For the latest Headmaster Letter click here.

Griffin Forum-November 7, 4:30 PM

The topic will be the same as last month’s, “When Should I Give My Child a Smartphone?”. It is being given again in order to allow parents who could not make a morning time to attend in the afternoon instead.

Board of Directors Meeting November 9

The next Great Hearts Texas Board of Directors meeting will be on Wednesday, November 9 (9:00 am - 12:00 pm) in San Antonio at the office of Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein (845 Proton Rd. San Antonio, TX 78258). Zoom access will be provided on the GHTX Board Meetings Page ahead of the meeting.

Upper School Library Book Drive – THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone who donated books as part of the Service Committee’s upper school library book drive! Together we collected 560 more books for the upper school library. The winning class was the 7^th grade, which donated 201 books! Students will be rewarded with popsicles during their lunch break next Wednesday, November 2. We will still accept donated books (used or new) throughout the school year.

Junior Families-Moab Trip

Please see the latest Headmaster Letter for additional information and links to sign up.

Let us know whether you are interested in attending the trip by filling out this form:

Junior COR Trip Interest. Look Ahead: Video Conference with COR instructor Next week (day and time TBD). If you have any questions, please reach out to Miss Kaiser. 

Junior/Senior Families-GHNO Class Rings

Interested in a class ring? we just delivered the first batch and they are beautiful. 

There is still time to order. Contact our Balfour Representative:

Larry H. Thompson

San Antonio Balfour

11937 Starcrest

San Antonio, TX 78247

(210) 377-2407 office

Save the date and mark your calendars! The Varsity Choir Fall Showcase is fast approaching. This year the concert will feature both the Varsity Women's Choir and The Feather and Talon Chamber Choir and will be held on Wednesday, November 2nd at the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater in the Tobin Center at 6:30 pm. Admission is free but a ticket is required for entry. Tickets are available on The Tobin Center website. Use the promo code (Griffin) to access our event. Please come out and show your support for our Griffin choristers!

The Winter Bazaar is a craft fair that benefits the senior class trip for the classes of 2023 & 2024. We are hoping to support makers in our community. All vendors must sell their own handmade crafts and wares.

Interested in becoming a vendor? To register follow this link. 

For additional information on how to be a vendor, click here! Questions? Contact Ms. McCafferty

8th Grade-Beowulfathon-November 5

Great Hearts Northern Oaks invites all 8th grade students and their parents to the annual curricular event: Beowulfathon! We will meet at Blanco State Park on Saturday, November 5th from 5 to 8 pm. Food, festivities, and fun will be provided! Please plan on attending if you already replied before our October 27th deadline!

Homerathon-11th Grade-November 5

Great Hearts Northern Oaks invites all 11th grade students and their parents to the annual curricular event: Homerathon! Join us in the GHNO Black Box on Saturday, November 5th from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Food, festivities, and fun will be provided! Please plan on attending if you already replied before our October 27th deadline!

7th Grade Social-Friday-November 11 See PSO Box below for info

10th Grade Social-Friday-November 18 See PSO Box below for info

Winter Bazaar-November 12 

• Congratulations to the GHNO Cross Country Team. For the girls’ team, Junior Josie Davis and Senior Kayla Alarcon qualified for the state meet. For the boys’ team, Juniors Isai Moran and Benjamin Alcott finished in the top 10 at the regional meet, and the entire team qualified for the state meet by finishing second in the team standings. The state meet will be in Round Rock on Saturday, November 5^th.
• Congratulations to the GHNO Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team, for finishing 3^rd in the district, and qualifying for postseason play. Since joining UIL 3 years ago, this is the first ball-sport team to qualify for the postseason. The Lady Griffins will play Yoakum High School on November 2^nd at 6:00 pm at the neutral site of Luling High School.
• JV Flag Football plays in the Sub-Regional Semifinal vs IDEA Ingram Hills on November 2^nd at 5:30 PM at GHNO Field
• Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer Tryouts: Will occur Nov 1, 2, and 3 at STAR Soccer Complex. Times: 3:30 to 5:00 PM. For additional information on the soccer season and details on how to register, please click here.

Do you know many companies and organizations have employee matching? 

You may be able to double your donation to GHNO by simply setting it up. Wondering if your employer matches? Go to our donation page and find out. Scroll to the bottom and find the double your donation link that searches for qualifying employers.

If would you like to make a gift to GHNO or set up a recurring gift, click here! 

Any questions about academy giving, email DeAnna Macias!

College Field Trip & Fair Opportunity for GHNO Sophomores & Juniors

GHTX College Counselors shared plans about a two-day college field trip to the Austin and DFW areas March 31-April 1. Details about the itinerary can be found in the email sent from Mr. Hanson through mailer@email.naviance.com on Thursday morning. To secure a spot on the trip, we need to receive your registration form AND $100 non-refundable deposit on Configio by November 3rd. Questions may be directed to Guy.Hanson@GreatHeartsNorthernOaks.org.

PSAT/NMSQT Results Timeline

Texas students who took the PSAT/NMSQT in October will typically receive their scores/results during the second week of December. Your college counselors will keep you informed and can answer any questions that you may have. 

Local & Regional College Visit Days

Colleges often host special events and campus visit days for prospective students. We have compiled a list of local and other fall semester visit days on this document. If you know of others, please send them to collegecounseling@greatheartsnorthernoaks.org. 

Reminder to Juniors and Seniors! If you are absent from school due to college visit(s) you must provide this form to Mrs. Thompson upon your return in order to obtain an excused absence. TEA allows two excused absences per year to 11th and 12th grade students. 

Contact Information

Our office is easily accessible to high school students before/after school and during school day breaks. We are also available for in-person, virtual, and telephone appointments with parents and/or students. To set up an appointment please call or email us!

• By phone, dial 210-888-9483 ext 303614
• Email link for Mrs. Jessica Woods
• Email link for Mr. Guy Hanson
• College Counseling webpage
• Naviance Student homepage

Important Text Messages

Parents and Guardians, our school uses SchoolMessenger to deliver text messages straight to your mobile phone with important information about events, school closings, safety and security alerts, and more. But Texas is an opt-in state, which means we must have your permission before we can reach you through this system. Not sure if you’ve opted in yet? Please text, “yes,” to 67587 now to ensure you get all the most current information.

If you would like your upper school student to receive the newsletter please click here!

Soon-to-be Student Drivers!

For students applying for a driver’s permit, please email Mrs. Thompson to request the verification of enrollment (VOE) form with at least a 48-hour notification.

Please make your appointment first, and then request the VOE. The VOE is only valid for 30 days from the issuance date. You do not need to send in the form, one will be issued to your student with the necessary signature and school information.

Student Absences

A friendly reminder to let your registrar know about all student absences. All absences with no parent communication are unexcused and may result in zeros for missed assignments/tests. If your student will be absent, please send an email to your registrar, Mrs. Thompson at info@greatheartsnorthernoaks.org. If your student will be out for a doctor's appointment, please provide a doctor's note upon return.

We receive state funding for all students who are in their classes at 10:30 a.m. each day!

• If a scholar will be out for a doctor's appointment during attendance time, please be sure to submit a doctor's note upon return so we may count him or her present for the day.
• If you are absent due to college visit(s) you must provide this form to Mrs. Thompson upon your return in order to obtain an excused absence.
• Extended absences during the academic year are highly discouraged and do affect student success. Excessive unexcused absences may result in loss of credit or enrollment.

For full-day absences, please notify the Upper School Registrar, Mrs. Thompson

Overdue Lunch Accounts 

We are so glad that everyone is enjoying school lunch this year! Meal participation is up higher than it was last year when meals were federally funded and free for everyone.

This year, families are paying for meals and participation is higher than ever. We are asking that parents take a look at their accounts and try to keep them in good standing. Thank you to those who have taken care of this. Currently, our campus has a negative balance of $1,500.

Lunch accounts may be paid online through www.mymealtime.com or by sending cash or check to the front desk, please note the student's name.

Please apply for Free or reduced meals at the mealtime website if you feel your family may qualify. This is a service available to all who need it.

Barn Dance-October 28

Beowulfathon & Homerathon-November 5

Griffin Forum-November 7 

Winter Bazaar-November 12