Since the world is moving a bit slower these days, we will be sending out the Bi-Weekly What every other Friday.
Parents, there are important announcements for you in this email, please make sure you look at those under the “Parent Actions and Need to Knows”section.
A Virtual Welcome Back to School
This is an unusual start to the school year at New Harmony. Last Thursday, new and returning students started orientation for the 2020-21 school year via Zoom. Over the summer, our leadership team put a lot of thought into what the school year would look like given the circumstances of COVID-19. The team decided to take an abundance of caution for our families, staff, and community members and hold school virtually until at least mid-October.
Our staff has been working day and night to bring New Harmony to life, as best we can, in a digital world. We are so excited to start the year, to dig in and explore, question, & challenge. So, what does virtual learning at New Harmony look like? Please click the button below to see our reopening plan, orientation information, our virtual learning hub, and more on the COVID-19 Response Page.
LAPCS Board Member Focus Interview with Adrinda Kelly
The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools asked Adrinda Kelly, Founder and Executive Director of Be Nola and New Harmony Board Member why she chose to serve on our board. Here’s what she had to say:
In my day-to-day work I support Black educators and schools in New Orleans which, when you parse it, is essentially racial equity / racial justice work. I’m a big believer in the fact that you have to battle and build. There are plenty of things in our education ecosystem that need to be improved from a structural equity standpoint. At the same time, there are tens of thousands of children sitting in schools every day being taught by educators who are busting their butts every day. So while I shine a light on what needs to improve, I must also serve and support the people who are showing up to care for our children every day. I choose to serve on a board to do my part to build the equity-centered ecosystem I long and hope for.
Community Opportunities:
Ogden Museum Teen Internship Applications Now Open!
Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s Teen Internship Program, formerly the Ogden Museum Teen Docent Program, serves New Orleans area public school students with the goals of:
Developing leadership and critical thinking skills
Expanding access to and understanding of the arts, specifically the art and culture of the American South
Developing job skills and providing exposure to a variety of arts related careers
The applicant must be
A student in an Orleans or Jefferson Parish public school
A student currently in the 9th, 10th, or 11th grade
A student interested in the arts, education, and/or working with children
Applications are due by Tuesday, September 8th, 2020
Please direct questions to:
Mikhayla Harrell, Teen Coordinator
Ogden Museum of Southern Art mharrell@ogdenmuseum.org
This is our Leadership team for the 2020-21 school year. We encourage all friends of New Harmony to get to know them virtually by visiting our staff page.
Parent Actions and Need to Knows…
Receive Important Announcements via Text by Joining Remind
We send out very important announcements, almost daily, through the texting service Remind. To opt into these texts please go to Remind.com/Join and type in the following code based on your students’ graduation year.
Parent Office Hours with
School Leader Sunny Summers
Each week you can click a Zoom link and meet with our school leader to ask any questions you may have about New Harmony. Parent office hours are on Tuesdays at 9-10am.
Who you gonna call?
Important New Harmony Staff Contacts
We would like to make sure all families know who to contact at New Harmony during this time. Please click the names below to send them an email directly, or, you can call them on the number provided.
Katelynn Clement – Director of Learning – Ask her about content, academic leadership – (504) 370-3975
Kat Bell – Counselor – Ask her about transcripts, credits, and scheduling – (504) 370-3980
Stacey Hartford – Behavior Specialists – Contact her for any discipline or behavior concerns within the school – (504) 370-3965
Christine LeGuizamo – Social Worker – Contact her for any mental health concerns, extending outside of the classroom, counseling needs, or basic needs at home – (504) 228-4303
Caileen Coleman – Director of Special Education – Ask her about our Diverse Learning plans, or schedule a meeting for IEP/504 evaluation
Hope Clark– Special Projects Manager – Contact her for enrollment and registration, updating contact information, and any general inquires you might have – (504) 612-7869
Rae Banks – Director of Operations – Ask her about food service questions and supply/chromebook pick-up – (504) 370-3971
RJ Gutierrez – Nurse – Contact him about any medical questions or concerns you may have about your student within the school – (504) 507-1537
New Harmony is proud to partner with Genuine Foods for our meal provider this school year. Even though we are learning from a distance, we are working together to make sure your student can receive breakfast and lunch from New Harmony. We will be providing weekly meal kit pick-up and drop-offs, along with recipes.
You can find out more information and sign up for future weekly meal kits by clicking the button below.
An example of this weeks’ meal kit ingredients and recipes.
Student Learning: The Virtual Hub
Our online hub for virtual learning is live: New Harmony Virtual Hub. This website holds all the key information students need for online learning: orientation links, links to student Gmail, Google Classroom, student schedules, as well as links to join live Zoom classes. (Note: you can only access the links to live Zoom classes with a NH email account.) We will post weekly announcements with important info to the hub under the “Announcements” tab.
Communities in Schools Consent Form for Counseling
Please fill out this consent form on behalf of your student. Returning students must have consent granted as well. This will give consent for your child to receive counseling services or other related services if/when needed.
Please contact our social worker, Christine (christine@newharmonyhigh.org or 504-228-4303 if you have any questions or concerns)
We are having trouble retrieving the electronic medical questionnaire that you filled out during enrollment in PowerSchool. If you can take a moment to answer a few “yes or no” questions about your the medical needs of your student in this form, that would be great. For anyone answering yes, Rj, our school nurse, will follow-up with you individually.
You can contact RJ by email at RJ@newharmonyhigh.org or by phone at 504-507-1537 if you have any questions or concerns.
We are so excited to welcome our new teaching staff and students. We cannot wait to all be together again. Please stay tuned for updates and how we plan to proceed in Quarter 2.
