Seniors:

This newsletter has A LOT OF IMPORTANT AND TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION. Please save this newsletter to your Bookmarks tab so you can refer back to it.

Parents:

You are receiving a copy of this message that was sent to Seniors. Many/most of these tasks must be done by Seniors (including the forms that must be filled out, which require students to be logged into their WSD accounts). Please remind your senior to read their email and take appropriate action.

The Counselors get incredibly busy this time of year; it is difficult to stay on top of emails and voicemails while juggling graduation, scheduling, dual enrollment, honors, AP exams, etc.

The BEST way to make sure you are getting timely answers to any of your questions is for the Senior to come to the Student Center during Soar (Lunch) Time, or if they are not in the building during Soar Time, they can come down when they are in the building. Thank you!

The bulk of this newsletter is exactly the same as what was sent out on Sunday, April 13th. The following information has been added/updated:

• The Elementary Schools have shared information regarding their "Clap-Out" events for former students.

• Seniors' last day was announced: May 20th. Bridgewalk information was updated.

4/15/25

• Transcripts - previously this section only gave information about how to request a high school transcript. It has now been updated to include how to request transcripts from Colleges if you took dual enrollment or dual credit courses, as well as AP Test Scores from College Board.
• Graduation Info - the link for ordering graduation ceremony photos from the professional photographer has been added to this section.

Below is a summary of important dates and deadlines; each of these items is explained more fully in a section below; I just wanted you to have all of the dates in one spot to refer to easily.

• April 18th - regular registration deadline for the May 3rd SAT (if needed for Honors)
• April 25th - RSVP deadline for LHS Decision Day celebration
• May 1st - All A+ Hours are due; extensions must be requested by the student IN PERSON
• May 1st - MANDATORY Xello Senior Exit Survey due (all seniors)
• May 2nd - LHS Decision Day (optional)
• May 2nd - Honors Graduation Applications due (optional)
• May 4th - Preferred date for Grad Night Registration Forms (T-shirt guaranteed if paid by this date)
• May 14th - Senior Sunset (6:30-8:30 LHS Football field - Students Only)
• May 15th - WSD Scholarship Award Night (7pm at Liberty; invitation only)
• May TBD -

1. Seniors' Final Exams (each teacher may handle this differently)
2. Seniors turn in Chromebooks (prior to last day of attendance)
3. Seniors' Last Day & Bridge Walk (Bridge Walk happens on the Seniors' last day of attendance)
4. Exact date of last day of attendance will be decided at the April WSD School Board Meeting, scheduled on April 17th

• May 28th - MANDATORY Graduation Practice at LHS (10 am in Small Gym)
• May 28th - Final Transcript Requests due in Xello (REQUIRED for all college-bound students)
• June 1st - Commencement Ceremony (Graduation), 12:30 pm at St. Charles Family Arena
• June 1st - Grad Night Lock-In (10:00 pm - 3:00 am @ Renaud Center in O'Fallon)
• June 2nd - Registrar sends final transcripts to colleges (ALL colleges require Final Transcripts)

A few weeks ago, a new screen was added to the Student and Parent portals in Focus dedicated to the summary of your A+ requirements. It is one of the options on the Demographic Information menu.

On this new A+ Information screen you can view:

• Your 4-year cumulative attendance percentage (A+ requires 95% or higher)
• The number of tutoring/mentoring hours you have completed and the number of job shadowing hours you have completed (A+ requires 50 total hours);
• Hours are due by May 1st; please come speak to me in person if you believe you will need an extension.

You can see some other requirements on other Focus screens:

• You can view your unweighted GPA on the Grades page (A+ requires a minimum unweighted 2.5 GPA)
• You can view your math assessment scores on the Testing page. The options to meet this requirement are:
• Algebra I or Algebra II EOC: score of Proficient or Advanced - OR-
• ACT or Pre-ACT math subtest score of 17 (GPA of 2.5-2.79), 16 (GPA of 2.8-2.99), or 15 (GPA of 3.0+)

Other requirements that must be met:

• US Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident
• A+ Agreement on file
• Good Citizenship (no more than 10 days of ISS/OSS combined, cumulative over 4 years)
• 2 years of attendance at an A+ eligible high school
• Complete the FAFSA (2024-2025 FAFSA for Summer courses and 2025-2026 FAFSA for Fall courses)

APPEALS:

If you need to Appeal your attendance or citizenship:

• The STUDENT will need to write a letter addressed to the A+ Appeals Committe and explain the reason for not meeting the requirement.
• For attendance appeals, you should attach documentation of the absences you are trying to get forgiven (doctor's notes, etc.).
• For discipline appeals, I recommend that you include letters of character reference to support your appeal. Letters and supporting documents should be printed out and turned in to me IN PERSON, and I will forward to the committee for consideration.

MISSING MATH REQUIREMENT:

If you have not met the math requirement. we have three options for this:

• Pre-ACT (waiting for the exact price, but likely around $20-21)
• ACT (Once April ACT scores are in, please let me know if you got a qualifying score; if not, you may continue taking the ACT in June, July, and even into the fall to try to meet this requirement, but April is the last test scores that would allow you to be recognized at Graduation)
• EOC (must request to be on the list for this; testing in early May; this is the only FREE option)
• Please come see me IN PERSON before WEDNESDAY of THIS WEEK (4/16) to get your name on the Pre-ACT list and/or the EOC retake list

ALL STUDENTS must complete the Senior Exit Survey in Xello by May 1st. If you forget to do the Survey, you will be required to do it before you can enter graduation practice. Please avoid creating long lines and being late to practice by just getting the form submitted on time!!

To access this survey in Xello:

• Go to WSD Bookmarks
• Click on Classlink, and Sign In with Google
• Choose Xello
• From the Xello Dashboard, click on Surveys
• Complete the "24-25 Senior Graduation Form (MANDATORY)
• For Question #7: if you are attending any type of college, they require a Final Transcript. Please provide their name and address.

Please fill out this 2025 Academic Honors Application if you believe you may meet the criteria for ANY honor that is recognized at Graduation (see list below). This form is due NO LATER THAN MAY 2nd (which is also LHS Decision Day).

If you still need to take a College and Career Readiness test to meet the requirements for Academic Honors and/or Cum Laude, your last option is to take the May 3rd SAT. The deadline to sign up for the SAT is April 18th (regular fee) or April 22nd with a late fee. Register online at www.sat.org.

LIST OF HONORS RECOGNIZED AT GRADUATION

• Academic Honors
• Cum Laude, Magna cum Laude, or Summa cum Laude Honors
• Missouri Bright Flight Recognition (minimum 31 ACT Superscore; minimum 1590 SAT)

• Seal of Biliteracy
• Associates Degree from SCC
• Skills USA Award
• NHS
• A+
• Perfect attendance 9-12th
• WSD Pathway Completion (must have submitted an application by the 4/4 deadline for this)

Every year at this time, high schools across the country designate a day as "Decision Day." This is a day to celebrate the decisions that you have made for life after high school. Liberty will be hosting Decision Day on Friday, May 2nd.

** This is an event to celebrate EVERY senior's decision, not just those planning to attend university.**

We have to pre-order food and we will be creating a special, personalized gift for attendees... so we need students to submit the LHS Decision Day RSVP Form by Friday, April 25th

Here is what you can expect:

• Wear some gear to school on May 2nd that represents YOUR Decision (shirts, hats, etc.)
• During Soar Time, come to the small gym to have some pizza, fill out a pennant with your plans (college, university, technical schools, military, work, charitable service, etc.), get your special gift, and celebrate with your friends
• Put a pin in our huge map that shows WHERE you will be in the fall
• Snag a photo with your friends with graduation-themed photo props and get a Decision Day foam finger, plus we will have a big group foam finger photo!!

Don't miss out on this fun senior memory! See some pictures below from last year's celebration.

• All registrations received by May 4th are guaranteed to receive a Grad Night t-shirt!
• VENMO your payment first
• THEN turn in the permission form in the LHS Main Office (form is attached below to print out at home or you can pick up a printed copy in the Main Office)
• The VENMO account is @LHSGRADNIGHT-WENTZVILLE (do not use the QR code; link is wrong).

May 14th

6:30 - 8:30 PM

LHS Football Field

Student Only Event

• JUST IN CASE... keep your calendars open for May 15th. The ceremony begins at 7pm.
• This is an invitation-only event. If you receive an invitation, it means that you have been selected as the winner of at least one local scholarship.
• Invitations will be emailed no later than 5/1 at 2:30 pm (and MAY be sent out sooner if we have all of the names of winners early).
• ALL Seniors and Families will receive an email that notifies them that invitations were sent in a separate email, so that you aren't just wondering if the invitations are still coming

• Senior final exams may be handled differently by each teacher.
• Teachers will communicate their final expectations to each class individually.
• If you have specific questions please contact your child's teacher.

• SAVING YOUR GOOGLE DRIVE FILES: Graduates, your Wentzville (@wsdr4.org) accounts will be turned off on July 31. If you'd like to take a copy of your Google Drive files, please follow the directions on this document: https://tinyurl.com/wsdseniors
• STICKERS: As we collect Chromebooks from seniors during Final Exams, many times there are multiple stickers remaining on their Chromebooks. Technology is asking that we remind students to remove any stickers that they placed on them (with the exception of the WSD decal, Asset Tag, and name label). This will greatly assist as we clean the Chromebooks up for other uses in the district.

You can drop off any items to avoid fines and fees after the school year wraps up. The office is open Monday - Thursday 7 am - 3 pm for item drop-off. Please have your name on the items (post-it works perfectly).

Items to consider:

• Chromebooks (including cases and chargers)
• Textbooks
• Library Books
• Other Misc. items

SENIORS' LAST DAY will be May 20th.

BRIDGE WALK: Families, please join us on the seniors last day - May 20th. You will be waiting for the seniors "across the bridge" to welcome them as they leave Liberty High School for the last time. The Bridge walk ceremony will begin around 1:55 pm on May 20th. Families are invited to greet the seniors across the walking bridge. We encourage families to arrive at 1:45 pm and to park in the stadium lot. For more information on "what" the Bridge Walk is, please read below.

A tradition is an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior. It is the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another.

To symbolically mark the end of your senior year, we will participate in the Liberty Bridge Walk. Your families are invited to help “welcome” you across the bridge and into the next phase of your life.

Traditions bond people together as a shared experience. No other high school in Wentzville has a tradition of leading in the freshmen and leading the seniors out*, which is also symbolic. At Liberty, we think outside the box. We are creative and we dare to try new things. We are also welcoming and value a family atmosphere.

*Oscar Wilde said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Others have tried to mimic this tradition, but this tradition belongs to YOU! #Eagleskingdom

• Clap outs are organized by the individual elementary schools. Below are links to the event details provided by the elementary schools. Please contact them with questions.
• Caps/Gowns will be distributed at Graduation Practice on 5/28. This means that seniors will not have them in time for the Clap Out events. DO NOT contact Jostens to ask about getting your cap and gown early.
• Other schools have solved this problem by wearing college t-shirts to Clap-Out events.
• PRAIRIE VIEW Clap-Out Flyer
• DUELLO Clap-Out Flyer
• DISCOVERY RIDGE Clap-out Flyer
• CROSSROADS Clap-Out Flyer

• If you ordered a cap & gown you will receive it at graduation practice.
• Graduation Announcements have been delivered. If you have not picked yours up, please visit the main office ASAP.
• If you have outstanding balances on caps/gowns/graduation items, please pay Jostens directly. Items will not be distributed until balances are paid.

• If you have not ordered your cap & gown please go to jostens.com to complete this purchase.
• If you will be wearing a previously used Cap and Gown, you don't need to order a new set. However, you DO still need to order a 2025 Stole and Tassel. Make sure to get those ordered ASAP.
• If you are unable to pay for your Cap and Gown, please reach out to your child's counselor.
• THE ONLY REGALIA (medals, cords, stoles) that you are allowed to wear at graduation are those ordered through Jostens and/or those that are awarded by Liberty. If you have purchased other regalia/personal decorations, please do not attempt to wear those to Graduation, you will be asked to remove them.

Contact Information:

ShowMe Traditions LLC

Kalyn Davidson

(573) 442-2855

showmetraditions@jostens.com

• ALL colleges require proof of graduation -- This is your "final transcript"
• By Wednesday, May 28th, all college-bound students must request a Final Transcript through their Xello account
• If you applied through Common App, there is not a spot for you to indicate the college for your final transcript; I will use the college you listed in your Senior Exit Survey to know where to send the "Final Report" in Common App (which contains your final transcript).
• If you applied directly on the College Website, follow these steps:

1. WSD bookmarks
2. Classlink
3. Sign In w/ Google
4. From Dashboard choose College Planning
5. Choose either "View applications" or "Create New Application"
6. Find or add the college that you will attend full time for the Fall 2025 Term
7. In the Application Checklist section, either "Request" a transcript (if you've never requested one before) or click on the Options drop-down on the right to "Request New Transcript"
8. You should choose "Final Transcript"

• If you will need additional transcripts sent to other places (SCC for summer classes, employers, military recruiters, NCAA, NAIA, you need to also fill out the LHS Transcript Request Form and give it to Mrs. Schock, the Registrar (in the Student Center)
• Monday, June 2 --- All transcripts sent to colleges, military recruiters, NCAA, and NAIA
• It can take colleges up to 3+ weeks to update their portals to show that they have received the final transcipt. During that time, be patient. DO NOT REQUEST THE TRANSCRIPT AGAIN unless the college portal still shows the final transcript is missing as of July 1st.

Use this REQUESTING YOUR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS guide for instructions on how to have your college credit and AP Scores sent to the college/university you plan to attend.

• MANDATORY
• Practice is at LIBERTY (not the Family Arena)

Seniors - all fines and fees must be paid before entering Graduation Practice. Please check your student portal for any fines or fees you may have occurred. Payments can be made by cash or check (made out to LHS) to the financial office (Mrs. Webb).

If you have any questions please contact Mindy Webb.

melindawebb@wsdr4.org

636-561-0075 ext. 28247

All Library fines need to be paid as well.

Nikki Playle

Nikkiplayle@wsdr4.org

Cafe fines need to be addressed with the cafe staff.

Wagner Portrait Group is photographing professional portraits of each individual graduate and candids throughout the ceremony.

• Each graduate will receive a free proof of your graduate via email. These images will be available online for you to view and order 3-4 days after the ceremony.
• To view and order portraits online go to: https://wagner.candid.com/graduations

Suite information, Liz at 636-896-4211, esilbert@familyarena.com

• Each suite has reserved seating with a private room and a private bathroom

• They will work with the family to select the location of the suite in relation to the stage to best meet the group's needs

• The suites are on the 100 level of the arena and are not glassed in

• The suites are all accessible

• No food and beverage suite service

• Concession stands will be open that you can purchase from and then take back into the suite

• Gates 1 and 2 are drop-off areas that enter into the lobby where the elevator is located, or Gate 3 has stairs or a ramp that leads onto the main concourse and suite level

• To book call Liz at 636-896-4211

• Credit card is accepted

• Prices listed include the taxes and fees already.

• 12 person suite is $300 for the space and seating.

• 24 person suite is $600 for the space and seating.

• Families can enter the arena 1 hour before the ceremony
• The public will enter gates 1, 2, and 3
• Graduates enter gate 4

Seniors, thank you for four fabulous years and great memories! Remember we are not counting down to the end, but counting up to new beginnings. We wish each of you happiness and look forward to hearing about all of your good fortunes in the future!

Once an Eagle ALWAYS an Eagle!