Whale Tales

Dear Webster Families,

Wow, Webster! What an amazing display of school spirit this week! We're thrilled to announce a 4-way tie in our Webster Wear contest, with 100% participation from the following classrooms:

• Ms. Morris' class
• Ms. Johnson's class
• Ms. London’s class (on a 3 week streak)
• Ms. Berman’s class (on a 3 week streak)

Congratulations to all for showing such great spirit! 🎉

Please remember our upcoming events and important action items:

• RSVP for the Webster Fall Campout by clicking HERE.
• LCAP Parent Advisory Committee (PAC): We are still seeking parent volunteers!
• Nights of the Jack Fundraiser – 10% of ticket sales purchased through our special link will be donated to Webster!

In our garden, students have enthusiastically started composting, stepping towards our goal of becoming a green school. This initiative is part of our broader effort to teach students about sustainability. It’s inspiring to see them so engaged and eager to contribute to a healthier planet!

Thank you for your continued support and participation in making Webster a vibrant and enriching community. I'm looking forward to seeing you all at my first Fall Webster Campout next weekend!

GO WHALES!

Warmly,

Carina Diana

Check out these wonderful moments featuring our incredible students, staff, and parents! If you have a photo that you’d like to share, please send it to Principal Diana—we’d love to include it on our social media or upcoming newsletters.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our school community!

We are seeking two parent volunteers to represent Webster Elementary on the SMMUSD Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Parent Advisory Committee (PAC). This is a critical opportunity to ensure that our school’s voice is heard in shaping district priorities and plans.

The LCAP PAC plays a vital role in reviewing and providing feedback on the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan. The committee is composed primarily of parents, including those representing students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, English learners, foster youth, and other subgroups such as Latinx, Black/African-American, and Students with Disabilities.

Meeting Details:

• Virtual meetings from 4:00 – 6:00 PM
• 2024-2025 Meeting Dates:
• September 12
• November 14
• January 29
• March 5
• May 14
• Tentatively June 12

If you’re interested in serving on this committee and representing Webster, please contact Principal Diana at cdiana@smmusd.org.

Get ready for a night of adventure and fun on the fields at Webster! This beloved tradition promises an evening packed with engaging activities, friendly camp competitions, and a delicious dinner followed by an outdoor movie screening. To top it off, enjoy breakfast the next morning before we head back to the comforts of home.

And don’t worry if your camping gear is still packed away—our Camp Counselors will be on hand to assist with setup and teardown. Just bring your own tents and gear, and we’ll handle the rest!

While this event is free to attend, we kindly suggest a $25 donation per person to support the event and future school activities.

Date: Saturday, October 5th, 2024
Time: 3 PM
Location: Webster

RSVP now to reserve your spot for this fun-filled evening!

We can't wait to share this exciting event with all our Webster families. Your support and enthusiasm make each year better than the last. Wait until you see what we have planned for you!

We are thrilled to announce that our 2024-25 Whale Fund giving campaign has been a tremendous success, thanks to the amazing generosity of our Webster families!

We’re pleased to share that, together, we’ve raised $79,500 to fund a variety of essential programs, supplies, and services that will directly benefit your children this year. We truly appreciate every donation, no matter the amount—your investment in Webster makes a real difference!

As of today, we’ve reached an 82% participation rate! 🎉

In the race to 100%, we had three classes reach full participation: Ms. Stark's, Ms. Harris', and Ms. Berman's classes—congratulations to these classrooms for hitting 100%! Mark your calendars as well— the big day for Principal Diana to get silly stringed is Wednesday, October 2nd at lunch! 🎉

While our official drive has ended, additional donations are always welcome. You can donate via Zelle by sending to websterptamalibu@gmail.com, scanning the QR code below, using our donation website, or by dropping off a check made out to Webster PTA in the front office.

Prefer smaller installments? You can set up monthly donations by selecting that option online, making it easier to give over time.

Special thanks to our Whale Fund donors so far:

• The Abeyta Family
• The Aiello and Marshall Family
• The Begin Family
• The Bell Family
• The Benadum Family
• The Bendler and Lam Family
• The Board and Nicolosi Family
• The Braun Family
• The Brinker-Diener Family
• The Buckman Family
• The Bulczynski Family
• The Bunn Family
• The Cali Family
• The Carlsen Family
• The Carpenter Family
• The Celedonia and VanOrnum Family
• The Clarkson Family
• The Clyne and Saban Family
• The Craig-Smith Family
• The Cupp Family
• The Dempsey and Richert Family
• The Devlin and Omar Family
• The Diana Family
• The Dudelson Family
• The Dunn Family
• The Earnest Family
• The Ebeling Family
• The Eggers Family
• The El Sawy Family
• The Ensafi Family
• The Epstein Family
• The Estes Family
• The Farrell Family
• The Fernald Family
• The Flores Family
• The Gardner Family
• The Giambattista Family
• The Gorby Family
• The Greenman Family
• The Grosso and Richardson Family
• The Hanks Family
• The Hannon Family
• The Harandi Family
• The Hermansson Family
• The Herold Family
• The Hessler and Nunnari Family
• The Hochstein Family
• The Hudson Family
• The Ifft Family
• The Irwin Family
• The Jackson Family
• The Jacobs Family
• The Kamins Fink Family
• The Kessler Family
• The Kirk and Sparks Family
• The Koch Family
• The Lorick and Halekakis Family
• The Magenheim and Thomason Family
• The Makabi Family
• The Mancuso Family
• The Marmon Family
• The Mashayekhi Family
• The Miller Family
• The Miller-Jones and Goldstein Family
• The Mlodzik and Rothholz Family
• The Morrison Family
• The Mosapor Family
• The Murray Family
• The Nazemi and Tello Family
• The Nieto and Wiechnik Family
• The Orosz Family
• The Overton Family
• The Pabst Family
• The Page Family
• The Peters Family
• The Petersen Family
• The Peterson Family
• The Pritchett Skene Family
• The Rowe Family
• The Roy and Ruchalski Family
• The Ryan Family
• The Schilling Family
• The Skelton Family
• The Skinner Family
• The Smyth Family
• The Sokoloff Family
• The Stiemsma Family
• The Swain Family
• The Talbot Family
• The Teague Family
• The Tenzer Family
• The Thompson Family
• The Tuverson Family
• The Ugarte Bailly Family
• The Vasisht Family
• The Walling Family
• The Ward Family
• The Warnotte and Kaufman Family
• The White Family
• The Woollen Family

Thank you for your continued support! Your generosity helps us provide an outstanding education at Webster!

We’re excited to announce that 10% of all ticket sales for Nights of the Jack purchased through THIS LINK will be donated to Webster!

Nights of the Jack is an immersive, family-friendly Halloween experience held at King Gillette Ranch from September 27th through November 2nd. Tickets are available now! If you, your family, friends, or neighbors are planning to attend, please use and share our Webster-specific link to help raise funds for our school—at no extra cost to attendees!

Calling All Webster Young Creators! Is your student passionate about art, music, dance, writing, filmmaking, or photography? This is their moment to shine! Encourage them to explore their creative side and take part in this year’s National PTA Reflections Program.

Every year, over 300,000 students from Pre-K through Grade 12 bring their imaginations to life, creating original works inspired by a new theme. This 50+ year-old program allows students to express themselves, explore new ideas, boost their confidence, and develop a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.

The 2024–2025 theme is Accepting Imperfection—and we can’t wait to see how students bring it to life through their creativity! Students can submit their work in one or more of the following categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts.

Ready to get started? Click the photo above for submission guidelines and forms.

Mark your calendar! The submission deadline is Tuesday, October 15th.

Looking for scholarships, prizes, or a little creative inspiration? Click HERE for more info.

Consistent attendance is crucial for your student's academic success. It ensures that every student stays on track with learning, builds positive relationships, and contributes to a robust school community. Strong attendance goes beyond just being present; it's about being actively engaged and involved.

Attendance Awareness Month:

This month, we celebrate Attendance Awareness by urging families to:

• Make Attendance a Priority: Ensure your student doesn't miss out on crucial learning opportunities.
• Set a Positive Example: Motivate consistent attendance with your involvement.
• Establish a Routine: Help your student set daily routines for a smooth transition to school.
• Open Communication: Reach out to us if there are challenges affecting your student’s attendance.
• Celebrate Success: Acknowledge and celebrate your student's attendance milestones.

Absence Reporting Procedures:

If your student is absent, please report the absence by emailing Vitty McClung at vmcclung@smmusd.org with your student's name, grade, date, and reason for the absence. Absences must be cleared within 5 days. For more detailed information, please review the SMMUSD attendance policies by clicking HERE.

To enhance student safety, the bottom gate near the Boys & Girls Club will remain closed as we no longer have adult supervision available for that area. Moving forward, there will be one main point of entrance and exit to the campus for grades K-5, which will be the gate by the main office. This change will help us ensure a secure and supervised environment for all students.

As part of our commitment to safety and being good neighbors, we kindly ask that you use the designated pick-up and drop-off lane each day. Additionally, please refrain from using the Our Lady of Malibu (OLM) parking lots and only park in the Webster lot.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we prioritize the safety of our school community!

As we prepare to start a new academic school year, all families are required to verify and update information for their students. We recommend completing this process on a Desktop or Laptop computer.

Please log in to your Aeries Parent Portal, or click the following direct link:

If you did not use the direct link above, please log in to your Aeries Parent Portal and select Student Info and click on Data Confirmation to take you to the correct form.

If you have forgotten your Aeries Parent Portal credentials, please use the Forgot Password? link located at the bottom of the website.

Our Student Office Specialist, Vitty McClung, will be reaching out to families that have yet to complete this process beginning next week to provide any needed assistance.

Breakfast and lunch are FREE to all students. Breakfast is served from 8:15 - 8:30 AM only, so please make sure your child arrives on time to enjoy a healthy start to their day.

Although all students will receive free meals this school year, we request all families complete the Online Meal Application for 2024-2025. This form impacts areas beyond school meals so widespread participation is essential, even if your child plans to eat something other than school meals.

The Weekend Bag Program (WeB) provides SMMUSD students with nutritious, easy-to- prepare bags of food containing 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 snacks for the weekends. The Weekend Bag Program is available to serve to all SMMUSD students. Student names are not identified to Weekend Bag Program volunteers to ensure participant privacy. Reusable plastic bags are packed by volunteers with enough shelf-stable food (including UHT milk) for breakfast, lunch and snacks for two days. Participating students pick up the opaque nondescript bags, usually from the school office after school on Fridays, and stick them in their backpacks. The menus have been evaluated by a dietitian to meet federal school nutrition standards and provide a balance of healthy, nutritious non-perishable foods. Families wishing to enroll their students should contact our school’s Bilingual Community Liaison, Alex Aspron-Ladesich, aaspron@smmusd.org 310 457-6801 x74272 and fill out a Program opt-in form.

El Programa de Bolsas de Fin de Semana (WeB, por sus siglas en inglés) proporcionará a los estudiantes de SMMUSD bolsas de alimentos nutritivos y fáciles de preparar para los fines de semana. Los estudiantes participantes de WeB se identifican a través de un formulario de registro de interés o a través de Enlaces Comunitarios Bilingües (BCL, por sus siglas en inglés). Los nombres de los estudiantes no se compartirán con los voluntarios de WeB para garantizar la privacidad de los participantes. Los voluntarios llenan bolsas de plástico reutilizables con alimentos estables (incluida la leche UHT) que contienendos días de desayunos, almuerzos y refrigerios, y luego las llevan a la oficina de la escuela o al espacio de distribución designado. Los estudiantes participantes recogen las bolsas de alimentos y las colocan en sus mochilas. Un dietista ha evaluado los menús para garantizar que cumplan con los estándares federales de nutrición escolar y brinden un equilibrio adecuado de alimentos no perecederos, nutritivos y saludables. Las familias que deseen

inscribir a sus estudiantes en el Programa de Bolsas de Fin de Semana deben comunicarse con Alex Aspron-Ladesich, aaspron@smmusd.org 310 457-6801 x74272, y completar un formulario para inscribirse en el programa.

The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu provides a fun, safe space for youth with positive mentorship, life skills, and social-emotional support. Enrollment is open! Visit bgcmalibu.org to learn more.

• Johnny Strange Legacy Skate Program: An 8-week skateboarding course for all skill levels, from October 10th - November 18th, Mondays 4:30-5:30 PM at the Teen Center. Fee: $200. Register here (English) or here (Spanish).

• Run Malibu Kids' Run: Open to kids aged 4-11 during the Run Malibu Event Expo on October 12th at 2:00 PM. Includes race bib, finisher's medal, and a cheering crowd. Sign up here.

• Volunteer at Run Malibu Run: Help on October 12th & 13th by supporting hydration stations, first aid, and the BGCM Kids Race. Sign up for your shift here.

• Wellness Center: Offering free mental health support with no waitlist. Visit bgcmalibu.org/wellness-center for more info or to request services.

• Third Space at Malibu Village: A creative hub and gallery supporting BGCM programs. Explore local, sustainable products, with proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Club. Visit thirdspacemalibu.org or follow @thirdspacemalibu.

For more info, contact 310-457-1400 (Admin) or 310-241-3675 (Programs) or email info@bgcmalibu.org. Stay updated by subscribing to the BGCM E-Newsletter HERE.

We’re excited to announce our new Instagram account! Follow us @websterwhales for all the latest school news, events, and fun happenings around campus. Stay in the know and connect with our vibrant school community, one post at a time!.

Carina Diana, Principal

Webster Elementary School

3602 Winter Canyon Rd

Malibu, CA 90265

Email: cdiana@smmusd.org
Website: www.smmusd.org/webster
Phone: (310) 456-6494
Instagram: www.instagram.com/websterwhales
Twitter: @webstermalibu