Dear Great Hearts Texas Families,
Many thanks to all of you who participated in the virtual
Family Town Hall
this past Monday. We are so grateful for your support, questions, and feedback as we prepare together for the start of school, now just a few short weeks away. If you were unable to attend the Town Hall,
click here
to watch the recording.
Several important items and key dates to keep in mind:
- All students will start the year “on-line, on time”. Please know we are aware of the guidance letter issued by the Texas Attorney General this week that campuses have the flexibility to open earlier than indicated by local county health orders. We are also monitoring for further directives from the Governor, TEA, and local leadership about campus openings. Our plan remains to begin the school year on-line on August 12 in San Antonio and August 19 in Irving and Fort Worth. All Great Hearts campuses will open for in-building instruction on Tuesday, September 8.
- Campus-specific Town Halls (Monday, August 3 and Tuesday, August 4) – Invitations to a Town Hall at your campus next week have been emailed. Your headmasters will delve further into our school start plans and the details specific to your community. We hope you will attend. While the town halls are hosted on Facebook Live, it is not necessary to have a Facebook account to watch live or view the recording later. Click here for the Town Hall schedule.
- Return to Learning Forms are due Wednesday, August 5. This is the form that will allow your family to tell us if you would like to continue with Great Hearts Distance Learning (GHDL) through Quarter 1 or return to the campus at the opening date.
- Tech Survey – if you haven’t yet completed this survey or if your situation has changed since you completed it, please contact your school’s Director of Campus Operations:
- Fall Sports - We have confirmed with the UIL that practices and competitions will not begin until school buildings reopen per county health orders. Your academy will share more details about fall sports as we get closer to campus openings.
One of the questions that came up repeatedly at the Town Hall this week was about the flexibility that would be offered to students and families during GHDL, flexibility that would be needed due to a variety of family circumstances. It is important to note that daily attendance and participation are essential for your student(s) to grow and succeed in GHDL, and daily engagement will continue to be part of how teachers assign grades. That said, please know we will provide grace and flexibility for families with Lower School students as these scholars are generally less independent and less digitally fluent. For families of Lower School students, we will implement a choice for families to engage in a fully asynchronous manner as distinct from the instructional schedules your school will provide. Lower School faculty will record their synchronous (live) Zoom lessons and upload them for later viewing. Student participation will include forms other than “live” engagement, although this will still be an option for students who can participate this way. Your headmaster and teachers will provide further details in the coming days and weeks.
Families, we are so grateful for all the grace you have shown us as we walk through these days together and make the best decisions we can for our students, teachers, and staff. I am more confident than ever in the steadfast leadership of our headmasters and in the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our amazing teachers.
In gratitude and solidarity,
