Dear Spartan Families,
I am fortunate enough to consider myself a world traveler. I have been to San Nicolas Island, Fairacre (Chelsfield in Kent), Glasgow, a farm in rural upstate New York, the Deep, Deep Woods, Johannesburg, a hut in India, Greenwich Village, London, the jungles of South America, Auschwitz, Prince Edward Island, Ras Tanura, and Fairyland, to name a few. I didn't truly appreciate it when I was younger, but I was spoiled with all kinds of global adventures. I met royalty, a watchmaker's daughter, an English schoolmarm, a pig on a mission, a World War II flight nurse, a mongoose, a girl who swam with dolphins, an archeologist, a Scottish orphan, a wise woman, a Fuzzywump, a grieving father, a jilted lover and a camel-riding girl scout. I only recently got a U.S. passport, and while I have yet to visit many places, I have been gifted trips in and out of time and crisscrossing the map … all thanks to my mother.
My mother had a passport; by the time she finished her two years of college, she had lived in either Saudi Arabia or Italy for most of her life and traveled to every country open to Americans in the '60s. When she settled down and married her college sweetheart, she gave up her passport to figure out how to be an American and raise kids. I never once remember her complaining about giving up the excitement of being a globetrotter … I am convinced that she exchanged her suitcases for bookcases. She is what you call a bibliophile.
I remember we didn't have many traditions, but we did have two: begging my mom to read just one more chapter and the Visiting Nurses' Book Sale. The latter is an event every year on the 2nd Saturday in February at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It is a 2-day event where the entire livestock exhibit building is packed with stacks and stacks of discarded books being sold for pennies on the dollar – a bibliophile's Walt Disney World. Until I was 10, my mom went on her own and came home with almost enough new adventures to carry us through the next 12 months. Then, when I was in the 5th grade, I was invited to not just go on an adventure, but to be the travel agent … I was going to get to dig through the dusty heaps of long-forgotten treasures and mine, the ones I thought would transport me to places I had never been. After standing in a line for 2 hours in the predawn hours with 100s of fellow book lovers, the doors opened to folks who hoisted citrus boxes above their heads and ran toward the smell of musty and yellowing printed pages. I found the children's section and stuffed as many titles as possible into my box before meeting my mom an hour later under a table near the Rare and Unusual section to sort through our finds. Of course, my untrained eyes made a lot of poor choices that day that we tossed back, but with her guidance and years of practice, I was able to pass the love and the tradition on to my girl.
Books give us the ability to travel and experience things through characters' eyes that most of us only dream of meeting. C. S. Lewis describes the debt we owe authors and the sight they give us that makes our world not so small.
"Literature gives the entrée to them all. Those who have been true readers all our life seldom fully realize the enormous extension of our being which we owe to authors. We realize it best when we talk with an unliterary friend. He may be full of goodness and good sense, but he inhabits a small world. In it, we should be suffocated. The man who is contented to be only himself, and therefore less a self, is in prison. My own eyes are not enough for me. I will see through the eyes of others … in reading great literature, I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with myriad eyes, but I still see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do."
-C.S. Lewis's An Experiment in Criticism (pp. 139-141)
In this month of October, we celebrate books, especially our Classics to Keep. On Friday, October 29th, we continue our tradition of the Classics to Keep Dress-Up Day. If you and your student have not yet discussed their costume ideas, please take advantage of Fall Break to be creative about a costume representing a classic to keep or historical character (including famous musicians, scientists, & Greek/Roman figures they study). I want to encourage your child to be sure that their costume reflects the character's description in the book (and not the movie version, if there is one) and consider making it homemade with, perhaps, a trip to the thrift store. Creativity and ingenuity score lots of points! Please see below for the Character Dress Costume Guidelines.
Make it a great day, Spartan Moms and Dads – take your little Spartans on a trip – read them a book and relish in the phrase, "Ahhh, just one more chapter, please!"
Trinette Keffer
Headmaster
Great Hearts Western Hills
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Parent Teacher Conferences |
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We are excited to offer our Parent/Teacher Conferences in person or via zoom this year! The parent/teacher conferences are for you to partner with your child’s teacher to better understand his/her progress and character growth. These conferences are designed to give you a personal and intimate look into the life and health of your student here at school.
Your student's homeroom teachers will conduct the meeting in person or via zoom based on your choice, where they will share concrete examples, test scores and anecdotes in an effort to give a well-rounded picture of your scholar.
These conferences are for parents ONLY, so please find a quiet space out of earshot of your student when you join the zoom conference or make other arrangements for your children, as there will not be any supervision for them as you are attending the in-person conference. It is important that the teacher be able to speak candidly with you, knowing that you will choose how to share the information you gather with your scholar as you feel necessary.
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Please sign up for ONE 20-minute conference appointment slot. Please be sure to include the parent(s)/guardian(s) name first and then your child’s name in the space provided.
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Please indicate whether you will be attending in person or via zoom.
- If your scholar is in 5th or 6th grade, please also sign up for a separate Math time slot with either Ms. Ornelas (5th gr) or Mrs. Haslitt (6th gr).
- Optional: Please consider signing up for a conference with any Specials Teacher, especially if your student has struggled in any of those classes.
- Arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled time or click on the zoom link in the signup genius to let your teacher know that you are in the waiting room. Use the password located in the description of the sign-up genius.
- If you are coming in person, please knock on the door at your appointment time to let your teacher know that you are here.
- Be mindful of the 20-minute time frame for homeroom and Specials teacher and the 10-minute time slot of your 5th or 6th grade Math teacher.
These sign-ups will end at midnight Saturday, October 16th. If there is a time conflict or you missed the deadline, please email me your student’s teacher to let them know.
Please find the link of your students grade section and teachers below.
We are looking forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s Quarter 1 progress!
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Math Specialists
Specials Teachers
7th and 8th grade Parent/Teacher Conferences
October 18-20
We are excited to offer our Parent/Teacher Conferences in person or via zoom this year! The parent/teacher conferences are for you to partner with your student’s teachers to better understand his/her progress and character growth.
These conferences are for parents ONLY, so please find a quiet space out of earshot of your student when you join the zoom conference or make other arrangements for your children, as there will not be any supervision for them as you are attending the in-person conference. It is important that each teacher be able to speak candidly with you, knowing that you will choose how to share the information you gather with your scholar as you feel necessary.
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Please sign up for ONE 15-minute conference appointment slot. Please be sure to include the parent(s)/guardian(s) name first and then your student’s name in the space provided.
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Please indicate whether you will be attending in person or via zoom.
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Arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled time or click on the zoom link in the sign-up genius to let the teachers know that you are in the waiting room. Use the password located in the description of the sign-up genius.
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If you are coming in person, please check in at the front desk for the room number of your conference.
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Be mindful of the 15-minute time frame.
Please find the 7th or 8th grade links below. These signups will end at midnight Saturday, October 16th. If there is a time conflict or you missed the deadline, please email Mrs. Glowe (7th Grade) or Mr. White (8th Grade) to let them know.
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Literary Character Day & Book Fair! |
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October 29th is Literary Character day! We will be taking advantage of that day and the following, October 30th, to host a Boof Fair at Barnes & Nobles to help fill our libraries!
Guidelines for
Character Day Dress Up Day
Students may dress up as any character from any book on the K-6 Classics to Keep List, a grade level read-aloud book, Greek or Roman Mythology or a historical character from our curriculum at Western Hills and come to school primed for a joyful day filled with reading.
- Students who do not wish to wear a costume should come to school in his or her regular uniform.
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Parents MUST fill out and turn in a "Costume Proposal Slip" to their homeroom/lyceum teacher on or before Wednesday, October 27th in order for your student to participate in Character Dress-up Day. The costume MUST be approved by the teacher.
- No masks or all-over face paint (freckles, mustaches, etc. are okay)
- Hats, gloves, ears, etc. are acceptable as long as they stay on and are not a distraction (teacher will confiscate if that happens).
- No props, such as weapons, baskets, wands, etc.
- If the costume is such that it needs clothes underneath, it should be their uniform.
- Please keep in mind students will be going to recess in their costumes, so one that allows free movement is encouraged.
Students will have the opportunity to enjoy a Read–A–Thon Day during a portion of the school day.
Friday will conclude with a celebratory parade of scholars through Barnes & Nobles (6065 Northwest Loop 410) after carline. There, families can take pictures and purchase books for our Book Drive!
Book Drive Guidelines
Help us fill our libraries with beautiful books for years to come! Friday, October 29th, and Saturday, October 30th Great Hearts Western Hills will be partnering with Barnes & Nobles (6065 Northwest Loop 410) for a Book Drive wherein books can be purchased in-store or online for those two days using our voucher ID.
Saturday the 30th, Lower School Teachers will host readings for their scholars in the children's area of the same Barnes & Nobles.
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State law requires that schools must screen students for abnormal spinal curvature in accordance with the following schedule:
- Girls will be screened two times, once at age 10 (or during 5th grade) and again at age 12 (or during 7th grade)
- Boys will be screened one time at age 13 or 14 (or during 8th grade)
- Girls should wear or bring a sports bra or bathing suit top on the day of the exam.
- Boys and girls will be screened separately and one at a time.
If you do not wish to have your child screened for religious reasons, you must submit an exemption to the school no later than Friday, October 8, 2021.
If you have any questions or require additional information please call 210-888-9488 ext: 304347.
Thank You!
Monique Marsh, RN School Nurse
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Teachers need your help in the copy room!
There is something deeply calming about making copies--thousands of copies--.and helping our great teachers in the process!
If you have completed your background check and are ready to help teachers with copy room needs, sign up for a two hour morning or afternoon time slot Monday- Friday.
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Spartan Spirit Wear
is now Available!
Orders placed through PSO Website for Spirit Wear will be fulfilled and sent home with scholars on the first Thursday following the order completion.
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Background Checks for Volunteering |
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As a parent or guardian here at GHWH, you are already officially part of the Parent Service Organization! There are so many opportunities to volunteer! However, every school year, volunteers must have a new background check on file. Please click the button to access the form and return it via e-mail at info@greatheartswesternhills.org or in person to the receptionist at the GHWH Lower School.
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Great Hearts Western Hills | https://westernhills.greatheartsamerica.org
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