As mentioned in this earlier post, the Great Hearts Texas open-enrollment period begins today, October 30, 2013. Later today, the admissions tab of the Great Hearts Texas website will have a link to the online application.
At last night’s informational meeting, Great Hearts Texas Superintendent Peter Bezanson offered some common sense advice about the online application.
- The online application will go live “as some reasonable hour.” (He might have been looking at me. I am a notorious early bird.)
- There is no rush to get your application in. The open-enrollment period will run through December 6, 2013.
- Great Hearts will open a phone line for enrollment questions. But, Bezanson said, “94 percent of application problems are due to user error, so try again before you call.”
Other enrollment questions:
- What about siblings? If one child gets in, his or her siblings get priority, but are not guaranteed a spot.
- What if not enough 8th or 9th graders apply to Great Hearts Monte Vista? Then, the school will open with grades K-7 or K-8 instead of K-9. So, if you have a child who will be in 8th or 9th grade next year and you really want him or her to go to Great Hearts, try to talk some friends in to applying, too, so the grade will “make.”
- What if a lot of children apply to kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, etc., and there are not enough places? Then, Great Hearts Monte Vista will hold a public lottery in January. Students who do not get in at the lottery will be placed on the waiting list.
The Great Hearts Texas team covered so much information at the open house. I took lots of notes and photos, and I am looking forward to sharing them with you.
Remember that Great Hearts is tuition-free with no admissions criteria. The school will lease space at Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap Place, San Antonio, TX 78212 (map).
The best way to stay informed about Great Hearts Texas is to visit their website and sign up for the interest list—look in the left-hand column, and scroll down. Great Hearts Texas is also on Facebook.
UPDATE—the online application portal is up:
