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.

I'm excited to see our students fully immersed in our 1:1 campus. Please remind your child to bring their learning device (school-issued Chromebook, personal Chromebook, laptop, or tablet) to school every day. If they have a school-issued Chromebook, please encourage them to take the best care of their equipment as possible, charge their device every night, and keep the Chromebook in it's protective case at all times. Remember that the device issued to your child is for school use. Devices should not be used by or loaned to anyone other than your child.

Our Administrative Team will be reviewing safety expectations and training this week. We have some new district-wide language to communicate internally and externally during alerts. When training occurs, we will attempt to provide the 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

As a reminder, cell phones may not be used during class. This includes listening devices such as Airpods, earbuds, and headphones. Overall, it has been a great start, and students have responded positively to the change.

It is recommended that students do not bring phones into the school building. If students do have a phone in their possession, at the start of every class period, students will silence cell phones and place them in a designated area where they will remain until the end of class. If students need to leave a classroom during class time, their cell phones must remain in the classroom. Cell phones may be used before school, during passing periods, during lunch, and after school. Cell phones should be put away during Advisory/Academic Networking, Independent Period, and Study Block.

Two Webster Groves High School students served as St. Louis County Election Board High School Student Election Judges for the August 6th Missouri Primary Election. Those students were: Henry Boland and Sage Finney.

Thank you for representing WGHS in such a positive manner!

Below is the Photography Schedule for Aug 22 and 23 at Webster Groves High School.

-Aug 22: Sophomores & Freshmen (Teachers will be following a schedule during Advisory period)
-Aug 23: Juniors will be dismissed by alphabet during 2nd/3rd hour
*Seniors: The last date to have your yearbook photo taken is August 29.

Online ordering is available before and after Picture Day at https://inter-state.com/

This event's Order Code is 87144SF

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.

We are ready to help get you started with the college application process. We hope that you'll join us as we detail the application process for students applying to college in the coming year.

Tuesday, August 27th at 6 p.m. in the WGHS Frick Theatre

(Students are welcome to join but will hear a similar presentation in their English course the following week.)

6:00-6:45pm: The College Application Process (when, how, transcripts, letters of recommendations, etc.) with Jennedy Lombard and Cassie Aschinger, WGHS College Counselors

6:45-7:30pm: Financial Aid 101 presentation with Hannah Smith, Program Coordinator, Office of Financial Services at Saint Louis University

Hannah will cover the basics of Financial Aid and recent changes to the FAFSA for the coming school year and answer your College Financial Aid questions.

Can’t make it? We will post a copy of the presentation info via Dr. Irvin’s eNews on August 29th.

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.

Hey, WGHS parents! It was great to see everyone who came out for the WGHS Open House! For those who missed it, and those who have yet to donate-- please help us kick-off our fundraising for this 24-25 school year! Please donate what you can, every little bit goes towards senior scholarships, senior party, teacher/staff grants, staff appreciation and campus beautification.

Also, check out this promotion! What better way to kick-off the inaugural season of the beautifully renovated Moss Field than with a discount on some new merchandise? This is something our entire community can get behind! Donate $100, and get a 20% discount in the spiritwear store through August 31, 2024.

Use the QR code or click on the link:

https://www.wghsparentsclub.org/PassTheHat

Welcome Back!

We are excited to welcome Dr. Jennifer Gross to our counseling center this year! She will serve as the Academic & Personal Counselor for students with Last Names L-Ri.

Our doors are welcome to all students with any concern throughout the school day, we look forward to working with you and your students this year.

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

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: Sophomores- Wednesday, October 9th, 2024, 8:25 am-noon

(students will be excused from class)

Juniors - Thursday, October 10th, 2024, 8:25 a.m.-noon

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

Next Week!

Senior Parent Night and Financial Aid Presentation

Tuesday, August 27th at 6pm in the WGHS Frick Theatre

(Students are welcome to join but will hear a similar presentation in their senior English class the following week.)

• 6:00-6:45pm: The College Application Process (when, how, transcripts, letters of recommendations, etc.) with Jennedy Lombard and Cassie Aschinger

• 6:45-7:30pm: Financial Aid presentation with Hannah Smith, Program Coordinator, Office of Financial Services at Saint Louis University

Keep an eye on your email for Dual Credit and Advanced Placement (AP) credit registration details for eligible courses. Deadlines are as early as Sept. 8th!

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.

Save the Date!

Junior Parent Night, Tuesday, September 17th

Junior parents! Please join Mrs. Lombard and Mrs. Aschinger as we “kickoff” college planning for the Class of 2025. 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 the following week.

Webster Groves School District uses the Raptor system for all visitors.

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.

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.

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