Notes from Dr. Irvin

Your WGHS Weekly eNews for September 1

Hello WGHS Families,

As we enter into September, calendars are getting more crowded with national testing dates, a litany of high school activities, and numerable community options. Please take time for yourself and your child to slow down, to linger, to connect with each other. Parents of high school students often scurry from one event to another and have not prioritized the time we have remaining to see and listen to each other. My wife and I have aging parents that warrant, not yet demand, our limited time. Our oldest is in college with our youngest in high school--the time has gotten away from us in our home, it feels. When looking back, our remorse centers around times we oriented our lives around something that in retrospect seems trivial now. I hope you take the time to count the cost of each item you and your child say yes to in your day. Engage in those you select, and do not look back on those you declined.

Best,

Matt Irvin

Next Week's Schedule: LATE-START, A, B, C, EARLY DISMISSAL

A Peek at the Week Ahead

September 12: Late-Start A Day. School starts at 9:40; doors open to students at 9:25
September 13: WGHS Senior Parent Night/Financial Aid Night, 6pm, Auditorium
September 14: Herff Jones graduation/ring orders @ lunch
September 14: Parents' Club Meeting, 7pm, WGHS Library
September 16: Early Dismissal (12:05)

Friday, September 16 is an Early Dismissal Day. School ends at 12:05 p.m.

2022-23 Late-Start Days

Guide to Late-Start Mondays

A late-start schedule allows time for instructional staff to collaborate in Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs.

Extra time allotted for instructional staff is the only time teachers of the same course can meet in PLCs to provide a guaranteed viable curricular experience for students, which includes:

Essential content and skills students need to know for a particular unit
Common assessments to determine if students have mastered those essential skills
Adjustment of instruction and design interventions to help students who need additional support, and they design enrichment opportunities for students who already have an understanding of certain concepts

In order to accommodate PLC time, we will have a late start on 16 days out of the school year. School will start at 9:40 a.m., and most periods will be 40 minutes on those scheduled dates. Instructional staff will meet with their PLCs from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m., and the building will be open to students at 9:25 a.m.

Bus transportation will be modified to accommodate the new schedule. Parents who drop off their students before school should make arrangements to drop off at 9:25 a.m. or after. We currently will not schedule any before-school activities/meetings on the late-start days to allow staff time to meet.

Late-Start Supervision Program

WGSD provides free supervision to students who need this service. Supervision begins at 8:15 a.m. for grades 6-12. If your family is in need of care, please contact your school.

Students who are enrolled in the Late-Start Supervision Program must enter through the Senior Entrance (main entrance on Selma) from 8:15 - 9:25 a.m. Students will be directed to and must stay in the following supervised areas: Library, Cafeteria, or PV Commons.

Bus Pick-up Times

Our first WGSD LATE-START DAY is Monday, September 12, 2022. Our buses will pick up students at their stops about 1 1/4 hours after your regular pickup times. All First Student bus riders should have received an email with their pick-up location and time. If you have any questions, please contact Leigh McKittrick at mckittrick.leigh@wgmail.org.

VICC bus riders should have received notification directly from VICC. Please contact VICC at 314.721.8657 with any questions.

Run for Webster

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The Webster Groves School District Foundation is hosting the Ivory Crockett Run for Webster, Saturday, October 15 at 8:30 a.m. in both 5k and 1-mile fun run options. The 5k route is here. Please register by September 28 to be guaranteed a t-shirt.

In addition, there is also a series of virtual 5k runs, with one starting from every WGSD school and a special Ivory Crockett Challenge 5k, starting from Ivory Crockett Park in historic North Webster. Registration for all activities begins on September 1.

You can learn more and register here.

1:1 Technology Coming to WGHS for Freshmen/Sophomores

Our rollout of 1:1 technology for freshmen and sophomores is rapidly approaching! We are asking all freshmen/sophomore families to submit the WGHS 1:1 Technology Agreement at the links below:

9th Grade 1:1 Technology Agreement

10th Grade 1:1 Technology Agreement

9th GRADE CHROMEBOOKS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED BEGINNING NEXT WEEK. THE SOONER YOU COMPLETE YOUR REGISTRATION FORMS, THE SOONER YOUR STUDENT CAN RECEIVE A CHROMEBOOK.

How to pay for your student's Chromebook insurance.

Go to https://webster.revtrak.net/wghs/#/list.
Click on “WGHS Chromebook Insurance” on the left side of the screen.
Fill out the information needed for your purchase. If you wish to donate an additional $22 for a student in need, be sure to add that donation to your cart as well.
Either log in or create an account through RevTrak to check out.
Once you place your order, you will receive an email receipt in the email you used to sign up.

Counseling News

PSAT Deadline is Approaching
The Preliminary SAT, also known as the PSAT, is a practice version of the SAT college admissions exam. In addition to being a practice SAT, the PSAT serves as the qualifying test for juniors for the National Merit Scholarship program.

Test Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 8:30am-noon (students will be excused from class)
Fee: $20
Who is eligible?: Sophomores and Juniors
To register: visit www.TotalRegistration.net/PSAT/263573
Deadline to register: September 11, 2022

Dual Credit and Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Registration is Open!
Did you know that there are more than 30 classes at WGHS offering college credit for students? An email was sent to all students (and their parents) in qualifying classes earlier this week. If you missed it or just want to plan ahead, view this document for details. Pay special attention to the following deadlines:

· MO State Dual Credit: www.dualcredit.missouristate.edu (Deadline: 9/20/2022)

· UMSL Dual Credit: www.umsl.edu/acp (Deadline 9/13/2022)

· AP exams: https://TotalRegistration.net/AP/263573 AND https://myap.collegeboard.org/login (Deadline 11/11/2022)

College Admissions Representative Visits Start Soon
Juniors—are you ready to start learning about colleges? Seniors—do you have questions about the application process for schools on your list? College representatives will start visiting WGHS the week after Labor Day-November 1st. This is a great opportunity to hear from colleges all across the country in the comfort of your own school. A list of colleges visiting will be posted on our Counseling Department calendar, in Naviance, and shared in our daily announcements. Students should stop by the Counseling Center to sign up to meet with schools they are interested in and to receive a pass to be excused from class. Be sure to check the calendar regularly as visits are being updated daily.

US Military Academy Day on Saturday, September 17, 2022 9:30am-noon at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, MO

Representatives of the US Military Academy at West Point, the US Air Force Academy, the US Naval Academy, the US Merchant Marine Academy, and the US Coast Guard Academy will attend. RSVP with Donna Hickman at academyday22@mail.house.gov.

Save the Date!

Senior Parent Night and Financial Aid Presentation, Tuesday, September 13 in the Auditorium

(Students are welcome to join but will hear a similar presentation in their senior English class prior.)

6:00-6:45pm: The College Application Process (when, how, transcripts, letters of recommendations, etc.) with Jennedy Lombard and Karen Verstraete
6:45-7:30pm: Financial Aid presentation with Hannah Smith, Program Coordinator, Office of Financial Services at Saint Louis University

Junior Parent Night, Tuesday, September 27 at 7:00pm in the Auditorium

Junior parents! Please join Mrs. Lombard and Ms. Verstraete as we “kickoff” college planning for the Class of 2024. Topics will include: college admissions testing, a timeline for the college search and application process, tools for conducting your search and more! Students are always welcome to attend but will hear a similar presentation in their English class prior.