Notes from Dr. Irvin
Your WGHS Weekly eNews for March 31
Hello WGHS Families,
I hope all of our students, staff, and WG families had a restful break last week. The break saw many accomplishments by our students in athletics, activities, and the arts. Today we hosted a new hire for next year and they were ecstatic to note how many kind and welcoming students and staff they encountered. While this year has been challenging in many ways, our WGHS community continue to alongside students as trusted guides and mentors during the challenging journey of adolescence.
Best,
Matt Irvin
Next Week's Schedule: Late-Start A, C, B, A, A (please note change)
A Peek at the Week Ahead
- April 4: Late-Start A Day
- April 5: Junior ACT Test (C Day)
- April 6: Parents' Club Meeting, 7pm, Library
- April 8: Progress 5 grades available on Parent Portal
- April 8: Statesmen Service Awards distributed (no in-person ceremony)
2021-22 Late-Start Days
Celebrations
Annie Lopolito is a winner for the annual student poetry contest sponsored by The Wednesday Club. She will read her poem at their formal tea on April 13.
Our chess team of Joe Harned, Tristan Archer, Andrew Voelker, and Ben Dunsford placed second in the state championship tournament on March 19 at Battle High School in Columbia!
Congratulations to our Statesmen and Stateswomen Basketball Teams
Congratulations to the Webster Groves High School boys varsity basketball team, Missouri state champions!
Congratulations to the Webster Groves High School girls basketball team — the Stateswomen took third place in the Class 5 state championships!
Important 2022-23 Immunization Information
https://health.mo.gov/living/wellness/immunizations/pdf/2023schoolrequirements.pdf
Statesmen Service Awards are Virtual This Year
We look forward to announcing our Statesmen Service Award recipients on Friday, April 8, 2022. Although this year's Statesmen Service Awards will not be held in person, their recognition will not go unnoticed!
Assistant Principals will personally deliver the Statesmen Service Award certificates to these students during class in the morning. And one special recipient will receive the Dotty DeLassus Award for volunteering the most hours over four years at WGHS. We will proudly give a shout-out to these students in the daily announcements and showcase these award recipients in our display case at the main entrance. Be on the lookout in the next parent newsletter, email and on social media so you can see what a stellar job these students did giving their time to others!
Trauma-Informed Sexual Abuse Training at WGHS
Beginning last school year, Missouri State Statute 170.045 requires that students in grades 6-12 receive trauma-informed developmentally appropriate, sexual abuse training. The school district shall notify parents or guardians in advance of the training required under this section, of the content of the instruction, and the parent's or guardian's right to have the student excused from the instruction.
In accordance with Missouri state law, beginning this school year and every year thereafter, our district will provide age - and developmentally sexual abuse prevention education to students in 6th - 12th grade. The goal of this programming is to keep your children safe. Under Missouri law this education will include the following components:
Instruction providing students with the knowledge and tools to recognize sexual abuse,
Instruction providing students with the knowledge and tools to report an incident of sexual abuse,
Actions that a student who is a victim of sexual abuse could take to obtain assistance and intervention, and
Available resources for students affected by sexual abuse
Students will complete the training during 2nd hour on April 14, 2022. Families choosing to excuse their student from the instruction will need to complete this form by Monday, April 11, 2022.
As always, our school counselors and social workers will be available to answer questions and provide support to students.
Should you need additional support, please visit these websites with resources for sexual violence and support for students and families.
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. Learn more at www.rainn.org.
Safe Connections is one of the St. Louis region’s oldest and largest organizations working to prevent and end domestic and sexual violence while helping survivors thrive. Learn more at safeconnections.org.
As a reminder to families, all school staff are mandated reporters but anyone can report suspected child abuse and neglect. Mandated reporters "who know or have reasonable cause to suspect" are required by law to report child abuse and neglect. The hotline number for making reports is 1-800-392-3738.
If you have further questions, please contact your child’s assistant principal or counselor.
Thank you,
WGHS Administration
COVID-19 Testing at WGSD
The Webster Groves School District will offer COVID-19 testing for the public from 2-4 p.m. on Thursdays in the board room at the central office, 400 E. Lockwood Ave. Testing will continue to be offered here on Thursdays at this time except for during spring break.
Rapid antigen and PCR testing will be available through Visionary Vaccine Services. No appointment is needed. Masks will be required. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent of guardian. Your insurance will be billed for the service and there are no fees for the uninsured. Everyone tested will receive a letter documenting the date of service, type of testing and results.
Testing will also be offered for the public in other school districts:
Mondays and Wednesdays in the Ladue School District at the Fifth Grade Center, 10900 Ladue Rd., inside the lower level athletic entrance to the building from 9-11 a.m.
On Tuesdays, at the Clayton District's Administration Center, #2 Mark Twain Circle in Clayton, from 9-11 a.m.
2022-23 Bus Transportation
The Webster Groves School District is currently determining transportation needs for the fee-based service for the 2022-2023 school year. If your student will be attending Webster Groves High School or Hixson Middle School and you would like bus transportation for your student for the 2022-2023 school year, you must complete the application at the link below. Even if your student rode the bus last year, you must fill out a new application for the 2022-2023 school year. Please read the information in the link and fill out the form if you want your student to ride the bus for the 2022-2023 school year.
Application deadline is May 15, 2022.
Thank you,
WGSD Transportation
314-963-6413
News from the Chelsea Center: WGHS’ In-house Experiential Learning Center
What is Experiential Learning?
Experiential Learning (ExL) is the process of creating knowledge from direct experience. Chelsea Center students engage in ExL learning through community-based experiences & reflection on those experiences.
How can my child get involved?
All students now have access to a Chelsea Center course that connects them to our new online platform, GivePulse. Within GivePulse, students can search for opportunities in service learning, internships, and leadership programming, as well as summer opportunities. We also meet with students one on one and in small groups to coach them through finding the just-right experiences for them. We are in Room 200 at WGHS and are eager to help!
Opportunity Spotlight
Check out these new opportunities available through GivePulse via the Chelsea Center Canvas course.
SLU Summer Web Development
Get the most out of web development! Students will explore what the Internet truly is and the basics of how it operates. Next, students will learn what the World Wide Web is, how it relates to the Internet and the basics of how to build a web page using HTML5, JavaScript and CSS. From there, students will wade into more advanced concepts, such as client side functionality (JavaScript) and server side functionality (ASP.NET, Python, PHP or others), connect web functionality to database functionality to build dynamic web pages using JQuery, explore AJAX and RESTful protocols, XML, JSON and more.
MIZZOU’s College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Life Science Quest Summer Camp
If your child’s favorite subjects are biology, chemistry, or plant and animal sciences, then check out Mizzou’s FREE Life Sciences Quest Academy from July 24-28, 2022. At Life Sciences Quest, students will learn about animals, humans, plant sciences, food sciences, and nutrition. Students will have hands-on experiences in biochemistry and nutrition labs at Mizzou's research farms, tour various science-and research-related businesses and have opportunities to learn from professionals in science-related industries.
Personal Employment
Does your child have a part-time or full-time job this summer? Encourage them to sign up for the Personal Employment summer school course. In this Chelsea Center course, students will learn how to articulate their learning from work in polished anecdotes, perfect for future interviews for jobs, scholarships and college applications! Through this course, students can earn elective credit as they earn their paychecks.
Did You Know?
All juniors will take the ACT on April 5 from 8:30am-noon. Detailed information about test administration and testing locations have been communicated with all juniors.
To Report an Absence, Please Call:
Counseling Office Updates
College Fair at Maryville University on April 24
The Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling is hosting a college fair on Sunday, April 24th from 1-3pm at Maryville University. Click here to see a list of colleges and programs attending.
Interested in attending a selective university? Concerned you don't know the expectations for applying and for acceptance to a selective university? Worried about how to pay for college once you are accepted? Whether you are a freshman, sophomore or junior, if you are considering applying to a selective university, there will be valuable information shared in these webinars.
Please join us for free virtual presentations on April 13 & 14. Get the Inside Scoop on Selective University Admissions directly from admissions officers from University of Chicago, University of Miami, Wake Forest University and Tufts University.. Two topics will be presented each night followed by time for Q & A with the two admissions officers presenting. Registration will give you access to both evening presentations (you may attend one or both sessions). See details below.
Wednesday, April 13; 7:00-8:00 pm CDT
Preparing for College - Will Smith, University of Chicago
Applying to College - Charles Cammack, University of Miami
Thursday, April 14; 7:00-8:00 pm CDT
Alternative Approaches to Starting College - Susan Faust, Wake Forest University
Paying for College - Rae Deveney, Tufts University
Click this link to register for the Zoom webinars on April 13 & 14:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6616419191597/WN_YZsQOZ7LSguYk6G3una9iw
Digital Strike Will Award Online Google Career Certificates
Local digital marketing firm, Digital Strike, has announced they will be awarding 20 area high school students an opportunity to complete an online Google Career Certificate.
Upon completion, this certificate will propel students on the fast track to in-demand jobs within fields that are and will continue to be crucial to our country’s economy, including technology, science, business, finance, energy, and more.
For more information and to apply visit https://www.digitalstrike.com/google-growth-with-digital-strike/
College Admissions Testing
We have fielded a lot of questions regarding the ACT and SAT lately. Here's an article with answers to some of the top questions we hear.
2022-2023 Course Selections
Counselors are meeting individually with all students (during their Science class) to review student transcripts and finalize course requests for the 2022-2023 school year. Parents can view their child’s course requests in the parent portal by selecting the 2022-2023 school year (dropdown menu in upper right hand corner) and selecting “Course Requests” (menu on left). Please reach out to your child’s counselor if you have any questions.
In Person College Visits are Back
Beginning this week, admissions representatives will visit to meet with prospective juniors and seniors to share information about their institutions. Students who would like to meet with admissions representatives should sign up in the counseling office ahead of time and will receive a pass from class. To visit the full calendar, click here. Check back frequently as visits are being added daily.
College and Career Night Recordings
Thanks to those who joined us for College and Career Night on February 8. Couldn’t make it? Here’s a link to view the recorded sessions.
Upcoming ACT and SAT National Test Dates (Saturdays)
Junior parents: Is your child planning to attend a four year college or university? While many colleges have been “test optional” for the past two years as a result of covid, plans for next year are not yet clear and many colleges will still require ACT or SAT scores for admission and/or scholarships. Here are the ACT and SAT test dates for the rest of the school year.
Shop the Parents' Club Spirit Store!
The Spirit Store is open! Hours are 8-9:15 a.m. daily.
The online store is open 24 hours a day at https://wghsparentsclub.org/collections.
Every time you shop at the Spirit Store, you are supporting student scholarships and teacher grants!
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