Friday Memo

December 12 - Late Start Day, Coffee Culture Food Truck; SIT Team meetings
December 13 - Hixson Music Showcase, 4pm to 6pm

December 15 - High School Counselors to visit Hixson
December 22 - January 3 - Winter Break
January 4 - School resumes

January 9 - Late Start Day; Faculty Meeting, 3:35 pm to 4:35 pm

January 9 - 11 - 6th & 7th grade Admin/Counselor registration talks

January 10 - Incoming 6th grade parent night, 6pm

January 13 - Hixson 8th grade band & Advanced Orchestra tour

January 16 - MLK Day, No School

January 17 & 18 - 6th & 7th grade course requests entered

January 19 - rising 9th graders' course requests due; High School Counselors to visit Hixson

January 20 - Grades & Team/Department newsletter updates due

January 23 - Late Start Day

January 26 & 27 - NWEA Test

This was a really great week for our band program! The band concert on Wednesday night was really a great show, and I am so proud of our musicians for sharing their talents with us! Thank you to Mr. Mahacek, Mrs. Tokos, and Mr. Stevison for your dedication to the band program in Webster Groves!

This past weekend our two robotics teams competed at a qualifying invitational for the FIRST LEGO Challenge League. I am happy to report that out of all 18 teams at the event, one of our teams was selected to receive the CORE VALUES AWARD. The award goes to the team that displays extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit, knows they can accomplish more together than they could as individuals, and shows each other and other teams respect at all times.

Our students were really just excited to experience their first competition and had no expectations of any awards! We are so proud of all that they have accomplished thus far, and we are excited about all that they will accomplish in the future!

The Hixson Systems and Structures work group from the School Improvement Team is requesting your feedback on our current daily schedule. This is a very brief survey that will provide us with some preliminary feedback on our daily schedule. More opportunities to provide more specific feedback will occur in the future, but for now, we just want to gather some info about the basics. We would be so grateful if you would share your opinion with us prior to our meeting after school on Monday, December 12, 2022. Click the link below to complete the survey.

HIXSON DAILY SCHEDULE ROUND 1 FEEDBACK

We know that summer is a busy time for you and your families, so we would like to offer some flexibility if you are interested in teaching summer school, but cannot commit to the entire program. If you are interested in teaching a summer school course and have an idea for a shorter course, we want to hear from you too! Complete the form and tell us about the “mini” course that you are interested in teaching. Middle school is a time of exploration and we want to provide students with the opportunity to explore various interests and discover new things. We are hoping that this flexibility will give all interested teachers the opportunity to teach, if they choose.

The theme for this summer is Hixson STEM Academy: Spend the Summer on a Science Adventure. We are hoping to inspire wonder and curiosity, while building STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills through collaborative and creative problem solving. We are excited and look forward to the creative STEM courses that you create and any course suggestions that you may have.

Complete the google form with your summer school course interest. As we receive responses, we will send out more detailed information regarding the Hixson STEM Summer Academy.

The Coffee Culture Truck will be here to visit our staff on Monday, December 12, 2022 from 7:30 am to 8:30 am. Please come on down to the driveway in front of the Main Office to get a cup of coffee courtesy of Hixson administration!

The S'More Shack truck will be here from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm on January 4, 2023 to help our staff ring in the new year! They will be set up in the driveway in front of the Main Office. Please come enjoy a s'more courtesy of Hixson administration!

Please read the following message from Jason Mueller, our Director of Operations.

Principals-

Windows: Last week an individual entered Givens Elementary via an unlatched window. Fortunately there was no theft or damage to property.

With this in mind could you please ask your staff to check the windows in their assigned area to assure they properly close and latch. If there is an issue please enter a work order and mark the window to make it easier to identify. In addition, windows should be closed and locked every night.

In addition, ground level windows and exterior doors with glass were treated with impact resistant film during the summer of 2021. Adhering items to the interior of the glass can damage this film and hinder its effectiveness. Please ask staff to avoid attaching items to the inside of these windows and doors.

Exterior Doors: Please instruct staff that we should not be leaving items (pavers, bricks, blocks, weights, etc.) outside of the buildings to prop doors. I will ask my staff to remove and dispose of these items when they see them.

Thank you for your and your staff's support to provide a safe learning and working environment.

In addition, soon you will notice these signs (below) on the windows of exterior doors. It is absolutely imperative that we do not prop open doors and make sure all windows are closed and locked. I cannot stress this enough. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.

It's that time of year for the Holiday Buffet! For those of us that are new to Hixson, each December we have a holiday buffet in the library. People sign up to bring dishes, drinks, etc. (here is the sign up sheet) and people come down to enjoy a nice breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. with coworkers that maybe you don't normally get to see. There is plenty of space to enjoy your meal in the library. We will have attendance PRIZES and our holiday sweater CONTEST (back by popular demand). We will provide cards to fill out information about your dish to keep people informed of allergens and the like. All are welcome to the table. Students will still be able to come down on pass to check out and return, but no classes will be taking place in the library on Tuesday to ensure a more private atmosphere for our staff.

Email: mayes.shenita@wgmail.org
Website: https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/Hixson
Location: 630 South Elm Avenue, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314-963-6450