Dear Will Rogers Families,
It was so wonderful to see so many families at our Regenerative Family Farming Day this past Saturday. We are looking forward to this upcoming week as we begin farm classes. We will start by hosting Composting Assemblies for all students on Monday morning. The assemblies will teach our newest learners and remind our returning students how to dispose of their organic waste at lunchtime.
Don't forget to join us for our Will Rogers PTA Association Meeting on Wednesday, October 2nd at 6 PM in the library or via Zoom! We'll cover important school updates, including a presentation on local Measure QS by Steve Massetti and Erika Bell. Followed by the Parent Education session with Julia Storm on managing kids' technology use. Check out the full meeting agenda and zoom info HERE and learn more about Measure QS by reviewing the study HERE. Childcare and dinner will be provided!
Together for Will Rogers,
Principal Daruty
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Wed. 10/2 PTA Association Meeting AND Parent Education Night: Speaker Julia Storm will present on How to Raise Kids in a Digital Age! Join in-person or on zoom. Childcare and dinner will be provided by our PTA.
Wed. 10/2 National Custodian Appreciation Day! We appreciate you Lamont, Anthony and Vic!
Thurs. 10/3 Local Holiday- No School
Mon. 10/7 Volunteer Training @8:30am/3pm/6pm
Mon. 10/7-11 Ed Foundation Pledge Week
Thurs. 10/10 PS Arts Night @6pm
Fri. 10/11 Bike It Walk it! 9:00 a.m. at all arrival gates!
Tues. 10/15 1st Grade Field Trip: Heal the Bay
Tues. 10/15 Make-up Picture Day ( please let your child's teacher know if you want your child to retake the photo)
Thurs. 10/17 ELAC mtg. @8:30 a.m. Agenda posted online 72 hours before here.
Thurs. 10/17 Great Shakeout Drill @10:17 a.m.
Thurs. 10/17 SSC mtg. @ 3:15 p.m. Agenda posted online 72 hours before here.
Sun. 10/27 Family Farming Day @10am- 1pm
Thurs. 10/31 Halloween Costume Parade @ 8:30 am. on the track/field
Fri. 11/1 Regenerative Farm Fall Festival 3-5 p.m
SMMUSD 2024-2025 Calendar
WRLC REGENERATIVE FARM
The Regenerative Farm Committee would like to thank the 40+ families that yesterday [Saturday] attended and made the first Family Farming Day of the new school year a great success! Many thanks to all the volunteers that helped prepare the farm for the beginning of the farm teaching this week by composting, tending the orchard, building new picnic tables, and planting the marigolds for the Ofrenda that the ELAC committee will set up in the Cafeteria on November 1. The Regenerative Farm Committee looks forward to opening the farm to our community for the next Family Farming Day on Sunday, October 27 [10am-1pm] to prepare the Farm for the Fall Festival scheduled on Friday, November 1 [3pm-5pm]. For any question on how to get involved, please email: wrlc.regenfarm@gmail.com
Kayla Torrey, dedicated earth steward, herbalist and permaculture educator joins the WRLC Regenerative Farm instruction team to support our students' learning through collaborative, curiosity based learning. Exploring working with plants from seed to harvest through applied permaculture practices and systems based land tending, learning to grow gardens that care for all, and building a sense of bio-diverse community along the way.
Kaylisa McKeever, passionate expert in soil health and science, joins the WRLC Regenerative Farm instruction team to support our students in learning through projects soil regeneration, how to grow our own food and how to take care of mother Earth. A life learner in sustainable systems, she firmly believes in the power of teaching young students to become stewards of the land.
Margaret Vallese is a certified horticulturist, with a long lasting volunteering experience in teaching gardening and composting to young students in the SMMUSD. She joins the WRLC Regenerative Farm instruction team to share her gifts in making children thrive by fostering their connection to the earth, by helping them experience where our food comes from and by exposing them to the science behind it.
WRLC READ-A-THON
Last Chance to Help Us Reach 70,000 Minutes in Our Read-A-Thon!
We’ve already logged an amazing 58,000 reading minutes in our Read-A-Thon, and there’s just one day left to hit our goal of 70,000 minutes! The Read-A-Thon officially ends tomorrow (Monday), so this is the final push!
We’ve also surpassed our fundraising goal, but let’s see how much more we can raise in these last hours. If you haven’t yet, make sure to log all your reading minutes and send one last round of emails or texts to friends and family. It’s not too late to register for free if you haven’t signed up yet—there’s still time to join in! Check out all individual and class prizes HERE!
Click here to register and log your minutes!
Let’s finish strong!
ART CART at lunchtime!
Tuesday is our lunchtime ART CART day. Students are invited to participate in creative art projects and handicrafts during lunchtime. This is possible through the support of our parent volunteers. If you would like to volunteer for lunchtime on Tuesdays, please sign up using the link below.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050445AFAF28A2FB6-51251277-artcart
We would also love donations here is our wishlist for the art cart here. We'd also love some brown paper bags if parents can bring them in for us.
The school provides the supplies, your support requires:
You are a level 1 cleared volunteer
You are willing to safely supervise students with proper use of art tools and materials
Enthusiasm for working with children
Enjoyment with crafts and art
WRLC Cell Phone and Electronics Policy
At WRLC, we make every effort to avoid interrupting instructional time and therefore do not allow cellphones and other electronics to be used during the instructional day. Students are not permitted to wear smartwatches or Gizmos in the classrooms. If your child wears a smartwatch, or has a smartphone, please remind them they are to be kept in their backpack turned off or on school-mode during the school day. We encourage parents to support us by leaving these items at home.
Students are never permitted to use cell phones on campus. In the event of an emergency administration carry radios, teachers have cellphones and there is a school phone in every learning space. Under the advisement of our SMPD school resource officers, individual student cellphone use can actually hinder the delivery of important messaging necessary in a true emergency.
Other personal electronics from home such as Nintendo Switches, iPads, Kindles etc. are not permitted on campus. If a student uses their cell phone during school hours, it will be confiscated and held until the end of the school day and must be picked up by a parent. In no event or circumstance, will the district or its staff be held responsible or liable for the loss, theft, or damage to any such device.
Please help us ensure that our students have an electronics free learning zone at school.
LUNCH MENU
Breakfast and lunch are free for all students! Make a plan with your child each week about the days they will be eating food prepared at school or bringing lunch from home.
https://www.smmusd.org/domain/476
We encourage you to pack a snack for your children for morning recess.
Please send your child to school with a re-fillable water bottle! We have water stations located throughout campus.
Oops, I Forgot!
Mornings are busy and sometimes students leave for school without their water bottle, instrument or homework. In an an effort to reduce classroom interruptions and to support students with developing responsibility, please use our "Oops, I forgot" table. Make a plan with your child that if they leave something at home, a parent can drop it off in the office. We will place their item on a table outside the office. During their recess or on their way to lunch, they may check the table for their 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!
Please do not forget to send with your child every day:
- School materials including books, homework, projects, etc.
- Re-fillable water bottle ( We have several refilling stations on campus)
- A morning snack
- Lunch is available to all students free of charge for the 2024-25 school year. You may also pack a lunch form home.
- Sunscreen (put on prior to arriving at school)
- Hat
- Layers of clothing (sweatshirt, windbreaker, etc.) Keep an eye on the weather.
- A growth mindset for a successful day!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We are currently looking for a Legislative Chair to join our PTA team! This important role involves staying informed on key legislative issues that impact our students and school, and helping to keep our community updated.
If you’re interested in supporting our school by tracking important education-related developments and sharing relevant information, we’d love to have you on board!
We're also in need of a Student Store Chair to help manage and run our student store on Fridays and during special events. The store is an important part of our school community, offering families and our community a chance to purchase school spirit wear and other fun items. We're planning to bring the store out this Friday, but we need help throughout the entire year to make this successful. If you're interested in helping out, please reach out to us!
Please email president@willrogerspta.com
Will Rogers School Site Council (SSC) (Site Governance)
SEEKING TWO NEW PARENT MEMBERS!
The School Site Council (Site Governance Committee) meets at least 8 times a year (meetings are Thursdays 3:30-5:00 p.m. (calendar) to:
To develop, approve, and annually review a school plan, to be known as the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA).
To plan, monitor and evaluate the school-based activities and expenditures for Consolidated Application Programs, including Federal, State and local funds.
To follow the requirements of the Greene Act.
To carry out all the other duties and responsibilities assigned to it in the Educational Code of the State of California.
The SSC is composed of elected members: staff (principal, teachers, classified staff) and parents/legal guardians, PTA board member of children currently enrolled at Rogers who are not employed by the school district. All members are elected for a two year term.
If you would be interested in joining our SSC, please download and email this form to Lila Daruty@ldaruty@smmusd.org by the nomination deadline September 8th.Please reach out if you have any questions. You will be notified when your nomination has been received.
WRLC is an International Baccalaureate Primary Years School (PYP)
As an International Baccalaureate Programme School, we believe there is a broad range of capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success. We make a commitment to help all members of the school community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them. We do this through the development of students according to the IB learner profile. The profile aims to develop learners who are:
Inquirers
Knowledgeable
Thinkers
Communicators
Principled
Open-minded
Caring
Risk-takers
Balanced
Reflective
The IB Mission Statement
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
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