Frequently Asked Questions

about Harmony Science Academy

Q: What is Harmony Science Academy?

A: Harmony Science Academy is a college preparatory charter school and will be serving students in grades Pre-K through 12.

Q: Who operates Harmony Science Academy?

A: Harmony Science Academy is operated by the Cosmos Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization, established in Houston, Texas. The Cosmos Foundation has been operating nine (9) charter schools in all major cities (Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and El Paso) of the state of Texas.

Q: What is a charter school?

A: Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success.

A charter school is independently operated in the sense that it can design its own educational program, hire its own teachers and staff, and manage its own budget.

The basic concept of charter schools is that the school exercise increased autonomy in return for an accountability to its founders and grantors.

Q: Who can apply?

A: The school is open enrollment and free to all students living in Lubbock ISD and in surrounding school districts. Students must also be age eligible to attend the school.

Q: How many students will be in the entire school?

A: The school will enroll only 350 students in Pre-K thru 8 grades in its first year of operation. Following this, a grade level will be added every year until Pre-K thru 12 grades span is completed.

Q: What will be the teacher-to-student ratio?

A: Teacher-to-student ratio will be around 1:15. The school officials will maintain 1 to 15 (teacher-to-student) ratios by adding new employee as enrollment increases.

Q: Is there a school uniform policy?

A: Yes, there is a school uniform policy at Harmony schools. Parents need to purchase uniforms before the school starts from the school.

Q: Will you offer after school and Saturday tutorials?

A: Yes, there will be after school and Saturday tutorials.

Q: Do you offer gifted and talented program?

A: Yes, the school will offer gifted and talented program and advance courses.

Q: Why should a parent send their child to Harmony Science Academy?

A: Please note that every charter school is different from one another and each charter school has a unique program. Harmony Science Academy offers a comprehensive college preparatory program emphasizing science, mathematics, and technology education. The school will strive to play a role in satisfying this need. The school will offer programs to develop skills and education for its students to enroll in Science and Engineering departments of prestigious colleges in the country and compete in an increasingly demanding workplace of science and technology, and contribute to the long-term economic development for the region.

· We believe every child can learn and grow into a successful and productive citizen. When this belief is combined with the expertise necessary to set up and run a school, the result, we think, is an excellent environment for your children to learn. We believe that this environment will lay the foundation for a bright and productive future.

· We emphasize character education. We believe that parents want schools where their children are taught to be honest, courageous, persistent, etc. individuals, not just where they become educated. Our students wear uniforms daily and adhere to a clearly-articulated discipline policy.

· Our teachers and leadership team are experienced and committed. Our central office administrators are also strong, dedicated and diverse, and monitor the quality and viability of our organization.

· Your child/children will be in the classroom with a high-performing teacher.

· Our goal is to enable our graduating seniors to enroll in top 4-year public and private universities.

Q: What does Harmony Science Academy do differently? What does distinguish Harmony from other charter schools?

A: We have very high expectations for students in both academics and behavior. Our faculty and staff are dedicated and hard-working, and receive regular professional development and supervision. They function as a team and are committed to ensuring that students succeed. We will have a small school and small class size.

The following educational innovations will distinguish Harmony Science Academy from other schools;

· Integration of technology into curriculum: By using a multi-sensory approach to learning, students will be provided with opportunities to learn through auditory, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic activities. Students will be guided through the process of determining which learning style is best suited to their needs.

· Online Access: Parents will be able access online student grades, attendance, conduct, discipline reports, and teacher comments.

· Strong Reading and Writing Emphasis: English and ESL teachers will focus on pronunciation and spelling of vocabulary used in the school, classroom, and home.

· Grade Advancement Policy: The school will develop a grade advancement policy for exceptional learners who demonstrate outstanding skills in Reading and Mathematics.

· Performance Assessments: Performance assessments - also known as "alternative" or "authentic" assessments - will augment norm-referenced multiple-choice tests in all grade levels.

· Parental and Community Involvement: Involving parents in the activities of the classrooms, cafeteria, playground and many other extra-curricular affairs helps both students and parents to become better acquainted with the process of education.

· Peer Tutoring, Mentoring and Counseling: The will use peer partnership as a positive tool. High school students will tutor elementary and middle school students in core areas.

· Guidance for teaching and support personnel: In-services will be a frequent and major part of our staff development.

· Teacher Specialization in/after 4^th Grade: The elementary school will have two parts. The students will receive specialized subject teachers as early as in the 4^th and 5^th grades in Mathematics, Reading, Computer Science, Foreign Language, and Science.

· Teachers as Homeroom Advisors: Secondary school students will be assigned a homeroom teacher who will act as an advisor, helper, and immediate guide for the student.

· Character Education and Leadership development: The aims of education are to support the growth of pupils' overall personalities.

· Family Visits: Parent-teacher relationship will be improved by family visits. Teachers will be urged to visit students at home to inform the parents about the school and student’s progress, while the parents will have an opportunity to provide the teachers with feedback and input.

· Career Education: All students will attend an annual Career Day at the school and meet professionals from different occupations.

· Cross-disciplinary learning: Students will be working on projects that require cooperative teaching efforts in Language Arts, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science.

· Digital Art Program: The Fine Arts program will be integrated with technology at the school. With the growing availability of technologies of interactivity and Internet access, we see new interactive and online platforms.

· Participation in Contests: Students in the gifted and talented and the standard program will be encouraged to participate in local, statewide, national and international competitions.

· Out of State and Europe Trip: The school will organize out of state and Europe Trips every year to different sites in Europe.

Q: What courses will be offered?

A: Many courses offered in regular public schools will be offered at this school. However, the school will offer a more broad and rigorous curriculum including English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Art, Music, Physical Education and Spanish. Special emphasis will be places on science, math, and computer technologies.

Q: Do you offer character education and what do you mean by character education at Harmony?

A: Yes, we offer character education classes to our students. By character we mean “common sense values” such as honesty and integrity. We will strive to create a culture that honors “Doing the RIGHT Thing!” where RIGHT stands for Respectful, Intelligent, Genuine, Hard-Working and Team-Oriented.

We hope that parents who want their children to grow up to be adults who embrace common sense values will not only choose to send their children to Harmony, but also work with us to model and teach their children what these words mean and what they look like when put into action.

We hire faculty, administrators, and staff who embody principles of character and leadership and who wish to be an active part of a community that values these in word and deed.