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JUNE 2020

Dear Harmony Community,

Summer is here, and what a year it has been. At the end of May we celebrated graduation. CONGRATULATIONS to all of our graduates - kindergarteners, 6th graders, middle schoolers, and our 2020 class of high school seniors! We have videos on our website of the middle school graduation project (projecting 20 years into the future), and our seniors' graduation speeches and senior project presentations.

Graduation videos

Thank you to Marty for his work on this year's yearbook, which turned into a reflection on the Time of Coronavirus. Surely a historic issue for our students to look back on.

This summer we are taking some time to reflect on what we've learned from the experience of moving our curriculum online and teaching and learning from home. After this reflection period we will begin planning for the fall semester. This planning will be tentative as we await the July 4th announcement of the governor’s school reopening guidelines.

We hope you're all staying healthy and safe, wherever you are. Keep in touch!

Black Lives Matter

Just days after graduation, George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer and protests quickly escalated into a widespread national uprising against police violence and for Black lives. Harmony School is deeply troubled by both the recent acts of anti-Black violence across the country and the ongoing history of racism in our nation. Our school is committed to being an inclusive community, where the minds and bodies of all our students are valued, respected and safe. However, these events demand serious thought and introspection. As a school, we will reexamine and where necessary refocus our curriculum, relationships and behaviors to ensure that we are doing all we can to raise awareness and educate ourselves (i.e. faculty, staff, and students) about both implicit and explicit racism and bias. Black Lives Matter. Black Students Matter.

In the news...

Harmony mom and Early Childhood Program teacher, Mandy Samulak, is ready to give you some advice! Stop on by her roadside booth if you find yourself in Brown County.

Free advice, or at least solidarity, by the roadside

These are confusing, upsetting times. Mandy Samulak is no professional, but she offers support and the universal encouragement to keep going.

Christine Stephenson, USA TODAY
June 11, 2020

ALUMNI updates

SIGN UP FOR (virtual) SUMMER 2020 REUNIONS

In April we hosted our first Alumni Family Meeting on Zoom. About 20 alumni (from Harmony's earliest years to recent graduates) came together for a video call to share updates and memories. We'd love to host a few more this summer! We're planning online reunions this July and August for our alumni, organized by decade: 1974-1985, 1985-1995, 1995-2005, 2005-2015

Fill out the REUNION SIGN UP to add your ideas and join in

ALUMNI PODCAST IN THE WORKS

We're partnering with very recent graduate Glen Breeden-Ost ('20) to launch a podcast featuring the voices of Harmony alumni. Want to be a part of it? Write to [email protected].

JOIN THE NEW HARMONY ALUMNI COUNCIL

Are you a past student who wants to reconnect and support Harmony? We'd love to hear from you. We're forming a Harmony Alumni Council that would meet monthly via phone calls (and in-person when possible, for local alumni). Working groups within the council could include outreach & communications, updating the alumni database, gathering oral histories of Harmony's past, a mentoring and connections program, fundraising, reunions and events. Email Mandy Skinner, Alumni Coordinator, at [email protected] if you're interested in joining the Council.

Where in the World are Harmony Alumni?

Fill out our Alumni Questionnaire and let us know!

On Facebook: Harmony School Alumni: Harmony Born, Harmony Bred

STAFF & FACULTY updates

Farewell to Operations Director Natalie Bouse

Our Operations Director for the past seven years, Natalie Bouse, has left Harmony to start a new opportunity working as an account and office manager for Well's Lawncare, a Bloomington business that does both residential and business landscaping. She continues to be part of the Harmony family, as a parent of a current student, and John, Tonya, and Meagan will continue to lead the Harmony office. We wish you all the best in your new work, Natalie!

Long-time 5th/6th Grade teacher, Kathy Boone, announces her retirement

Click here to read Kathy's full letter

"After twenty five years in the 5th & 6th grade classroom and four or so years in auxiliary positions prior, as well as many years as a parent and now a grandparent in our community, I am sadly forced to leave my teaching position due to ongoing health issues. Families, I feel grateful for your trust in me to work with your children. It is a great honor. You’ve all been so generous with your time, talents and resources as volunteers, and for that I thank you. .... Students past and present, you are my joy, and rest assured that I will remember our many adventures together for the rest of my life." Read more...

Community Connections: Harmony's 5th/6th Grade Jr. Master Naturalist Program

For the past five years Harmony's 5th/6th grade class has participated in the Jr. Master Naturalist program through Sycamore Land Trust, deepening their commitment to environmental education and getting students out into the field to learn directly from nature and our local community. This past school year, Sitav Elturan (Harmony parent and former student) talked with teacher Kathy Boone and students about their experiences with the program. Read more...

Interested in joining our newsletter team as a writer or editor? Have a story idea for the next issue? Comments, questions? Write to [email protected].

Harmony School
909 E. 2nd Street
Bloomington, IN 47401
812-334-8349
[email protected]