January 15 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, no school

January 17 & 18: NWEA Testing

January 18 - Incoming 6th grade parent night, 6pm

January 22 - Late Start Day (school starts at 9:40 am)

January 24-26: 5th, 6th, & 7th grade students will enter course requests for 24-25 school year

February 7 - 8th grade to SLU Basketball trip

February 8 - JA Finance field trip, 7 Integrity

February 13 - Orchestra Pops Concert @WGHS, 6:30 pm

February 16 - District PD day, no school for students

February 19 - President's Day, no school

February 23 - 8th grade party!

February 26 - Late Start Day

March 7 - PTO Meeting, 6pm

March 8 - 3rd quarter ends

March 11 - Late start day

March 12 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 4-8 pm, in person

March 13 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 4-8 pm, virtual

March 15 - 22: Spring Break, no school

March 25 - Late Start Day

The 8th grade Band and Advanced Orchestra students visited each elementary school in WGSD today to showcase their wonderful talents as music students at Hixson! Thank you to Mrs. Grubb (orchestra teacher), Mr. Stevison (band teacher), and Mrs. Tokos (band teacher) for organizing the tour and doing such a great job of advertising parts of our music programming to our incoming students. Thank you to the elementary principals for letting us visit, and of course, bravo to our students!

At Hixson, we administer the NWEA Benchmark assessment to all Hixson students in August, January, and May. Students are tested in Math and Reading. The results of this benchmark test helps us monitor our students' progress in math and reading over time, and helps us make important decisions about academic interventions and enrichment opportunities that will foster academic success for all students. We also use NWEA results to help us determine what instructional adjustments need to be made so we can better serve our students. Many Hixson teachers have been having conversations with their students about their NWEA scores and setting academic goals. Many students are assigned practice in online platforms such as Khan Academy, IXL, or Common Lit to work on personalized academic goals that were created based on their NWEA scores from previous testing windows.

Parents and guardians can support NWEA benchmark testing by making sure that your child is present for school on time on testing days with a charged Chromebook, a well-rested mind, and a positive attitude. While this testing does not count for a grade, it does help us make very important decisions regarding your child's academic success. Please encourage your child to take this testing seriously and do their absolute best.

Click the link below to watch an informational video about NWEA, and you can also view the schedules for NWEA testing below.

Thank you for your continued support of Hixson Middle School!
Dr. Mayes

Please visit the Amazon Wish List to purchase items for the party and the Sign Up Genius to donate bottled water and to sign up to chaperone the party.

Admin and counselors visited sixth and seventh grade classrooms this week to share information about course requests for next school year. Students were given a Course Description Guide and a Course Planning Form. You may find these documents at the links below. The Course Planning Form should be brought back to school by January 23rd. Admin and counselors will be back in classrooms January 24-26 to assist students with entering their course requests into Tyler SIS. If you have any questions about courses for next year, please reach out to your grade-level principal or counselor.

7th Grade Course Description & Planning Form

8th Grade Course Description & Planning Form

Join the WGSD PTO equity committees on Monday, Feb. 12, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Givens Elementary School Auditorium for “Rising Together: Family Work for Racial Equity.”

It’s been 10 years since Michael Brown was killed and the Ferguson Uprising inspired commitments to racial justice. Come hear where that work stands now, how high school students who came of age in a post-Ferguson world assess their landscape and the work that lies ahead, and how you can lead your family to ensure our community's children have the opportunity to rise together.

Childcare will be provided in the Givens cafeteria. If you plan to use childcare, please let us know in advance by filling out the form at bit.ly/RisingTogetherChildcare. Questions? Contact WGSDRisingTogether@gmail.com.

Email: mayes.shenita@wgmail.org
Website: https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/Hixson
Location: 630 South Elm Avenue, Webster Groves, MO, USA
Phone: 314-963-6450
Facebook: facebook.com/HixsonMiddleSchool