Principal's Pen
Dear Will Rogers Parents and Guardians,
It is going to be another warm week in Santa Monica. Similar to last week, we will monitor the weather and host afternoon PE instruction in air conditioned classrooms and/or the auditorium. During lunchtime students will have the option to spend their time playing board games in our air conditioned auditorium. Please be sure your children apply sunscreen, wear breathable clothing and bring a hat and re-fillable water bottle. Throughout the day our teachers and staff will encourage frequent water breaks and time indoors as much as possible. Additionally our new track/field will be watered down before school and before each recess time to cool down the turf.
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.
In partnership,
Ms. Lila Daruty
Principal, Will Rogers Learning Community
ldaruty@smmusd.org
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Tues. 9/10 Coffee with the Principal @8:30 a.m. in the library
Tues. 9/10 4th/5th Music Back to School Night (6-8pm) https://smmk12.zoom.us/j/89150473940
Tues. 9/11 3rd gr music class begins
Wed. 9/11 4th /5th Music Back to School Night (6-8pm) https://smmk12.zoom.us/j/89150473940
Thurs. 9/12 4th and 5th gr. music class 1x per week
Fri. 9/13 Star Testing Window closes
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 PS Arts Visual Arts Classes w Ms. Heather begin for Grades TK-5th
Mon. 9/16 Spanish class with Dr. Amy Teplin begin for grades 2nd-5th
Mon. 9/16-27 PTA Read-a-Thon Fundraiser Begins!
Tues. 9/17 First day of 4th and 5th gr. music class 2x per week
Tues. 9/17 Bedtime Stories & Pajamas: A Literacy Night Event @6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria
Thurs. 9/19 ELAC meeting @8:30 a.m. in the library
Thurs. 9/19 SSC meeting @ 3:15 p.m. in the library
Thurs. 9/19 SMMUSD Board Mtg. @ 5:30 p.m. WRLC presents!
Fri. 9/20 Every Friday is SPIRIT DAY at WRLC. Encourage your children to wear their WRLC t-shirts!
Fri. 9/20 School-wide Assembly on the track and field @ 9:45 a.m. Parents are welcome to join!
Fri. 9/20 Fall Rodeo Dance 5-8pm in auditorium
Sat. 9/28 Family Farming Day and Beautification Day 10:00 -2:00 p.m.
SMMUSD 2024-2025 Calendar
ART CART is back!
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
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.
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!
UPDATE on our REGENERATIVE FARM!
I am excited to share that Will Rogers Learning Community is the recipient a 2024-2025 Sprouts Community Foundation Community Grant ($10K) to support the instruction in our Regenerative Farm!
This grant along with our SMEF stretch funding, have afforded us the opportunity to create a collaborative Farm Teaching Team! This new approach will incorporate a team of Regenerative Farming enthusiasts who will help advance the mission of our farm. Our team will include a Farm Committee and Chair, Strategy Team Lead, Teaching partnerships, Composting Curriculum and teaching, Master Gardeners and much more!
Classrooms have begun to visit the farm already, but our formal Regenerative Farm classes will start at the end of September!
We look forward to this new approach that will allow us to integrate Regenerative Farming into the IB curriculum through the support of community partners!
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!
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.
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