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Weekly Newsletter
September 8, 2023
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Lower School news and updates |
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It's Coming Soon! Save the Date for THE BIG GIVE! | | | |
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It's time to show San Antonio where the GREATEST and BIGGEST hearts reside. Last time we checked, we found them right here at Forest Heights! Starting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 20 and ending at 6 p.m. on Sept. 21, Great Hearts Forest Heights will participate in Big Give San Antonio!
Whether you are familiar with Big Give or this is the first time you have heard about it, this event opens an unparalleled gateway to raise unrestricted funds for our school. Last fall, our families and staff came together to topple their Big Give fundraising goals. Their generosity and commitment launched our campus forward for the school year, paving the way to provide the resources necessary to make the magic of a Great Hearts education a reality for your Falcon for 2022-2023.
Since 2014, Big Give has helped organizations connect with more than 283,000 individual donors and collectively raise in excess of $40 million to support the critical services they provide. This year, it celebrates its 10-year anniversary of inspiring generosity for San Antonio nonprofits.
To spark excitement, Big Give has organized opportunities to earn extra dollars through our campus giving:
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Ten Match Minutes will occur during the 24-hour period of Big Give. Each Match Minute opens the chance to double your gifts, allowing your generosity to extend farther. A schedule of Match Minutes will be shared later.
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As an additional bonus this year, Big Give is offering bonus funds through an incentive called Pepper's Prize Payout. As an organization, Great Hearts qualifies for the Extra-Large Budget Category. The agencies with the most money raised in this category through online donations made by individual donors between 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 13 and 6 p.m. on Sept. 21 can win extra prize money. The 1st place winner will receive $2,500. By working together as an organization across our San Antonio campuses, we can bring more funds into our campus.
On top of these opportunities, corporate matching gifts will also count during Big Give. To make sure your matching gift is included in our schoolwide goal, notify Holly Weese with details immediately when you set up your gift during the Big Give timeframe.
As another exciting facet of Big Give for our campus, our faculty and staff will be stepping up again to raise funds through their own fundraising goal. Get ready for some competition! In lockstep with you, they blew out their goal last year.
While considering how you can get involved, please talk to your friends, loved ones, and contacts. Spread the word about the Great Hearts mission of education for EVERY child in our tuition-free, preparatory style, classical, liberal arts tradition. Each dollar raised for Forest Heights will benefit our scholars while setting an incredible example to them of how great hearts working together can produce the greatest results.
If have questions about Big Give, how our annual Community Investment campaign supports our teachers and academy, or if you are curious about corporate matching opportunities, reach out to Holly Weese, Director of Community Engagement and Academy Giving.
NOTE: The Forest Heights Big Give website will open for donations on Sept. 13.
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Grade-Level Headmaster Coffees | | | |
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Now that we have had some time to settle into the school year, Headmaster Borushko would like to spend some time with as many of you as possible. Parents of currently enrolled scholars are invited by grade level to join Headmaster Borushko for a coffee chat. You can learn more about what your scholar is learning in class and what you can do to support learning at home. We will also have a short school tour, including a sneak peek of classrooms for the grade. This session is for parents only. Please make other arrangements for siblings or younger children.
Please pay attention to dates specific to your scholar's grade, and mark your calendar. A special invitation with a Signup Genius link will be emailed directly to you. Space is limited, so please be sure to sign up.
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Schedule
Kindergarten - Sept. 13 from 8:15-9:15 a.m. or 10-11 a.m.
1st Grade - Sept. 27 from 8:15-9:15 a.m.
2nd Grade - Oct. 4 from 8:15-9:15 a.m.
3rd Grade - Oct. 18 from 8:15-9:15 a.m.
4th and 5th Grades - Oct. 25 from 8:15-9:15 a.m.
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Tee Up With Us on Oct. 21 | | | |
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Behind the scenes, we are building more and more GREAT-ness into our Falcon Family Topgolf Tournament! While creating experiences for our family community to come together is priority number one, a little friendly competition is also on our minds.
We are excited to include a hole-in-one bay, alongside other exciting competitions within the tournament. As we move toward Oct. 21, we will alert you to new developments.
Tournament Competitions
Top Team
Top Male Contender
Top Female Contender
Hole-in-One Bay with a chance to win $10,000!
Be sure to hold 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on your calendar to join us. Three hours of game play, food, and non-alcoholic beverages will be included in ticket pricing. Parents, kids, teachers, and staff can all tee up together to see whose golf skills are up to par.
Remember that you can play individually, build a team, or even sponsor tickets or bays for teachers and staff. A link to purchase tickets is coming soon.
Pricing
Individual tickets - $100 each
Buy a bay - $500 for six players
We are continuing to gather donations for items that can be used for prizes, raffles, or a Silent Auction. For more information, reach out to Holly Weese, Director of Community Engagement and Academy Giving. All proceeds from this event will go to Community Investment to benefit your Great Hearts Forest Heights scholar.
Also, we want to say a special "thank you" to our sponsors who have already partnered with us to make this event happen!
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Silent Auction and Prizes
We are compiling an incredible lineup for prizes and a Silent Auction. Stay on the alert for additions as we draw closer to the tournament. More items will be coming!
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Texas Education Code section 25.092 requires that a student in kindergarten through 12th grades be in attendance for at least 90 percent of the days a class is offered to receive credit for the class or a final grade. Most absences that are excused are still counted when determining whether a student is in compliance with the 90 percent rule, but TASB Policy FEC (LOCAL), the policy governing the award of class credit by the attendance committee, allows the attendance committee to take into account whether an absence is excused in determining whether to award credit or a final grade. | | |
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Please reach out to the school at these new email addresses if you have questions or need to notify the school regarding absences of your scholar:
Attendance: GHFHattendance@greatheartstxschools.org
Information Inbox: GHFHinfo@greatheartstxschools.org
We no longer have an attendance phone extension. Communicating your scholar's absence by email is the best process to keep us informed.
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REMINDER: An amount of $1 per minute will be charged for each scholar not picked up by 4:10 p.m. on regular school-day dismissal. For 4th or 5th graders participating in House Intramurals, $1 per minute will be charged for each scholar not picked up by 5:10 p.m. | | | |
Parent Service Organization | | |
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A Note From the PSO
Meet other parents at PSO Parent Night on Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lower School MPR. We will have light snacks, time to hang out, and a chance to answer your questions about the PSO's role at school. We are excited to get to know you as we strengthen our Falcon community. We can't wait to see you!
Please do your best to come without children so we can meet each other. The MPR quickly becomes very loud making it hard to hear others.
NOTE: We'll have a couple of raffle prizes!
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Visit the virtual Spirit Store to order t-shirts, the new Proud Home of a Forest Heights Falcon yard signs, and more! | | | |
PSO Website and Newsletter Opt-In | The Parent Service Organization works hard to create special experiences for our scholars throughout the year. Visit their website for updates and information regarding schoolwide and grade-level events and activities they will be hosting. |
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Additionally, their newsletters are an excellent source of information and the best way to be alerted to PSO-led activities. To begin or continue getting emailed newsletters from the PSO, you MUST SUBSCRIBE! Even if you received PSO newsletters last year, you must subscribe this year.
PSO newsletters contain information on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, Lost and Found updates, Spirit Wear information, and more. Please complete the form to opt in. Fill out a different form for each person who wants to subscribe, including grandparents. PSO newsletters are sent out every two to three weeks.
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The Parent Service Organization at Great Hearts Forest Heights serves in partnership with our school to support Falcon families and staff via volunteerism, community engagement, and fundraising. The PSO is open to all parents at no cost and is the best way to get involved and make new friends.
Be sure to join the PSO's grade-level Facebook groups. Helpful PSO resources and FAQs are also available for new families.
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Volunteers are needed across both campuses throughout the year. To get involved, fill out the Community Involvement Form to indicate your primary interests. | | | |
Lunchroom Volunteers Needed | | | |
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Spend time with your Lower School scholar during their lunch period by signing up at the link below to become part of a great team of volunteers who help our Lower School scholars with lunch. The lunch volunteer period for kindergarten through 5th grade is 10:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. each school day. You can sign up for the entire two and a half hours or for a portion of that period. There is also a first shift available from 10:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. to help only the kinder classes during their lunch. In addition, there is also a second shift available from 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. to help 1st-5th grades during their lunch periods. You can sign up for as many days and shifts as you are available.
If you are available the same day each week, we welcome you as part of the regular lunch crew, and you will receive a FREE lunch crew t-shirt! In addition, ALL persons signing up below will have their name entered into a monthly drawing for other free merchandise. You will receive one entry for EACH day you sign up.
NOTE: ALL volunteers need to redo their background checks prior to volunteering in any capacity at GHFH, even if you completed the background check process last school year. Information and links to complete each of these three steps can be found in the description section of the signup below under "HOW TO OBTAIN APPROVAL TO VOLUNTEER AT GREAT HEARTS FOREST HEIGHTS."
We look forward to you joining the lunch volunteer team!
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Texas Education and Legislative Updates | | |
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The Virtue of Citizenship: Last call for Great Hearts advocacy champions! Learn how to advocate for our classical public charter schools through Parent Advocacy Leadership, sponsored by the Texas Public Charter School Association. You will learn how to perform advocacy actions like this video created by a Great Hearts Arlington PAL alum. Apply between September 11-22 to join the next cohort of charter parent advocacy champions! The fall cohort will meet virtually on the second Wednesday of each month between October and December.
- Lawmakers convened the 88th Texas Legislature in May without passing a school finance package. It is expected that a special legislative session will be called – likely in October – to tackle increases to the state’s rate of per-pupil funding, teacher pay, and more. In the spring, the Texas House’s omnibus school finance bill would have decreased per-pupil for charter schools. TPCSA is working hard behind the scenes garnering support for increases in state funding for charters, in particular to address their inequitable facilities funding.
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Stay up to date on critical charter school bills and action alerts from the Texas Public Charter School Association. 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.
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Great Hearts Forest Heights' meal provider is SLA Management. SLA works hard to offer your scholar healthy and delicious meal options for lunch and breakfast each school day. For more information about them, please visit the SLA Management website.
SLA has created menus for the 2023-2024 school year. Breakfast is $2, and lunch is $4. A la carte items will also be available for purchase by all scs.
Breakfast service runs from 7:15-7:45 a.m. Please make sure your scholar arrives with enough time if you choose for them to eat breakfast on campus. Lunch will be served by grade, and lunchtimes will be provided by your scholar's teacher.
To access more information about our 2023-2024 meal program, go to the meal portion of the Great Hearts website.
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Great Hearts has recently partnered with LINQ Connect to provide a mobile app for families to add money to meal accounts, add district menus, and set spending limits. Through the app, you can:
- Set reminders and be alerted when your scholar’s account is running low.
- Check your scholar’s purchase history to see the purchases they make.
- Set up AutoPay, and eliminate the worry of your scholar losing lunch money.
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Communications Housekeeping | | |
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Providing accurate and current email and text opt-in information to Great Hearts is important so we know how best to communicate with you. You can opt in to text messages for updates affecting our campus and the entire district. Follow the directions to opt in by clicking the button below.
From the campus level, should you need to make any updates now or in the future, please contact our registrars directly:
Megan Moreno, Lower School
Nicole Anderson, Upper School
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Know Someone Who Did Not Receive Our Communication? | | |
If you speak to someone who is not receiving our emails, first direct them to check their spam or junk folder. If they are still unable to locate communications from us, please tell them to contact the registrar for their campus to have their information updated. | | | |
Will You Partner With Us? | | |
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Community Investment is our annual fundraising campaign that equips Great Hearts Forest Heights to offer the great-hearted education you have chosen for your scholar. As a charter school, we receive less funding per student per year than a traditional public school. With the additional programs provided in our daily specials including foreign language, the low student-teacher ratios, the honors-level education, and so many other benefits offered in our distinct educational model, we experience an approximately $1,500 gap in funding per scholar each year. While we do more with less, we could use your help to provide the rich, liberal arts, classical curriculum that attracted you to our school.
We ask that each family thoughtfully consider being a part of our giving community with a donation that is meaningful to them. Each gift made benefits your child by providing the teachers, staff, curriculum, and facilities needed to deliver a Great Hearts education tuition-free. It is also an opportunity to partner with other parents, grandparents, and loved ones who already give to our campus.
You can make a one-time donation or set up a monthly commitment by clicking on the button below. You may also give by cash or check. Every family participating can make a GREAT difference to seed into the education of your scholar..
Please reach out to Holly Weese, Director of Community Engagement and Academy Giving, if you have questions about Community Investment or if you need assistance in arranging a gift.
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