Dear families,
I hope the academic year has started well for your family with Great Hearts Distance Learning and that your scholar is enjoying the return to school.
I write today to share our on-campus learning plans for those families that have selected as such for the first quarter. And, as you know, Great Hearts Distance learning will continue to be an option for families.
Great Hearts Texas had previously announced a return date of September 8 for all campuses and grade levels. After careful review, we have updated and revised this plan to ensure that our campuses are ready to receive students safely while also providing a strong learning environment. Our on-campus learning option will begin as follows:
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September 8: Lakeside (Tarrant Co) phases in students; all grades served by September 9.
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September 14: Forest Heights, Monte Vista, Northern Oaks, and Western Hills (Bexar Co) phase in students, all grades served by September 21.
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September 14: Live Oak (Bexar Co) phases in students, all grades served by September 25.
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September 21: Irving (Dallas Co) phases in students; all grades served by September 25.
A phase-in approach allows a campus to ramp-up the number of students served methodically while new procedures are adopted. Approaches may differ between campuses as leadership takes into account local factors such as scheduling, teacher assignments, internet bandwidth improvements, building capacity, family preference for in-building vs. at-home schooling, and the size of each student body. As a follow-up to this email, you will hear from your academy’s headmaster about your campus-specific opening details by the end of day Tuesday, September 1. Headmasters will also be sharing town hall details for next week.
As context, I should describe how our school leadership, faculty, and staff have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get ready to have students back. Campus teams miss the in-person relationships just as much as your students do. Here are a few examples of the work they and the administrative teams have engaged in to ensure a safe and ready start while implementing a classical, liberal arts education both on campus and online:
- Campus leadership teams are training all staff on in-building procedures and routines to ensure campuses are as safe as possible, including face coverings standards, classroom structuring and routines to support physical distancing as much as possible, handwashing procedures, and more;
- The operations team is implementing heightened cleaning procedures and improvements to air filtration.
- Campus teams and/or volunteers will install desk shields in K - 3 classrooms.
- The District Covid Response Team is training campus teams on protocols for if/when we encounter cases of Covid-19.
- Teachers are preparing to serve both distance learners and in-class learners with confidence and best practices.
- Great Hearts Texas is deploying a survey to families for their experiences with Great Hearts Distance Learning for continued improvement.
As we prepare for this next phase in the school year, we are especially grateful to our amazing faculty as they are balancing new ways of teaching alongside the new routines mentioned above. It has been an incredible lift, and I cannot overstate my gratitude to our faculty. Their great hearts are at the center of our ability to serve your student(s) during this unprecedented time.
Understanding you and your students’ experiences with GHDL is also important for us as we continue to improve this offering. There are many families who will continue on with GHDL as our school buildings open, and ensuring your students are learning and thriving is a priority. Please click here to take a few minutes and share your feedback.
Families, thank you again for your support and grace as we walk through this time together. We look forward to seeing many of our scholars on campus again soon.
In partnership,
