Parent Teacher Conference

October 9th and 10th

Parent Teacher Conference Sign-Ups coming next week!

Parent-teacher conferences will be held on Monday, October 9^th, and Tuesday, October 10^th. Sign-ups for conferences will be sent out next week on Wednesday. Conferences are designed to give you a personal and intimate look into the life and health of your students here at school. Your student's homeroom teachers will conduct the meeting in person or via Zoom based on your choice, where they will share work examples, test scores, and anecdotes to give a well-rounded picture of your scholar.

These conferences are for parents ONLY, so please find a quiet space out of earshot of your student when you join the Zoom conference or make other arrangements for your children, as there will not be any supervision for them as you are attending the in-person meeting. The teacher must speak candidly with you, knowing that you will choose how to share the information you gather with your scholar as you feel necessary.

Your Attendance Counts

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 began last 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.

• For a student in 5^th 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.

• For scholars who have perfect attendance within a quarter will have an opportunity to have lunch with the lower school leadership team and will receive a certificate of recognition.

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.

Academy Advisory Committee

Who, What, & Why?

The Academy Advisory Committee, or AAC, is composed of parents who nominated themselves for appointment, our two Headmasters, the Director of Community Engagement, and two additional faculty. The committee uses their semesterly meetings as opportunities for the school leadership and parent stakeholders to exchange valuable insight and discuss goals concerning campus safety, facility improvement, culture, and communication. This is a vital way our school leadership is able to share and hear our community's voices in these areas.

To that end, AAC meetings are open to the public. Though non-AAC attendees may not contribute during the meeting discussion, any family with relevant concerns, ideas, encouragements, or valuable insight can contact the AAC members listed on our website and request that they bring them to the committee's attention. The next AAC meeting is September 18th at 4:30 PM in the Upper School Library.

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 28^th. Carline officially closes at 4:05 PM each afternoon on full days and 2:05 PM on early-release Fridays.

All students MUST be picked up by 4:05 p.m. (2:05 p.m. on early release days) unless they are enrolled in an after-school activity. After 4:05 pm (2:05 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.

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



Lunch in Classrooms

MPR AC is Currently Out:

A replacement part has been ordered, but unfortunately, we do not have an estimated time of arrival for the part. We understand that a comfortable environment is crucial, especially during the warmer months, and we appreciate your patience as we work diligently to restore the AC in the MPR as soon as possible.

Lunch Arrangements:

While the MPR's air conditioning is being addressed, we want to ensure that lunchtime remains a comfortable and enjoyable experience for our students. Therefore, students will continue to eat lunch in their classrooms until the AC is fully functional in the MPR. We have taken measures to create a pleasant dining atmosphere in the classrooms to make this transition as smooth as possible for your child.

Advocacy Corner

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