I am so grateful to be an educator with the access to the work our staff does with children. As will undoubtedly be the topic of conversation next week at conferences, students don’t always find qualified success in the first attempt. Learning, especially something complex, requires repeated exposure and corrective feedback. The best settings have balance of purpose and care that move our work closer to understanding a concept, a skill, or perhaps another person.

I am always impressed by our students' thinking and skills they display each day. I advocate for students to leave us as Artisans, Citizens, and Scholars. Perhaps most especially in the arts, which I implore them to continue when they depart WGHS. Music and other mediums share the beauty, angst, and complexity of the lived experiences in a unique way.

Please note our Street Fair tonight that will feature some of the many areas of our students’ talents, including many in the arts.

We're also looking forward to meeting with you October 17-19 in person or virtual during Fall Parent Conferences. Please see detailed information a little further below on how to sign up.

Regards,

Matt Irvin

You're invited to the Chelsea Center Annual Learning in Action Street Fair on October 5 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Selma Avenue in front of Webster Groves High School! This event is to showcase the many talents our high schoolers exhibit through their various unique clubs and activities here at WGHS. Please consider attending the event to support your student or their fellow peers as they demonstrate the wonderful skills they have accomplished!

• 10/5: Chelsea Center Learning in Action Street Fair/Open House, 6-8pm, Selma Avenue
  
• 10/6: Progress Grades on Portal
• 10/9: Late-Start A Day; school starts at 9:40, and doors open to students at 9:25
  
• 10/11: PSAT Testing for Sophomores
• 10/11: Parents' Club Meeting, 7pm, Library
• 10/12: PSAT Testing for Juniors
• 10/14: WGHS Band Mattress Sale; Ivory Crocket Run for Webster

Gracie Giles, junior, was honored to be one of 62 apprentices to design and paint a mural for the Gateway Arch Foundation and Old Courthouse! Gracie's mural depicts Dred and Harriet Scott. These murals are located in downtown St. Louis, on the 4th Street side of the Old Courthouse.

The mission of St. Louis ArtWorks is to enrich the lives of the region’s youth by providing art education, essential job skill training, and exposure to career opportunities through paid apprenticeships in the arts.

Tuesday, October 17

In-person at WGHS, scheduled

4:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 18

Virtual, via Zoom

4:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 19

Virtual, via Zoom

8:30 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.

Departments will have a rotating 10-minute break on each day.

This fall, conferences will be held in person on Tuesday evening and virtually via Zoom on Wednesday evening, and all day on Thursday. All conferences are scheduled using PTCFast.com.

The purpose of the conference is to give parents and teachers an opportunity to discuss student progress and to work together to ensure student achievement. Parents should know the names of the teachers they wish to visit within each department. We urge you to schedule as many of your child’s teachers as time permits. Up to SEVEN minutes will be allotted for each conference.

We will be using the PTCFast system for scheduling conferences. Please see instructions below on how to schedule conference times.

As you prepare for conferences, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Teachers will call all parents who they have the greatest need to meet.
  
• Please check your child's progress online in the Parent Portal. This will assist in determining whether you need to schedule a conference/meet with a teacher.
• You may choose not to see all or any of your child's teachers, depending on their progress.
• For specific questions, an email to the teacher may suit your needs.

We look forward to meeting with you. If you desire more than the seven minutes allowed at these conferences, please set up an individual teacher conference by contacting the teacher directly.

How to Schedule Conferences with Your Child's Teachers

All conferences will be scheduled online using www.ptcfast.com (even in-person conferences on Tuesday evening). Please note that you must have a personal email account (ex. Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) in order to schedule a conference for your student. Conferences will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. You must register your student for each teacher with whom you wish to meet.

1. Please click on or enter the following web address into your browser window to get started: https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Webster_Groves_High_School_1
2. Next, select your child's teacher; you can select more than one if applicable to your family.
3. You will then register your child's name, then your name and contact information. This creates a registration for each child and sends you a confirmation email with a link to choose a conference time for that teacher. It is a two-step process, as the first registration just gets you into the system. Going to the email that is generated from your registration and clicking on the active link will allow you to choose a conference time for the teacher.
4. Once you have chosen a time for each teacher with whom you wish to visit, you will receive a confirmation email with the schedule.

If your child feels ill during the school day, encourage them to see the school nurse.

If your student contacts you directly to report an illness please ask them to go to the nurse. She is able to excuse students with guardian/parental consent, and this will allow for better disease surveillance that will ultimately enhance control efforts.

Also, please note that any medications for your child must be administered by you or the school nurse. You cannot drop off any medications.

We are seeking feedback on our College Planning events, please complete this 3 question survey.

• For students taking the PSAT next week, they should plan to arrive to school no later than 8:00 a.m. to begin testing. They should bring a fully-charged school-issued Chromebook. If your student has not been assigned a school device this year, please fill out this form, so that one may be available to you on test day.

• For Seniors who are applying to college and need to request transcripts or letters to accompany their application, please reference our College Application Guide.

• Juniors and Seniors are invited to attend our College Representative visits during the school day. Please visit our counseling webpage to view the calendar and stop by the counseling office for a pass.

• AP Exam Registration is now open! Students/Guardians enrolled in eligible classes have been emailed detailed registration information. Click here to begin registration. Registration deadline is November 10, 2023.

Important Upcoming Dates:

October 11 - PSAT testing date (Sophomores only) 8:00 a.m. Students should bring fully charged school-issued device for testing.

October 12 - PSAT testing date (Juniors Only) 8:00 a.m. Students should bring fully charged school-issued device for testing.

October 29 - National College Fair @ Saint Louis University 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

November 10 - AP Exam Registration deadline

Does your child have a 504 or an IEP? Then let’s meet!

No matter what level of support your child needs to achieve, we are stronger together! The purpose of the Parents Advisory Council is to support one another for our children to have an inclusive school experience.

For the 2023-24 school year, the Parents Advisory Council is scheduled to meet four times. Each meeting will consist of a topic and/or guest speaker and time to get to know one another. Feel free to bring in your own meal or snack.

Meetings will be on the following dates at Global Brew in Rock Hill on Tuesday evenings from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

November 14

February 13

April 9

For questions please contact JJ Gossrau at JJ.Gossrau@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

OPUS (Orchestra Parents United for Students) is a parent-led organization committed to enriching the Webster Groves Orchestra program through fundraising opportunities and community events.

Call your child's AP office to report an absence, late arrival, or early departure. Checking out early? When leaving school during the day, students must check out through the assistant principal’s office.

Student Early Release:

1. We require at least one hour notice when calling your student out 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.

2. 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.

3. You will NOT 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 at the main entrance on Selma Avenue. Upon entering the building, check in with the receptionist. Please bring your driver's license if you are checking in. The receptionist will contact the Assistant Principal’s office to send for your student. Please be aware that not calling ahead to schedule an early release can take up to 30 minutes to send for a student.

Webster Groves School District uses ParentSquare for school communication, primarily with email, text and app notifications. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each parent, using their preferred email address and phone number. We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified.

To stay connected with the learning in our classrooms, please create a Canvas Observer Account which is our district's learning management system. You will find three helpful documents below:

1. Canvas Informational Letter
2. Creating an Observer Account, Logging into Canvas, and Setting Notifications
3. Student Accessing Canvas

If you have any questions please contact Tim Brown, Director of Student Assessment, Data and Learning Technologies at brown.tim@wgmail.org.

The Spirit Store is open! Hours are 8-9:15 a.m., Tuesday - Friday.

The online store is open 24 hours a day at https://www.wghsparentsclub.org/spiritwear.

Every time you shop at the Spirit Store, you are supporting student scholarships and teacher grants!

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