Upcoming Events

Feb 4th 7th Grade Call of the Wild Hike

Feb 15th 7th Grade Field Trip, Austin, TX

Feb 16th 8th Grade Field Trip, San Marcos, TX

Feb 17th No School

Feb 20th President's Day - No School

Feb 28-March 2nd 9^th Grade High School Trip

March 4th 9^th Grade My Antonia Dance

March 10th Academic Field Day

Click the links below to add the campus event calendar to your personal calendars:

Covered in this Newsletter

Headmaster Letter
Operational Updates
Hiring Fair
Call of the WildHike
HEB Foundation Camp
Student IDs
Grade Level Blogs
House Swag Store
PSO Corner
Guilds
Athletics & Intramurals
Advocacy Corner
SmugMug

Quick Links

Bonus: Click here to join the GHWH PSO Facebook Group

*DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE NEWSLETTER TO VIEW ALL THIS WEEK'S CONTENT!

Operational Updates

Dismissal Reminder

All students MUST be picked up by 4:20 PM (2:20 on early release days) unless they are enrolled in an after-school activity (please be aware that clubs and many athletics will not begin until September). After 4:20 PM (2:20 PM on early release days), students will be monitored by Athenaeum/Homework Club, and a charge of $1 per minute will be incurred. Parents arriving after 4:20 PM (2:20 PM early release) will need to park in the Lower School Lot and sign their child out at the front desk.

*PLEASE DO NOT USE CELL PHONES WHILE IN THE SCHOOL ZONE OR IN CARLINE ON CAMPUS.

Attendance

Attendance matters! Here’s why:

Our campus funding is dependent on scholars attending school. This is the number one way WH receives funding from the state.
The amount we receive from the state is based on our average daily attendance. Every day your scholar attends school, our campus receives over $45 in state funding.

How you can help us:

If your scholar is out sick, please send an email or doctor's note to our attendance mailbox at attendance@greatheartswesternhills.org for each day(s) your scholar is out sick.
Please be sure to have your scholar in their classes when attendance is taken each day at 9:50 AM.

Click here for more info on our Spartan Business Partnerships!

7th Grade Call of the Wild Hike

Feb 4th

Inviting All 7th Graders

to Join The

Call of the Wild Hike

When:

Saturday - Feb. 4th

Meet at 8:30 - Hike begins at 9 am

10:30 am - Group returns

11 am - Parents Pickup students

Where:

Medina River Natural Area

15890 TX-16, San Antonio

*See flyer for packing list and rules for our hike at the Medina River Natural Area

9th Grade HEB Foundation Camp

Feb 28th - March 2nd

Who: 9^th Grade Students

When: Tuesday, February 28 - Thursday, March 2

Where: H.E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School, Kerrville, TX

GHWH Upper School, in partnership with the H.E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School, will provide our 9^th grade students with free, transformative, and educational overnight experiences, each set within the rugged beauty of the Texas Hill Country.

The Outdoor School is situated along the banks of the Frio River on the 1,900-acre H. E. Butt Foundation property deep in the Texas Hill Country, 13 miles north of Leakey on U.S. Highway 83. This trip is an extension of the Biology and Sciences curriculum offered at the upper school. By participating in hands-on, highly active activities, as well as journaling their observations of nature, we hope students can take what they learn about the outdoors as well as themselves and apply it to their life back home.

We hope that the awe of nature inspires students to recognize their impact and fulfill their roles as caretakers of their natural spaces through close encounters with the beautiful Texas landscape.

For more information, please contact Headmaster Keffer, or Ms. Koci.

Student IDs

Starting January 17, students were issued and required to wear a student ID.

This ID will include their student number and picture and will streamline the process of ordering lunch and is part of our initiative to heighten student security on campus. Students will be issued a generic black lanyard but may purchase a House lanyard from the House Swag Shoppe.

They will become a required piece of the school uniform (uniform infractions will be issued for missing IDs), so we suggest that students plan to either leave it in their locker every afternoon or place it in their backpack in the same place every day so that they avoid losing it. Lost IDs will be charged $2 for a new one.

PSO Corner

Lunchroom Volunteers Opportunities are back!

Lunchroom Volunteer Opportunities are back! If you are interested and have completed the volunteer background and training (in-person and online), please review and sign up! We look forward to seeing you!

Click here to Volunteer at Lunch

PSO Talks

Click below to enjoy the first video in our series from the PSO--this time with some of the volunteers championing our libraries!

Upper School Blogs

These blogs will be a way for parents to know of upcoming tests, projects, events, or grade printouts. This will also be a way for us to inform parents of grade-specific events including field trips, house events, or other similar events. We will not be posting specific homework assignments or actual pdfs of assignments.

6th-8th Grade Blog

9th Grade Blog

Guilds

Guild sign-ups will go live on Feb 6th Guilds go live. Details forthcoming.

Feb 13th First Week of Guilds begins.
Guilds will run from 4:20-5:20 PM.

Pick up will be at the upper school and will run from 5:20-5:35. Any student not picked up by 5:35 will be brought over to the lower school and admitted to the afterschool program where fees may apply.

Spring Guild offerings:

Book Guild 6/7
Book Guild 8/9
Theater Guild
Mathletes Guild
Publication Guild
Robotics Guild
ASL Guild
Swordsmanship Guild
Duke of Edenborough Guild (9^th Grade Leadership Training)
Golf Guild

Guild descriptions to follow.

House Swag Store

Pick-Up and Purchases Tuesday & Thursday

How to Purchase?

Click here for Configio OR Send exact cash or check in with your scholar or visit the parent payment portal.

Where to pick it up?

Students will have an opportunity to pick up items at the “Swag Locker Station” located in the lobby of the Upper school campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

*If your online purchase is intended as a gifted surprise for our scholar, please email nicole.glowe@greatheartswesternhills.org with your request.

Uniform Tie	$25
Scarf	$25
Beanie	$20
Cinch Bag	$15
Lanyard	$8
Decal	$3
Patch	$2

Athletics & Intramurals

BIG SHOUT OUT TO OUR MATHLETES TEAM FOR WINNING THEIR FIRST EVER REGIONAL COMPETITION AND QUALIFYING FOR STATE!!!

Weight Room Update

Spartans, we asked, and you answered! Thank you so much to the families who have helped supply our needs for the weight room! Because of you, are 8^th & 9^th grade scholars are starting to learn to lift on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during our Morning Break. We have updated our needs list. If you would like to still donate, see below for items we could still use:

-Trap Bars (AKA Hex Bars)

-Dumbbells or Kettlebells in the following weights: 8 lbs, 10 lbs, 15 lbs, 20 lbs, 25 lbs.

Upcoming Athletics Games:

HS Boys Basketball

1/30/23 – 5:30 pm vs. San Antonio Prep

Soccer Schedule Will be announced soon!

Monitor Big Teams for the schedule release.

There will be $2 admission charge to middle and high school athletics games. Great Hearts Western Hills students will not be charged admission.

Game Day Reminders:

Great Heart Students are reminded they are school thus the cellphone policy remains in place. Should a student need to use their cellphone to contact a parent after a contest, they may do so in the cellphone zones placed outside the gym
The courtyard, gaga ball pit, playground and any recess equipment are off limits during game time.
Children should remain with their parents and accompanied to the restroom if needed.
We thank you for your attention to this to help keep our campus safe and enjoyable!

Interested in playing soccer, softball, baseball or running track & field!?

Make sure your scholar is registered in Big Teams! Tryouts are fast approaching.

If you weren’t able to make it to the information meeting, please see the individual flyers below per sport to find out what you missed!

If you have any questions be sure to email Coach Disney at Elizabeth.disney@greatheartswesternhills.org.

If your scholar is looking to participate in a spring sport, make sure you have registered in Big Teams! Go to www.planeths.com to register your athlete. Under “sports interested in” click on the sport they are interested in!

They must have a physical on file in order to be able to tryout for a sport (this is not applicable to camps).

GHWH Athletics Website

Intramurals

MAYDAY MAYDAY!!! Registration for intramural basketball is closing tonight! Monday, January 30th! Here is some information about everything you need to know! If the price is a deal breaker or your scholar plays other sports, please email me and we can work something out! 😊

Girls & Boys Basketball Games (tentative)

February 25

March 4

March 11

March 25

March 30- Championship

Practices will begin on February 6th. Here is a tentative practice schedule:

	4:15-5:15 PM	5:15-6:15 PM
Monday Narnia	Girls	Boys
Tuesday Middle Earth	Girls	Boys
Wednesday Narnia	Boys	Girls
Thursday Middle Earth	Boys	Girls

Registration is through Aktivate: www.registermyathlete.com

Registration will CLOSE on January 30th, and practices will begin on February 6th.

If this is your first intramural sport of the year, you must purchase an intramural shirt. Shirts from last year are allowed in the competition.

Requirements for Intramurals

Students must be academically eligible to compete. This is determined by receiving a 70% or above in all classes.
A medical physical completed by a physician clearing the student for a physical activity must be on file before students can participate.
Registration through Aktivate (www.registermyathlete.com including a preparticipation form, medical physical, and signed athletic handbook). Click here for PDF
Parents must read and understand that by signing up for intramural sports, you have accepted and acknowledged the sports club disclaimer at checkout).

Payments will be made in Configio; the link will be sent out next week.

For any questions, please email Intramural Athletic Director Hannah Boring@hannah.boring@greatheartswesternhills.org

Advocacy Corner

Texas 88^th Legislature: Charter School Advocacy

· The Texas Legislature has convened in Austin for its biennial session. Between now and May, Great Hearts needs parent voices from each campus to advocate for our classical charter schools. If you feel called to serve as a parent advocate for your campus, email Family Advocacy Manager Bridie Chaudoir at bridie.chaudoir@greatheartstx.org.

· TPCSA’s Legislative Priorities: A bill was filed last week in the state senate to end municipal discrimination against public charter schools, which are often targeted with additional fees, zoning, and permitting schemes that divert state funding from the classroom.

To follow updates on this critical charter legislation, please click this link to subscribe to action alerts from The Texas Public Charter School Association. TPCSA is the statewide organization representing Texas charter schools to state leaders, lawmakers, and state agencies.

· Online Advocacy Workshop: TPCSA has opened registration for its next Parent Advocate Leader program (PAL). This program trains parents to become advocacy champions. TPCSA's goal is to win in Austin. Parent voices will make a difference in helping to achieve this goal!

The online sessions will be held three consecutive Wednesdays beginning on January 25. Register today by completing this form: PAL 2023 LINK The time options are 7:30-8:00 AM; 10-10:30 AM; 6:30-7 PM, or 7-7:30 PM.

Campus Photos on SmugMug

As the academic year progresses, photographers from Upper and Lower will continue to share photo memories from our campus on our new SmugMug site. Just use the password "plato" to enter and view.

Click here to view photos

Great Hearts Western Hills | Website