Notes from Dr. Irvin
Your WGHS Weekly eNews for August 22
Hello Parents and Guardians,
Thanks to all of our Webster Groves families for their support for an outstanding first week of school. We have seen so many strong indicators for the upcoming year--many students involved in after-school activities, earnest classroom settings, and students prepared to learn. Tonight we have the Activities Fair and Selma Street Dance, where our students and faculty will celebrate our first week with energy and excitement.
Our Administrative Team will be reviewing safety expectations and trainings. When our lock-out/lock-down training occurs, we will attempt to provide training in the effort to balance continued teaching and learning with tightened security. We are appreciative of the support of local law enforcement, our building staff, and our students for supporting our preparation. I am the parent of two school-age children as well, and I think of them and their safety each day. Part of the work of a school is to build a school culture that recognizes we have a shared responsibility to care and support each other each day.
Don't hesitate to call us at 314.963.6400 with any questions you may have. We are always here to assist.
Regards,
Matt Irvin
Our first day was full of positive energy!
Next Week's Schedule: A, A, B, C, A
A Peek at the Week Ahead
- August 25: WGHS Activities Showcase, 6 p.m.; Selma Street Dance, 7 pm (both events along Selma Avenue) (Students only, please)
- September 1: Late ID/Senior Pictures
2022-23 Late-Start Days
1:1 Technology Coming to WGHS for Freshmen/Sophomores
We recently sent communication to all 9th/10th grade families regarding our rollout of 1:1 technology. We are asking all freshmen/sophomore families to submit the WGHS 1:1 Technology Agreement at the links below:
9th Grade 1:1 Technology Agreement
10th Grade 1:1 Technology Agreement
CHROMEBOOKS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED BY MID-OCTOBER. THE SOONER YOU COMPLETE YOUR REGISTRATION FORMS, THE SOONER YOUR STUDENT CAN RECEIVE A CHROMEBOOK.
How to pay for your student's Chromebook insurance.
- Go to https://webster.revtrak.net/wghs/#/list.
- Click on “WGHS Chromebook Insurance” on the left side of the screen.
- Fill out the information needed for your purchase. If you wish to donate an additional $22 for a student in need, be sure to add that donation to your cart as well.
- Either log in or create an account through RevTrak to check out.
- Once you place your order, you will receive an email receipt in the email you used to sign up.
WGHS Attendance Procedures
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:
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.
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 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.
Create a Canvas Observer Account to Stay Connected
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:
- Canvas Informational Letter
- Creating an Observer Account, Logging into Canvas, and Setting Notifications
- 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
Camp Wyman Returns
What is Camp Wyman?
Camp Wyman is an overnight team building and outdoor leadership experience designed for our 6th grade students at Hixson Middle School, and it is a WGSD tradition. WGHS students who serve as counselors at Camp Wyman gain leadership and mentoring experience while also making the 6th grade camp experience an unforgettable one.
Why Should Students Be Camp Wyman Counselors?
Gain Leadership Experience
WGHS Wyman Counselors spend a week at Camp Wyman instructing and counseling younger students through diverse situations while being supervised by Camp Wyman and WGSD staff. It is a chance to lead with empathy, to practice real world problem-solving and to learn about effective leadership strategies.
Earn Elective Credit through the Chelsea Center
Through the goal-setting and reflection processes embedded into this week-long service learning experience at Camp Wyman, WGHS Counselors will earn .5 experiential learning/elective credit. Email Dr. Kerry Arens at arens.kerry@wgmail.org with any questions regarding service learning credit for Camp Wyman.
Complete Mentoring Hours for the A+ Program
By serving in a mentoring capacity for over 60 hours during the full week at Camp Wyman, students will satisfy the mentoring component for the A+ Program. Completing all of the components of the A+ scholarship program allows students access to scholarships to two year community colleges, technical schools and some 4-year universities. Additionally, funding has become available to support dual credit and dual enrollment courses through the A+ Program as well.
What’s required to be a Camp Wyman counselor?
Camp Wyman Counselors should be upperclassmen who work well with impressionable elementary age children, have outstanding moral character, are receptive to coaching and feedback, follow instructions and are dependable in diverse situations. Camp Wyman is a tobacco-free, alcohol-free and drug-free environment (abuse of any of these will result in dismissal from camp). There will be limited cell-phone usage during your designated camp week. WGHS Camp Wyman Counselors will turn their phones in and get them periodically during breaks throughout the week.
When is Camp Wyman?
Counselors should pick one week and should consult with families, teachers, coaches, club sponsors, etc. prior to committing to attending for the full week of programming.
Sept. 26-30: Training Day + Team Integrity Camp
Oct. 3-7: Training Day + Team Unity Camp
Oct. 10-14: Training Day + Team Bravery Camp
How do WGHS students express interest in becoming Camp Wyman Counselors?
Students can scan the QR code in the upper right corner and use their WGHS Google Account to complete the interest form and to share which weeks would work best for them.
Students familiar with the GivePulse platform may also search for 2022 Camp Wyman within GivePulse to access the same online form.
If students are not familiar with GivePulse or are having difficulty accessing the interest form, please see Dr. Arens or Ms. Willenborg in the Chelsea Center (Room 200).
How will students be notified of their acceptance as Camp Wyman Counselors?
Students will receive notification from Mr. Johnson, Asst. Athletic Director for WGHS. Then, students and families will complete various release and health forms prior to their attending Camp Wyman.
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!
September 1 is Late Picture Day
Inter-State Studios will be here on September 1 from 8-11 a.m. to take pictures of anyone who has NOT had a picture taken yet. We will call students out over the PA to go to the location TBD.
Yearbook Information
Important Dates
October 28: Last Day for $60 Early Bird Pricing
January 27: Last Day for $65 Pricing
January 27: Last Day for Guaranteed Pre-Order
Important Senior Dates & Links
October 28: Senior Ads (Click here to purchase! School #: 8459) & Baby Photos Due (Click here to submit)
October 28: Senior Quotes Due (Click here to submit)
Senior Baby Photo Submission Form
https://forms.gle/zayqdSKTsVugH1dF9
Senior Quote Form
2022-23 Spectator Information
WGHS Spectator Guidelines and Information to Purchase Season Passes and Single Game Tickets
We are excited for the beginning of the new school year and watching our student athletes compete during their seasons. This email is to give you information on admission prices to our home games and season passes.
WGHS will charge admission to the following home sporting events.
- Varsity Football - $5 (for regular season games)
- Basketball - $5 (any night there is a varsity game scheduled)
- Varsity Soccer - $3
- Volleyball - $3
- Please be aware that other schools that our teams play at may have additional sports that they charge for and possibly different pricing as well.
Single Game Tickets as well as Season Passes are available for purchase online at https://statesmensports.org/event-tickets.
All season passes are only available to be purchased online and will be a digital pass that can be saved on your phone and shown at games. All passes will be scannable once per game.
This year our All-Sport season passes will also be memberships to our new Statesmen Athletic Booster Club. You will notice that there are various levels of membership that include increasing numbers of season passes. Attached is a grid explaining the different levels.
If you have any questions or would like information on how to get involved with the booster club you can contact them at info@wgsbc.com.
Please review the information attached below regarding our football spectator guidelines.
Counseling News
PSAT Deadline is Approaching
The Preliminary SAT, also known as the PSAT, is a practice version of the SAT college admissions exam. In addition to being a practice SAT, the PSAT serves as the qualifying test for juniors for the National Merit Scholarship program.
Test Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 8:30am-noon (students will be excused from class)
Fee: $20
Who is eligible?: Sophomores and Juniors
To register: visit www.TotalRegistration.net/PSAT/263573
Deadline to register: September 11, 2022
Dual Credit and Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Registration is Open!
Did you know that there are more than 30 classes at WGHS offering college credit for students? An email was sent to all students (and their parents) in qualifying classes earlier this week. If you missed it or just want to plan ahead, view this document for details. Pay special attention to the following deadlines:
· MO State Dual Credit: www.dualcredit.missouristate.edu (Deadline: 9/20/2022)
· UMSL Dual Credit: www.umsl.edu/acp (Deadline 9/13/2022)
· AP exams: https://TotalRegistration.net/AP/263573 AND https://myap.collegeboard.org/login (Deadline 11/11/2022)
College Admissions Representative Visits Start Soon
Juniors—are you ready to start learning about colleges? Seniors—do you have questions about the application process for schools on your list? College representatives will start visiting WGHS the week after Labor Day-November 1st. This is a great opportunity to hear from colleges all across the country in the comfort of your own school. A list of colleges visiting will be posted on our Counseling Department calendar, in Naviance, and shared in our daily announcements. Students should stop by the Counseling Center to sign up to meet with schools they are interested in and to receive a pass to be excused from class. Be sure to check the calendar regularly as visits are being updated daily.
US Military Academy Day on Saturday, September 17, 2022 9:30am-noon at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, MO
Representatives of the US Military Academy at West Point, the US Air Force Academy, the US Naval Academy, the US Merchant Marine Academy, and the US Coast Guard Academy will attend. RSVP with Donna Hickman at academyday22@mail.house.gov.
Save the Date!
Senior Parent Night and Financial Aid Presentation, Tuesday, September 13 in the Auditorium
(Students are welcome to join but will hear a similar presentation in their senior English class prior.)
- 6:00-6:45pm: The College Application Process (when, how, transcripts, letters of recommendations, etc.) with Jennedy Lombard and Karen Verstraete
- 6:45-7:30pm: Financial Aid presentation with Hannah Smith, Program Coordinator, Office of Financial Services at Saint Louis University
Junior Parent Night, Tuesday, September 27 at 7:00pm in the Auditorium
Junior parents! Please join Mrs. Lombard and Ms. Verstraete as we “kickoff” college planning for the Class of 2024. Topics will include: college admissions testing, a timeline for the college search and application process, tools for conducting your search and more! Students are always welcome to attend but will hear a similar presentation in their English class prior.
Did You Know?
The Webster Groves School District uses a check-in system from Raptor Technologies to improve safety for students and staff by screening visitors, contractors and volunteers at all school buildings.
Here’s how it works: All school visitors will be asked to present identification, such as a driver’s license, which will pass through a scanner. Parents and other volunteers who visit regularly or participate in field trips only need to do this once. If you don’t have government-issued identification, we will enter the information manually. Within a few seconds, the Raptor system will check a visitor’s name and date of birth against a national database of registered sex offenders to ensure that offenders aren’t entering a school without our knowledge. No other information from the ID will be gathered or recorded.
Once an entry is approved, Raptor issues a visitor badge. Should the system find a match in the offender database, however, the school administrative assistant will receive a notification but no details. Only the assistant superintendent of human resources will have access to the results.
The safety of our students is our highest priority. This new system provides the schools a quick and efficient way to identify anyone who might present a danger to students. For additional information, we have provided a list of frequently asked questions, attached.
Thank you for your understanding as well as your support for improving safety in our schools. If you have any questions, please call me at 961-1233.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sandy Wiley
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources
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