Principal's Pen
Dear Will Rogers Parents and Guardians,
Thank you for a fantastic start to the school year! We’ve had a great couple of days filled with curiosity, excitement, and community building. This week, we’re focusing on teaching students our behavioral expectations across the campus, and we’d appreciate your support in reinforcing these at home.
We kicked off the year with a spirited school-wide assembly. Remember, every Friday is SPIRIT DAY at Rogers! This week, Mrs. Contreras' Kindergarten class showed off their WRLC spirit and earned the honor of keeping our Mustang mascot in their room. Next week, it might be your child's class!
A big thank you to the PTA for hosting a breakfast for our teachers this Friday. If you’d like to contribute, please consider donating an item for our staff to enjoy.
Our school thrives thanks to the active involvement of parents through the PTA, Education Foundation, and various committees. We encourage you to visit the Will Rogers PTA website to join and explore volunteer opportunities. Donations to the Santa Monica Education Foundation support vital programs, like our Regenerative Farm and composting initiative. Your contributions make a significant difference, so please consider donating to both the Ed Foundation and PTA.
Please read the Will Rogers Roundup each Sunday for important updates. You can find it on our website, along with information on upcoming events.
Don’t forget to complete the data confirmation through the Aeries Parent Portal by Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Contact our office if you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing our TK-2nd grade parents at Back to School Night this Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the cafetorium. Childcare for school-aged children will be provided in the library.
Reminder: Tuesday, August 27 is a minimum day, and there is no school on Monday, September 2 for Labor Day.
In partnership,
Ms. Lila Daruty
Principal, Will Rogers Learning Community
ldaruty@smmusd.org
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Mon. 8/26 Regular school day and bell schedule. Please say your goodbyes at the gates!
Tues. 8/27 Minimum Day: Arrival at 8:25 a.m. Minimum Day: TK/K dismissal @12:10 1st-5th @1:00 p.m.
Tues. 8/27 Volunteer Training @5:00-5:30 p.m. in the library
Tues. 8/27 Back to School Night Grades TK- 2nd @ 5:30 p.m. We will start with a presentation in the auditorium and proceed to classrooms @ 6:00 p.m. CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED
Fri. 8/30 First late start of the year. School begins @9:45 a.m.
Fri. 8/30 Every Friday is SPIRIT DAY at WRLC. Encourage your children to wear their WRLC t-shirts!
Fri. 8/30 School-wide Assembly on the track and field @ 9:45 a.m. Parents are welcome to join!
Mon. 9/2 NO SCHOOL- Labor Day
Tues. 9/3 Picture Day! Grades TK- 5th
Tues. 9/3 Minimum Day: Arrival at 8:25 a.m. Minimum Day: TK/K dismissal @12:10 1st-5th @1:00 p.m.
Tues. 9/3 Volunteer Training @5:00-5:30 p.m. in the library.
Tues. 9/3 Back to School Night Grades 3rd- 5th @ 5:30 p.m. CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED
Tues. 9/3 Deadline to complete Aeries Parent Portal Confirmation
Fri. 9/6 Late start school begins @9:45 a.m.
Fri. 9/6 Every Friday is SPIRIT DAY at WRLC. Encourage your children to wear their WRLC t-shirts!
Fri. 9/6 School-wide Assembly on the track and field @ 9:45 a.m. Parents are welcome to join!
Tues. 9/10 Coffee with the Principal @8:30 a.m. in the library
Fri. 9/13 Late start school begins @9:45 a.m.
Fri. 9/13 Every Friday is SPIRIT DAY at WRLC. Encourage your children to wear their WRLC t-shirts!
Fri. 9/13 School-wide Assembly on the track and field @ 9:45 a.m. Parents are welcome to join!
Mon. 9/16-27 PTA Read-a-Thon Fundraiser
Thurs. 9/19 ELAC meeting @8: 30 a.m. in the library
Thurs. 9/19 SSC meeting @ 3:15 p.m. in the library
Sat. 9/28 Family Farming Day and Beautification Day 10:00 -2:00 p.m.
SMMUSD 2024-2025 Calendar
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.
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!
BELL SCHEDULE 2024-2025
Will Rogers Learning Community
Morning Procedures
Monday-Thursday Arrival
8:10 Breakfast in cafeteria. Yards open.
8:20 First bell rings. Students line up for class.
8:25 All students TK to 5th grade in classrooms.
Late Start Friday Arrival
9:20 Breakfast on yard. Yards open.
9:40 First bell rings. Students line up for class.
9:45 All students TK to 5th grade in classrooms.
Recess
PreK/TK/K Kindergarten Yard
9:55-10:25 Kinder
10:10-10:40 Kinder
10:25-10:55 TK
10:25-11:25 PreK
*No morning recess on Fridays, if late start (except PreK).
Grades 1-5
9:50-10:10 1st and 2nd
10:15-10:35 3rd and 4th
10:40-11:00 5th
*No morning recess on Fridays, if late start
Lunch
Grades TK/K Eat & Play: Kindergarten Yard
11:30-12:15 Kinder #1 and #2
12:00-12:45 Kinder #3 and #4
12:30-1:15 TK
Grades 1-5
11:30-12:15 1st Grade and 2nd Grade
12:00-12:45 3rd Grade and 4th Grade
12:30-1:15 5th Grade
Dismissal
1:45 TK/Kindergarten
2:55 1st to 3rd Grades
3:00 4th and 5th Grades
Aftercare
1:45 Kindergarten Dismissal - CDS School Age Program (SAP) staff meets students on K yard
2:55 Grades 1-3 Dismissal - CDS School Age Program (SAP) students walk to their classrooms
3:00 Grades 4-5 Dismissal - CREST students walk to their classrooms
Parent/Guardian Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Beginning, Monday, Aug. 26th, we ask that you say your goodbyes at the gates!
Arrival to school:
- TK/Kinder use the designated TK/K gate off of 14th street.
- 1st - 5th may use either the front gate on 14th street or the pedestrian gate on 16th street.
Dismissal from school:
- TK/Kinder use the designated TK/K gate.
- 1st - 2nd (NEW) should be picked-up form the TK/K gate.
- 3rd should be picked-up from the front gate on 14th street.
- 4th and 5th should be picked up from gate on 16th street.
Rainy Day Dismissal Procedures:
- TK- 3rd students will wait under the TK/K patio. Parents should pick-up by the TK/K gate.
- 4th and 5th will wait by the front office and can be picked-up from the front gate on 14th street.
REMINDER: Parent parking can be found on the neighborhood streets. Be sure to read the street signs! Please do not park in the staff parking lots. We will continue to offer a valet on 14th street in front of the 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!
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.
TIMELINE:
Self-nomination deadline is Sept. 8th.
Candidates will be announced by Sunday, Sept.10th.
If there are multiple candidates there will be an election.
Election results will be published on Sunday, Sept. 15th.
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