000 ext 139 for more information.

We are proud to announce that 2 of our Harmony Research interns have qualified and competed at ISWEEEP this year. Both Tabish C. and Ahmad A. got bronze medals for their projects in Houston. We would like to congratulate them on a job done well!

A segment of the May 13 television news show 60 Minutes included references to Harmony Public Schools (HPS) of Texas that may have left some inaccurate impressions. Please note the following facts about Harmony Public Schools, all of which were shared with 60 Minutes before the show was broadcast: Read more at Harmony Public Schools and 60 Minutes: Setting the Record Straight

Come see exciting Biology, Chemistry & physics demonstrations preformed by our students. Bring your families to show them to potential of Science and some interesting and stimulating contest here at Harmony, Thursdays 17, 2012 between 2:45-5:15

U.S. News has announced the best high schools of the nation. The 2012 edition includes data on almost 22,000 public schools, 500 of which received gold medals.

Harmony Science Academy High School - Houston is ranked #309 in the nation, making the school one of the Gold Medalists. Harmony Science Academy is also ranked 24th within Texas. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate at Harmony Science Academy is 89 percent. The student body makeup is 44 percent male and 56 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 86 percent.

Harmony Science Academy Dallas is ranked #554 in the nation, enabling the school to receive a Silver Medal. Harmony Science Academy – Dallas is ranked 50th within Texas. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate at Harmony Science Academy – Dallas is 62 percent. The student body makeup is 48 percent male and 52 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 88 percent.

Harmony Science Academy North Austin received a Bronze Medal. At Harmony Science, the student body makeup is 47 percent male and 53 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 89 percent.

You can read more here.

Though it is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Mexican Independence Day, (that holiday is properly celebrated on September 16th) Cinco de Mayo is actually a traditional celebration of Mexican victory against French forces at the Battle of Puebla. In 1862 8,000 French troops disembarked at Vera Cruz. Though the troops were ostensibly sent as debt collectors after diplomatic negotiations designed to avoid a Mexican default failed, the French emperor, Napoleon III had far more than loans on his mind. What he saw was an opportunity to build a vast American empire, starting with the conquest of a bankrupted and disorganized Mexico.
read more . . .
The French detachment did not expect to encounter much resistance from the Mexicans. They were entering the conflict with superior training, equipment, and numbers. But they met their match tactically when they battled the forces of Mexican general Ignacio Zaragoza at Puebla. Zaragoza more than held his own against an arrogant French army that insisted on foolish repeated attempted forays into Puebla's heavy fortifications, coupled with ineffectual cannon blasts from long range. By the time the French had exhausted the ammunition for their artillery, Zaragoza was able to counter attack using cavalry flanking techniques and forced the enemy to withdraw. In the final tally, the French had lost over 450 men against fewer than a hundred for the Mexicans, a humiliating defeat for Napoleon III and a blow to his imperial ambitions.

Some people have questioned whether Cinco de Mayo should be a holiday of great importance because the victory at Puebla proved short-lived. Napoleon III invaded Mexico again in 1863, with 30,000 troops and succeeded in installing his puppet, Maximilian I, as emperor. Maximilian would rule for three years before pressure from the newly reunified United States and growing dissent from the Mexican people forced him from the throne.Still, the Battle of Puebla remains a symbol for Mexico's ability to compete with traditional European powers, and a bold statement of its intention to avoid becoming a subservient colony as it had been under Spain. Because of its association with these powerful messages Cinco de Mayo remains an important holiday in some regions of Mexico and is celebrated by Mexican communities throughout the United States.

Class of 2012 Graduation ceremony will take place on May 26th, 2012 at the Texas Capitol, Capitol Extension Auditorium. The event will start at 11 a.m.

The HSANA Players have got a special treat for you! Come see them in A Mid-semester's Afternoon Daydream. It is a modern version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Come and see them perform on Thursday, May 17th at 6pm. The play should last about 1 hour.

Presenting:
Ariana Sanford
Daniel Figueroa
Ethan Henry
Emily Gaston
Jackie Baldridge
James Franklin
Jennifer Lopez
Mackenzie Smith Barker
Maria Alvarado
Naushin Rahman
Sharon John

Harmony Public Schools has received BBB rating again by Standard & Poor's in a report dated March 16th 2012. The report stated that the outlook of the Harmony Public Schools is stable. BBB rating is the highest possible rating for a charter school operator to receive. Dr. Soner Tarim, the Superintendent of Harmony Public Schools, said: "In the midst of national and global financial instability, Harmony Public Schools System has demonstrated its ability to remain financially stable through fiscally sound organization and management. Renewing our BBB rating along with a stable outlook will enable us to save thousands of dollars which can then be used to further advance the efforts of our students, teachers, and staff members".

Here are the results for the door decoration contest from College week. Ms.Rodriguez's and Ms.Caudill's Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Ms.Lane's Berklee College of Music doors earned honorable mention awards, Ms.Falkenberg's door of Texas State university came in 3rd. Mrs.Ozkan's decoration of University of Chicago came in 2nd. The winner is Mr.Rodriguez representing the University of Texas at Austin. Congratulations! Thank you teachers and all the students who were involved!

Harmony Science Academy North Austin has been recognized as a Title I, Distinguished School by Texas Education Agency.

The Texas Education Agency's Title I, Distinguished Schools prestigious designation recognizes schools that have consistently demonstrated strong academic performances over a three-year period. All of these Title I, Part A schools achieved the Academically Exemplary rating for the present school year and have a residing population of 40% or more low income students - as reported on NCLB Consolidated Application for Federal Funding.

The list of 2011-2012 statewide Title I, Part A Distinguished Performance Schools and Distinguished Progress Schools is now available at the following link:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=2147505952&libID=2147505945

These schools are recognized for outstanding academic performance. To achieve and maintain such high standards is an accomplishment that serves as a model for other schools in the state to emulate.

Congratulations to the 2011-2012 HSA- NA students, staff, and parents!

Dear HSA-NA students and parents,

We are inviting you to a series of informal conversation nights with a high school counselor. All middle and high school students and parents are welcome to attend. During these meetings you can ask questions about graduation requirements, ACC classes, SAT/ACT tests, college application, etc. Please bring your questions every Tuesday from 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. starting April 10th.
What: Tuesdays with a Counselor
When: Every Tuesday staring April 10th, 4:45p.m. -6 p.m.
Where: School meeting room #112

HS: Vanessa Nsidinanya, Elizabeth Ekpe, Amaya King, Cieara Campbell, Yossa Matias Arias, Nimo Ali, Aiman Siddiqui, Anisa Mohamed, Jecarey Mccray, Kabita Khadka, Aysha Siddiqui
MS: Trinh Le, Hannah Chilson, Eva Rahman, Sarah Mohamed, Lamia Haque, Vanessa White
Coaches: Coach Weaver and Assistant Coach Preston

Congratulations to all Science Olympians, Mentors, Parents, and Coaches on a great job!

Both high school and middle school teams computed against challenging teams and came back with great results.

Our Middle school team advanced to the state wide Olympiads. They got 2nd place in regional as a team.

These students won medals for their events:

Middle School (Division B):

Elan Wilson and Brandon Nsidinanya won 1st place in Anatomy
Neil Tyler and Laith Alsukhni won 1st place in Rocks and Minerals
Neil Tyler and Laith Alsukhni won 1st place in Write it Do it
Hannah Wolf and Farrah Khammash won 3rd place in Mousetrap
Hannah Wolf and Farrah Khammash won 4th place in Science Crime Busters
Elan Wilson and Mauro Molina won 2nd place in Microbe Mission
Vanessa Nsidinanya and Elizabeth Ekbe won 3rd place in Towers
Brandon Nsidinanya and Dawson Ensley won 3rd place in Optics
Abdullah Coban and Mauro Molina won 2nd Place in Food Science
Aya Akid and Hannah Kosewick won 3rd place in Keep the Heat

Overall the team won all 2nd place.

Special Thanks to Mr. Eroglu for coaching Division B team.
High School (Division C):

Kashtubh Lahiri and Farris Khammash won 1st place in Robot Arm
Merrick Espinoza and Arvind Bala won 1st place in Chemistry Clue
Allison Grahl, Kashtubh Lahiri, Paras Arora won 3rd place in Experimental Design
Brian Nardone, Julian Nardone won 3rd place in Rocks and Minerals

Special Thanks to Mr. Escandell for coaching Division B team.

Go Tigers…

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HSANA had an excellent day at the Austin Energy Regional Science Fair held on February 23, 2012 at the Palmer Events Center.

Congratulations to all of the Regional Science Fair participants for a great day in representing our school.

Special congratulations to:

Ali Coban for being awarded the US Navy/Marine Corps Award and for placing 5th in Mathematical Sciences, Senior Division category.
Allison Grahl for being awarded the Superintendent Award and for placing 5th in Biochemistry, Senior Division category.
Tabish Chasmawala for being awarded the Austin Energy Best in Climate Protection Award and for placing 4th in Computer Science, Senior Division category.
Sam Gordon for placing 4th in Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical, Senior Division category.
And
Ansis Rondina for placing 5th in Microbiology, Junior Division category

Congratulations to all of our winners!

Also a special thanks to all of the teachers in helping our students achieve!

Good luck to our Science Olympiad teams going to compete this weekend, in the Rio Grande Valley Regional Science Olympiad: South Texas College, McAllen. We'll be thinking of you!

Application features:

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This past weekend the Harmony Science Academy of North Austin sent two 6th grade robotic teams to compete at the EARLY Houston at Burbank Middle School. Both teams reached the sweet sixteen, and team EPIC reached the quarter finals. HSANA's robotic coaches, Fabian Aguilar and Anna Long, were also awarded with the honor of "Top Coaches." Overall, the tournament was a tremendous success as the students displayed an ability to thinking critically, cooperating collaboratively, and displaying excellent gamesmanship

Harmony Science Academy – North Austin is sharing this information about the district and your child's campus with you as part of its obligations under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).

NCLB Report Cards for the state as a whole, all school districts and charter schools, and all campuses are also available on the Texas Education Agency's NCLB web site at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=4638&menu_id=798.
Information on these report cards includes:
Assessment results for the LEA and campuses in the aggregate and disaggregated by race/ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status, English proficiency, and economically disadvantaged showing two-year trend data (across the most recent previous two school years) for each subject and grade tested: Read more in English _______ Read more in Spanish

***2011 Accountabilty Data Table

***NCLB 2011 District Report

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1st place Elisa Barton – Tap Dance
2nd place Kastub Lahiri – Tabla
3rd place Draven Semmler – Song

The verdict is in: Harmony's Got Talent! If you weren't able to make our talent show Friday, January 27th, then you missed some really special acts. We had plenty of singers, dancers, musicians, and energy to spare! The seniors hosted this amazing event with participants from every grade. Mr. Escandell was our master of ceremonies and the judging panel included Mr. Foster, Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Staggs.

HAS North Austin is organizing an international Trip to Canada, Mexico, and Turkey. The trip will be a cultural, social, and entertaining experience for the Harmony family. Join us in this rewarding.

Spring Break Student Trips*
COST for Seniors for Turkey trip: $1,200** (including flight ticket)
Cost for grades 8th - 12th for any trip: $1,500** (including flight
ticket)
Early Bird: Seniors - $1,100, grades 8th - 11th - $1,400 (deadline Jan 6 )
Application & Deposit Deadline: January 20, 2012

Spring Break Staff Trips
COST for Turkey trip: $600 + international flight ticket
Cost for Mexico & Canada trips: $1,000 + international flight ticket
Application & Deposit Deadline: January 20, 2012

Summer Break Parent Trips (June 2012)
COST for Turkey trip: $900 + international flight ticket
Cost for Mexico & Canada trips: $1,000 + international flight ticket
Application & Deposit Deadline: March 30, 2012

Please contact Mr. Demirci for more details
**Price includes all in-country transportation, accommodations, breakfast and dinner.

Middle School UIL Competitions were Friday, December 9th at Academy Middle School. HSANA brought approximately 30 middle school students to compete in over a dozen events, and several of our students placed in the top ranks.

Here are our results

Overall, HSANA scored 3rd as a team in Math and 2nd in Science for 8th grade, and 1st in Spelling for 6th grade. Way to go, Tigers! We are proud of your hard work and success!

Attached you will find a copy of the State of Texas 2010-2011 School Report Card for Harmony Science Academy - North Austin

This is a report required by the Texas Legislature and prepared by the Texas Education Agency. It is to be sent to the parent or guardian of every child enrolled in the public schools.

The report provides information concerning student performance as well as information concerning expenditures, average class size, and student/teacher ratios. read more . . .

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On Tuesday, December 6th, Harmony had the opportunity to hear Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo speak during a luncheon. Before lunch was served, Chief Acevedo was given a tour of our school by four our own students: Ahmad Akid, Allison Grahl, Annette Villanueva-Lopez, and Mario Gallegos. During his speech, he focused on the importance of education. It was an amazing experience for all that could attend! Thank you so much Chief Acevedo for spending time with us!

Please review our campus' highly qualified teacher report for 2011-2012 school year here.
Parent Notification Letter
Notificación a los Padres.pdf

From Superintendent Dr. Soner Tarim To the Harmony Public Schools Community: A disappointing article on charter schools in this week's New York Times attempts to put Harmony Public Schools in Texas in a context that is not accurate, necessitating this brief response. Many of us at Harmony Schools cooperated extensively with the Times on this story over the last several months, providing documents, interviews, tours and dozens of detailed responses to specific questions in good faith. But, as sometimes happens, the end result was not entirely what we had hoped. See the rest of Dr. Soner Tarim's response here: http://harmonytx.org/news/122/letter-to-stakeholders-on-ny-times-article/

The Student Portal of the Texas Assessment Management System (TAMS), delivered through PearsonAccess, is designed to provide students and parents with online access to a student's state test scores. This portal will assist student and parents with tracking assessment information throughout a student's academic career.
The portal provides scores from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), including TAKS-Modified (but not including TAKS-Alternate), and the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS).
In order for you to be able to have access you need to
1) visit the following website
http://www.TexasAssessment.com/Students
2) Click on the "Go to Student Portal" link.
3) Enter the Unique Access Code in the labeled field. Refer to the most recent Confidential Student Report (CSR) to find your code.
4) Enter date of birth and login. Congratulations, you have created your account.

For more information about setting up your account and how to utilize this website please refer to this guide.

It is the policy of the Harmony Science Academy Charter School to locate and identify any child who contacts or enrolls in the Charter School who may have a disability and be in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of the disability, in accordance with its procedures as reflected in the CHILD FIND legal framework of the Legal Framework for the Child-Centered Special Education Process, located at: http://framework.esc18.net/. read more...