Will Rogers Roundup
October 19, 2026
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Principal's Pen
Dear Parents,
In the early years of education, we are not only developing students’ academic skills—we are supporting the whole child. When students experience difficulty with academics, we identify the foundational skills they need and explicitly teach them the strategies and skills that will help them access learning. We approach social-emotional development in much the same way.
When students have difficulty connecting with others, solving problems, navigating friendships, managing emotions, or working through conflict, we can explicitly teach the skills they need to be successful. We start with specific skills and provide opportunities for students to practice and develop positive, prosocial behaviors. These skills are an important part of helping children feel confident, connected, and ready to learn.
We are thrilled to continue offering additional support to our students through our Wellness Center. Come by and visit room 106! It is a safe, place for connection and support. Our full-time counselor, Ms. Paredes, supports our school-wide Tier 1 social-emotional learning through our newly adopted Second Step Curriculum. This curriculum gives students and staff a common language and shared tools for building skills such as friendship, sharing, listening, noticing and naming our feelings, and using strategies to regulate our emotions.
In addition to this school-wide support, our Wellness Center can also provide individual counseling and small-group support for students who may benefit from additional support. If you would like to discuss whether your child might benefit from these supports, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher or complete the interest form below.
Our small groups are responsive to student needs and are often created based on patterns or areas of growth we are seeing across classrooms. Groups typically meet for 6–8 weeks and are designed to provide targeted Tier 2 support on an as-needed basis.
We are grateful to have these additional resources available to support the social-emotional growth and well-being of our students.
Warmly,
Principal Daruty
Ms. Eackelbary's classroom wins Soapsuds our mascot this week!
Fall Movie Night and Star Party!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Mon. 10/19 School Tour 9:00-10:15am
Thurs. 10/22 ELAC Meeting in library at 8:30am
10/22 Fujiwara Family History Presentations at 8:45am-9:30am
Fri. 10/23 Schoolwide Assembly/IB Awards (Reflective) 8:30am on track/field
Fri. 10/23 Farm Fall Festival in Regenerative Farm 3:00-5:00
Fri. 10/23 Trubo & Prevett Family History Presentations @10:25 to 11:10
Mon. 10/26 Ofrenda for Student Viewing in auditorium (10/26-10/30)
Thurs. 10/29 Dia de los Muertos Family Night 5:30-7:00 in auditorium
Fri. 10/30 Halloween Costume Parade 8:40-9:30 on track/field
We welcome you on campus!
We love welcoming you to our classrooms for celebrations, special events, and other opportunities to be part of your child’s learning experience! To help reduce congestion in the front office and ensure you arrive at your event on time, we will be introducing a pre-registration RSVP QR code for upcoming classroom events.
Your child’s teacher will share the QR code a few days before the event so you can RSVP and complete the sign-in process in advance. This will help make check-in smoother and more efficient for everyone.
Our priority is to create a welcoming environment while keeping our campus safe and ensuring that all visitors are properly checked in and accounted for.
A friendly reminder: When leaving campus, please be sure to sign out through the front office and exit through the office, even if you have already completed the advance RSVP.
Thank you for partnering with us to keep our campus safe, organized, and welcoming for everyone. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming classroom celebrations and events!
The WRLC Office Team
The MONTHLY ROGERS for OCTOBER
Our 5th Grade Newspaper team is proud to share their first paper of the year!
Classroom copies were provided to TK-2nd grade classrooms and all 3rd - 5th grade students!
Enjoy!
October IB Learner Profile: REFLECTIVE
Students who are REFLECTIVE know what are their strengths and areas for growth. They try to think about these things, and they make changes where they can. They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and consider their personal strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner.
How can parents help to develop students who are reflective at home?
Have your child stop and think throughout the day about their behaviors. Assist him/her with focusing on the following prompts:
Is what I'm doing appropriate? If so, explain why it is. If not, explain how it is not.
How can I change my behavior? Have your child think of positive ways to make changes.
Is the situation I am in a positive situation? If not, how can I make it a positive situation?
Am I doing my best? Am I working my hardest?
Parents can model the above thinking process by talking aloud to themselves, ask and answer yourself these questions about things you are doing throughout your day. This way your child sees you working through the Reflection process, and can use your examples as their models to learn from.
* Model how to make mistakes, how to fail. And then, how to pick yourself up and dust yourself off. It's okay to make mistakes, making mistakes is part of learning. Being Reflective teaches us how to grow and learn from both mistakes and from positive experiences.
Volunteer to help with the event and the ofrenda!
Bring your gently used costumes to school. We will hang them on a rack outside of the 14th street gates from now until Halloween!
It’s time for the most exciting event of the year!
Get ready for our annual Grown-Ups’ Night Out Party & Silent Auction, happening November 14 at the Cayton Children’s Museum in Santa Monica Place!
Join us for a night of food, fun, dancing, fabulous finds, and memories with the Will Rogers community. And this year’s theme is “I Have Nowhere to Wear It!”
You know that outfit hanging in your closet just waiting for its moment? The prom dress from 2003? The full-sequin number? The kilt, the ballgown, the tux? NOW’S YOUR MOMENT. Dig deep into your wardrobe, dust off that fashion statement, and give it the night out it deserves. The more fabulous, outrageous, or delightfully over-the-top, the better!
Tickets are just $40 per person through October and go up to $50 on November 1st. So grab yours now while they’re still a bargain!
Come for the outfits, stay for the party, and help support all the amazing things that make Will Rogers special. We can’t wait to see you wear!
Star Assessments
Parent can access to score reports for CAASPP, ELPAC and Star are available to parents in the Aeries Parent Portal. Hard copy score reports are not mailed home. This video helps explain to students & parents/guardians on how to access their portals. You can also share this guide with parents on how to locate their Test Scores and State Test Scores Reports: Parent Portal (English) and Parent Portal (Spanish)
Cellphone/electronics policy
Students are never permitted to use cell phones on campus. In the event of an emergency, the 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. You may also pack a lunch from 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!
Help us Retain our Title 1 Funding!
We encourage all families to submit the Free and Reduced Meals application. Although SMMUSD 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 2026-27 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 complete the form!
At WRLC our title 1 Funds partially support many important resources and services for our students:
Our IB Teacher, Reading Intervention Teacher, Instructional Coach, school counselor, support with 5th grade Pali Camp transportation fees and so much more!
Application Link: https://bit.ly/MealApplications-SMMUSD
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.
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.
The Weekend Bag Program (WeB)
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. Weekend 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, Nallely Gutierrez, n.gutierrez@smmusd.org or 310 828-0335 X61311 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 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 no perecederos (incluida la leche UHT) que contienen dos 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 Nallely Gutierrez, n.gutierrez@smmusd.org o al 310-828-0335, extensión 61311, y completar un formulario para inscribirse en el programa.
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.
Email: ldaruty@smmusd.org
Website: https://rogers.smmusd.org/
Location: 2401 14th street Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: 310-452-2364