Will Rogers Roundup
For the week of October 23, 2023
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Principal's Pen
Dear Will Rogers Learning Community Parents and Guardians,
I hope you had a fantastic weekend! We look forward to another great week at Rogers! Join us this Friday at 9:45 a.m. for our School-Wide Assembly on the big yard just after drop-off!
You have likely noticed a fenced off construction area on our 1st grade yard. This is the pre-construction preparation for PHASE 1 of our new Early Learning Building. The work for this smaller project was conducted after school hours Thursday and Friday last week and over this past weekend, to reduce impact to our students during the school day. Upon completion, in two weeks, this pre-project will allow students in grades 1st-5th to have a new shaded, outdoor eating area. This will eventually be our new lunchtime eating location, once Phase 1 construction begins, in late December. There will be another small project in mid-November which will entail installation of a modular restroom. Phase 1 construction will commence while students and staff are on winter break. As soon as we get closer to this date, I will inform the community of any details that will impact access to campus. We will host a ground breaking ceremony and hope you will attend! If you are interested in reviewing the plans for phase 1 construction they can be found online here.
This week is the Ed Foundation’s biggest fundraising push, Pledge Week. I encourage you to
make a donation to the Ed Foundation - of any amount. Your support helps fund many of the
amazing programs and staff here at Will Rogers. Donations of any amount count towards
participation - and students in the grade with the highest participation will receive a free ice
cream cone from Handel’s! Please join me to make a huge difference in your child’s education. Watch an information video here: https://youtu.be/7dz35NeYOkE
Lastly, we hope to see you at the Regenerative Farm Fall Festival this Friday from 3:00-5:30 p.m. It will be a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate the growth and learning on our farm. We hope to see you there!
Together for Will Rogers,
Ms. Lila Daruty, Principal WRLC
This week:
- Art Cart every TUESDAY at lunchtime. This week and next we will make paper marigolds!
- ELAC and SSC meetings this Thursday!
- Student Council Election Assembly Friday @ 2:00 p.m.
- School-wide Assembly Friday @ 9: 45 a.m.
- Regenerative Farm Fall Festival Friday from 3:00-5:30 p.m.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Mon. 10/23 SMEF Pledge Week begins!
Mon. 10/23 School Tour for prospective new families@ 9:00 a.m. upcoming tour dates
Thurs. 10/26 ELAC Meeting @8:30 a.m.
Thurs. 10/26 School Site Council Meeting @ 3:15-5:00 p.m. via zoom
Fri. 10/27 School-Wide Assembly on the big yard @ 9:45 a.m.
Fri. 10/27 Regenerative Farm Fall Festival 3-5 p.m..
10/28 ( new date) SMMUSD Restorative Justice Training for Parents.Reserve your spot
Fri. 10/27 Student Council Elections Assembly @ 2:00 p.m. in the auditorium. Parents are welcome to attend.
Mon. 10/30 SMC Dance Academy 5th Grade student performance @ 8:30AM (Ms. Gonzalez, Ms. Griffin) and 9AM (Ms. Benitez, Mr. Brizuela)
Tues.10/31 Annual Costume Parade @ 8:45 a.m. on the big yard. Parents are welcome to attend!
Wed. 11/1 PTA Association Meeting @ 6:00 p.m.
Thurs. 11/2 SMC Dance Academy 4th grade student performance @ 8:30AM (Evangelho & Hill) & 9AM (Jaeger & Luciano)
Wed. 11/1- 11/3 Dia Los Muertos Ofrenda will be open for viewing
Thurs. 11/2 Dia de Los Muertos Family Engagement Event 6:00 - 7: 30 p.m. in the auditorium
Fri. 11/3-11/9 Scholastic Book Fair
Sat 11/4 Family Farm + Beautification Day 10am-2pm
Fri. 11/17 PTA Fall Family RODEO Dance ( more details to come)
SMMUSD 2023-2024 Calendar
Learning partnership!
This program integrates the power of contemporary drum circles to build core strengths such as focusing and listening, team building, leadership, expressing feelings, managing anger/stress, empathy, and gratitude. UCLA researchers have shown that Beat the Odds® can significantly reduce a spectrum of behavior problems in children, such as those associated with inattention, withdrawn/depression, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional defiance, and sluggish cognitive tempo.
We look forward to this opportunity to partner with JAMS!
STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTION THIS FRIDAY!
Join us for an exciting assembly Friday October 27th at 2:00p.m. to hear our students share all they have planned to make this a remarkable year of service! ALL 4th and 5th graders at Rogers will attend the assembly. Parents are welcome to attend this exciting event!
October 31st Costume Parade!
We invite families to join our community on Tuesday Oct. 31st @ 8:45 a.m. on the big yard. It will be a fun-filled community event. Students should come to school in their costume ready to parade for their classmates. We encourage everyone to have fun and be creative while still being safe, respectful and responsible. As a reminder regarding costumes:
Parents/Students/Staff may wear costumes that adhere to the following guidelines:
· Age/school appropriate content ( nothing unduly revealing)
· Avoid costumes that may imply cultural appropriation. At Rogers we honor and celebrate diversity and are respectful of all cultures.
· Masks or face coverings can only be worn during the parade and NOT during the school day.
· Face paint is allowed.
· No toy weapons or props that may be used as weapons are allowed.
· Please avoid oversized or inflatable costumes that may make navigating the classroom and school day a challenge.
*Students not dressed appropriately may be provided with loaner clothing or we will request parents to bring more appropriate clothing.
Our annual El Dia de los Muertos Event is just around the corner. El Día de los Muertos, (the day of the dead), is a multi-day holiday that involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died. Partnering with the Will Rogers ELAC ( English Language Advisory Committee) parent volunteers are organizing the set-up of the altar (ofrenda). The beautiful ofrenda will be on display for students and our community beginning October 30th – November 3rd. Like all things at Rogers, our partnership with our families helps us bring special events to our students!
Please consider donating:
- Your time: Reach out to Flory Vilafvila@smmud.org if you are available to help with set-up. Many hands make light work!
- Donations: (by the morning of 10/30 to the front office) : fresh marigold flowers, tea lights, pan de muerto (pastry for the occasion), guavas, red apples, bananas, jicamas and oranges.
- A picture: Please bring a picture of a beloved family member and/or a beloved pet that has passed away. Please include your child’s name, grade, and classroom number on the back of the picture.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Program of Inquiry Units of Study
Kindergarten - They continued working on their 5 senses activities and they did an inquiry into how we make friends.
First Grade - They are finishing their first unit by creating skits to demonstrate how to be responsible and follow rules.
Second Grade - The students learned about immigration and how their families end up where they are. The students also learned about maps and made ancestor maps for their family project.
Third Grade - The students started their second unit - How We Organize Ourselves. The introduced this unit with a provocation activity where students are given games without any rules. After the activity students talk about about how it felt playing a game without any rules or instructions (See picture below).
Fourth Grade - The students had another STEM Lab activity where they learned about why nocturnal animals are able to see in the dark? They also made connections to how vision impacts our body's systems.
Fifth Grade - The students continued working on their tribes research projects.
PEACEMAKERS at Rogers!
Will Rogers Learning Community is dedicated to creating a cooperative community where students can learn the value of conflict, strategies for managing conflict, and problem solving skills for win-win solutions to conflict. Near the close of last school year students in 3rd and 4th grades, nominated peers to be trained as a Peacemaker. We encouraged students to apply based on their desire to help others and their school. Peacemakers are current 4th and 5th grade peer mediators who are trained in mediation and negotiation skills in order to assist other students in resolving conflicts peacefully.
Beginning THIS WEEK our student leaders will be available at recess lunchtime to support their peers with playground and friendship conflict.
We are very proud of our Peacemakers for their dedication and support of the community at Will Rogers. They are easy to spot on the yard proudly wearing their Peacemaker jackets ready for service!
If you have any questions about this valuable program you can reach out to our school counselor Khatija Dadabhoy kdadabhoy@smmk12.org who helps facilitate this NEW program!
Calling all Parent Volunteers!
We could use your support at recess lunchtime! If you would like to volunteer your time to support our students during recess or lunch, please complete this Google Form. We can really use your help and it can be a lot of fun! You can facilitate an organized game and just be there to support students as they play with each other. If you have already been cleared as a volunteer, you’ll meet with our assistant principal, Ms. González, to review yard expectations before starting. If you have not been cleared, you’ll need to complete the process to be a volunteer. Yard expectations will now be included as part of the volunteer training. Our volunteer training dates are listed on our school calendar.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Gabriela González, M. Ed, NBCT
Assistant Principal
LOST AND FOUND
"Oops, I forgot!" table
Mornings are busy and sometimes students leave for school without their water bottle, instrument or homework. In an effort to reduce classroom interruptions and to support students with developing responsibility, please use our "Oops, I forgot" table. It is located outside the main office.
Make a plan with your child that if they leave something at home, a parent may drop it off in the office. We will place their labeled item on the "Oops, I forgot table." During their recess or on their way to lunch, they may check the table for a forgotten item.
Please communicate this plan with your child, so they know there is place for parents to drop-off items they may have left at home!
ART CART VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
If you would like to help us with art cart during Tuesday lunchtime, please volunteer using the link below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040848ADA72EA0FF2-44895972-wrlc
Join and Give!
We need your help to reach our school wide $20,000 goal! If every Will Rogers family contributes $40 to our fund we can reach our goal! So please donate today and help us reach our goal - if we meet our goal, the whole school will earn a dance party at recess!
Please remember to join or renew your annual PTA membership! Membership gives you a voice in planning for the success of every student at Rogers.
We are looking for volunteers!
If you are looking for a way to volunteer or want more information please fill out our volunteer form. If you have any questions please email our Volunteer VP Jessica Lew at
volunteers@willrogerspta.com. https://forms.gle/CRHSPjfZymg2c846A
Yearbook Preorder!
Don't miss out on your chance to save 10% on the Will Rogers Community Yearbook! Order yours before October 31st to save! You'll get two free custom pages to customize by April 15th. Any questions, please reach out to wrlcyearbook@gmail.com
https://web.treering.com/create-account/1013782539131906?PassCode=1013782539131906
Salvation Army Angel Tree Program
Contact Us
Email: ldaruty@smmusd.org
Website: https://www.smmusd.org/rogers
Location: 2401 14th Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90406
Phone: 310-452-2364
Twitter: @WillRogersSTEM