Frequently Asked Questions

The Academic Calendar can be found on our homepage in the right side menu.

School hours are 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Early release day hours are 7:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Yes. Uniform details and requirements will be found in the Student Handbook and can be purchased from Students wear uniforms from Dennis Uniforms Flynn O'Hara Uniforms.

Yes, we have an after school program called Athenaeum. For more information click 'Academy Life -> After School Programs' at the top of the screen.
https://lakeside.greatheartsamerica.org/academy-life/after-school-programs/

Yes, eventually. Every year we will add another grade level.

Yes.

No. Grades will be sent out each quarter. If a student is academically struggling in a particular subject, that teacher will reach out to the parent. We observe and assess the student as a whole, and while grades are important, they do not reveal the entire situation.

Yes. We participate in the Free/Reduced Lunch (FRL) Program. We also provide assistance with uniforms and after school care for those that qualify for FRL. However, the FRL application will not be available from the State until mid-summer.

We love our parent volunteers! Great Hearts has a Parent Service Organization (PSO) at each school. They help support our school through organizing volunteers, running our Spirit Store, and assisting with school events. Some of the volunteering opportunities include lunchroom support, copy room, front desk, classroom events, field days, field trip chaperones, and much, much more. Feel free to email the school or sign up at any parent meeting or event.

As a public charter school, Great Hearts offers a full continuum of special education services to our students. This includes all areas of related services, including speech therapy. Please reach out to our Regional Coordinator of Special Student Services, Deanna Blacconeri at Deanna.blacconeri@greatheartstx.org to further discuss your questions regarding special students services.

No. Due to our extremely large geographical boundaries, providing bus services would not be feasible. We do encourage parents to meet with others in their neighborhood to establish carpools or other such arrangements.

We are committed to a full and vibrant athletic community. At this time, because we are lower grades only, we cannot offer the full availability of athletics. Our first full high school in Texas, Great Hearts Monte Vista North, has the most fully developed athletic program and should serve as an example for our own community. https://greatheartsmontevistaathletics.org

No. We are a not-for-profit charter school.

We will have the official reading list soon, but until then, you can see some of the titles that we read here: https://liveoak.greatheartsamerica.org/academics/the-great-books/

Yes, all grade levels have a recess. Younger grade levels (Kindergarten through 2nd) will receive two recesses. The length of the recess depends on the grade level, with younger grades receiving as much as 20 minutes per recess.

Students that find certain subjects less challenging are encouraged to explore those subjects more thoroughly in order to understand them beyond their current level. For instance, if they are comfortable with a subject, then they are encouraged support their answers with evidence or proofs or answer the question more thoroughly.

At Great Hearts we are as passionate about moral formation as we are about intellectual growth. In grades K-6, each classroom is staffed by a Lead Teacher and an Apprentice Teacher to create an environment in which students are more likely to stay on task. Behavior that consistently distracts from instruction will be addressed first at the classroom level, and then through the assistance of the administration in coordination with parents and special student services (as applicable).

Many of our teachers are certified. We also hire highly qualified non-certified educators who are experts in their field and passionate about children and learning. First year teachers will spend about 6 weeks prior to the school opening in subject specific training. All teachers, whether lead or apprentice, benefit from weekly professional development. In addition, there are several network-wide professional development days in which our faculty and staff hone their craft in specific content areas.

We prefer to keep current politics out of our classrooms and schools as we believe it is a distraction to learning. We will not have mock elections or other events of a similar nature as we believe these can be unnecessarily divisive.

Sibling priority only applies when the applicant has a sibling that is officially enrolled in that campus. Once you have completed registration of your child that has received an offer, sibling priority status will be applied to any siblings on that campus’ wait list. They will then move to the top of the wait list, in the order of the original lottery number. Offers are generally extended on a rolling basis, so completing your registration early is beneficial if you have other children on the wait list.

The Great Hearts wait list is ordered based on application type and priority status, if applicable. When a seat becomes available, it is offered to the first applicant on the wait list. Applicants may move up or down on the wait list depending on application priority and type above them. For example, a non-priority status application could move from #10 to #11 on the wait list because an application was submitted with a priority status.

No. Wait lists are run independently so your acceptance will not affect your status at another academy. We do ask, however, that if you accept an offer at another academy (or any other school), that you let us know as soon as you have decided on another school so we can offer your seat to the next child on the wait list.

Social Security Card: You will need to request a new card (https://faq.ssa.gov/en-US/Topic/article/KA-02723). You may bring in the request receipt at your registration appointment in place of the SS Card UNTIL the card arrives. Then you will need to bring the actual card in for our records.

Birth Certificate: You will need to request a new birth certificate (https://txapps.texas.gov/tolapp/ovra/). For out of state certificates, please find that state’s request procedure. You can then bring in the request receipt (or payment receipt) in place of the birth certificate UNITL the certificate arrives. Then you will need to bring the actual certificate in for our records. Passports are also accepted

We accept many forms of proofs – car insurance, bank statements, current parent transcripts, tax documents from current year, current mail from government agencies, LTC license, medical card, voter’s registration, etc. If you still do not have these documents, we have a form that you can have your landlord notarize for proof of residency.

· Log into parent portal: https://greathearts.schoolaxis.com/

· In the Enrollment Box, click “My Applications”

· Find your child and click “Show Applications”

· If you have not already done so, click the green “+ Accept Offer” button

· Confirm your acceptance by clicking “Complete”

· If you have already Accepted the Offer, click the green “aRegister” Button

· Complete the Registration Packet

· If you have completed the registration packet, then you should see a teal “Download Packet” button. Click the button to download the packet. (Check your popup blocker if the download does not begin after a while.) If you cannot download or print, email D’Ann Hart and she can print it for you.

· Open and print the Registration Packet PDF. Sign the 7 parent signature lines throughout the packet and bring the packet to your registration appointment.

We are open enrollment. We have no selection filters. We ask no questions of race, socio-economic status, intellectual ability or academic prowess prior to applying to our school.

Yes! Read about our services here: https://lakeside.greatheartsamerica.org/academics/bilingual-esl-assistance/