Whale Tales

Dear Webster Families,

What a great week it has been! We’re excited to announce this week’s Webster Wear Fridays winners: Ms. Berman’s and Ms. London’s classrooms! These classes are back-to-back winners—congratulations! Keep showing that school spirit, and we look forward to seeing even more participation in the weeks ahead.

In the garden this week, our students learned about the fall equinox and its significance. We also amended the soil with compost, preparing for the next phase of growth. Last week, we discussed what an organic garden is, cleared garden boxes, and harvested seeds. It's wonderful to see our students engaging with nature and learning hands-on!

Please take a moment to review the important action items below to continue supporting Webster:

• PTA Annual Giving Campaign: Whale Fund
• LCAP Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) – We are seeking parent volunteers!
• Nights of the Jack Fundraiser – 10% of ticket sales purchased through our special link will be donated to Webster!

Have a great 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.

The PTA is excited to launch their annual giving campaign and are asking for your support!

The PTA enriches our students' experience at Webster Elementary by funding programs, staff, and supplies beyond what the district provides. Your donations support technology programs, the STEAM lab, classroom supplies, field trips, and community events. Every dollar of your contribution goes directly to support our school.

For 2024-25, they are requesting a donation of $1,000 per student. This amount is lower than previous years, thanks to additional community financial support and ongoing fundraising efforts from the Malibu Education Foundation.

We’re excited to share that we have officially hit 75% participation across all Webster families!

We aim for 100% family participation, so contributions of any size are appreciated. All donors will receive a Webster car magnet to show their support. Plus, the first 15 families to donate get a choice of Webster wear!

Our preferred methods for donation are to drop off a check at the front office or to pay by Zelle to websterptamalibu@gmail.com. You may also donate by clicking HERE.

Now for some exciting news! We have our Whale Fund Classroom Winners! The first class to reach 100% donation participation has won a pizza party and the chance to silly string me, Principal Diana! Drumroll, please… It’s a tie between Ms. Stark's and Ms. Harris' classrooms! Congratulations!

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 helping us continue to provide an outstanding education at Webster!

Join us for the Coastal Cleanup with SMMUSD! Be part of one of the largest volunteer efforts to protect our beautiful beaches. The SMMUSD community is coming together to make a positive impact on our environment, and we need YOUR help! Let's work together to keep our coastlines clean and vibrant. Whether you're a student, parent, teacher, or community member, everyone is welcome!

Date: September 21st, 2024

Location: Santa Monica Beach at Ocean Park Blvd. (Tower 27) and Zuma Beach (Tower 2)

Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Register HERE.

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.

Providing a fun, safe, and creative space for Malibu youth to thrive, the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu offers positive mentorship, life skills development, and social-emotional support. Enrollment is now open! Visit bgcmalibu.org to learn more and sign up. Our Clubhouses offer engaging educational activities and a nurturing environment for all members.

Johnny Strange Legacy Skate Program

BGCM is thrilled to offer the Johnny Strange Legacy Skate Program, an 8-week skateboarding course suitable for all skill levels, running from October 10th to November 18th. Sessions are held every Monday from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM at the Teen Center. The program fee is $200, covering professional instruction, safety guidance, and equipment. Register here (English) or here (Spanish).

Run Malibu Kids' Run
Join us for the Run Malibu Kids' Run! The Run Groms Mile is open to kids aged 4-11 and will take place during the Run Malibu Event Expo on October 12th at 2:00 PM. All youth participants will receive a race bib and finisher’s medal, plus a supportive crowd cheering them on as they run around the track. Sign up here!

Wellness Center & Social Support

The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu Wellness Center provides free social support and mental health counseling, both remotely and in-person, with no current waitlist. Visit bgcmalibu.org/wellness-center to learn more or request services. Missed a parent workshop? Find recordings at bgcmalibu.org/wellness-center-resources

Third Space is OPEN at Malibu Village!

A project of the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu, Third Space is a storefront, gallery, and innovation hub where youth are mentored and inspired. Made possible by generous community support, a percentage of all purchases benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu’s programs, including:

• Safe after-school spaces
• Mental health services for youth, families, and seniors
• Drug and alcohol prevention programs
• Innovative opportunities for youth
• Regenerative systems and educational initiatives

In our vibrant community, we value care, connection, and creativity. Third Space offers youth, families, and visitors a chance to explore products from local, sustainable, and socially-minded entrepreneurs. Visit thirdspacemalibu.org to learn more. Follow us on IG/FB: @thirdspacemalibu

Contact us at 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