Important dates
September 24 - end of secret mission #1
September 28 - Growth plans due
October 1 - Mayes is out of the building
October 4 - Picture retake/make up day
October 6 - Installation of coffee and water machine in faculty lounge
October 8 - Flu Shots + Atterberry out of the building
October 9 - Staff visit to EarthDance Farms
October 14 - PTO meeting, Hixson Library, 5:15 pm
October 15 - Vogt out of the building
October 19 & 20 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 4pm - 8pm
October 21 - Parent Teacher Conferences - 9am - 4pm; NO SCHOOL for students
October 21 - Admin at DLT, 8:45 am - 9:45 am
October 21 - Mayes at New Admin meeting, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
October 22 - NO SCHOOL (comp day)
November 1 - Hixson staff at Camp Wyman
November 8 - School Improvement Team meeting
November 24 - 26 - Thanksgiving Break
87th issue of Hixson Happenings
Click HERE to read the most recent Hixson Happenings!
Click HERE to read the most recent Hixson Happenings!
Masks
As you know, the Webster Groves School District has a mask mandate. All students and staff should wear their masks covering the nose and mouth at all times while in the building. Students should not be sitting in classrooms with their masks below their noses. If you see a student wearing a mask improperly, please prompt the student to fix it. If the student refuses, please notify the grade level principal as soon as possible. If you observe students who are not wearing their masks properly in the halls, please prompt them to fix it. If I see a student not wearing their mask properly, I make eye contact with the student and firmly instruct the student to pull the mask up. There are other times when I make eye contact and point to my mask, which prompts them to pull it back up. The bottom line is, if you see it, address it. If the student gives you a problem, let us know so we can address it. Our desire is to make sure all students and staff feel safe at school. This is going to take effort from all of us. Thank you for helping to ensure mask wearing is taken seriously at Hixson!
As you know, the Webster Groves School District has a mask mandate. All students and staff should wear their masks covering the nose and mouth at all times while in the building. Students should not be sitting in classrooms with their masks below their noses. If you see a student wearing a mask improperly, please prompt the student to fix it. If the student refuses, please notify the grade level principal as soon as possible. If you observe students who are not wearing their masks properly in the halls, please prompt them to fix it. If I see a student not wearing their mask properly, I make eye contact with the student and firmly instruct the student to pull the mask up. There are other times when I make eye contact and point to my mask, which prompts them to pull it back up. The bottom line is, if you see it, address it. If the student gives you a problem, let us know so we can address it. Our desire is to make sure all students and staff feel safe at school. This is going to take effort from all of us. Thank you for helping to ensure mask wearing is taken seriously at Hixson!
Reimbursements
Requests for reimbursements need to be approved by me before the purchase is made. I cannot be blindsided by expenses that I didn't know about because I've had no opportunity to budget for them. I will not approve reimbursement requests if I was not previously notified of the expense. Your purchases should go through your department chair(s).
Where should you enter your grades?
It slipped our minds to address this directly at the opening faculty meeting. You are only required to enter grades in SIS. You do not need to enter grades in both SIS and Canvas. SIS is our official system for reporting. If you choose to enter grades into Canvas, then yes, Canvas and SIS need to match. This is the same thing we did last year. If you have a question or issue, please reach out to Hixson administration directly.
SEL, Equity and Panorama
Many of you have probably heard about the walk out that occurred yesterday at Parkway Central High School. It was very tough to watch. I was an assistant principal there when they had their first walk out in April of 2019. To be frank, that was one of the worst days of my career. I didn't sleep for at least three weeks after that walk out. It was a tough end to the 2018-2019 school year.
Regardless of what people think or say, two things that are consistent across both walk-outs is this - there are so many students and adults who are hurting because of hate speech and other forms of racism and bigotry AND students are crying out for an opportunity to be heard. Hixson Middle School is no exception to this. There are many similarities between what I heard in the Central students' speeches yesterday and what I have heard our students express here at Hixson. As educators, events like these should cause us to pause and ask, how do we create a school environment where all students and staff feel safe and respected? How do we consistently provide authentic opportunities for all students to be seen and heard?
The first step is to get feedback from students on how they are experiencing our school. This will be the purpose of our Panorama surveys. We will administer the same survey to all students three times per year through Statesman Time. The survey will ask our students approximately ten SEL/Equity/School Culture related questions. We will review the data and determine what our next steps need to be. Our goal is to see improvement throughout the school year.
We will also ask staff about their experiences here at Hixson as well. As I mentioned in our development on September 17, it is important for staff to have a voice as well so that we can make sure you feel like a valued and respected member of the Hixson staff. The staff survey will be anonymous.
The window for the Panorama surveys will most likely open in mid-October. I will confirm the dates with you early next week.
Religious Holidays
There are several religious holidays that come up throughout the school year that are observed by many of our students and families. Please note, absences due to religious observances are excused absences. We will not penalize students for missing class work or not completing homework while they are away from school for religious reasons. There are times when a religious observance could mean no access to technology or engaging in school work. If a student is absent due to a religious observance, please be flexible with the student as needed. The student may need extra time to complete assignments.
Bus Transportation Update
First Student has made changes to the bus routes and pick up/drop off times to ensure students get to school on time. The new arrival time for all buses except bus 3 is now 8:05 am. Bus 3's arrival time is now 8:10 am. We are hoping to see our late bus situation improve with these changes.
First Student has made changes to the bus routes and pick up/drop off times to ensure students get to school on time. The new arrival time for all buses except bus 3 is now 8:05 am. Bus 3's arrival time is now 8:10 am. We are hoping to see our late bus situation improve with these changes.
Flu Shots - October 8, 7:15 am - 8:45 am
Flu vaccines are scheduled at Hixson for Friday, October 8 from 7:15 am to 8:45 am in the faculty lounge.
Flu vaccines are scheduled at Hixson for Friday, October 8 from 7:15 am to 8:45 am in the faculty lounge.
- WGSD staff insured by Anthem need to bring their insurance card so that the member ID can be documented on the consent form.
- SSD staff insured by Coventry need to do the same.
- If you are pregnant, please let Amy Hensley know so they can bring the preservative free vaccine for you.
- If you do not have the district health insurance, they will submit to your insurance. However you will have to fill out some paperwork and you will need to bring a copy of the front and back of your insurance card along with a copy of your driver’s license. Accepted insurances include Aetna, Cigna, Essence, Humana, HealthLink, Medicare and United HealthCare.
- If you don’t have insurance the cost is $30 (cash or check payable to VNA) for the Quadrivalent shot, $32 for preservative free and $55 for the high dose (for persons 65 years and older).
- Just a reminder, there is no live flu virus in flu shots. FLU SHOTS CAN NOT GIVE YOU THE FLU.
WGSD Foundation Grants are back!
The Webster Groves School District Foundation will be awarding grants again for the 2021-22 academic year! Grants are available to any teacher, staff, parent or student with an innovative idea to be implemented in the WGSD schools. To be awarded a grant there are a few important steps and deadlines that you don't want to miss:
- Everyone that wants to apply for a grant must fill out a preliminary application before October 15. This application is a few simple questions to get an overview of your grant concept to determine if it meets the Foundation's standard of innovation. Once this preliminary application is filled out you will receive a response within a few days.
- Once the concept for the grant has been approved, the mini or major grant application must be completed by November 24th. A mini grant is up to $1,000 and a major grant is $1,001-$15,000.
- All grants must include a detailed budget on how funds will be used. Don't worry, we provide a budget template here.
- Approved grants will be awarded at the beginning of February 2022.
- More details about the application process can be found on our website.
The Foundation watched each of you innovate your way through 2020-21 and we are grateful for all you do for all our students. Raising money to award grants so you can continue to lead the way in teaching at WGSD is an honor.
Reach out with any questions, thoughts or feedback.
Kristina Stuber
Executive Director
Webster Groves School District Foundation
400 E. Lockwood Avenue
Webster Groves, MO 63119
Cell: 314-518-3389
kristinastuber.wgsdf@gmail.com
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