HSA-Bryan Newsletter

Mark your calendars! Join us at HSA-Bryan on Thursday, October 29, from 6:00–7:30 p.m. for an evening of fall festival games, a Haunted House, and Trunk or Treat. Admission and most activities are completely free, with just a few select games as well as our Haunted House available via paid tickets.

How You Can Help:

We need your help to make this night a huge success! We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to host Trunk or Treat stations and help run the event. If you would like to participate, please reach out to us at mbest@harmonytx.org.

We also need donations of candy, and to sweeten the deal, we are hosting a Candy Collection Competition! Our Candy Collection Competition runs through Friday, October 23. Students may bring candy donations to their first-period class. Candy must be individually wrapped and in its original, unopened package. The class that collects the most pieces will win a pizza party, and their first period teacher will receive a free jeans pass for one week!

Please note: There will be no After School Clubs or Tutorials on October 29 so that staff can prepare for this event.

At the start of each quarter, we review our school expectations as found in the Student and Parent Handbook with students during our Student Expectations Assemblies.

Here's some of the things we're covering:

Attention HSA Parents,

If you have a concern regarding your child and a teacher or another situation, please follow the steps below:

1. Have a conversation with the teacher regarding the concern. In almost all cases, having a conversation with the teacher will solve the issue and maintain a positive relationship among all involved parties. If you do not have the teacher’s email address, please call the front office at (979) 779-2100 and request it. Please allow teachers 48 business hours to reply to your email.

   
   

   If the concern is not resolved, notify the appropriate administrator:

   --Academic Concerns - Ms. Nyquist - anyquist@harmonytx.org

   --Discipline/Safety Concerns - Ms. Jones - sljones@harmonytx.org

   
   

2. Please copy the Principal, Mrs. Atieh, on all correspondence related to teacher concerns.

   Email - datieh@harmonytx.org

We greatly value the partnership we have with our school community, and we appreciate your involvement in your child's education. In our efforts to maintain a safe and organized environment for both students and staff, all meetings with our administration team must be scheduled in advance. To schedule an appointment, please contact our main office at (979) 779-2100. Our front office team will do their best to schedule a meeting with you and that administrator on your preferred date and time.

At Harmony Science Academy - Bryan, we are dedicated to helping every student reach their full academic potential. To support this goal, we are offering small group Saturday Tutorials for students who will benefit from extra help in reading and/or math.

These small-group sessions are designed to give targeted support and help students build the skills they need to excel on their STAAR exams. Student placement is based on a review of recent grades, benchmark test results, and past STAAR performance.

Sessions will run on select Saturdays from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. If your child is invited to participate, an invitation letter with further details will be sent home directly with them.

To bring some extra excitement to our learning sessions, students are invited to participate in our Saturday Spirit Days! See the flyer below for details.

We look forward to working together to make this a successful and fun year for your child! If you have any questions or concerns regarding Saturday Tutorials, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher.

Please complete the Notice and Consent for Health Services Form for the new school year, available now in your Skyward Family Access account. This form is required annually for every student.

The form includes two sections—one to reject (opt out of) certain services and one to allow (opt in to) health-care services if needed. Be sure to review both sections so your choices are recorded correctly.

To encourage all families to submit their forms quickly, we are holding a friendly class competition! Submit your student’s form to help their class win one of these great prizes:

If you need help accessing or completing the form, please reach out to Ms. Carlos, Health Aide, at 979-779-2100 or ccarlos@harmonytx.org.

Health Screenings will be conducted soon on campus by our Health Aide, Ms. Carlos. Families must opt in for health screenings by completing the Health Consent Form. The following paragraphs outline the requirements for and details of all upcoming screenings.

VISION AND HEARING SCREENING REQUIREMENTS

The Vision and Hearing Screening Program, Chapter 36 of the Health and Safety Code requires that all children enrolled for the first time in any public, private, parochial, or denominational school or in a Department of Family and Protective Services licensed child care center and child care home in Texas, or who meet certain grade criteria (specified below), must be screened or have a professional examination for possible vision and hearing problems.

The requirements for VISION AND HEARING SCREENING apply each year for children enrolled in any licensed child care center, child care home or school program at the ages or grades listed below:

4 year old students in Pre-K, Kindergartners, 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders.

SCREENING PROCEDURES

For VISION SCREENING, a distance acuity for the right and left eyes must be recorded, e.g., 20/20, 20/30, etc. Approved charts for distance acuity testing include: (1) Sloan Letter Chart and the (2) HOTV Matching-Symbol Test. For HEARING SCREENING, the results of the pure-tone audiometric Sweep-Check Screen must be recorded for both the right and left ears. A Sweep-Check Screen is to be conducted at less than or equal to 25 dB at the following frequencies: 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hertz.

If you do not wish to have your child screened for religious reasons, you must submit a letter requesting exemption to the school no later than September 28, 2022 and proof of MD screening within 60 days of having submitted the exemption letter.

ACANTHOSIS NIGRICANS

Acanthosis Nigricans is a skin condition that signals high insulin levels in the body. The purpose of screening for Acanthosis Nigricans is to help identify students who run the risk of developing diabetes in the future. Once these students are identified, measures can be taken to help them lower their insulin levels and reduce their risk of developing diabetes.

Acanthosis Nigricans is a skin condition that causes light brown-black, velvety, rough, or thickened areas on the surface of the skin. It is most frequently seen on the back of the neck. It can begin at any age, but is most frequently seen in preadolescence.

The procedure for screening is simple. Screening will be conducted during a specific time agreed upon by the campus health staff. Acanthosis Nigricans on the skin of the neck is easily identified. The campus health staff will visually examine the neck for the thickened, darker skin.

Students who are identified to have Acanthosis Nigricans will have their blood pressure, height, and weight measurements taken as well. Parents will be notified of the results of the screening only if professional follow-up is necessary. Usually the recommendations from your health care provider consist of dietary changes and additional physical activity. This screening procedure does not replace your child’s need for regular health care and checkups.

Should you have any questions and/or concerns, please contact Ms. Carlos, Health Aide, at 979-779-2100 or ccarlos@harmonytx.org.

Our Fourth Grade Students will be going on a field trip to "Pizza Ranch" at the Brazos County Expo Center, an educational opportunity with a "farm to table" theme allowing students to learn more about local agricultural practices. This opportunity is generously provided by Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension and Prairie View A&M University.

The field trip is scheduled for October 21. It will be held at the Brazos County Expo Center. Students will depart from our campus at approximately 8:15 a.m. and return to campus at approximately 2:00 p.m.

The event sponsors will provide one piece of pizza and one ice cream to each student in attendance. HSA-Bryan will also provide a sack lunch to all students.

Please note that students who receive more than 10 RPs between October 1 - October 21 or who have received disciplinary office referrals within that time frame are not eligible to attend this Field Trip. We will review disciplinary records of each student who returns a permission form to ensure that they are in good standing.

Permission forms will be sent home on Monday, September 28 and must be returned by Friday, October 16.

If you wish to chaperone this Field Trip, please register with our online volunteer management system. Once you have registered for our volunteer system, select "Volunteer Opportunities" from the dropdown menu and select the 4th Grade Pizza Ranch Field Trip. Details of the event will be listed and, at the bottom of the webpage, there will be a "Sign Up Now" button that, when clicked, will officially register you as a volunteer for the Field Trip.

Please call 979-779-2100 or email Mrs. Crow at april.crow@harmonytx.org with any questions!

Fire Prevention Week is coming up from October 4–10, 2026, and the Bryan Fire Department needs our young artists to help spread the word! This year’s official theme is “Charge into Fire Safety. Safe Charging Is a Superpower!”

It's a fantastic chance for students to showcase their artistic talents while learning essential fire safety habits.

Who Can Enter? All Pre-K through 12th-grade students (public, private, or home-schooled) are invited to participate across four divisions:

Poster Rules and Guidelines:

Recognition & Prizes:

Winning artists will receive a certificate and a photo recognition opportunity alongside members of the Bryan City Council and the Bryan Fire Department! (Note: Winners will need a signed City of Bryan Photo Release).

Submission Options & Deadlines:

Option 2 (Direct Drop-Off): Deliver directly to the Fire Marshal’s office (414 Lawrence) by October 31, 2026.

Let’s raise awareness and inspire safety through art! For any questions regarding school turn-in, reach out to Mrs. Crow at april.crow@harmonytx.org.

Calling all 4th and 5th grade writers! The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ Trailblazer Writing Contest is returning for another exciting year! This is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their creativity and writing skills.

The contest is open to all Texas 4th and 5th grade students. Students may submit an essay, a poem, or both an essay and a poem. Entries may be submitted in English or Spanish

Winning students will receive an unforgettable day at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™, including admission to the Houston Rodeo grounds, carnival tickets, and acustom Trailblazer championship belt buckle.

Additional contest details, updated prompt, and submission information will be available soon at Houston Rodeo Trailblazer Writing Contest Information.

We encourage our 4th and 5th grade students to start thinking creatively and get ready to share their voices through writing!

Website: hsabryan.harmonytx.org

Location: 2031 South Texas Avenue, Bryan, TX, USA
Phone: 979-779-2100
Facebook: facebook.com/hsabcs

Harmony Public Schools values a safe and distraction-free learning environment. In accordance with new state law (HB 1481), all Texas public schools will implement a strict “No Personal Communication Device” rule during the instructional day.

The following devices are allowed on school property but are prohibited from use during the instructional day: cellphones, Smart Watches, Tablets, headphones and earbuds, personal laptops, similar electronic devices

Students who wish to bring their devices to campus must leave the devices powered off and in their locker for the duration of the day. If the student does not have a locker, then a backpack may be used. Certain exceptions will be made for students with medical or learning necessities (see full policy for more on exceptions).