Notes from Dr. Irvin
Your Weekly WGHS eNews for April 11
Hello Parents and Guardians,
Good afternoon,
We had an outstanding Activity Day earlier this week. The weather was great, and the students were very excited to engage and serve. Our freshmen did a great job at the Future Leaders Amazing Race, that was an extension of the summer work of Future Leaders. Chelsea Center staff spent hours coordinating outstanding service opportunities for our sophomore students. The Junior Special Olympics is once again getting much praise from the community. Seniors enjoyed their breakfast, hearing potential commencement speeches, and an afternoon at AMP Up Action Park. Like any project involving over 1400 students and staff from Webster Groves High School, several hundred athletes, and many sites, it was not flawless, but it was inspiring and very worthwhile.
I appreciate the efforts that everyone put into this special day--parents, students, and our staff. I also want to thank Cliff Ice for his time spent scheduling and coordinating the events for this day.
Best,
Matt Irvin
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 11: Parents' Club General Meeting, 7 p.m, Library
- April 12: Progress Reports available on the Portal
- April 12: Statesmen Service Awards, 7 a.m., PV Commons
- April 13: ACT
- April 15: Band Awards, 6 p.m.
- April 17: NHS Induction Ceremony, 7 p.m., Auditorium
- April 19: WGHS GSA Day of Silence
- April 19: Top Hat Awards, 7:15 a.m., Auditorium
- April 19: EOC 2-4-6-1
Celebrations/Announcements
Congratulations to Ethan Ryan and the entire cast of "It's a Mystery." This was an excellent student-written play with a small cast, but the characters were rich and unique.
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.
EOC--Important Information
As spring sets in, students begin preparing for important exams at WGHS. The End-of-Course exams, which begin soon, test students in the areas of Biology, English II, and Algebra II. The testing window is April 19 – 26. Also coming up are the AP tests in early May. Please ensure that your student gets plenty of rest during this critical time.
For EOC testing, I’d like to remind all parents that The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not allow cell phones to be present in the testing room. Students should leave their cell phones at home or in their lockers during the testing window. Teachers will be collecting any phones that are brought into the testing room. Per DESE regulations, if a cell phone is visible or sounds during testing, the student in question will have their EOC scores voided/canceled.
The English II EOC has a listening component this year, and each Sophomore will need to have ear buds when they are testing.
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 17, 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
THIS SATURDAY, 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.
You won't want to miss the 2 Keynote speakers from 9am-9:45am, discussing both Opioids and Addiction as well as the 5 basic physiological functions that can help your mental health. Children/Students are more than welcome to come and listen to either speaker's presentation with their family.
From 10am-noon, there will be 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 raffle items.
https://bit.ly/2I1anBq
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.
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