Anthony Kennedy served as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court after Reagan nominated him from 1988 until stepping down in 2018. After retiring, he spoke of a “crisis of civility” facing our nation--a lack of devotion to responsibility and rationality. The intervening years since Justice Kennedy's comment have not seen improvement. Historically when the nation has been in a real or perceived predicament, education has served to salvage our republic. Part of the effort relates to the role formal schooling has on developing character in individuals and the collective. However, character cannot be downloaded; it resists swift attainment in spite of the desire by parents and schools. Character is "engraved" and "deeply etched” according to Kierkegaard and the product of years of imprinting.

That imprinting happens in small moments, guiding conversations, and in response to difficult events in life and in schools. Those moments happen at WGHS, fostered in the classroom, outside during athletics and activities, and at times, completely independent of us. I am convinced the most fruitful opportunities come in moments of cool feedback, failure, or whichever term used to represent when things are not perfect. I was with Navy Seals in their training setting last summer, and they spoke of the "perfect fragiles," that never experienced struggle until their Seal training, where they were unable to navigate the lack of success.

This work and responsibility is so much larger in scope, then preparing for an intervening period of four years to attend a university, enter a career, or calling to service. We work with our students with the ambition of launching a life of purpose and kinship.

Best,

Matt Irvin

10/10: Broadway Revue, Frick Theater, 7pm

10/12: Band Mattress Sale, Roberts Gym, 10am-5pm

This past weekend our choir students auditioned for the SLS(St. Louis Suburban) District Choir Auditions. Twelve students auditioned to make the district chorus, which is an honorary performance/clinic with all St. Louis County High School choral programs and world-renowned conductors/composers. Of 500 auditionees throughout this suburban district audition process, eight of our Webster students made the chorus, and two are now eligible to audition for the All-State Chorus (the highest performance achievement that a Missouri High School student can achieve). Congratulations!

SATB Mixed Honor Chorus Members(187 members this year):

Cami Smith (12th)- All State Auditionee Qualifier

Carl Ellis (12th)- All State Auditionee Qualifier

Amelia Mueller (10th)

SSA Treble Honor Chorus Members(98 members this year):

Jenifer Carr-Schwartz (11th)

Phoebe Dunn (9th)

Adalyn Hahn (12th)

Charlotte Hoff (9th)

Zodiac Ryan (12th)

Please mark your calendars for our fall conferences below:

October 15

4:30 -8:30 p. m.

In-person, scheduled

October 16

4:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Virtual, scheduled

October 17

8:30 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.

Virtual, scheduled

This fall, conferences will be held in person on Tuesday evening and virtually via Zoom on Wednesday evening, and all day on Thursday. All conferences are scheduled using PTCFast.com.

The purpose of the conference is to give parents and teachers an opportunity to discuss student progress and to work together to ensure student achievement. Parents should know the names of the teachers they wish to visit within each department. We urge you to schedule as many of your child’s teachers as time permits. Up to SEVEN minutes will be allotted for each conference.

We will be using the PTCFast system for scheduling conferences. Please see instructions below on how to schedule conference times.

As you prepare for conferences, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Teachers will call all parents who they have the greatest need to meet.
  
• Please check your child's progress online in the Parent Portal. This will assist in determining whether you need to schedule a conference/meet with a teacher.
• You may choose not to see all or any of your child's teachers, depending on their progress.
• For specific questions, an email to the teacher may suit your needs.

We look forward to meeting with you. If you desire more than the seven minutes allowed at these conferences, please set up an individual teacher conference by contacting the teacher directly.

How to Schedule Conferences with Your Child's Teachers

All conferences will be scheduled online using www.ptcfast.com (even in-person conferences on Tuesday evening). Please note that you must have a personal email account (ex. Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) in order to schedule a conference for your student. Conferences will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. You must register your student for each teacher with whom you wish to meet.

1. Please click on or enter the following web address into your browser window to get started: https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Webster_Groves_High_School_1
2. Next, select your child's teacher; you can select more than one if applicable to your family.
3. You will then register your child's name, then your name and contact information. This creates a registration for each child and sends you a confirmation email with a link to choose a conference time for that teacher. It is a two-step process, as the first registration just gets you into the system. Going to the email that is generated from your registration and clicking on the active link will allow you to choose a conference time for the teacher.
4. Once you have chosen a time for each teacher with whom you wish to visit, you will receive a confirmation email with the schedule.

Schedule your conferences now!

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.

The Chelsea Detrick Experiential Learning Center works to match students with experiences aligning with careers they want to explore, passion areas of interest, and service learning opportunities. Our elective-credit classes, diverse array of opportunities, and personal assistance are available to ALL students. 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 a reminder that we can help students who are pursuing their A+ hours find connections to service learning that includes the mentorship component the A+ program requires. Have your students stop by to talk with us, or independently explore their GivePulse account opportunity listings.

If your child feels ill during the school day, encourage them to see the school nurse.

If your student contacts you directly to report an illness please ask them to go to the nurse. She is able to excuse students with guardian/parental consent, and this will allow for better disease surveillance that will ultimately enhance control efforts.

Also, please note that any medications for your child must be administered by you or the school nurse. You cannot drop off any medications.

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