Matt's Monday Memo
February 11, 2019
Good morning all.
Channeling my adolescent sense of planning, I am working on this as Sunday night becomes Monday morning--not a recipe for strong writing to be sure. I am sharing a quote from then Senator Barack Obama during the confirmation process for Chief Justice Roberts:
“What matters is those 5% of cases that are truly difficult. In those cases, the adherence to precedent, the rules of construction, and legal interpretation will only get you through the 25th mile of the marathon. That last mile can only be determined on the basis of one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspective of how the world works and the depth and breadth of one's empathy. In those difficult situations, the critical ingredient is supplied with what is in the person's heart.”
I suspect this analogy applies to each of us. Most of our daily selections are rather easily weighed and determined based on previous choices and externally controlled constraints. At times, we may face very difficult, novel decisions with conflicting information that cause us to experience angst and contestation. In such cases, I would suggest our former president and former constitutional law professor is correct in that those determinations are revelatory of our most strongly held convictions. We have those decisions to make in our professional and personal realms that we in turn weather and learn from them to our collective betterment. And as you may know or guess, Senator Obama did not vote to confirm Chief Justice Roberts.
I am rooted in the following beliefs:
1) That we must work collectively, to see each other as our richest resource.
2) We should be growth oriented, seeking and finding our best selves.
3) A fundamental belief in student efficacy, that they are capable with time and supports being the only variables.
I am looking forward to this week as we have a many avenues to witness the excellent work fostered by our staff: concerts, athletic events at the championship level, and the chance to gather and learn with each other.
Thanks for all you do.
Matt
Peek at the Week
- February 12: Department Chair Meeting, 8:05 a.m.
- February 13: Jazz Band Concert
- February 14: End of Progress period
- February 15: NO SCHOOL; PD Day
- February 18: NO SCHOOL; President's Day
Friday PD Schedule
Friday morning:
The 2019 Webster Groves EdCamp is this Friday, February 15th at Hixson Middle School. iDEA has been hard at work to develop this wonderful opportunity to learn from each other, have collaborative discussions, and make plans to help meet the needs of all of our students. The day will start at 7:30 a.m. with Starbuck’s coffee in the Hixson Cafeteria. Grab your coffee and take a look at the educational resources and visit the vendors who will be set up in the cafeteria. The formal program will start promptly at 8:00 a.m. in the Hixson Auditorium.
Here is the morning’s schedule:
8:00-8:20-Auditorium for opening remarks and explanation of the morning
8:30-9:15 Session 1
9:25-10:10 Session 2
10:20-11:05 Session 3
11:10- Back to auditorium for attendance prizes!
You can see the session offerings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17k0UMQMrBbqwKR7m7tFDQ0BHOTNCNx4MJfQrLA8PY3w/edit?usp=sharing
For some sessions it would be beneficial for you to bring your computer or device. We encourage you to do so! There are also a few open rooms and sessions that you will be able to sign up for on the sheets outside of the office in case you want to have time to discuss/learn about a topic that is not being covered.
Lunch on Your Own: 11:30 - 12:30
Friday afternoon:
12:30 - 2:30: HS PD in PV Commons
2:30 - 3:00: Snack-n-Chat
Need a Babysitter on Valentine's Day?
The Statesmen Preschool is hosting a babysitting night fundraiser on Valentine’s Day from 5:30pm-8:00pm. Dinner and dessert are provided. Kids should be potty trained and ages 3-7 years old. Cost us $20 per for the first child and $5 for each additional child. Please email Maggie Stevison at ms041302@wgcloud.org with any questions or to RSVP by February 12.
Freshman Students will Attend Real-life Appeals Cases
On Wednesday, February 20, 2019 Webster Groves High School will be hosting the Eastern Judiciary Court of Appeals for the State of Missouri. They will hear two appeals cases, one a criminal appeal and the other a post-conviction appeal. Court will run from 9:00 - 10:15. The judges will then answer questions from the audience.
All freshman students (with Government being a required freshman level course) will attend. They will be dismissed at 8:40 to the auditorium to attend court (2/20 is a Day 1). They will be released from the auditorium at 10:55 to either attend lunch or 5th hour. Teachers with freshman classes may be asked to help provide supervision during the hearings; they will be contacted shortly in regard to supervision, seating assignments, and additional information that may need to be shared with their students in preparation for the event.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Celebrations
- Special thanks to the Interact Club for the treats on First Friday!
WGHS Statesbots Black robotics team advanced to state on saturday, placing third out of thirty six and winning awards in design and engineering. Congrats!
Congratulations to Mebbie for her work in continuing the shoe database project. She shared, "I took the Advanced Forensics students on our field trip to photograph shoes for the shoe database. We are still the only group in the country that is currently allowed to go into Walmart for this purpose, and the students were amazing representatives of Webster Groves. I included a few pictures below. We received an email last month about a successful use of our database in the field!" The email she received was powerful: "Thank you Thank you Thank you for access to the database. Earlier today I found the shoe on your site. I went to the Walmart closest to the scene of my murder case and they have the shoes in stock. I may have never found the shoe if not for the hard work of you and your students. The impressions I found were on a vinyl tile floor. It was a bloody scene and the suspect walked all through the blood. LCV and Amido Black were used to develop shoe impressions. Also please relay my appreciation and do not hesitate to ask if there is anything I, or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, can do for you guys." -- James Gibson
Reminders/Announcements
Senior teachers will distribute senior packets in your 3rd hour classes on Tuesday, February 19. The packet includes a link to nominate the commencement speaker. Please give them time and allow them to use their devices to nominate. If students do not have a personal device, please assure them that the voting window is open until 2:45 p.m. on February 20, and they can use any computer in the building.
Don’t forget to put a sign on your door if you are spending the hour in another location.
Teachers—We have done a great job the past few years preventing seniors from participating in senior skip days. Senior teachers, please do not hesitate to assign a quiz or test on these days. Students will not be allowed to make up work for days on which they skip class. Students will also be assigned a consequence for cutting class. Keep in mind that this will not help with parents who elect to call in their child as being sick. I will let you know if I hear of a possible senior skip day (if you hear about any possible days, please let me know). By doing this, we have reduced the days our seniors our missing classes.
Don’t forget to check www.statesmensports.com for the latest athletic news and scores.
Upcoming Professional Development
- February 15: PD Day