Harmony Newsletter

Parents,

Hello from Harmony Middle School. This is Principal Eric Stewart and I am happy to be back at Harmony for my 12th year (and 36th overall with LCPS). Our school has a veteran teaching staff with many years of experience at various levels and subjects. With your partnership we will work together to help your child be his/her best self. Our teaching goal is to design purposeful lessons that will highly engage the students. Our climate goal is to maintain a positive and safe environment where they can learn.

This newsletter is the school's PRIMARY method of communicating with families. You can expect it every Friday during the year. Each newsletter is set up in three sections: Safety, Climate, and Instruction. We understand you get inundated with other communication from many areas (like information from your kids' teachers, information from LCPS, as well as other schools) but PLEASE use this newsletter to stay in touch and up to date with happenings at the school.

We look for continued communication and partnership with you. If you see something out of the ordinary or have ideas or news, or something that does not meet your expectations, please let me know. We are partners. My door is always open. Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Eric Stewart, principal (eric.stewart@lcps.org)

Aug 1 - "Strings" Sizing Night (contact david.schear@lcps.org for details)

Aug 7 - Deans and Counselors Return

Aug 14 - Teachers Return

Aug 16 - WEB Training for certain 8th graders

Aug 19 - 6th Grade Orientation and Back to School Open House (details below)

Aug 20 - 7th and 8th Grade Back to School Open House (details below)

Aug 22 - First Day of School (doors open at 8:15 AM)

Aug 30 - Student Holiday

Sept 2 - Student Holiday

Sept 10 - 8th Grade Assembly

Nov 13 - 6th Grade Awards Night (Last Name A - L) @ 7 PM

Nov 13 - 6th Grade Awards Night (Last Name M - Z) @ 8 PM

Nov 14 - 7th Grade Awards Night @ 7 PM

Nov 14 - 8th Grade Awards Night @ 8 PM

"See Something Say Something" is one of our top safety strategies. We also train the staff and students with periodic fire drills, tornado drills, emergency drills, lockdown drills, and other safety "scenarios." Any of our over 130+ staff can be alerted to problems but our primary contacts are listed below:

• School Security Officer, (SSO), Josh Stillwell (josh.stillwell@lcps.org)
• School Resource Office (SRO), Loudoun County Deputy Chris Salter (christopher.salter@loudoun.gov)
• 6th Grade Dean and School Safety Contact, Justin Dailey (justin.dailey@lcps.org)
• Principal, Eric Stewart (eric.stewart@lcps.org)

School Phone is 540-751-2500 (then dial zero to reach the main office)

The events below are our Back to School Events:

Monday, August 19 - for 6th Graders ONLY

Sixth grade students AND parents have their School Orientation during the times below. At the beginning of each group, students meet in the gym and parents meet with principal Stewart (in the AUD) before both meet back together to get lockers, receive schedule, and meet the teachers. To ensure space in the hallways, please follow this schedule:

Last Name Starts with A to G: (starts at 8:00 AM and ends at 9:15 AM)

Last Name Starts with H to O: (starts at 9:30 AM and ends at 10:45 AM)

Last Name Starts with P to Z: (starts at 11:00 AM and ends at 12:15 AM)

Tuesday, August 20 - for 7th and 8th Graders ONLY

This is a planned Back to School Event for 7th and 8th graders. Students (and parents) will receive their schedule, get access to their lockers, and will meet and talk to the teachers. For parking space and amount of people in the building at the same time, please follow these times based on alphabetical splits:

Last Name Starts with A to G: (from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM)

Last Name Starts with H to O: (from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM)

Last Name Starts with P to Z (from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM)

NOTE: Although earlier in the day than the traditional BTSN, this Back to School Event will be the time to meet with teachers. We are not having a separate Back to School Night in September or October. Teachers will also be making a 6 minute video clip about classes and can meet throughout the year for any concerns you have.

Each summer, we ask for pictures from your family trips to potentially use in our hallway photo frames and even in future versions of these newsletters. If interested, please email photos to eric.stewart@lcps.org for newsletter consideration or jennifer.heffron@lcps.org for hallway consideration. The pictures "most" considered have at least two people with a small description.

Here's our first one! The picture insert is of Mr. Stewart and a brother-in-law on a halibut fishing trip in Alaska this summer. They got soaked (it rains almost every day there) but not only caught fish, they happened to see humpback whales breach and porpoise on the same fishing outing.

7th and 8th Grade Students - We still have your 4th quarter Honor Roll pin and bumper sticker. If you were unable to pick these up at the end of last year, please stop by the school in the Main Office or ask your deans in the House area . Hope to see you soon at our next Awards Nights after the first quarter ends.

THIS FALL: 1st Quarter Award Nights are set (see dates above). We look forward to recognizing students for their hard work, consistent A/B grades or All A grades in November! These award nights are called Cornerstone Awards and the honor roll pins will be given out then.

Parents,

CLUBS - Harmony has traditionally had 40 to 50 CLUBS per year. Some are one time events, some meet weekly, and some meet monthly. Meeting times are up to the teacher sponsor (as most are volunteering their time). A list of these clubs will be published as we get closer to the start of school.

INTRAMURALS - For the first time ever, each middle school in LCPS will be offering select intramural sports (flag football, volleyball, basketball, and soccer). This is a free program and any of our middle school kids who wish to participate may do so if they register and if they are in good standing with the school. As we receive final details and sign up information, we will send those out too. Look for those in future newsletters.

New to the school? Nervous about school? Come and walk the halls with a staff member. We have had tours available on TUESDAYS this summer at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 or 1 PM.

There are two more open dates to tour: July 30 and Aug 6. No need to sign up. Just come in for those start times.

Harmony's practice for student cell phones is called, "off and away." Students can bring phones to school but once here, they should be kept off and away and in their lockers. They can access them at 3:38 PM at the end of the day.

This summer, Harmony officially received its 3rd re-designation at a conference in Crystal City, which honored all schools who received the Schools the Watch designation. This was Harmony's fourth award (2014, 2017, 2021, 2024).

This year's award was accepted by 6th grade dean, Ms. Annette Fincham (shown in picture on right). Congratulations all staff and students and parents on this prestigious recognition!

Check out our Guitar 8 students who were professionally recorded last June. We are so proud of them we are publishing their music again (even though they are now in 9th grade). 6th graders - this is what you will sound like in 8th grade if you practice!

Check out link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/193UoPeXmctfYDAW8RHwIMDEQ1MXvs_In?usp=sharing

End of Year Award Winners: The below link has our end of year award winners and three words that their teacher used to describe them.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IZbL3R6aJHVG7QLotAj8F38X5AhwJfdT/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107839435506688978451&rtpof=true&sd=true

LCPS has redesigned their main website, www.lcps.org, and all LCPS school websites. Based on feedback from LCPS families, staff, and the community, the main goals of this redesign are to improve the overall user experience, streamline and improve access to information, and enhance search functionality.

The new website will be mobile-friendly and include a brand-new LCPS app! LCPS staff will continue to review the website and conduct usability tests throughout the coming months. Staff welcomes feedback about the new website's functionality. Thank you for your patience as we make this exciting transition!

Students' Bus Routes - Students' bus routes will be available in ParentVue some time in August. We will provide an update in future newsletters. Please make sure students familiarize themselves with their bus number and bus lane location at dismissal time.

Bus riders must abide by all school rules while at the bus stop, riding the school bus, and walking to the bus stop or returning home from the bus stop. School rules apply until students enter their homes.

QUESTIONS? Please contact us via phone (540-751-2500) or email:

• Nurse: kathleen.mills@lcps.org
• Registrar / Attendance Secretary: jennifer.pelton@lcps.org
• 6th Grade: Dean: annette.fincham@lcps.org and counselor: alysia.brown@lcps.org
• 7th Grade: Dean: justin.dailey@lcps.org and counselor: jamie.sharp@lcps.org
• 8th Grade: Dean: jeff.jacobson@lcps.org and counselor:christy.pierson@lcps.org
• Principal: eric.stewart@lcps.org
  
• Assistant Principal: kristen.hepner@lcps.org
• Assistant Principal: eric.mcgrady@lcps.org
• Special Programs (Academies of Loudoun - AOL, NJROTC, Career Day, etc.): bryan.percoraro@lcps.org and ashley.warfield@lcps.org, counselors
• School Security Officer (SSO): Josh Stillwell, josh.stillwell@lcps.org
• School Resource Officer (SRO): Deputy Salter, christopher.salter@loudoun.gov

Each Friday last year our students (and Ms. Hillebrand) produced a weekly announcement program. Here is a sample from the end of last year (from June 14). This video is almost 9 minutes since we added a video montage of the year.

https://www.wevideo.com/view/3483202670

Please check out the link below to see our Annual Report from 2023-2024!