Notes from Dr. Irvin
Your WGHS Weekly eNews for April 9
Hello WGHS Families,
I hope you are all well and connecting with your loved ones. Public schools and the people that make them up are a reflection of the community they serve and we are saddened by loss, inspired by the gallantly we witness all around us, and hopeful of better days ahead.
As I shared with our leadership team this week, we are very much like a navigational tool you might utilize to arrive at a specific location. When our course changes, we have to continually rethink both the destination and the best way to arrive. In doing so, we have to "recalculate," perhaps making different turns or pathways but being guided by the same aspirations.
We appreciate our community and our role in ensuring wellness and continued learning for our students. We will be in communication as we recalculate after each new learning we encounter.
If you are seeking more E-learning info, go to our website: https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/Page/23157
Best,
Matt Irvin
Summary of Message from Dr. Simpson from 4/3
In the effort to be mindful of the work around e-learning, we will begin taking each Friday to focus on supporting student engagement and refining our work around distance learning.
Each teacher will have their established office hours and no additional instructional material/lessons in the effort to promote mastery of the essential work assigned for engagement. Students can also use those days to contact counselors, prepare for AP test, or engage in other pursuits that promote wellness.
Some guiding principles of student support days:
Teachers and staff will work to support students and their learning through communication they have already accessed with students and families
Collaborating with colleagues on best practices for distance learning with district-based support and PLC teams within their respective departments
Allow students that did not have needed access the chance to have more support and time
Students: Are You Overwhelmed With Too Many Google Classroom Emails/Notifications?
Follow these steps to turn off your notifications in Google Classroom:
- Log in as student using wgcloud.org account.
- Go to Google Classroom (search for it in the address bar or click the small grid in the upper right corner and Click the Classroom icon).
- Click the 3 bars in the upper left-hand corner of the Google Classroom home page.
- Click “Settings.”
- Click the toggle button to turn off specific notifications of your choosing
- find these under Comments and Classes You're Enrolled In
- grey is OFF, blue is ON
Video walkthrough to Change Email Notifications: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TYEYrmUtIc-NSTt2yG1Zm9b3HOzmyDnk/view
Change Frequency of Guardian Email Summaries as a Parent
The default is for summaries to come once a week. You can change the frequency of the summaries for all classes at once.
- Start in the email account where you receive email guardian summaries
- At the bottom of any class email summary click "Settings"
- You will be asked to sign in to your Google/gmail account if you aren't already
- You will see a heading labelled "Frequency," below that click "Daily" or "Weekly"
- You do not need to click Save or similar, it will just change for all Classroom classes
- Daily summaries are sent Monday - Friday afternoon, no weekend emails.
- Weekly summary is sent on Friday afternoon
**Also, please note, if a teacher doesn't add anything new, that class will NOT be listed in the summary.
Video walkthrough to Change Frequency of Guardian Email Summaries: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kG5VADsrVfZQDQ7R3zgZwCG_dLEKTANW/view
Need more Google Classroom tips? Visit our website's E-Learning page!
Office Hours by School Subject/Department
Visit our website for the most up-to-date E-Learning resources and information.
- General information on the importance of E-Learning, expectations, length of assignments and workload, and what to expect while school is closed
- Resources for support, including counselor contact information
- Tech hotline
- Office Hours by department
- Resources for time management and a custom WGHS Weekly Planner
Visit us HERE or click below for more information!
A Peek at the Week Ahead
- April 10: Progress grades available on Portal
Statesmen Service Award Recognition
Tomorrow, April 10, we will be celebrating our Statesmen Service Award recipients for the 2019-20 school year. Students and parents--check your inbox tomorrow as we will honor these committed and thoughtful students who have made a difference in their community by volunteering over 50 hours during the year! We will also honor one senior with the Dotty DeLassus Award who volunteered the most hours in his/her last four years at Webster Groves High School.
Reminder....keep a log of any volunteer work you may be doing during this time of distance learning and also during the summer months ahead so you can participate in next year's Statesmen Service Awards. Any questions, contact Julie Simonson (Assistant to John E. Thomas, Assistant Principal) at simonson.julie@wgmail.org.
Status of WGHS Events Through May 12
April 2-4 Spring Play, Canceled
April 10 Statesmen Service Awards, Online
April 14 School Service Day, Canceled
April 17 Top Hat, Online Presentation
April 18 Prom, TBD
April 20 Band Awards, Online Presentation
April 21 NHS Induction Ceremony, Canceled
April 22 Jazz Concert, Canceled
April 25 Schoemehl Run, Virtual
April 28 Band Concert, Canceled
April 29 One Acts, Canceled
April 30 Senior Awards, Online Presentation, May 3
May 6 STUCO Banquet, Online
May 6 Choir Concert, Canceled
May 7 Statesmen Sports Awards, Online Presentation
May 8 WG A Cappella Extravaganza, Postponed
May 12 Orchestra Concert, Canceled
May 12 Graduation, TBD
Don't see an event listed above? Please check with individual sponsors for updates. We will send out information as we receive it.
Prom is Postponed: A Message to Our Seniors
Prom is not able to go on as scheduled this year. The Planetarium is closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic on our scheduled April 18th date, and St. Louis City and County have both issued Stay-at-home Orders during that time.
We are still hoping to have a prom this year, and we are considering different options to make this happen. We may be able to hold the event at the Planetarium at a later date, or it may be an option to have it at WGHS. The situation is evolving, but we are doing our best to hold prom in some fashion if we can.
We know that you have been looking forward to prom and are sorry to have to share this news. We will let you know the updated plans when we have more information.
Take care of yourselves!
A Message About Sophomore Service Day
We hope you are taking care of yourselves and each other during our time apart from one another. We wanted to send a quick update on one of the Chelsea Center’s favorite days of the year: Sophomore Service Day. Since Webster Groves School District has moved to a distance learning format, Sophomore Service Day, originally scheduled for April 14, 2020, is canceled. We look forward to supporting your children in serving their communities in the near future!
Sincerely,
Team Chelsea
Kerry Arens, Dana Miller, and Chay Turner
Face Mask Strap Activity for 3D Printers
If you have a 3D printer at home, here is an excellent idea!
School Celebrations/Announcements
Columbia Scholastic Press Association announced the winners from its 37th Gold Circle Awards program.
Three Echo staffers were Gold Circle Winners. Senior Ethan Weihl won first place for his Video News Package "Students Walkout to Raise Climate Change Awareness,"senior Lindsey Bennett won third place for her News Feature "New Program Facilitates Student-Created Businesses," and graduate Sean Mullins won a certificate of merit for his Entertainment Review "Electric Retrospective - Review: ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ Reflects Poorly Upon Interactive Media."
This year, these categories attracted 5757 yearbook and digital media entries submitted in 91 categories.
These entries come from publications produced by students at colleges, universities, and secondary schools through the United States and abroad who follow an American education plan.
Entries were accepted from student yearbooks and digital media publications published from October 2, 2018 through October 1, 2019. Student journalists working on these print or electronic media chose from 39 yearbook categories and 52 digital media categories.
Student journalists working on these print or electronic media chose from 39 yearbook categories and 41 digital media categories.
In summary, judges cited a total of 656 winners for yearbook and digital media for either First, Second or Third Place or for Certificates of Merit for those deemed worthy of honorable mention in a category. Entry categories included those for yearbooks and for digital (online) media, in its annual competition for individual achievement by student writers, editors, designers and photographers.
Congratulations to all of our winners!
A Message from Our Counselors
While conducting school virtually, WGHS school counselors and social workers will continue to support the academic, social and emotional, and post-secondary planning needs of our students. Our office hours are from 8:30-9:30am daily (for immediate attention) but we are available by phone or email throughout regular school hours. Please see our contact information below and reach out with any questions or needs you may have. Students can also request assistance by completing this form and their counselor will follow up with them.
Additionally, there are a number of outside agencies and organizations available to provide support to young people and their families during this difficult time. Below is a list of resources available to you and your family.
Virtual Counseling: Parents or guardians should call the numbers below to set up services.
CHADS Coalition: 314-952-8274
Preferred Family Health: 314-729-7050
St. Louis Counseling: 314-544-3800
Online Resources:
Unicef: How Teenagers Can Protect Their Mental Health During Coronavirus (COVID-19)
18percent Coronavirus Mental Health Resources
St. Louis County Resources (including help with food, utilities, rent, and mental health)
Special School District’s Family Resource Page
If you need support and cannot wait, please use one of the crisis numbers below:
Youth Connection Helpline: Call (314) 819-8802 or text BHEARD to 31658
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
Child Abuse and Neglect: 800-392-3738
For emergencies, please call 911
As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing you all soon!
Sincerely,
Alex King
Counselor (A-E)
314-666-0220 king.alexandra@wgmail.orgKen Winingham
Counselor (F-K)
314-252-8194 winingham.ken@wgmail.orgJoe Hepfinger
Counselor (L-R)
314-918-4133 hepfinger.joe@wgmail.orgSimone Cunningham
Counselor (S-Z)
314-918-4134 cunningham.simone@wgmail.orgKaren Verstraete
College & Career (A-K)
314-301-9921 verstraete.karen@wgmail.org
Jennedy Lombard
College and Career (L-Z)
314-384-9658 lombard.jennedy@wgmail.orgAnne Gibbs
Social Worker
314-527-4753 gibbs.anne@wgmail.orgSuzanne Goldstein
SSD Social Worker
314-918-4281 goldstein.suzanne@wgmail.orgAnn Marie Guntli
SSD Social Worker
314-384-9723 guntli.ann@wgmail.orgBarb Smith
Office Assistant
Transcripts and Summer School
314-918-4138 smith.barbara@wgmail.orgBrittany Hill
Office Assistant
Scholarships
314-527-0533 hill.brittany@wgmail.orgCounseling Department Updates
AP Testing Changes
- Traditional face-to-face exam administrations will not take place. Students will take a 45-minute online free-response exam at home.
- Some students may want to take the exam sooner rather than later, while the content is still fresh. Other students may want more time to practice. For each AP subject, there will be 2 different testing dates.
- The full exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will be on each AP Exam, and additional testing details will be available by April 3.
- We will share information as it becomes available to us. Questions? Contact our AP Coordinator, Jennedy Lombard, at lombard.jennedy@wgmail.org
SLU and UMSL Reopen Registration for Dual Credit
In light of changes with AP testing, UMSL and SLU have decided to reopen registration for dual credit. SLU has already opened their website for registration (Adv. Forensic Science and Oceanography) with a deadline of April 5, 2020. More information from UMSL will be shared as we receive it.
Summer School 2020
The summer school planning for summer 2020 has been placed on hold in light of our current educational situation. Students will not lose classes in which they have been assigned. Once we receive more direction from DESE we will be able to provide additional information regarding our summer school programming for summer 2020.
Thank you for your patience with programming!
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