Lower School Newsletter | January 8. 2023

Upcoming Events

Jan 16th No School

Jan 19th Spelling Bee

Feb 9th Class Photos

Feb 13-16th Parent Open House

Feb 20th No School

Click the links below to add the campus event calendar to your personal calendars:

Quick Links

Bonus: Click here to join the GHWH PSO Facebook Group

Covered in this Newsletter

Headmaster Letter
Operational Updates
Hiring Substitutes
PSO Corner
Grade Level Blogs
Intramurals
Advocacy Corner
SmugMug

*DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE NEWSLETTER TO VIEW ALL THIS WEEK'S CONTENT!

Headmaster Letter

Dear Spartan families,

Happy New Year! As we head back to campus next week here are some tips to ensure your student has a smooth transition back to school.

Help them get back onto their regular bedtime schedule
Clean out lunchboxes and backpacks
Listen to your student as they practice their project presentations
Ensure all water bottles, sweaters and jackets are labeled
Have your student explain and teach you their critical classroom routines and procedures to help them prepare themselves for a strong semester 2 start
Talk with your student and help them set either an academic or behavioral goal for the second semester

Mrs. Absher

Headmaster Lower School

Operational Updates

Carline Placard

When picking up scholars from school, please be prepared to display the school issued placard to the carline team. Anyone picking up a student MUST use the orange car placard given by the school. If you do not have your car placard, you will be redirected to go to the lobby to show your i.d. to be verified, then you will be able to pick up your scholar. If you are in need of a new placard or need additional copies, please email info@greatheartswesternhills.org and a new one will be sent home with your scholar.

Dismissal Reminder

Afternoon carline is closed at 4:20, if you arrive to campus to pick up your scholar(s) after 4:20 you will be charged $1 per minute that you are late. Carline cones go up at 4:18pm to close the carline entry for safety.

Attendance

Attendance matters! Here’s why:

Our campus funding is dependent on scholars attending school. This is the number one way WH receives funding from the state.
The amount we receive from the state is based on our average daily attendance. Every day your scholar attends school our campus receives over $45 in state funding.

How you can help us:

If your scholar is out sick, please send an email or doctor's note to our attendance mailbox at attendance@greatheartswesternhills.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 9:50 AM.

Click here for more info on becoming a Spartan Business Partner!

PSO Corner

Lunchroom Volunteers Opportunities are back!

Lunchroom Volunteer Opportunities are back! If you are interested and have completed the volunteer background and training (in-person and online) please review and sign up!! We look forward to seeing you!

Click here to Volunteer at Lunch

Grade Level Blogs

Intramural Update

Introducing our new Intramural Athletic Director: Ms. Boring!

Ms. Boring is in her 2^nd year at Great Hearts and teaches math to 6^th & 7^th graders. She is a graduate of UTSA where she played collegiate softball all four years. She looks forward to growing intramurals and bringing fun, competitive house spirit to each sport.

Intramural Soccer

Intramural Soccer registration is officially closed.

Co-Ed Soccer Schedule:

We’ve extended our season!

The practice schedule over Christmas Break will be the following:

Narnia: Jan 10^th, Jan 12^th : 4:30 – 5:30 pm

Middle Earth: Jan 9^th: 4:30 – 5:30

Upcoming Game Schedule:

Narnia vs . IDEA Mays: Jan 14^th @ 10 am

Middle Earth vs. IDEA Mays: Jan 11^th @ 4:30 pm

Basketball season is right around the corner!

Registration for 5^th & 6^th grade basketball will be happening in January. More information will be sent out when students return to school regarding when registration will occur, practice and game schedules.

Advocacy Corner

Thank you, Great Hearts parents, for you for signing up for Capitol Connections Week and sharing your story with Texas lawmakers. So far, Great Hearts parents are in the top bracket for parent participation out of all charter schools across the state!

Take a moment to share the experience of virtually meeting your lawmaker by emailing Family Advocacy Manager Bridie Chaudoir. She would like to highlight some of our parents’ experiences in future newsletters.

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.

Click here to view photos

Great Hearts Western Hills | Website