The Avery Pulse
August 8th, 2021
Upcoming Dates
- August 8th-Incoming Kindergarten Student Playdates (more information below)
- August 16th-18th-Jumpstart Conferences (classroom teachers will send out times to sign up)
- August 18th - 8am-10am Meet the Teacher for grades 1-5
- August 18th- 1pm Meet the Teacher for Kindergarten
- August 22nd-Incoming Kindergarten Student Playdates (more information below)
- August 23rd- First Day of School!
Meet the Teacher
Please come during the window of time according to the first letter of your child's last name.
8:00am-8:30am A-F
8:30am-9:00am G-L
9:00am-9:30am M-R
9:30am-10:00am S-Z
1:00pm-2:00pm All Kindergarten Families
Return to School Plan 2021-2022
On Thursday, August 5th the district communicated the below information regarding the 21-22 school year.
Dear WGSD Community,
As we plan for the new school year, we continue to review current guidance and health recommendations from the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, St. Louis County Department of Public Health and current local health conditions in the Webster Groves School District.
Our goals for this year are to keep everyone healthy and avoid disruptions to in-person learning as much as possible. In order to do this, we will need to have some safety measures in place based on the current recommendations and local health conditions, which we know may change throughout the year.
For the start of the 2021-22 school year, you can expect:
Masks will be required inside all district schools and buildings until further notice.
Masks will be optional outdoors for all students and staff, including recess.
Masks are required on all forms of public transportation including school buses.
We will continue to use other basic health and safety measures at school including physical distancing, frequent hand washing, routine cleaning and disinfecting and reminding everyone to stay home if they are not feeling well.
St. Louis County Department of Public Health guidelines on quarantine will be applied in the event one is a close contact of anyone diagnosed with COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Dashboard will again be utilized and updated each week on the district web site.
The CDC advises that vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to encourage all staff and families of eligible students to talk to their healthcare provider about getting vaccinated. If you are vaccinated, you are exempt from quarantine, per the health department, as long as you do not have symptoms. For this reason, we will be requesting that staff and families of eligible students who have been vaccinated, share proof of vaccination with the district. While doing so is voluntary, it will help ensure as minimal of a disruption as possible to staff and students in the event one becomes a close contact of someone at school or work. We will soon reach out to staff and families regarding how you might share your proof of vaccination.
If your child is 12 years of age or older, they can receive the COVID-19 vaccine. There are 3 brands of COVID-19 vaccines with different age requirements. You can view a list of local hospitals and pharmacies offering vaccines and upcoming events in St. Louis County by visiting Missouri’s Vaccine Navigator.
The Webster Groves School District community is a caring community. We expect our families and staff to do what is best for themselves, their neighbors and our school community. We have high expectations for our staff and students and are confident they will make informed decisions based on current health conditions, knowing their decisions impact many others.
Attached you will find the most current version of our Return to School Planning Guide, which includes detailed information about our health and safety plans for the upcoming school year. Despite some continued challenges, we are very excited to have everyone back together soon. We look forward to celebrating a new beginning this year and that we are back full-time, five days a week with more familiar learning experiences for our students and families.
Thank you for your support. We can’t wait to see you!
Information below is repeated from the previous Pulse.
Avery Elementary Student Handbook
The Dungeon
This week, "the dungeon," a storage space in the basement of Avery, started going through a mold mitigation process. This process should be finished by Friday, August 6th.
Unfortunately, the majority of the items in the space could not be saved and therefore are being disposed of. We realize the implications of this and will look to partner with our PTO and teachers on developing a plan to replenish lost items.
A few things to be aware of:
The dungeon is separated from the rest of the building by the concrete floor, and there is no risk that mold from the dungeon would affect the rest of the building.
Once the remediation is completed we will have the space retested by a third party testing consultant to ensure that the mold has been removed. The dungeon is off limits until we receive clearance from the company that the mold has in fact been removed from the space. Once we are given clearance to enter the space again, we will need to develop some protocol/systems on what goes into the dungeon for future use.
We will install ventilation and dehumidification to avoid this from happening in the future, and install sensors to alert us of any potential issues proactively.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Food Service
For additional information, please visit the Food Service website: https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/domain/23
A note from Dr. Peterson
I hope this newsletter finds each of you well and that you are enjoying time with your children during the summer months.
I am so excited to be joining this wonderful community as your building principal. I look forward to getting to know your families as we partner to meet the needs of our young learners.
I have worked in the Webster Groves School District for 11 years. I started my educational journey at Clark Elementary as a classroom teacher for six years and then moved to Bristol Elementary as an Assistant Principal. Now, I have the pleasure of serving the Avery community!
I have three young children who are six, three, and two years old. They absolutely center me in the commitment I provide to our staff, students, and families. I want your children to have an educational experience I would want for my own children. I am excited to be joining such a strong staff that constantly puts the needs of students first.
Please look for weekly communication/updates from me through this platform.
I look forward to building strong connections with each of you. Please reach out should you need any assistance!
Hannah Peterson
Kindergarten Registration
Do you have a child who will attend kindergarten in the coming school year? Kindergarten enrollment is now open! Enroll now! https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/Page/23052
Please enroll your student as soon as possible so class assignments can be made and resources allocated.
Incoming Kindergarten Playdates
Sunday, August 8th
3:30-4:30 @ Larson Park
Popsicles on the Playground
Sunday, August 22nd
3:30-4:30 @ Avery Playground
Masks Required
Questions? Contact Erica Morrison at ericamcmo@gmail.com or Katie Rich at Katie.b.rich@gmail.com.
Class Lists
Supply Lists
Avery Elementary
Location: 909 North Bompart Avenue, Webster Groves, MO, USA
Twitter: @avery_allstars