Dear Griffin Families,

As we head into the Thanksgiving Break, I wanted to share some of the things I have been grateful for over the last few weeks. 

I am grateful for the gift of each of our Northern Oaks students and teachers. To be a student at Northern Oaks is to take on a unique culture and study that strives above all toward excellence. Our teachers are working every day on lesson plans and activities that give our students the opportunity to become intellectually alive, and morally grounded, and to appreciate the beauty of the world and mankind. The teachers set a high bar not only in expectation but in the example. What the students see is just the tip of the iceberg of the preparation and study that the teachers put into their work to give the absolute best opportunity for our students to learn.

The lower school students have enthusiastically risen to the challenge of looking for 1,000 ordinary, everyday gifts to be grateful for and have been writing them in their little spiral journals and adding them to our gratitude tree here at school. We are so proud of the growth and friendships that we have seen develop during the first stretch of the school year. As I participate in the challenge of the Season of 1000 Gifts along with them, I find myself overwhelmed by the many gifts that we have received in the last few weeks.

Over the last three weeks, we have had a multitude of cultural events that have brought us closer together as a community while at the same time have had to overcome unprecedented absences due to illness and major changes to our daily routine. We have been able to celebrate Athletic Field Day, The Season of 1000 Gift Assemblies, have honored Veteran’s Day with the Wall of Honor, and most recently welcomed our loved ones in for Grandparents Day. In the same amount of time, we saw students begin to enjoy field trips with first grade visiting the Zoo, and third grade being able to visit the Witte Museum. Our kinder students celebrate their Native American unit and the 6^th Grade enjoyed their Hobbit celebration. A small group of teachers and I hosted an Info Night for new and prospective families to learn more about our classical education and our community, as we opened enrollment for next year’s lottery.

Mr. Funes and I hosted an AAC Meeting with the teachers and parent representatives of this year's AAC in hopes to find ways to communicate needs and to self-reflect on ways that we have been serving the community well and where we can do better. As a faculty, we celebrated our annual Chili Cook-Off as we shared a meal together before departing for Thanksgiving Break on Friday. We enjoyed the taste of 12 separate entries this year, but ultimately Susan McConnell, from the Special Education team, took home the prize for best Chili, with Ms. Hess of first grade and Ms. Hill of third grade taking the runner-up positions.

Welcoming the grandparents to campus this past week allowed us to participate in one of our favorite school traditions. This is a time in which our students have an experience in which their trust in our community takes root. When they see their grandparent’s pride and excitement about their education something changes. Having you, our student’s parents, choose our school and community out of all the other options is a planting of the seed, but then having grandparents come to see and appreciate the hard work and classical tradition we are imparting to their grandchildren, the roots of belonging deepen. Being present for the experience, one can feel that this place is true and good, and that is a very beautiful thing to experience. It is a deep and wholesome experience for all involved and we absolutely love to see the smiles, hugs, and participation. We welcomed more grandparents this year than we have ever seen, with between 200-250 grandparents visiting each day. A wholehearted thank you to DeAnna Macias, our Director of Community Engagement and Academy Giving, and the legion of parent volunteers that supported this event and the many events that we have held this November.

I am grateful that our students and teachers get a well-deserved break and uninterrupted time to share with their loved ones. My hope is that this break is full of joy, good rest and healing, and meaningful time together with loved ones. I for one am very thankful for some time with my wife and daughters. We have plans to appreciate multiple Texas State Parks in the coming week and hope to see many friends as we enjoy day trips in and out of town. 

We look forward to returning to school on November 28^th. Please remember that the Independent Study Projects will be distributed on November 30^th and will be due on January 9^th. All lower school students are expected at the 8^th Annual Winter Choir Concert on the evening of December 2^nd, in which they will be able to demonstrate the skills and songs they have been learning during their first semester in Music. We look forward to see you there.

Sincerely,

Charles Brogan-Headmaster Lower School

5th & 6th Grade 3rd Annual Great Griffin Scavenger Hunt to read about it click here. To access the pdf with instructions click here.

Singapore Night December 6 to find the info about it click here.

Winter Concert Friday, December 2

for additional information including the dress code, please read this email.

Independent Study Week is January 3-6, 2023

Project instructions will be sent home with K-6 students Nov. 30.

Our teachers are working hard in the classrooms to prepare the students to complete these projects as independently as possible.

The GHNO Academy Advisory Council (AAC) met on Friday, November 11th for the second time for the 2022-2023 school year. In this meeting, the AAC received updates on action items from the prior meeting which included decisive and critically analyzed decisions on issues and proposals discussed at the prior meeting. The committee's discussion focused on projects and initiatives that will positively impact our school community, including parking, facilities, and security. Our amazing school community was a topic that generated productive discussion as parents, teachers, and administrators reviewed how together, we can protect the community we have and enhance it in line with our vision and mission. Primary discussion on protecting and enhancing the community of GHNO focused on identifying and communicating the needs of the school and how families can engage to meet those needs.

The AAC was excited to review new topics raised by the parents of GHNO and form action plans in addressing them in a timely and productive manner. The next AAC meeting is scheduled for February 10th and, as always, the AAC desires to continue to hear from our community of families with topics for the committee to address.

Special GHTX Board of Directors Meeting November 21

There will be a special meeting of the Great Hearts Texas Board of Directors this coming Monday, November 21^st from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm CT in San Antonio at the office of Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein (845 Proton Rd. // San Antonio, TX 78258). Zoom access will be provided on the GHTX Board Meetings Page ahead of the meeting.

Birthday Books!

Thank you to all the students who donated a book to their classroom libraries in honor of their August, September, and October birthdays! We are so excited to start this new tradition to celebrate our students and expand our classroom libraries at GHNO! If you’d like to donate a book for your child’s birthday, click here for more info.

Snowflake Fund is back!

Want to get your teachers checked off your holiday shopping list? Click here to find out more about the parent-led campaign that gives cash in lieu of year-end gifts! You can also click the graphic above to go directly to the site.

Decorate & fill out a snowflake and tell your teachers how much you appreciate them!

We are quickly approaching the 5 Days of Giving! December 12th-16th



This campaign directly funds our Community Investment Campaign. It is done the last week of school before the winter break and includes spirit days, prizes, matches, and other fun activities! Stay tuned!

Looking to make an impact by offering a match that motivates families to give? reach out to DeAnna Macias, the Director of Community Engagement and Academy Giving.

If would you like to make a gift to GHNO or set up a recurring gift, click here! 

Any questions about academy giving, email DeAnna Macias!

Enrollment has begun and will run through December 9.

Do you have friends or family members who are interested in attending a Great Hearts Academy? or have a sibling who will attend GHNO in the fall of 2023? Now is the time to apply.

Whether it’s kindergarten or any other grade level, new student applications submitted during open enrollment have the best chance of receiving an enrollment offer. Apply before Dec. 9, 2022. 

Current Families: do not enroll at this time, we will have re-enrollment in March 2023. You would only apply for any sibling who is currently not a student.

Absences

A friendly reminder to let your registrar know about all student absences. The school receives state funding for all students who are in their classes at 10:30 a.m. each day. If a scholar will be out for a doctor's appointment during attendance time, please be sure to submit a doctor's note upon return so we may count him or her present for the day.

For full-day absences, please notify the Lower School registrar, Mrs. Clark, via email.

Please remember to provide daily absence notices if your student will not be at school for the day.

Extended absences during the academic year are highly discouraged and do affect student success. Excessive unexcused absences may result in loss of credit or enrollment.

Morning Tardies

As a campus, we are working to build the good habit of promptness in our students. Students may not sign themselves into school. If students are dropped off later than 7:50 a.m., parents must park and sign them in.

Lunch Accounts 

Lunch accounts may be paid online through www.mymealtime.com or by sending cash or check to the front desk, please note the student's name.

Please apply for Free or Reduced meals at the mealtime website if you feel your family may qualify. This is a service available to all who need it.

Winter Music Concert: December 2^nd

Independent Study Week: January 2^nd – 6^th