Upcoming Dates

Oct 30th PSO Spirit Night at Willie's

Nov 3rd Coffee with the Headmaster 7th & 8th Grade

Nov 4th Used Uniform Sale

Nov 10th Veterans Day Lunch

Nov 11th 8th Grade Beowulfathon

Nov 14-16th 9th Grade Outdoor Camp

Nov 20-25th Holiday Break (No School)

23-24 Calendars Available! Click the links below to add our campus event calendar to your personal calendars:

Click to Subscribe (Or Paste this URL to Subscribe)

Quick Links

Events at a Glance Print-Out

Upper School Family Handbook

Uniform Guideline, 6-10th

Academic Calendar 2023-24

School Supply Information

Classics to Keep K-10th

Athletics Website

Community Investment Info

Volunteer Interest Form

Bonus: Click here to join the GHWH PSO Facebook Group

Covered in this Newsletter

New Guilds!
Coffee with the Headmaster
Attendance
Tissue Boxes Needed
Used Unifrom Sale
Open Lunches
Veterans Day Lunch
Beowulfathon
9th Grade Outdoor School
Dean's Corner
The Music Nook
Intramurals
Athletics
Volunteer Opportunities
Advocacy Corner
SmugMug

Please remember to scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to see all of this week's content.

New Guilds Available!

Join by Nov 5th

Two exciting new guilds will be opening up soon! Links will be emailed tomorrow at 5pm.

Spelling Bee Guild:

This year, instead of the Scripps Spelling Bee, Great Hearts Western Hills will compete in the TCSAAL Spelling Bee Competition! All 6th through 8th graders are eligible to compete in the regional spelling bee on December 4th. Participants will meet as a guild on Wednesdays during the morning break with Mrs. Dionne and Ms. Storey. Participation in this guild is free and all participants will attend the December 4th Bee. Students interested should attend the first meeting on Wednesday 1st in Ms. Dionne's classroom (216).

Publication Guild:

Calling all 8th through 10th graders interested in publication, photography, art and design, collaboration, and journalism!!! On November 8th, the Publication Guild will start up. The Publication Guild collaborates on the Spartan Scroll, a student newspaper that flies off the shelf at publication, and the yearbook, a year-long project to commemorate all the wonderful things happening at GHWH over the course of the year. This guild will meet on Thursdays during the morning break and will be led by Mrs. Glowe.

*The last day to register for these guilds is November 5th.

Coffee with the Headmaster 7th & 8th Grades

Friday, November 3rd, 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM

Coffee with the Headmaster hosted by

Ms. Keffer

Friday, November 3rd

8:00 AM to 9:15 AM

Parents and guardians of 7th and 8th Grade scholars are invited to gather in the Upper school Library for refreshments, discussion, and fellowship with our Headmaster of Upper School and her leadership team.

Please click the button below for more details and to RSVP:

RSVP Here!

Morning Drop-Off Reminder

Upper School students should only be dropped off through the carline at either Upper School Or Lower School.

Please do not drop off students at the round-a-bout that is located in front of the Lower School.

Thank you!

Tissue Box Donations Welcome

While we're all about nurturing brilliant minds, we also nurture many runny noses, sneezes, and sniffles on campus. That's where you come in!

We kindly request Kleenex box donations to help us tackle those inevitable classroom sniffles and sneezes. Your generous contribution will keep our students' spirits high and help us maintain a happy, healthy learning environment.

📦 Simply drop off a box (or two, or three!) of your favorite tissue brand at the school's front office.

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9th Grade Outdoor School

November 14-16th

Parents and students of the 9th Grade are invited to a meeting following the College Counselor info night on our upcoming 9th Grade trip to the HEB Foundation Outdoor School hosted at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, October 17^th, in the US Library.

Who: 9th Grade Students and

When: Tuesday, November 14th - Thursday, November 16th

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 9th-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.

Nicole Glowe

Upper School Assistant Headmaster

Veterans Day Lunch

Dear Spartan Veterans and Active Duty Military,

On Friday, November 10th. Spartan Parents/Guardians who are Veterans or Active Duty Military Personnel are invited to have lunch with their scholars on campus to celebrate Veteran's Day. See the lunch schedule and RSVP using the button below.

We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP Here!

Open Lunches at Upper School

Tuesdays & Thursdays

Parents/guardians of scholars in grades 6th through 10th can accompany their scholar during their lunch period on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Parent/guardian must sign up for a slot prior to visiting for lunch. This will ensure that there is enough seating available for scholars and their guests on that day.

*Please read the Lunch Guidelines before RSVPing

Click Here to RSVP

Cell Phone Locker Reminder

Students are required to drop their phones off in their assigned cell phone lockers first thing upon arriving at the campus in the morning and pick them up upon being dismissed to Carline. The only places a student may store their phone is in their cell phone locker or, in certain circumstances, the W. If a student fails to have their cell phone properly stored in their cell phone locker, they will receive an In-School-Suspension (ISS).

If your student does not have a cell phone locker and intends to bring a cell phone at any time to campus, they should swing by the Swag Shop before the start of the first period or during morning break to get one assigned to them.

If your student loses their cell phone locker key, they should come by the W immediately for assistance on how to proceed.

We are so happy to give the students this opportunity to focus on their classwork and enjoy the company of their friends!

John Womack

Dean of Students, Upper School

The Music Nook

Please Note: 9th-grade students who are taking music first semester will need a 1” black 3-ring binder.

Welcome! This list of SA Music Performances is just a snapshot of the opportunities for live music in SA. I am hoping it will encourage families to attend performances and experience the beauty of live music! If you are interested in a different genre of music performance, please reach out to me so I can share those opportunities.

Mrs. Lewis, kathryn.lewis@greatheartstxschools.org

Music Instructor, Upper School

Click here to View SA Music Performances!

Intramurals

This is the first week of Co-Ed Soccer! Families that are signed up, should have received an email from Ms. Boring welcoming your scholar to their team. If you did not receive that email, please email Ms. Boring at hannah.boring@greatheartstxschools.org

5^th and 6^th grade! It is not too late to sign-up! If you are interested even a little bit, we would love to have you out there! We especially need more Reepicheep's and Pevensie's to sign up! Sign-up here: www.registermyathlete.org

Here is the link to make the payment:

https://greatheartswesternhills.configio.com/pd/1106/23-24-lower-upper-school-intramural-soccer

Practice Schedule: 4:14-5:15

Coach Travis: Reepicheep - Monday & Wednesday

Coach Orozco: Pevensies - Tuesday & Thursday

Coach Pressley: Baggins - Monday & Wednesday

Coach Hernandez: Oakenshield - Tuesday & Thursday

Tentative Game Schedule

Game 1: Baggins vs. Oakenshield- 4:30 pm

Nov 16 Pevensies vs. Reepicheep-4:30pm

Game 2: Oakenshield vs.Reepicheep-4:30 pm

Dec 1st Baggins vs. Pevensies- 4:30 pm

Game 3: Oakenshield vs. Pevensies-4:30pm

Dec 8th Baggins vs. Reepicheep- 4:30 pm

Game 4: Seed 1 vs Seed 4- 4:30 pm

Seed 2 vs Seed 3- 4:30 pm

Dec 13th Wednesday

Game 5: Championship- 4:30 pm

Dec 14th

Athletics

Click Here to Access GHWH Athletics Site

As our campus as waited for delayed updates concerning playoff dates and times from TCSAAL, we have deeply appreciated our Athletic and Intramural families flexibility as we continue to pivot our previous facility scheduled. Spartan Strong!

Upcoming Athletic Schedule

Monday October 30th:

MS Boys FFB Championship Game – 5:00 @ GHFH

Tuesday October 31st:

MS Boys Basketball Tryouts – 5:30 - 6:30

Wednesday November 1st:

MS Girls Basketball Tryouts – 4:15 - 5:15

HS Boys FFB Area Semifinal Game – 5:00 @ GHWH

MS Girls Volleyball Area Quarterfinal Game – 6:00 @ Jubilee Highland Hills

Agoge Volleyball Semifinal Game – 6:00 @ IDEA Ewing Halsell

HS Girls Volleyball Championship Game – 6:00 @ GHWH

Thursday November 2nd:

MS Girls Basketball Tryouts – 3:00 - 4:15

Friday November 3rd:

MS Boys Basketball Tryouts – 2:00 - 3:30

Saturday November 4th:

TCSAAL State Cross Country Meet @ Webberville Park in Travis County

Pick-Up Carline Reminders for Tryouts

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

October:

30th - Willie's Grill & Icehouse Spirit Night at 8739 Hwy 151

November:

4th - Used Uniform Sale in the MPR

10th - Teacher Luncheon

11th - 8th Grade Beowolfathon

14-16th - 9th Grade Outdoor School

Teacher Luncheon - Thanksgiving Edition! (Nov 10th)

Teacher's Thanksgiving Luncheon is around the corner. Please show our teachers how appreciative we are of their hard work by providing side dishes, desserts, and drinks. PSO will be providing the main course. Thank you for your generosity.

Click Here to Volunteer

Beowulfathon (Nov 11th) - Supplies and Volunteers

If you can spare a little bit of your time to volunteer for Parent Teacher Conferences, please review sign up:

Click Here to Volunteer

9th Grade Outdoor School (Nov 14-16) - Supplies and Volunteers

9th Grade Outdoor School begins November 14-16th and we would like your support. The H.E.Butt Foundation has generously donated the Outdoor School venue, all we need to provide is food and helping hands. Take a look at our SignUp Genius and click on any item(s) you would be willing to donate, loan, or possibly volunteer your time.

Click Here to Volunteer

Car and Concern Committee

Spartan's unite! Let's come together by lending a helping hand to a few of our families who find themselves in a time of need. Please click the links below to see how you can help!

Upper School Library Volunteers Needed

The Upper School library is now open! The library hours are M-Th during morning break from 9:45am - 10:20am and Friday before school from 7:10am - 7:50am. If you'd like to join the amazing library team of volunteers please sign up below! Thank you!

Click Here to Volunteer

Daily School Lunch Volunteers

It takes many hands to make sure our students are fed quickly every day.

Click Here to Volunteer for Nov

Advocacy Corner

Texas Education and Legislative Updates:

• With an impasse on education savings accounts between the Texas House and Senate, it is anticipated the governor will call a fourth special session before the end of the year.

This stalemate comes as the House bill filed last week authorizes a small ESA package and billions of dollars in education funding. However, by including school finance, the House bill goes outside the bounds of the special session call and will die on a point of parliamentary procedure. The governor has said that school finance will not be added to a special session call until the House makes a good faith effort to create a more significant statewide ESA program.

• The Senate meanwhile has already passed two important bills this special session. The first would create a limited Education Savings Account for families to use up to $8,000 for private school tuition and other educational expenses. The second Senate bill allocates more than $5 billion in new public education spending, including a one-time teacher bonus and other changes to teacher pay. It also increases the per-pupil spending by $75 per student and increases school safety 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

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.

Visit our SmugMug