Building a school community: notes from the Great Hearts Monte Vista open house

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Bang-up Hearts Monte Vista, the commencement campus of Great Hearts Texas, held an open house on March 27, 2014. The open house was an important step in the process of building a community effectually the new schoolhouse.

The Barshop Auditorium at Temple Beth-El was continuing room only—the organizers estimated that more than 700 parents, students, and supporters attended. School leaders discussed the school culture and shared practical information most the new campus.

This is a long post, so I accept broken it downwards into sections. First, I will summarize the basics-and-bolts data from the open house. Then, I volition include a brief section about each speaker at the open house, including:

• David Williams, Executive Director, Great Hearts San Antonio
• Peter Crawford, Headmaster, Groovy Hearts Monte Vista
• Briana Rafidi, an alumna of Glendale Prep, a Great Hearts schoolhouse in Arizona
• Joy Hanks, Banana Headmaster, Entrance Due north Phoenix, a Great Hearts K-5 school in Arizona
• Emily Sarbacker, a 12th form pupil at Glendale Prep
• Katherine Sarbacker, mother to Emily and three more than Great Hearts students

For more data near the leadership squad, run across this before post.

Campus Information

At the open house, Crawford shared some key dates on the school calendar:

• First Solar day of School: August eighteen, 2014
• Fall Break: October xiii-15, 2014—no school
• Thanksgiving Week—no school
• Jump Break: March ix-13, 2015—no school
• Last Day of Schoolhouse: June v, 2015

Besides, Crawford noted that parents volition exist able to drop off their students every bit early as 7:30 a.one thousand., and perhaps earlier, at both the North and S campuses. Great Hearts Monte Vista North, at Trinity Baptist Church building, 319 Eastward. Mulberry Ave., San Antonio, Texas 78212 (map), volition serve grades vi-9 (expanding to 6-12); Nifty Hearts Monte Vista Due south, at Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap Place, San Antonio, Texas 78212 (map) will serve grades K-five.

Peter Crawford, Headmaster of Great Hearts Monte Vista

Crawford introduced several teachers who will be working at Nifty Hearts Monte Vista in the fall. Several, including Great Hearts Monte Vista Athletic Director Joel VanDerworp, volition be relocating from Glendale Prep. Acquire more well-nigh athletics at Nifty Hearts Monte Vista in this e-mail newsletter—they are looking for parents to help charabanc a wide range of sports.

Joel VanDerworp, Able-bodied Manager, Great Hearts Monte Vista

Great Hearts Monte Vista will take a Parent Service Organization; there was a sign-upwards sheet at the open business firm. Based on the high turnout at the open up house, I await that it will exist an agile parent group.

While looking at the sample schoolhouse uniforms (more information in this earlier post), I spoke with Rachel Zanardi, Executive Banana at Great Hearts Texas, who confirmed that there will be plenty of recess and P.E. time for the K-5 students. Smashing Hearts Monte Vista S is close to signing a deal for a playground space within walking distance of Temple Beth-El.

David Williams

David Williams, Executive Manager of Great Hearts San Antonio, expressed thanks for the warm reception in San Antonio. He feels that Bully Hearts Monte Vista is coming together well. Headmaster Crawford is hiring cracking-hearted teachers.

David Williams, Executive Manager, Bully Hearts San Antonio

Williams appear that the Peachy Hearts America board has unanimously approved a second Neat Hearts campus in San Antonio to open in Baronial 2015. Swell Hearts is in terminal negotiations to purchase a holding for the new campus; this summertime, Nifty Hearts San Antonio volition announce the location and the timetable for enrollment.

Williams noted that nosotros would be hearing from a Great Hearts alumna, Briana Rafidi: "We are building nifty-hearted young men and bully-hearted young women. The best proof of that is the graduates of our schools."

Peter Crawford

Crawford commented on the loftier turnout and the sense of energy and anticipation in the room. "We are doing something important: forming a community together." He sees his job equally non just setting up a school and hiring teachers (see available positions on the careers folio), but likewise connecting with families and the San Antonio community.

Peter Crawford, Headmaster, Great Hearts Monte Vista

Crawford addressed a question on many parents' minds: What volition Bully Hearts Monte Vista be like?

It volition exist a school where children are complimentary to pursue excellence.

We serve children in their run a risk to become great hearted young men and women. It'southward in the manner we speak, in our uniforms, the books nosotros read, our behavior, and our sports.

Students thrive when given society, just the order has to come from authentic love. Children desire structure, but the rules and laws accept to exist founded upon love.

Corking Hearts Monte Vista is a rigorous school. Information technology'southward considered to be 2 years ahead of a typical Phoenix public school. We will challenge your student, simply it'south not a "sink or swim" surroundings. The challenge comes from having a dialogue with the not bad books and works of art and music. We provide the back up and coaching for children to be successful.

Bully Hearts teachers are energetic and are people of truthful graphic symbol. We have a low pupil-instructor ratio, which allows us to bring a classical, keen books curriculum to a public school. Great Hearts teachers accept honey for their students. Formerly, a peachy books pedagogy was only for the wealthy. Now, it is open to all.

The Great Hearts Monte Vista culture is an affirmation of the dignity of the human person. The school is an opportunity to pursue what is true, adept, and beautiful.

Briana Rafidi, alumna

Crawford introduced Briana Rafidi, an alumna of Glendale Prep, and a current student at Arizona State University. (She was homeschooled up to 7th course, skipped 8th form, and so attended 9th-12th grades at Glendale Prep.) Laughing, she said: "I promise you like what you meet—me—because if you enroll your kids at Great Hearts, this is what you are going to get."

Emily Sarbacker and Briana Rafidi

Rafidi noted that the Latin discussion for "heart" is cor, which in turn is the root for "courage." She noted that at that place are many types of courage:

• Backbone to improve yourself, even when surrounded past a civilisation of complacency.
• Backbone to admit when you are wrong.
• Courage to speak upwardly for yourself.
• Courage to think for yourself.

Rafidi feels that her Great Hearts education prepared her with the type of courage it takes to succeed at a large country university, where, she says, "life takes courage." (I went to a large state university for law schoolhouse, and I recall Rafidi has a point.)

Joy Hanks

Next, Rafidi introduced her mom, Joy Hanks, Assistant Headmaster at Archway Due north Phoenix. As a parent, I really appreciated the detailed information in Hanks's presentation.

Her first slide stated the school's mission:

The mission of Great Hearts Monte Vista is to educate students in the lifelong pursuit of truth, goodness, and dazzler.

That is an aggressive mission, just I believe they are upwardly to the job.

Joy Hanks, Assistant Headmaster, Archway N Phoenix

I've noticed amongst my peers, particularly parents of teenagers, a trend to assume that their job is sort of washed once their children are accepted at a selective higher. But what about the well beingness of your child equally a whole person? Hanks said, "There is more to life than getting a caste and a well-paying job."

I sympathise when parents are proud to see their children bring home straight-A report cards. But how do they know their children are existence challenged? Are their children growing in grapheme as well as knowledge? Report cards at Great Hearts are not just letter grades, but narratives; Hank described them equally "paragraphs that document a child's inquisitiveness."

Hanks shared some specifics about the K-5 Linguistic communication Arts curriculum.

• Spalding Phonics
• Spencerian penmanship (IAMPETH)
• Reading daily with a instructor, and nightly at home
• Grammar in grades four-5
• Writing: fifth graders are expected to write a term newspaper
• Memorization: Kindergarten students memorize small poems; 4th graders memorize Paul Revere'south Ride past Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; fifth graders memorize the Gettysburg Address

Base of operations 10 blocks

For Thou-5 Math, Swell Hearts uses Singapore Math. As mentioned in this before postal service, F.T. and I accept been using Singapore Math this year as part of our homeschooling curriculum. It'due south working well, but I hadn't really thought almost how information technology was designed. Hanks said the curriculum is built to move from the concrete, to the pictorial, and then to the abstruse. Each chapter starts with some physical examples that yous can build out of math manipulatives; we've been using plastic base 10 blocks. Then, the workbook offers issues using pictures; sometimes the student needs to color or draw to show his work. Finally, the workbook will present a problem using mathematical notation, due east.1000., twenty – 13 = __, and ask the student to solve information technology using the algorithm.

Groovy Hearts uses a modified Cadre Knowledge curriculum for History and Geography in K-5. The lessons are a 50-50 mix of Western Civilization and U.S. History. The quaternary form curriculum will emphasize Texas history. Hanks noted that Literature and History are in sync, which helps with reading comprehension.

Hanks touched on other subjects: Science, Art, Music, P.Eastward., and Foreign Language. At Cracking Hearts Monte Vista, the foreign language offered in Yard-iv will be Spanish immersion, with a focus on conversation.

Neat Hearts does non offering a gifted program; all children are challenged, and have access to the best material.

Hanks posted a slide of the Pillars of Conduct:

• Responsibleness
• Perseverance
• Integrity
• Honesty
• Courage
• Citizenship
• Humility
• Friendship
• Wisdom

The classroom walls will brandish pictures of historical figures who represents each pillar. When it'south time for discipline, an adult will talk to the pupil well-nigh which colonnade of carry was not met, and what behavior would accept met the colonnade.

Hanks stressed that routines are important: "Your kids may come home and say, 'Today, we practiced putting our books away.'" It takes repetition to form proficient habits, but one time those habits are in identify, then students can learn in an ordered environment. The policy is to remove disruptions, i.due east., a pupil who is acting out will leave the classroom so the remainder of the students tin can keep learning.

Emily Sarbacker, Peachy Hearts student

The next speaker, Emily Sarbacker, a twelfth form student at Glendale Prep, talked virtually her experience every bit a Great Hearts student. She admitted that when she started in 7th grade, "I was non an ideal student. I just wanted to get A'south, I didn't desire to dig deeper. Then, I got it. It'south so much more than meaningful when you love what you're learning." The classes you have are not just boxes to check off until you go to college. "If you really engage, and then it gets so much more interesting."

Emily said that when she got to high schoolhouse, people started asking her virtually where she planned to get to college. She saw her friends at other schools taking IB or AP courses. (Great Hearts does not offering AP courses, although many students take a few AP exams, e.thou., English Literature.) Emily talked about an internship that opened her eyes to the possibilities and helped her terminate worrying. Also, she said, "My mom was vicious. I filed 15 college applications." Emily said her higher awarding stood out because a Neat Books didactics is different. At the time of the open firm, Emily was considering offers from ASU, Notre Matriarch, Washington Academy in St. Louis, and the University of Virginia.

Katherine Sarbacker

Emily introduced her mom, Katherine Sarbacker, a cocky-described tiger mom with four children at Glendale Prep.

Katherine Sarbacker at the Parent Service Organization table

Sarbacker talked almost what she valued near nearly her feel equally a Keen Hearts parent.

• Academics: We all want to our children to be well-educated and have choices about colleges and careers. Great Hearts students are well-prepared, and exercise well on tests, simply the schoolhouse is non teaching to the test.
• Condom: Parents worry about safety, but bullying is not part of the Groovy Hearts culture. Sarbacker told a story about a group of 7th grade boys inviting a shy classmate to see a movie with them; the shy male child's mom confided to Sarbacker that it was the showtime time her son—a bright boy with weak social skills—had e'er been invited to a playdate.
• Role models: Great Hearts teachers model the kind of respect that they desire students to show.
• College: Great Hearts students take lots of options, and the schools provide superb higher counseling.
• Moral grapheme: The schoolhouse supports parents' efforts at home.

Sarbacker's comments provided reassurance to parents who might be anxious about enrolling their children in a make new campus.

You made it this far? Practiced! This is probably the longest web log post I've e'er written. If you are a future or prospective Corking Hearts parent (or educatee), or a job bidder, I hope this postal service gave y'all a practiced sense of the school culture, too as some practical information near the Bang-up Hearts Monte Vista campus. If yous desire to read more, hither are some related posts:

• From Jan 2014, my before post about the lottery, and how it feels to exist on the waiting list. (Equally of this writing, F.T. is 3rd on the waiting list for second course.)
• From April 2013, my post almost visiting Veritas Prep in Phoenix, Arizona. (Disclosure: Great Hearts paid my travel expenses.) I have written just briefly about that trip, but it had a profound impact on me, and was a gene in my decision to homeschool F.T. for one yr until Swell Hearts Monte Vista opened.
• More about the homeschooling decision in this mail service from October 2013.

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Source: https://sachartermoms.com/building-a-school-community-notes-from-the-great-hearts-monte-vista-open-house/

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