As we enter into September, calendars are getting more crowded with national testing dates, a litany of high school activities, and numerous community options. Please take time for yourself and your child to slow down, to linger, to connect with each other. Parents of high school students often scurry from one event to another and have not prioritized the time we have remaining to see and listen to each other. My wife and I have aging parents remaining that warrant, not yet demand, our limited time. Our oldest is in college with our youngest in high school--the time has gotten away from us in our home, it feels. As both are seniors in their respective settings, they have transitions to weigh just around the corner. When looking back, our remorse centers around times we oriented our lives around something that in retrospect seems trivial now. I hope you take the time to count the cost of each item you and your child say yes to in your day. Engage in those you select, and do not look back on those you declined. A contemporary that works at Washington University recently shared with his charges, "You can do anything but you can not do everything." Be discerning.

Regards,

Matt Irvin

• 9/6: Assembly Schedule
• 9/6: Moss Field Grand Opening, 6:30pm, Moss Field

Lilah Oelke, sophomore, will be presenting at the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative and StL Children's Hospital's 12th Annual Scientific Sessions conference in mid-September.

Lilah will be discussing her experiences at Camp Rhythm and the teen Pulse group. We're proud of you, Lilah!

A late-start schedule allows time for instructional staff to collaborate in Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs.

Extra time allotted for instructional staff is the only time teachers of the same course can meet in PLCs to provide a guaranteed viable curricular experience for students, which includes:

• Essential content and skills students need to know for a particular unit

• Common assessments to determine if students have mastered those essential skills

• Adjustment of instruction and design interventions to help students who need additional support, and they design enrichment opportunities for students who already have an understanding of certain concepts

In order to accommodate PLC time, we will have a late start on 16 days out of the school year. School will start at 9:40 a.m., and most periods will be 40 minutes on those scheduled dates. Instructional staff will meet with their PLCs from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m., and the building will be open to students at 9:25 a.m.

Bus transportation will be modified to accommodate the new schedule. Parents who drop off their students before school should make arrangements to drop off at 9:25 a.m. or after. We currently will not schedule any before-school activities/meetings on the late-start days to allow staff time to meet.

Bus Pick-up Times

Our first WGSD LATE-START DAY is Monday, September 9, 2024. Our buses will pick up students at their stops about 1 1/4 hours after your regular pickup times. All First Student bus riders should have received an email with their pick-up location and time. If you have any questions, please contact Beverly Brooks at brooks.beverly@wgmail.org.

VICC bus riders should have received notification directly from VICC. Please contact VICC at 314.721.8657 with any questions.

WGHS Spectator Guidelines and Information to Purchase Season Passes and Single Game Tickets

We are excited for the beginning of a new school year and watching our student athletes compete during their seasons. This email is to give you information on admission prices, season passes as well as spector expectations(please see attachment).

WGHS will charge admission to all 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 we play, may charge and at different price and for other sporting events.

Single Game Tickets as well as Season Passes are available online at Webster Groves Hometown Ticketing.

*After purchasing, an email with a QR code will be sent to the email you used to register. This QR code will get you into the game.

Class of 2025 Commencement Ceremony

May 17, 2025 6:30pm

Chaifetz Arena

• Doors will open for guests at 5:30 p.m.

• Guests: We are not limiting the number of guests per graduate.

• Tickets: There will be no tickets for entry to Chaifetz Arena.

• Parking: Parking is paid by guests in the Olive/Compton garage. Fees will be announced in the spring. Street parking is available but limited.

• Duration: The ceremony lasts approximately 1.5 hours, depending on the size of the class.

A $60 fine has been assigned in Infinite Campus to all seniors. If you've already paid the fee, your fine will be removed. Payments in Revtrak are reconciled each business day.

The preschool is run by our Advanced Child Development students and supervised by a FACS teacher who is certified in both FACS and early childhood. The preschool will offer young students in our community a hands-on learning experience in a nurturing environment.

The program operates Tuesday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. for children ages 3-5. Students can enroll for any number of days and each day is $5. For enrollment information, please reach out to Mrs. Alissa Griffing at statesmenpreschool@wgmail.org.

The Chelsea Detrick Experiential Learning Center works to match students with experiences that align with careers they want to explore, passion areas of interest, and service learning opportunities. We ask students: "What lights you up inside?" Then we work together to take that interest further.

Our elective-credit classes, diverse array of opportunities, and personal assistance are available to ALL students. By providing students with the chance to wonder, design, tinker, collaborate, adapt, and communicate, experiential learning prepares students for the excitement and challenges of their current and future lives. Students can come see us anytime upstairs at WGHS in room 200 to learn more. Follow along with our current opportunities via our newsletters posted at bit.ly/chelseacenternews.

This week’s featured experience is an upcoming trip 9/25 to the Missouri Botanical Garden to learn about the diverse set of career paths and job opportunities that exist, from horticulture to data management to marketing. Come “try on” some of these potential jobs to see if one might fit. Students sign up at bit.ly/mobotjobs24 or come by the Chelsea Center room 200 to get registered. Each WGHS student is granted one day excused absence for job shadowing per year, and this will be a half-day opportunity.

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 Dates:

Fee: $20, waiver available for students on Free or Reduced Lunch
To register visit: www.TotalRegistration.net/PSAT/263573
Deadline to register: September 6, 2024

• Thank you to all who attended our Senior Parent Night on Tuesday. For those who couldn't make it, here is a link to the presentation that was shared by the college counseling team and our financial aid presentation from St Louis University.

• 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.

Important Upcoming Dates:

September 17th -Junior College Planning 6 p.m. Parents of Juniors. Students are welcome to join.

October 3th - College Fair @ Lindbergh High School 6-7:30p.m. All are welcome to attend.

October 9th - PSAT testing date (Sophomores only) 8:25 a.m.

October 10th - PSAT testing date (Juniors Only) 8:25 a.m.

Our Counseling Team:

Academic & Personal Counseling

Ellen Dorsey (A-D)

Ken Winingham (E-K)

Jennifer Gross (L-Ri)

Bianca Haghighi (Ro-Z)

College & Career Counseling

Cassie Aschinger (A-K - Class of 2025) (L-Z - Class of 2026 and beyond)

Jennedy Lombard (L-Z - Class of 2025) (A-K - Class of 2026 and beyond)

Counseling Department Chair

Rick Cusumano, Webster Academy Counselor, 504 Coordinator

Barb Smith, Counseling Center Secretary

Anne Gibbs, School Social Worker

ATTENTION SOPHOMORES!

Mark your calendar for SOUTH TECH PREVIEW NIGHT, October 23, 5-7 PM. All students interested in applying to Tech are strongly encouraged to attend and learn more about our school, programs, and the opportunities we offer.

South Tech applications for August 2025 will open September 3, 2024 at 8:30 AM. Early application deadline is December 19th.

About South Tech:

At South Tech, we provide students with real-world experiences, real-world skills, and engaging, hands-on learning to prepare them for college and careers. We celebrate the pursuit of their passion and help them find the right pathway to their own success. Our partial-day schedules keep students engaged in their home high school academics and activities while they enjoy experimental learning in Tech's elective courses.

Our tuition-free, career and technical education (CTE) majors allow students to explore their career interests before graduation while earning industry certifications, college and high school credits, and skills that will last a lifetime. We work with an impressive list of business and industry partners that provide our students with mentorship, internships, apprenticeships, part-time employment, scholarships, and full-time employment offers after high school. Our students are in demand.

Visit our website at www.southtechnical.org

Click here to view the South Tech Video

For questions about South Tech or to make an appointment to speak with a representative please email Katie Miller at kamiller@ssdmo.org.

Need assistance with Infinite Campus? Email your questions to campus.help@wgmail.org!

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.

Parents & Guardians Getting Started Guide

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: www.webster.k12.mo.us/wghs
Location: 100 Selma Avenue, Webster Groves, MO, USA
Phone: (314) 963-6400
Facebook: facebook.com/WGAlumni
Twitter: @WebsterGrovesHS