Will Rogers Roundup

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Dear Will Rogers Parents and Guardians,

I hope you enjoyed an extra hour of sleep as you set your clocks back for Fall.

In preparation for this week’s Parent-Teacher Conferences be sure to mark your calendar for the schedule changes. Please note that Tuesday, November 5th, is a pupil-free day for Parent Conferences and Election Day, and Wednesday through Friday will be minimum days. There is no school on Monday Nov. 11th for Veterans Day. Make sure to adhere to the minimum day schedule for pickups! Our office staff cannot complete their duties and supervise children who have not been picked-up on time. Check-in with your afterschool partners for schedule changes that may impact programming.

To ensure your parent-teacher conference is as effective as possible, consider these tips:

1. Be Prepared: Take some time to look over your child’s recent assignments and jot down any questions or observations.
2. Stay Focused: Since conferences are short, come equipped with specific questions, like: How does my child interact with peers? What skills will be prioritized in the upcoming trimester?
3. Share Insights: You have the best understanding of your child—feel free to share any relevant information or concerns that could assist the teacher in supporting their learning.
4. Set Goals Together: Inquire about ways to reinforce learning at home and establish clear goals to help your child stay on track.
5. Follow Up: After your meeting, discuss the teacher’s feedback and the goals you established with your child.

Your Parent-Teacher Conference is a wonderful chance to collaborate with your child’s teacher to foster both emotional growth and academic success. I hope you find it rewarding to discover more about your child’s learning journey at WRLC and to connect with their teacher, an important figure in their education!

In partnership,

Ms. Daruty

Mon. 11/4-8 Fall Book Fair

Tues. 11/5 Pupil Free Day- NO SCHOOL

Tues. 11/5 US Election Day

Tues. 11/5-8 Parent Teacher Conferences

Wed. 11/6- PTA Association Meeting @6pm District Values and Supports for Elementary Education: A Dialogue with Dr. Steve Richardson. Join us for a discussion with Dr. Steve Richardson, Elementary Pathway Director, on district values, post-COVID supports, and resources available to WRLC. Learn how current initiatives support our school community.

Wed. 11/6 Minimum Day. Dismissal at 12:10 ( TK-K) and 1:00 p.m. (1st-5th)

Thurs. 11/7 Minimum Day. Dismissal at 12:10 ( TK-K) and 1:00 p.m. (1st-5th)

Thurs. 11/7 Student Council speeches for 4th and 5th grade in auditorium 8:30-9:30am (parents are welcome to join)

Fri. 11/8 NO LATE START school begins @8:25 a.m. AND Minimum Day. Dismissal at 12:10 ( TK-K) and 1:00 p.m. (1st-5th)

Mon. 11/11 Veterans Day- NO SCHOOL

Tues. 11/12 Title 1 Parent Information Meeting @6:00p.m.via zoom

Sat. 11/16 Live Auction/Grown Ups Night Out 6-9 @Solidarity

Mon. 11/18 Prospective Parent School Tour @9:00 a.m.

Mon. 11/18 Volunteer Trainings @ 8:30 a.m., 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m.

Tues. 11/19 Coffee with Principal @8:30am

Thurs. 11/21 ELAC Meeting @8:30am

Thurs. 11/21 School Site Council Meeting @3:15pm

Fri. 11/22 Fall Movie Night @6pm

Wed. 11/27-29 Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL

WRLC PTA Calendar 2024-2025

SMMUSD 2024-2025 Calendar

Have you ever wondered about our school's namesake? WRLC was named after William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) who was an American stage and motion picture actor, vaudeville performer, cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, and social commentator from Oklahoma. As an entertainer and humorist, he traveled around the world three times, made 71 films (50 silent films and 21 “talkies”), and wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns. By the mid-1930s Rogers was hugely popular in the United States, its leading political wit and the highest paid of Hollywood film stars. He died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska.

Rogers’s vaudeville rope act led to success in the Ziegfeld Follies, which in turn led to the first of his many movie contracts. His earthy anecdotes and folksy style allowed him to poke fun at gangsters, prohibition, politicians, government programs, and a host of other controversial topics in a way that found general acclaim from a national audience with no one offended.

Rogers even provided an epigram on his most famous epigram:When I die, my epitaph, or whatever you call those signs on gravestones, is going to read: “I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I didn't like.”

Which is why we have a mural within WRLC that states, "WE NEVER MET A KID WE DIDN'T LIKE!"

Happy Birthday Will Rogers!

We had another wonderful WLRC Event this past Friday. Extra special gratitude to our Farm Committee and event chairs, who planned a remarkable event!

Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered and helped us prepare this annual event for our community.

Some of the participating booths from our community were:

- various games

- the Farm Smoothies

- the Farm Kitchen booth (a new way to bring together the food talents in our community)

- our Farm signature dessert: passion fruit chia pudding

- Yoga-urt

- Layla's bagels

- Soil and Compost (to meet the farm teachers)

- Art Cart

- ELAC Días de los Muertos

- BAAPAC

- SMC Sustainability Department

-Schoolyard Studios by Beja take a look at this gallery.

-Additional photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/126YMJBzk3vTDLhVxWctwLW9JVzX9jBsD?usp=sharing.

It takes a village and we are so proud of ours@ WRLC!

Thank you to our ELAC families for hosting a beautiful evening! Friday afternoon our students ate lunch in the auditorium to view the ofrenda. After school at 5:00 p.m. we held a celebration and viewing.Here Additional photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b6bp79Nc627yl7IwGZ7g62eH9tGhrcN1?usp=sharing.

Every year, our district asks our families to complete the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), an anonymous, confidential survey of school climate and safety, student wellness, and youth resiliency. Your input is very important to us. Please go to this link for more information and to access the survey link. The deadline for this survey is November 26.

Please contact Ms. González, Assistant Principal, if you have any questions.

Thank you very much!

Join a zoom presentation with Principal Daruty on Tuesday, Nov. 12th @ 6:00 p.m. via zoom.

This will be an opportunity for you to learn why we are a TITLE 1 Program school and what that means for our community. We will discuss budgets, supports and parent engagement! Come with your questions! Spanish language translation will be provided.

Grab your flip phone, book your sitters, and get ready to chillax with your Will Rogers crew at Grown Ups Night Out – Will2K Edition! It’s gonna be all that — with dinner, drinks, 2000s jams, and live auction bling to support our school! Join the fun, buy your tickets now!

The online Silent Auction opens this Sunday!

Friday November 22
Join us for the first Will Rogers Movie Night of the year!

This is a free event for all families, with popcorn and snacks provided by the PTA. Bring your blankets, get cozy, and enjoy a fun movie under the stars on the Will Rogers field.

Last chance to cast your vote and help us pick the movie!

Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, 2024

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is progressing with the construction at Will Rogers' Learning Community. The project includes a new pre-K and kindergarten classroom building, along with a multi-sport artificial turf field. Additionally, there will be outdoor natural learning spaces adjacent to the seven-classroom building, new basketball courts, handball walls, and other recreational amenities.

Schedule – The seven room kindergarten building is scheduled to be completed by July 2025. The new multi-sport turf play field was delivered for school use at start of school year in August 2024.

Current Work:

Early Elementary Building: Contractors are installing overhead hangers and pipes for the new fire sprinkler standpipes, as well as continuing work on electrical, plumbing, and Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in ceilings and walls. HVAC vents are being installed on the rooftop, and the upper roof deck is being finalized for the new roof. Metal stud walls and parapets are also being set up. Please note, metalwork may cause occasional noise.

Site: On Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, contractors will be closing the fence opening between the teacher parking lot and the garden parking area. After this, access between the two areas will only be available through the 16th Street gate, with no drive-through access to or from Maple Street. Garden access will remain available via the garden side gate.

Completed Work/Progress Activities:

Staff Access Gate and Parking: The sliding gate for the staff parking lot has been installed. Final adjustments to the main pedestrian gate to the school are still in progress. The trash area is now complete and ready for M&O to move the trash bins to their new location near the sliding gate.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding during the construction process. Please Pardon our noise and dust. We know that demolition and construction produce noise and dust, and the work occurs in the daytime weekdays between 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. We do our best to reduce the impact to the neighborhood and classrooms

Noise and Dust Control

Please understand that demolition and construction can be LOUD at times due to the large mechanical equipment used. The construction team are mindful to mitigate the disruption as much as possible, and will work expeditiously to minimize the duration of the noise.

For more information on Rogers campus projects, please contact Simpson & Simpson Consultant Senior Construction Operations Liaison Chris Emmett at cemmett@smmusd.org.

In an effort to promote sustainable transportation in our District community, you are invited to join us every week for Car-Free Fridays!

Starting this Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, leave your car at home and commit to a greener commute to school.

Just like Bike It! Walk It! Bus It!, use any alternative mode of transportation besides a car to get to and from school. Except it's every Friday during the school year!

Metro GoPass TAP Card Program (K-12 Students)

· For first time enrollees or replacement cards, visit your school’s front office (or Samohi house office) for TAP cards and eligibility codes during normal school hours.

· To reactivate your existing TAP card for the 2024-25 school year, please submit the form below to receive an eligibility code and instructions: Metro GoPass 2024-25 Reactivation Form

· Free, unlimited rides on Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and local transit agencies are available through September 30, 2025.

Questions? Email Austin Toyama, SMMUSD Sustainability Manager at atoyama@smmusd.org.

Thank you,

Austin Toyama | SMMUSD | Sustainability Manager

O: (310) 399 5865 ext 79-384

M: (213) 264 0748

We want to ensure that our students arrive to school safely. I acknowledge that mornings are a busy time in our neighborhood please keep the following reminders in mind as you drop-off at WRLC.

• Do not park or leave your car unattended in front of school between 8:00-8:30 a.m. This is our valet lane.
• Be respectful to our neighbors. Do not block driveways.
• Please do not double park.
• Please support students to use the crosswalks, only.

If your child is enrolled in one of our afterschool partnerships, please be sure you have read and received the information regarding pick-up procedures.

• CREST students are to be picked-up from the gate in our 16th street parking lot. Key cards are provided to parents of enrolled students.
• CREST enrichment students are brought to the front gate after class.
• Boys and Girls (Playground Club) at the 14th Street Gate which requires a code.
• SAP at the 14th Street Gate which requires a code.

CREST ( 4th and 5th Grade) 310-458-8540

SM BOYS & GIRLS CLUB Playground Club (1st -5th) 310-496-8800 Register here

YMCA 310-393-2721

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

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!

• 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!

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.

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

Join the Will Rogers PTA for $10 to support activities and events that enrich your student's education and strengthen our school community.

https://jointotem.com/ca/santa-monica/will-rogers-elementary-pta

Families wishing to enroll their students should contact our school’s Bilingual Community Liaison, Flory Vila, fvila@smmusd.org, 310 452-2364 x67338, and fill out a Program opt-in form.

Las familias que deseen

inscribir a sus estudiantes en el Programa de Bolsas de Fin de Semana deben comunicarse con Flory Vila, fvila@smmusd.org 310 452-2364 x67338, y completar un formulario para inscribirse en el programa.

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.

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.

We encourage all families to submit the Free and Reduced Meals application. Although California provides free meals for all students, this application is crucial for determining eligibility for additional programs and resources, including Title 1 school designations for the 2025-26 school year. The state uses this form to assess which families qualify for benefits beyond free meals, so widespread participation is essential. To support this effort, please share the application link with your families and distribute the flier through your school's communication channels.

Application Link: https://bit.ly/MealApplications-SMMUSD

Email: ldaruty@smmusd.org
Website: https://www.smmusd.org/rogers
Location: 2401 14th Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90406
Phone: 310-452-2364
Twitter: @WillRogersSTEM