Matt's Monday Memo
October 28, 2019
Good morning, Staff,
Our most recent week included many exciting but taxing endeavors. Fall sports concluded or are entering postseason, Chicago dazzled those lucky enough to attend, and the high-standard instructional practices that happen every day at Webster Groves continued.
October is a challenge, so I do hope you let us know how we can support your work. The school we endeavor toward each day is one that concedes difficulty but is unrelenting in aspiration and the pursuit of our best. In light of the challenges we are presented, I am grateful for you and what how you impact our students.
Note below finalized plans for inclement weather that may impact our schedule. We have discussed models in department chair meetings and wanted to share our plan.
Regards,
Matt
*2019-20 School Calendar Days & Possible Changes*
Now that cooler temperatures are upon us, we acknowledge the possibility of inclement weather days. This year, we have four (4) inclement weather days built in our high school calendar. We have also designed a plan in the event of extra inclement weather days that we are sharing with you.
The state of Missouri now requires that district submit a plan of 1,080 attendance hours each year (includes minimum of 1,044 hours of instruction and 36 hours of inclement weather plans). This year, with our late-start schedule, students will attend 1069.13 hours, including four built-in inclement weather days. To ensure that we meet the 1,080 required attendance hours, we have provided the state of Missouri with a school calendar that includes an articulated plan in the event of additional inclement weather days beyond the four we have built in. After four snow days, our amended calendar will be as follows:
5th Inclement Weather Day
May 19 and 20 shall be converted to full attendance days; final exams will take place on May 20 in the morning, and regular instruction in the afternoon.
6th Inclement Weather Day
May 21 shall be converted to a full attendance day; final exams will take place in the morning, and regular instruction in the afternoon. May 22 shall become a half-day of finals.
The potential of a revised school year will NOT affect seniors and early check-out.
It will only be necessary to amend our school calendar with any of the above recommendations IF we miss more than four days of school due to inclement weather. This revision will ensure that the district calendar is in accordance with state requirements.
Peek at the Week
- October 28: Day 5 (NOT A LATE-START DAY!)
- October 29: Department Chair Meeting, 8:05 a.m.
- October 30: Senior Panoramic, 3rd hour
- October 31: End of Progress Period
- November 1: NO SCHOOL; PD Day
Celebrations
Congratulations to Donald Johnson for being recognized as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as the Teacher of the Month! https://www.stltoday.com/brandavestudios/teacher-appreciation/donald-johnson-encourages-students-to-find-more-to-the-story/article_adbb568a-f732-11e9-a6a3-439d8c1e5d45.html
Congratulations to Todd Schaefer, Sarah Romanowski, and the entire drama department for a terrific run of "Chicago!" The performances were phenomenal, and each night was a near-sell-out crowd.
Congratulations to our fall sports for wrapping up another great season.
Did You Know?
November 1 is our PD Day.
8:00-Meet in PV Commons for Launch Awards and updates
8:15-10:00—CLT round 1 (Department Chairs and Facilitators will send you these details)
8:15-8:45—Data, Now What? workshop with Patrick Bommarito and Mindy Siefert
*Science, Social Studies, Business, Innovation, Fine Arts, World Languages
*in PV COMMONS
10:15-12:00—CLT round 2
10:15-10:45—Data, Now What? workshop with Jessica Haskins and Tamara Rodney
*Math, English, Industrial Technology, FACS, PE, Counselors, Library
*in PV Commons
**SSD staff—join your content-specific CLT
12:00-1:00—The Parent Club is providing a soups and salads luncheon for Staff Appreciation in cafeteria
1:00-3:00—CLT Facilitators will meet with 6-8th grade staff for vertical work (a more detailed email is coming soon)
--all other staff will engage in CLT-driven work; the admin team will be checking in for individual and group support
Reminders/Announcements
- Reminder that students still must adhere to the dress code on Thursday, October 31. They cannot wear anything on their face and head (teachers follow this as well).
This Sunday, November 3, we will hold our Statesmen Showcase. Thanks to the many teachers giving up part of their weekend to assist. We are excited to make our community aware of the many outstanding things going on at WGHS.
November 1 is our PD Day. Angela sent an agenda, or you can refer to it above.
November 7 is our Veteran’s Day celebration (special schedule), and will be a big day for the high school. The Social Studies Department has invited over 50 veterans to attend social studies classes. Please introduce yourself when you see them in the hallways. Pat Voss will send out detailed information about the day’s events.
Teachers--if university students attempt to contact you about observation hours, they need to speak to Angela Thompson first. Please forward all requests to her for proper scheduling/planning.
- Remember to visit www.statesmensports.com for the latest athletic results.
Upcoming Professional Development
- November 1: PD Day