Notes from Dr. Irvin
Your Weekly WGHS eNews for April 4
Hello Parents and Guardians,
First and foremost, many thanks for your support and efforts around Proposition E and resultant safety, accessibility, & space impact. I have worked in districts that have both failed and succeeded in such efforts, and my experience has been that our teachers feel that support in a tangible way at the classroom level. So on behalf of our administration, faculty and staff, thank you.
I shared survey feedback from faculty about my work with them thus far with our PAC (Principal’s Advisory Committee) group this winter and asked for their observations. One colleague noted that responses seemed to be in three clusters of various sizes: seeking change, a “wait-and-see” approach, and some unnerved by change. With transitions and innovation, the temptation can be to activate the security system that safeguards anything near the core of our experience or standing. Change can be unsettling, yet we have an obligation to find our best answers for students and each other as we see the impact of virtual schooling, need for new alternative options, and other external directives. Those items can seem daunting, but I would urge us to reframe our thinking.
When confronted with the need to change, consider these challenges as opportunity to construct more locally and influence a more robust schooling experience. Franklin Roosevelt said the following about the change process:
"Say that civilization is a tree which as it grows, continually produces rot and dead wood. The radical says: “Cut it down.” The conservative says: “Don't touch it.” The liberal compromises: “Let's prune, so that we lose neither the old trunk nor the new branches.” This campaign is waged to teach the country to march upon its appointed course, the way of change in orderly march, avoiding alike the revolution of radicalism and the revolution of conservatism."
Like all entities, we must responsibly adapt to the world around us in the manner FDR describes. We must engage with unencumbered objectivity and adopt renewed perspectives and questions that will become the basis for true growth. Those practices which do not meet our needs or our students, we should discontinue. Those that we determine are bedrock practices, we should invest. Those in need of modification should see change coupled with effort in coaching and conversation.
We now endeavor to prepare young people for a future likely to remain undeclared and mutating from our current understandings. Those challenges require us to have clarity around what we most fundamentally believe.
I will share some items of note:
- As presented at last month’s school board meeting, our historical partnership in with the Kirkwood School District (VISTA) was dissolved when they determined they are moving the site to their high school campus. We are currently planning to have WGHS students who attend VISTA return to our campus or other possible settings in the 2019-2020 school year. Part of our planning is to seek personalized, student-centered, and supportive learning environments for our returning students. We will share more information as this work continues.
- Our building and district commitment to experiential learning, and more directly the Chelsea Experiential Learning Center, continues. We are working with faculty and Chelsea Center founder Glenn Detrick to continue our summer programming and will look to provide resources to see the work continue and grow in future years. Please see Summer 2019 programming at https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=22533
- Summer School enrollment is up and running still. Please see our programing on our website at https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=7408
Best,
Matt
Spring Semester Finals Information
A comprehensive examination will be given at the end of 2nd semester in all classes. The test will be ninety minutes in length. A comprehensive exam is understood to sample learning from the entire semester. This test will count between 10% and 20% of the final course grade with the exact percentage to be determined by each department. Exams are an important part of the student’s grade and educational experience. Every effort should be made to be sure student is at school for exams and vacations and other commitments are avoided at this time.
No exams will be given early. If a student must miss an exam, a parent must notify the appropriate assistant principal. The student will receive an Incomplete (I) and will need to make up the exam at the teacher’s convenience. For students who are athletes, a grade of Incomplete (I) may have a negative impact on their athletic eligibility.
Students will not take finals in Academic Lab, student assistant periods, Peer Tutoring, or Study Hall. A 90-minute final exam will occur in all other classes. On the first day of finals, everyone is expected to be in attendance, as it is a special schedule. On the exam half-days, students should not be in the building if they do not have an exam or are not studying in Academic Lab; otherwise, they will be assigned to a supervised study hall. Activity buses are for athletes only. Everyone else should promptly exit the building. Students are also prohibited from going to Hixson.
If your student elects to stay home during an Academic Lab exam, student assistant period, Peer Tutoring hour, or study hall, please contact your Assistant Principal’s office for attendance purposes.
Snow Day Make-up Information for WGHS Finals
As you know, we experienced an unusual number of school cancellations because of weather this year. The state of Missouri requires that students attend 174 days and 1,044 hours each year. This year, students will only have attended 173 days, therefore we will be extending the year as follows:
Students will now attend school on Friday, May 24 from 7:55 a.m. - 11:05 a.m. (6th and 7th period final exams will be given).
Monday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 21 will be a special schedule, meaning all 7 classes will meet. The first hour final exam will be given on Tuesday, with shortened 2nd - 7th periods.
Half-day final exams days are Wednesday-Friday. School will be dismissed at 11:05 each day.
The extended school year will NOT affect seniors and early check-out.
This revision will ensure that the district calendar is in accord with state requirements.
Final Exam Study Sessions
The library will be open for final exam study sessions May 16 and 20 from 2:45 - 5:30 p.m., and on May 17 from 2:45 - 4:30 p.m. Instructional staff and student tutors will be available during this time (staff will be available after 3:30 p.m.).
Below is the spring final exam schedule for the 2018-19 school year (the final exam schedule has been modified due to the snow day):
A Peek at the Week Ahead
- April 4-6: Spring Play, "It's a Mystery," 7 p.m., Auditorium
- April 5: End of Progress Period
- April 9: Special Schedule; School Service Day
- April 11: Parents' Club General Meeting, 7 p.m, Library
Celebrations/Announcements
School Service Day is Tuesday, April 9. Please see the note below for the schedule and expectations.
The annual All Write festival is completely self-funded, so we humbly ask for your help to keep it going into the future. We are now accepting your generous donations for 2020 at our new Go Fund Me. Thank you so much.
School Service Day is April 9--Important Information
Tuesday, April 9, is a special day at WGHS on which each class is involved in a different activity. To ensure that this day is successful, we would like all parents to be aware of expectations. We expect all students to be in attendance that day. It is not a typical classroom academic day; it will be filled with several experiential learning opportunities. The attendance of our student body is critical to us being able to have a successful and meaningful day. The junior class will be involved in Special Olympics at Moss Field, our sophomores will be completing different service projects throughout the community, and our freshmen will stay on campus for a follow up to last summer’s Future Leaders Program. All students will begin their day in first period and after attendance be released to their class activity. Below is a brief description of what your student or students will be doing.
Freshmen: Zach Smith is leading the freshmen activity and will organize everything your students will need for the day. Dwight Kirksey will be the administrator assigned to the freshmen. After attendance, the freshmen will meet in Roberts Gym to get organized for a walk over to Moss Field to be the Pep Section at Opening Ceremonies at Special Olympics and then walk back to the high school for their day of team-building activities held throughout the building. Lunch will be provided.
Sophomore Service: Julie Burchett will assign a service activity to a teacher and a small group of students. The students selected their choice of activities last week and were given a permission slip for your signature. Shiree Yeggins is the administrator for the sophomores. After attendance 1st hour students will be released to a pre-determined classroom to organize for their service project. They will then load buses on Selma and leave for their activity. They will return at the end of the school day for a reflection wrap-up session. We are asking our sophomores to bring a sack lunch. Water and a snack will be provided.
Junior Special Olympics: Cliff Ice will organize the Special Olympics. Juniors are assigned through their social studies class; most students will be a buddy to a Special Olympic athlete. Angela Thompson is the administrator for the juniors on this day. After attendance we will meet in the auditorium for training and then walk over to Moss Field. At the end of the day we will walk the students back to the high school. Lunch will be provided.
Senior Day: The seniors will enjoy a senior breakfast, hear commencement speeches from the candidates, and visit Amp UP Action Park for their special day. Seniors are expected to attend. A waiver, $20, and permission slip is required for Amp UP (forms were due mid-March). Your senior may wish to bring spending money for additional activities. Lunch is included, 2 slices of single-topping pizza, carrots with a side of ranch, cookie, and 1 bottle of water.
There is NO cost for senior breakfast and commencement speeches. Seniors choosing not to go to Amp UP Action Park are needed at Special Olympics or Future Leaders. Students who do not wish to participate in Special Olympics or Future Leaders (or go to Amp UP Action Park) will be assigned a supervised Academic Lab.
We appreciate your continued support of our high school. This is a fun day for everyone to try something a little different while bonding with their classmates in a less formal setting. If you have any further questions regarding our school wide activity day, please contact any of our administrators or Cliff Ice in the activities office.
Thank You,
Cliff Ice
Asst. Activities Director
WGHS
Summer Experiential Learning Offerings
Summer 2019 Experiential Learning information, listings, and registrations are now open as of March 29. Deadlines depend on the opportunity, but most are in mid/late April. If your student is thinking of doing a “Create Your Own,” option, the sooner the better so we can find the best placement. The link to the Chelsea Center site is below.
Parents of Seniors: Volunteer at the Senior Party
Following graduation May 17th, you can have some of your grad’s cake and eat it too. Then take a nap, and come volunteer at the WGHS Senior Graduation Party!
Volunteers needed for late night shifts, 12:30-3am, and 2-6am.
Email Ellen Keller at kellerebills@sbcglobal.net for open positions and sign-up info.
Learn more about the Senior Celebration here: https://wghsparentsclub.org/pages/senior-party-2019
Health and Wellness Event Offered at Edgar Road Elementary
We have 2 weeks to go before the Webster Groves School District's Wellness Committee will be hosting its first Health and Wellness Event on April 13. The event will take place at Edgar Road Elementary school from 9am-noon. All district families and community members are encouraged to attend this FREE event, no RSVP or sign up needed. The event will feature breakout sessions and resource tables from community organizations, free raffle/giveaways, physical activities for families and kids to participate in together, and free food! All sessions and tables are centered around various health and wellness topics. Kids are welcome to attend any breakout session with their parents or can explore the resource tables and play family games with a parent.
Who is coming and what are the free raffle items? Click on the following link to see all the resource tables and presentations for the event, as well as a list of the current raffle items.
Please keep spreading the word to neighbors and friends! If you have any questions please free to contact Dr. Betsy Moppert, Wellness Event Coordinator, at moppert.betsy@wgmail.org.
Chartwell's Chat
Wester Groves High School
Bok Choy has been the March winner for Student Choice, the students love the Asian options including the tofu options. This month we featured basil tofu and Kung Pao tofu as a few of our vegan options.
Other Important News
Procedures for Check-Out During the School Day
We often get questions about how to check out of school early for appointments. If students know in advance that they need to check out from school, they should bring a written, signed note from a parent stating the time at which they are to check out. Students should present their request to the assistant principal’s office before school. Parents may also call in to the Assistant Principal's office ahead of time and have students check out at the designated time. When leaving school during the day, students must check out through the assistant principal’s office. If students do not follow this procedure, their absence will be considered cutting class. In case of sickness, students check out through the school nurse. In case of emotional upset, students should see their counselors or an administrator to discuss whether or not to remain in school.
When students need to check out of school early:
- Call the Assistant Principal's office before the designated time and report the absence. You may also send a note with the student to be presented to the Assistant Principal's office before school.
- At the designated time, your student will receive a pass to check out if you called ahead. The student will check out in the Assistant Principal's office.
- You do not need to enter the building if you have called the absence in and communicated a pick-up location with your child. However, if you choose to pick up your child in the building, you must do so in the Assistant Principal's office. Upon entering the building, sign-in in the main office and proceed to the Assistant Principal's office.
All attendance procedures are outlined in detail in the Student Handbook. To report your child's absence, please call your child's assistant principal's office directly:
Dwight Kirksey--918.4139
Shiree Yeggins-Campbell--918.4132
Angela Thompson--918.4127
John E. Thomas--918.4131
Webster Groves High School
Email: erb.mickey@wgmail.org
Website: hs.webster.k12.mo.us
Location: 100 Selma Avenue, Webster Groves, MO, USA
Phone: (314) 963-6400
Facebook: facebook.com/WGAlumni
Twitter: @WebsterGrovesHS