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Covered in this Newsletter

Operational Updates
Important STAAR Info
Parent Humane Letters
Coffee with the Headmaster
Grade Level Blogs
House Swag Store
PSO Corner
Athletics & Intramurals
Strength & Conditioning Camps
Summer Programs
Advocacy Corner
SmugMug

Important STAAR Info

Beginning next week, students will participate in the STAAR/EOC assessments. During STAAR, our campus will be a closed campus. No visitors will be allowed on campus, including parent volunteers.

A few ways you can partner with us to ensure your child has a positive testing experience include:

Make sure your scholar arrives to school on time.
It is important for your child to have a hearty breakfast prior to coming to school, as well as a good night’s sleep the night prior to testing.
Remind your child to bring a book to read after testing and a water bottle.
We encourage families to send lunch with their scholars or have them eat a hot lunch on testing days.

You are invited to Parent Humane Letters

No prior homework is needed! Leave your scholars at home and learn more about the education you support here at Western Hills.

We are pleased to invite you to a special event designed to give parents and guardians of 5th through 9th Grade scholars an insider's view into the Humane Letter classes your high school scholars will take. At this event, you will be given a text that you will discuss in a small group, similar to the seminar-based classes your students attend.

This event will take place on April 19th, 2023, at 7 pm at the Great Hearts Western Hills Upper School (Building 4) located at 8702 Ingram rd.

Our goal for this event is to provide parents with an opportunity to engage in the same type of Socratic discussion that their students experience in their Humane Letter classes. The discussion will be led by fabulous faculty facilitators and will allow parents to reflect on the timeless ideas and universal themes explored in these classes.

We hope that you can join us for this enriching experience. Please RSVP by April 16th to reserve your spot. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us by reaching out to Ryan Travis.

Click here to RSVP!

7th & 8th Grade Coffee with the Headmaster

Parents of Great Hearts Western Hills 7th and 8th Grade scholars,

Please join us for a morning coffee and discussion with Headmaster Trinette Keffer. There will be time for herself and members of our leadership team to share and also answer questions.

This is a current parent-only or guardian-only event. We ask that you drop off your scholar in the carline first and then find parking. Coffee will begin at 8:00 AM in the Upper School Library.

Click here to RSVP!

Operational Updates

Class/Group Photos

Group photos that were ordered have been distributed. If a family did not receive their order, please contact our Lifetouch representative directly:

Jen Bustos

210-878-8228

jen.bustos@shutterfly.com

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) must 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!

PSO Corner

FiestaPre-Sale Pop-Up!

Pop ups for Fiesta pre-sales will be held *from 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm on the following dates:

4/17 Lower School Lobby
4/20 Upper School Entrance

Swing Dance Volunteers

The plans for the 7th & 8th Grade Swing Dance are underway! Please review the signup below and donate if you can! Let’s make this another great dance for our scholars!

Click here to Volunteer!

FIESTA VOLUNTEERS!

It's time for Fiesta Spartans! Our greatest fundraising event is soon approaching and we need your help to have yet another successful year. This is a parent community event for the entire school put on by our very own Spartan families! Please review the sign up; all help is welcomed! Upper school participation is encouraged and appreciated

Click Here to Volunteer

Click here to bring supplies

LS Front Desk Volunteer

We are looking for a fellow spartan parent that can give their time to help cover the lower school front desk starting March 1st through the end of the school year. The days and times needed are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 - 4:15. Training will be provided. If interested, please email pso@greatheartswesternhills.org

If you cannot commit to these days and times for the remainder of the year, please consider signing up to help at a time that best fits your schedule. Thank you.

Click Here to Volunteer

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.

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

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

Softball

Thurs 4/20 vs IDEA Ingram Hills @ 7:30 pm – YMCA Potranco

Sat 4/22/ vs BASIS SA – Shavano @ 12:00 pm – Colt Softball Field – Colt 45 Park

You may find the full schedule on our athletics website at: www.greatheartswesternhillsathletics.org.

Baseball:

Registration for the Baseball guild has closed.

The remaining schedule for baseball guild practices is as follows:

Sat 4/22/23 – 9 am – 11 am

Sat 4/29/23 – 9 am – 11 am

Sat 5/6/23 – 9 am – 11 am

Sat 5/13/26 – 9 am – 11 am

Sat 5/20/23 – 9 am – 11 am

Athletics Celebration:

Parents, if you had a scholar participate in a Middle or High School athletics team (not intramurals) you should have received an email from Coach Disney with your invitation and a link to RSVP.

We have had over 140 scholars participate in athletics, and we want to celebrate all their accomplishments!

Men’s Athletics will have their celebration on Thursday May 4^th, 7 pm. Ladies’ Athletics will have their celebration on Friday May 5^th, 7 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Athletics Summer Camps

Mark your calendars! This year we will be offering FULL DAY camps, where scholars will be able to experience three sports, along with lessons in nutrition, sleep, recovery, and other tips and tricks that help them be a better athlete.

Registration opens: Open Now

Cost: $150

Please note: For full day camps, scholars will be required to bring a daily sack lunch.

Boys Volleyball & Girls Flag Football Intramurals

7-9^th graders it is your time to shine and show the house pride! There will be an intramural Boys Volleyball and intramural Girls Flag Football teams forming.

Practices: Will be two days/ week, for one hour after school.

Practices will begin April 11^th.

Game Days:

Game 1: April 28^th

FFB: 4:30 pm

VB: 5:30 pm

Game 2: May 12^th

FFB: 4:30 pm

VB: 5:30 pm

Cost: $115 (includes intramural t-shirt)

*If this is your child/families third sport, or you qualify for Free Reduced Lunch, please email Coach Disney.

Academic Eligibility: Students must be passing all classes with at least a C- (70% or above) in order to participate in competitions. Eligibility is determined at progress report and report card time.

GHWH Athletics Website

Have you made summer plans yet? Great Hearts Western Hills offers two incredible programs the weeks of June 5^th-16^th. You can register for one or both weeks. Register today and give your child a summer experience they will always remember!

Summer Programs include:

Summer Camp is a full-day experience where Campers will laugh as they compete in crazy camp games, sing silly campfire songs, enjoy engaging activities, and make new friends. It’s a traditional summer camp experience with a classical twist!
Kinder Readiness is designed to prepare incoming kindergarteners for the upcoming year.

For more information and to register today, please visit:

GreatHeartsWesternHills.configio.com/summer23

Advocacy Corner

Texas 88^th Legislature: Charter School Advocacy

· The next important step for passing important pro-charter school legislation happened this week at the Capitol. The Texas Senate Education committee considered important legislation on Wednesday that would require cities to follow the same zoning and permitting rules for all public schools, including charters. This bill would end extra fees, delays, and arbitrary measures that charters have been subjected to when opening new campuses.

To receive updates on this important legislation from the Texas Public Charter School Association, please click this link.

· Did you know? When public charter schools grow, it creates more opportunities for students and families. Among all the public charter schools that have opened a new campus in the last six years, 97% received a “passing” grade from the state. What’s more, these public charter schools earned top honors for academic outcomes at much higher rates than the statewide average. Learn more here .

· Stay up to date on critical charter school legislation and action alerts from the Texas Public Charter School Association (TPCSA). TPCSA is the statewide organization representing Texas charter schools to state leaders, lawmakers, and state agencies.

All parents can stay informed by subscribing to TPCSA’s emails and alerts. To receive TPCSA emails and alerts, please click this link.

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