Friday Memo

February 1 - 7 Integrity to Junior Achievement

February 2 - 7 Bravery to Junior Achievement

February 3 - 7 Unity to Junior Achievement; GFA Field Trip; Grades & Newsletter updates due

February 13 - Late Start Day

February 16 - Vogt OOTB for to work on 23-24 master schedule
February 24 - 8th grade Glow Party; Vogt OOTB; GFA Field Trip

February 27 - Department Meetings, 3:35 pm to 4:35 pm

March 1 - Growth Plans due

March 6 - Faculty Meeting, 3:35 pm to 4:35 pm

March 8 - 3rd quarter grading window opens

March 10 - 3rd quarter ends
March 14-15 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 4pm to 8pm

March 15 - 3rd quarter grading window closes

March 17-24 - No School due to Spring Break

March 25 - School resumes, Late Start Day

Administrators received the following message today from Dr. Shane Williamson, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the WGSD.

"Principals---Please [submit] any Black History Month events that your school will be hosting. The events can be schoolwide or in a classroom because we want to obtain action pictures. Derek or a member of his staff will attempt to attend some of the events to take pictures. The information you provide will also be used to provide an update to the Board."

Please email me any celebrations/activities etc that you are doing in or out of the classroom to celebrate Black History Month so that I can submit that information to Dr. Williamson. We will have the daily announcements again, and we will have a Black History Month door decorating contest through Statesman Time as well (for ST groups that choose to enter the contest). Details for the contest will be shared early next week.

I am pleased to announce that Mr. Conners is in a play called The Light at the Black Rep Theater. For tickets please go to https://www.theblackrep.org/new-page. According to the site all Wednesday evening performances are sold out, so get your tickets soon!

Thank you so much for everything that you did to support NWEA testing. The results are available almost immediately, so I will take time next week (not sure which day yet) to analyze the data so I can report back out to the staff about our students' performance.

Special thank you to Hope Strasser for her well structured and organized approach to planning and leading NWEA testing at Hixson. She always does such a wonderful job, and we appreciate all she does to make it a success!

Ten selected 7th & 8th Grade choir members were sent this past Saturday to participate in the St. Louis All Suburban Middle School Honor Choir. They spent all day in rehearsals with guest directors and other middle school singers from across St. Louis preparing for a concert that evening. Students received certificates and raved about how exciting it was to sing in a large ensemble with so many other talented voices. The concerts were fantastic and the students sang well!

Participating students included Olivia Claybon, Gabby Corsale, Jojo Deem, Phoebe Dunn, Kenzie Duffey, Ace Ecker, Charlotte Hoff, Will Johnson, Elena Oliveira, and Isaac Wilson.

Yearbooks on sale January 30 - February 28 at the link below. The will be $20 each this year!

https://shop.yearbookmarket.com/hixsonmiddleschool

Welcome back to second semester! Your PTO is continuing the "Getting to Know You" series on Facebook, and we need your help! We only have a few more posts before we will be out of information to share. These posts are typically some of the most loved posts by our parents! Can you please take a moment to answer some of the questions on the Google form so we can
create a post for you? Do not feel like you need to answer every question....just a few so that we can write a little biography about you. And send a picture because everyone loves putting a face to the names we hear about over the dinner table. Thank you so much!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-hPdR98I-mZHgtAN44dbc7Bi2v40FWzomG9o-TSpuAlO_4Q/viewform

The window for spring PTO teacher mini grants is now open! Grants will be awarded for up to $500. Click the link below to access the application! The window will close on Friday, February 10, 2023.

SPRING '23 TEACHER PTO MINI GRANTS

This was added to the Friday Memo on Sunday because that's when it came to my email!

ITEF’s Innovator Grant cycle is quickly coming to a close! The deadline to apply is January 31st, 2023. We are very excited to see what innovative classroom ideas educators from your school submit! Please share this email with your school’s teachers as a reminder for those who need to finalize and submit their applications!.

The Innovator Grant funds projects that are innovative and which elevate learning and exploration. Although we see “innovation” as a mindset, we understand that the definition of innovation is relative and dynamic. We look for projects that engage students, push teachers, and generate excitement and enthusiasm for learning. Eligible schools are those with a qualifying zip code in our service area.

This is a great opportunity for both new and veteran educators alike to offer their students opportunities to innovate that encourage fresh and creative thinking. On our website you can check out the kinds of innovative projects we have funded in previous years.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at csmith@Innovteched.com.

Attached is an application for $500 grants for teaching staff and support staff provided by MRTF, which is the tax exempt entity of the Missouri Retired Teachers Association (MRTA). All certified and non-certified staff members are eligible. Please note that there are two separate applications, one for certified staff and one for support staff. Certified staff includes teachers, counselors, school social workers, administrators and support staff includes school nurses, teachers' assistants or aides, secretaries, bus drivers, cafeteria staff, custodial staff, etc. There will be a total of one hundred and twenty-six $500 teacher grants awarded (nine in Region 8) and twenty-eight (28) PEERS grants awarded throughout the state. The focus of winning grants should be on programs that would enhance student learning, enhance student well being, or in general provide a better learning environment for students. Recently, a nurse won a grant for a program she was initiating in the health room.

Please note that both of the applications have two pages, one of which is the cover sheet that must accompany the grant application. The deadline for applications is June 30, 2023. However, applications may be submitted at any time prior to the deadline. .

Thank you for your attention!

Sincerely,

Dr. John A. Pohl, Retired Principal from Holman Middle School, Pattonville School District and MRTA Past Presiden

Please read the budget timeline below. Please note, department purchasing will be closed in April. Contact Dr. Mayes with any questions.

Please click the Glow Party flyer below to access the Sign Up Genius for the 8th grade Glow Party. You can select your volunteer role there. Thank you!

Lately, I have been noticing an increase in calls on the walkie for staff to report to various duties. As a result, this is just a quick reminder to please make sure that you are reporting to duty on time on the days that you are assigned. Building supervision is essential to student and staff safety and maintaining an orderly school environment.

It's staffing and registration season already...can you believe it?!?!?! Please take a moment to complete the Staff Input Form for the 23-24 SY. The purpose of this form is to gather your input ahead of registration and staffing so that we can plan appropriately. It is a brief survey that shouldn't take up too much of your time. Thank you!

Staff Input Form 23-24 SY

If you are planning a field trip, please make sure that you are mindful of the building's field trip procedures. To minimize classroom disruptions, students should not be leaving and/or returning to classes in the middle of the class period.

We will begin the collection of the Chromebooks on May 11th and will finish up collections by May 19th. Below is the schedule for collection. This year's collection will take place during ELA classes. More detailed information will be rolled out closer to the time of collection. We wanted to share this information with you now so you can make plans for the second semester.

If you have a need for Chromebooks in your class after collection has begun please submit a technology request well before the month of May so Jason Heisel can plan accordingly. The request should have a minimum and max need.

Example: Need at least 3 Chromebooks and would love to have 15 Chromebooks available for the following dates: May 12-May 15th to allow learners to finish up submitting late work

Please keep in mind that a team of people worked to create this schedule based on feedback from last year and this year as well as working around major events that are on the calendar and testing schedules.

If you have any questions please let Jason P. Heisel, our building technology specialist, know via email.

Please see the information from Mrs. Hunter, our head custodian, for how to prepare your classroom for summer break.

• Please clear your teacher desk of everything, including drawers and surfaces.
• Remove all personal belongings from the classroom.
• Mark all things that are trash with a noticeable, legible sign.
• If your classroom has a tile floor, then the bookshelves have to be emptied. We will have boxes available. Please be mindful of how heavy you make the boxes. The saran wrap idea at the end of last year didn't work as well as I thought it would.
• We will be using the 6th grade wing for summer school.

Please don't hesitate to reach out should you have any questions.

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