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Sep 4th Holiday (No School)
Sep 6th Parent Pick-Up Basketball
Sep 8th Paint the Town Blue (Volleyball Home Games)
Set 12th Raising Cane's Spirit Night
Sept 14th LS Curriculum Night
Sep 20th The Big Give Kickoff Tailgate
Sep 21st Room Parent Training & PSO Community Meeting
Sep 29th Spirit Shirt Day
Oct 9-13th Parent Teacher Conferences and Fall Break
| New Calendars Available Now! Click the links below to add our campus event calendar to your personal calendars: | |  |
Covered in this Newsletter |
- GHTX Board Meeting
- Headmaster Letter
- Attendance Counts
- Curriculum Night Info
- Parent Pick-Up Basketball
- The Big Give
- Dismissal Reminders
- Grade Level Blogs
- Free & Reduced Lunch Applications Due
- Intramurals
- Volunteer Opportunities and Parent Events
- Advocacy Corner
- SmugMug
Please remember to scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to see all of this week's content.
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Great Hearts Texas Board Meeting | |
The next meeting of the Great Hearts Texas Board of Directors will be held on Wednesday, September 6 at 10:00 AM in San Antonio at the office of Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein (845 Proton Road). Prior to the board meeting, an agenda and Zoom link will be posted on our Great Heart Texas Board Meeting page.
Parents are welcome to attend in person or virtually via Zoom. An audio recording and written recap will also be posted after the meeting is held.
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Letter from the Headmaster | |
Dear Spartan families,
During these first three weeks of school, teachers have worked with their students to diligently cultivate habits of both the body and mind. Through consistent repetition, these habits have started to intertwine seamlessly during structured and unstructured times, promoting overall order on campus and enhancing their capacity to learn and thrive academically. I am so proud of our returning students who have been mentors to new classmates, and I am especially proud of our youngest Spartans.
With a long weekend approaching, this weekend marks our first R and R weekend of the school year! R and R weekends, or rest and relaxation weekends, are designated school-wide “no homework” weekends. Teachers will not assign homework over these weekends, and tests and quizzes will not be administered on the Mondays following. To read more about R and R weekends and other homework policies, please see page 38 of the Lower School Family Handbook.
On Thursday, September 14th, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., we will host parents on campus and in classrooms for curriculum night. Curriculum night is a parent-only event that is an opportunity for you to sit in your scholar’s seat and get a glimpse of their school day. If you have wanted to learn more about what your student spends time learning while at school, have questions about Spalding and Singapore, or just want to get to know your scholar’s teachers better, you will want to add curriculum night to your calendar.
I hope that everyone enjoys their weekend and the extra day off to be with friends and family!
Kyla Absher
Headmaster, Lower School
Great Hearts Western Hills
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Here’s why:
- Our campus funding is dependent on scholars attending school.
- Every day your scholar attends school, our campus receives over $50 in state funding. This is the source of most of our funding--and you can support it just by having your scholar in class and on time.
Our 23-24 Attendance Challenge will begin next week.
This includes the following:
- Any class that has perfect attendance for the day will receive a special golden sticker for their classroom to collect.
- For students in grades K-4, the grade with the highest attendance for the week will receive an extended recess time the following week and will get a point towards the yearly attendance tracker.
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For a student in 5th grade, the house with the highest attendance for the week will accumulate points, which will be added to their house at the end of the school year, and they will get to enjoy a sweet treat at recess.
At the end of the school year, the grade that maintains the highest attendance for the school year, will receive a surprise celebration that is organized and put on by the leadership team and PSO.
How you can help us:
If your scholar is out sick, please send an email or doctor's note to our attendance mailbox at ghwhattendance@greatheartstxschools.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 9:30 AM.
Doctor appointments made after this time are ideal.
- 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 9:30 AM.
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Lower School Curriculum Night | Thursday, September 14th from 6-8 PM | |
Lower School Curriculum night is on Thursday, September 14th, from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
When you attend curriculum night, you will hear from campus administrators, our parent service organization, receive important information from our director of community engagement, and get to know your scholars’ Specials teacher better in a general assembly in the gym. Parents will then be dismissed to their lower school classrooms where they will sit in their scholar’s seat, participate in a Spalding and math mini-lesson, and learn more about the books their child will read this year and the rest of the curriculum they will move through.
When you arrive, please report directly to the gym through the gym entrance next to the lower school parking lot. Gym doors will open at 5:45 for parents. Overflow parking will be in the Petco parking lot located next to the Lower School. This is a parent-only event so please arrange for childcare for school-aged children. Infants that are reliant on parents will be allowed, never too early to learn those phonograms.
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Parent Pick-Up Basketball | Wednesday, September 6th at the GHWH Gym | |
Parent Pick-Up Basketball runs again this Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Western Hills Gym. Arrive early if you'd like to warm up!
All faculty and adult family members of scholars are invited to velcro up their ankle braces for a friendly pick-up game (or three) of basketball with Spartans new and returning.
Please bring your "A-Game" but not your scholars.
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We are so excited to announce that on Wednesday, September 20th, our campus will kick off the start of the Big Give with a Tailgate at the entrance gate of the Middle School and JV Football home games! Come for free food, activities, football, and to "get your Give face on" while donating to our campus.
But what is the Big Give?
The Big Give is a 24-hour day of giving that will take place from 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 9/20, to 6 p.m. on Thursday, 9/21. These donations, made through the Big Give's website, benefit our Community Investment campaign and will enable us to secure facility updates such as a new shade structure near the gym, increase security on campus, purchase athletic equipment, and so much more.
No gift is too big or too small! Last year, our goal was $40k, and over 250 Spartan families rallied to raise over $40k by the night's end. This year, we are aiming for 100% participation. So, all families who donate will receive a thank you decal and be entered into drawings for NEW Spartan Swag!
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Dismissal Reminder & Update | Lower School Sibling Backpack Tags | Faculty will be placing a yellow zip tie on the handles of student back packs that normally go to the upper school for dismissal. We are doing this so that faculty can have a visual when students are being dismissed to ensure that students are making it to where they need to be. | Late Pick Up Charges Begin | |
Charges for late pickup began Monday, August 28th. Carline officially closes at 4:10 PM each afternoon on full days and 2:10 PM on early-release Fridays.
All students MUST be picked up by 4:10 p.m. (2:10 p.m. on early release days) unless they are enrolled in an after-school activity. After 4:10 pm (2:10 pm on early release days), parents must park, enter the main entrance, and sign out their student(s).
Late fees will apply at a rate of $1/minute. All students should be picked up within 10 minutes of the scheduled end time for clubs, tutoring, or sports. Any student not picked up by this time will fall into the above policy. Siblings of students in clubs, tutoring, or sports may not “hang out” on campus until their sibling’s extracurricular activity is over. No student may be unsupervised on campus after school. Any student unattended will be checked into Athenaeum/HW Club. See page 68 in the family handbook.
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Below are your grade level blogs. Follow along to learn about the projects events and everyday magic inside your scholar's classrooms. |
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Apply for Free & Reduced Lunch! | |
Great Hearts participates in the Free & Reduced Lunch (FRL) Program. Your family may qualify for breakfast and lunch meals at a minimal or no cost. You can submit an application at https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new?lang=English
This state application is still required even if you applied and qualified for preliminary assistance with the campus over the summer.
If you have any questions, please email Meals@GreatHeartsTXSchools.org
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We have completed our first week of intramural practices! I just want to thank everyone for a great first week and to picking up your scholars in a timely manner!
Here is the updated and FINAL practice schedule for both sports.
Flag Football:
Monday and Wednesday from 4:15-5:15
Volleyball:
Pevensies and Reepicheep will practice on Monday from 4:15-5:15 and Wednesday from 5:15-6:15
Baggins and Oakenshield will practice on Tuesday from 4:15-5:15 and Thursday from 5:15-6:15
Intramural Volleyball families, just a reminder for the practices that are held from 5:15-6:15, you will need to pick up your scholars in carline and then drop them off in front of the gym before practice starts. If your child is already signed up for Athenaeum or Homework Club, they may stay in there until practice starts. Just please let me know that your scholar is doing that so I can inform who is in charge.
Also, please make sure your scholar brings a water bottle to practice.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Boring. hannah.boring@greatheartstxschools.org
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Parent Service Organization | |
The transformative education offered at Great Hearts Western Hills will only be possible through the generous and passionate commitment of a Parent Service Organization (PSO).
Upcoming Events
September 12th - Spirit Night - Raising Canes, 8915 Potranco Rd, from 12 pm - 8 pm
September 21st - PSO General Meeting for Upper and Lower School Families, Lower School MPR at 6 pm
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Our Lower School Library is up and running! Sign up below to help scholars with book check out and restocking of shelves! More slots will become available when additional classrooms sign up.
Please note a cleared background check is required to volunteer.
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Lower School Lunch Volunteers | |
We are needing a few parents to come in and help during our scholars lunch hour. Please sign up below to help open packages, usher scholars through lunch line and clean up.
Please note a cleared background check is required to volunteer.
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Texas Education and Legislative Updates:
The Virtue of Citizenship: Learn how to advocate for our classical public charter schools through the Parent Advocacy Leadership sponsored by the Texas Public Charter School Association. You will learn how to do advocacy actions like this video created by a GH Arlington PAL alum. Apply now between September 11 – 22 to join the next cohort of charter parent advocacy champions! The fall cohort will meet virtually on the second Wednesday of each month between October and December.
Lawmakers convened the 88th Texas Legislature in May without passing a school finance package. It is expected that a special legislative session will be called – likely in October – to tackle increases to the state’s rate of per-pupil funding, teacher pay, and more. In the spring, the Texas House’s omnibus school finance bill would have decreased per pupil for charter schools. TPCSA is working hard behind the scenes, garnering support for increases in state funding for charters, in particular to address their inequitable facilities funding.
Stay up to date on critical charter school bills 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.
To learn more about charter advocacy, contact GH’s Family Advocacy Manager Bridie Chaudoir at bridie.chaudoir@greatheartstxschools.org
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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. | | | | | |
