Upcoming Dates

Nov 8th - K and 5th Grade Athletic Field Day

Nov 9th - 1-4th Grade Field Day

Nov 10th - Coffee with the Headmaster 2nd & 3rd Grade

Nov 10th - Veterans Day Lunch

Nov 13th - 1,000 Gifts Assemblies & Giving Tuesday

Nov 15 & 16th - Grandparents Days

Nov 17th - Literary Character Day for Kinder through 5^thor Student Spirit Day

Nov 20-24th - Holiday Break (No School)

Nov 28th - Giving Tuesday

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

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Covered in this Newsletter

This Week's Proud Spartan Sponsor
Cold Weather Guidelines
Coffee with the Headmaster
Grandparents Days
Literary Character Day
Dean's Corner
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.

Quick Links

Events at a Glance Print-Out

Lower School Family Handbook

Uniform Guideline, K-5th

Academic Calendar 2023-24

School Supply Information

Classics to Keep K-10th

Athletics Website

Community Investment Info

Parent Volunteer Interest Form

Bonus: Click here to join the GHWH PSO Facebook Group

Cold Weather Outerwear Guidelines

Outerwear: Jackets and sweatshirts may be worn to school for warmth but must be free of logos and messages, with the following exceptions: small sports team logos (e.g., Griffins, Diamondbacks) and small brand name logos (e.g. the Ralph Lauren “polo”) are acceptable, provided they are tasteful and do not make inappropriate allusions. All jackets and sweatshirts must be solid colored and may have no patterns or distracting/oversized logos of any kind. Jackets and sweatshirts must remain in the lockers, cubbies, or desks for the remainder of the school day.
Great Hearts uniform sweaters (from Dennis Uniforms/Flynn O’Hara) may be worn throughout the school day all year long. The only outerwear allowable to be worn in the school building are the official school sweater or pullover with the Great Hearts logo.
Long sleeved undershirts may not be worn underneath short sleeved shirts.
If you send your student to school with beanies, gloves or scarves please ensure they are clearly labeled with their name and class section.

Coffee with the Headmaster 4th & 5th Grades

December 10th, 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM

Parents and guardians of 4th and 5th Grade scholars are invited to gather in the Lower School for refreshments, discussion, and fellowship with our Headmaster of Lower School and her leadership team.

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

RSVP Here!

Grandparents Days 2023

November 15th & 16th (Final Day to RSVP)

Spartan Grandparents, join us to connect with your grand-scholars and explore our unique educational environment.

Date and Time: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM at the GHWH Gym Entrance

Nov 15: Grades 3, 4, and 5 Grandparents
Nov 16: Grades Kinder, 1, and 2 Grandparents

To RSVP:

Must RSVP by Nov 12th.
Please make individual RSVPs for each individual grandparent, even if sharing a household. It is very important that you RSVP separately for each grandparent. (EXAMPLE: If one scholar is accompanied by three grandparents, each attendee should RSVP individually using separate names, emails, and addresses, even if they reside in the same household.)

Literary & Historical Character Dress Up Day

Friday, November 17th

Guidelines for Literary Character Day Dress Up Day:

Students may dress up as any character from any book on the K-8 Classics to Keep List, a grade-level read-aloud book, Greek or Roman Mythology or a historical character from our curriculum at Western Hills and come to school primed for a joyful day filled with reading.

Students who do not wish to wear a costume should come to school in his or her regular uniform or wear a school spirit shirt with uniform bottoms.
Parents MUST fill out and turn in a Costume Proposal Slip to their teacher on or before Wednesday, November 15th in order for your student to participate in Character Dress up Day. The costume MUST be approved by the teacher. Forms will be sent home with students in October for you to complete and return.
No masks or all-over face paint (freckles, mustaches, etc. are okay).
Hats, gloves, ears, etc., are acceptable as long as they stay on and are not a distraction (the teacher will confiscate them if that happens).
If the costume calls for props, please choose carefully. Props that are dangerous or that can harm someone will be confiscated.
If the costume is such that it needs clothes underneath, it should be their uniform.
Please keep in mind that students will be going to recess in their costumes, so one that allows free movement is encouraged.

Dean's Corner

Hello Spartan Family!

The virtue of the month is integrity. We are individuals of strong ethical values, who make consistently good choices in keeping our knowledge of right and wrong. We seek wisdom of others in cases of moral uncertainty. We walk tall in truth. We want to teach our scholars to do the right thing even when no one is looking. Having integrity is a great foundation in friendship and in life.

Please see a few crucial areas where we ask for your continued partnership as a Western Hills family:

Dress Code: Please make sure that students abide by the dress code. Parents can reference the guidelines in the GHWH Family Handbook.

As we enter into fall and temperatures drop, please ensure that your student has a Great Hearts sweater to wear at school. Non-Great Hearts sweaters and thicker outer layers may only be worn during drop-off, dismissal, and recess.

Tardies: A meeting will be set if tardies become habitual.

Car Line:

The carline is closed at 7:48 each morning.
Pick-up ends at 4:05.
Parents must stay in their vehicles during the carline.
Parents are not allowed to be on their phones while in the carline, and vehicles must be placed in the park when the vehicle stops.
Parents must use the placard card given by the school.

Discipline – We will nourish the minds and hearts of scholars to do what is right, not for glory but for the sake of goodness. On the way to children understanding virtue, they will need to learn what goodness looks like by also recognizing the opposing forces of evil. If we are to cultivate these character traits in our scholars, it is helpful if our families partner with the faculty in modeling them. We challenge our parents and guardians to read great stories and poetry together--stories that illustrate right and wrong, good and evil.

Criselda Arredondo

Lower School Dean of Students

Safety Coordinator

Grade Level Blogs

Below are your grade level blogs. Follow along to learn about the projects events and everyday magic inside your scholar's classrooms.

Intramurals

This is the second week of Co-Ed Intramural 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

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).

Holiday Meals for Spartan Families

We are officially in the “Giving” season fellow Spartan Community and we can use your help in proving a holiday meal for a few of our Spartan families that find themselves in need this season. Please click the link below to see how you can help.

Click Here for Info

Copy Room Volunteer Needed

Still not sure about where to start volunteering? Well, the Copy Room is the right place to start especially if you can spare as little as thirty minutes a day starting at 8 a.m. Tasks can range anywhere from making copies to laminating. Sound like something you would be interested in? If you have a cleared background check please click the link below to get connected with Jenny, our Copy Room Committee Lead. Our teachers will love you!

Click Here to Join the GroupMe

Lower School Library Volunteers Needed

Sign up below to help the L.S. Library - assist scholars with checking in and checking out books and restocking the shelves.

Please note a clear background check is required to volunteer.

Click Here to Volunteer!

Advocacy Corner

Texas Education and Legislative Updates:

As soon as the Legislature gaveled out Tuesday for its third special session, the governor called a fourth special session that commenced immediately for another 30 days.

On the agenda are the topics of border security and education. The education-specific topics include legislation relating to the public school finance system; special education in public schools; the certification and compensation of public school employees; the establishment of an education savings account program; and funding for school safety measures. The House immediately filed House Bill 1 – a negotiated bill between the House and Gov. Abbott, which the House Select Committee began hearing testimony in a public hearing on Thursday.

It is expected that the Texas Education Agency will appeal the injunction imposed by a Travis County judge barring the agency from issuing 2023 A-F accountability ratings. Unless the injunction is lifted by an appeals court, it will remain in place until the case goes to trial in February 2024.

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