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Dear Will Rogers Learning Community Parents and Guardians,

September is attendance awareness month! On-time, daily attendance helps foster a strong classroom community. Daily shared experiences help students build relationships with each other and their teacher. Each day’s learning builds on what was learned the previous day. When students are absent, we miss them! Of course, please do not send sick children to school, illness days are excused. Please call or email the school to verify any absences.

We could use your support getting your children to school on time. The warning bell rings at 8:20 a.m. and school begins at 8:25 a.m. If your child is not on campus by 8:25 a.m. please proceed to the front office to get a late slip. Read more about our attendance policy. If you need support developing a timely, positive, morning routine, please reach out we are happy to help and share ideas!

Together for Will Rogers,

Ms. Lila Daruty, Principal WRLC

This Week:

• Please join us for our first monthly, WRLC Parent Support Group Sessions this Tuesday, @ 7:00 p.m. via zoom. Come meet other WRLC parents and learn how to build confidence in your child by fostering self-trust!
• This Wednesday immediately after drop-off join me for Coffee and Conversation with the Principal at 8:30 a.m.

• Attend our first school-wide assembly this Friday, immediately after drop-off @ 9:45 a.m. on the grassy field. Parents are welcome to attend!

In this newsletter:

• Learn how to log-in to your Aeries Parent Portal and complete the 2023-2024 Data Confirmation process.

• Tell your children about the "Oops, I forgot Table"

• Check our Lost and Found!

• Learn how you can support the SM Ed foundation and Rogers PTA Fund

• Enroll in the SM Boys and Girls Club after school sports programs

• Register for CREST enrichment Classes registration is open.

Tues. 9/12 WRLC Parent Support Group @ 7:00 p.m. via zoom Meeting ID: 834 1685 9702

Wed. 9/13 Coffee & Conversation with the Principal @ 8: 30 a.m.

Wed. 9/13 Special SMMUSD board meeting@ 5; 30 p.m. Agenda is posted online . The main purpose of the special meeting is for the board to approve the unaudited actuals before the deadline, but other time-sensitive items have been included as well.

Fri. 9/15 Every Friday is Spirit Wear Day! Show your love for Rogers and wear your WRLC t-shirt!

Fri. 9/15 School-wide Assembly @ 9:45 on the big yard. Parents are welcome to attend!

Mon. 9/18 Picture Day (NEW DATE) Mark your calendars! Get those smiles ready!

Fri. 9/22 Movie Night @ 7:30 p.m. Movie selection poll and pre-order pizza coming soon...

Mon. 9/25 Local Holiday - No School

Thurs. 9/28 ELAC meeting @8:30 - 9:30 a.m.

Thurs.9/28 School Site Council meeting @3:15 - 5 p.m.

Fri. 9/29 Every Friday is Spirit Wear Day! Show your love for Rogers and wear your WRLC t-shirt!

Sun. 10/1 Family Farm Day 10-2pm

Mon. 10/11 PTA Reflections Submissions are due online. See flyer for more info.

SMMUSD 2023-2024 Calendar

Please label your child's water bottle, lunchbox, and clothing! The racks are already getting full. All teachers have a designated wagon/lunch cart/bucket they take outside at lunchtime. After eating lunch your children should place their items in their classroom's designated cart, BEFORE they go play! Help us remind children to follow this procedure. It will help keep the yard clean and their items returned home each day!

Will Rogers Learning Community's annual registration process is now completed in the Aeries Parent Portal. We have many important documents and plenty of information for your family within the online registration site, accessed via your Aeries Parent Portal.

Note: You must FIRST complete data confirmation for each student.

Beginning August 24, 2023:

1. Log in to your aeries parent portal.
2. Be sure to read, review, and discuss all the materials with your student.
3. Very Important: We need to gather information from you for emergency contacts. Please add at least two non-parents. While there are many boxes to fill, at minimum include name, relationship, and phone number.
4. We also need to gather information from you for health documents.

Note: You may decide to print some of the documents for future reference. For a tutorial on how to complete this process, please click here English

Again, Will Rogers Learning Community and SMMUSD have worked to digitize the compliance and document portions of the “First Day Packet.” The Data Confirmation process is easy for you and your student through Aeries Parent Portal in place of our previous process. This includes items like Emergency Cards, Parent Handbooks and Policies and Authorizations. We have many important documents and plenty of information for your family within the online registration site, accessed via your Aeries Parent Portal. Note: You must complete data confirmation for each student. Please be sure to read, review, and discuss all the materials with your student.

Paper flyers and envelopes will be sent home this week!

Morning ARRIVAL:

**Students enrolled in morning care through CDS, enter on 14th street beginning at 7:00 a.m. using the gate code provided at enrollment. This is different from last year as our morning care room has moved locations.

• Supervision on the yard begins at 8:10 a.m.
• Morning Drive-up Valet is available on 14th street between 8:10-8:30 a.m. M-TH and 9:30-9:45 a.m. on Fridays. Will Rogers staff will support children to exit cars and enter school through the front school gates. You can help by ensuring that your children are ready to exit with their backpacks on, ready to go! Parents, please do not park in the valet zone and leave your car unattended, the area will be marked with cones. We kindly ask that you take direction from our staff who will help keep the line moving and our students safe.
• Walk-Up Drop off- Parents and guardians may drop-off and say their goodbyes at the gate(s). There will be staff stationed at ALL gates to assist.

1. TK/Kinder use the designated gate on 14th street.
2. 1st - 5th may use the front gate on 14th street or the pedestrian gate on 16th street.

REMINDER: Parent parking can be found on the neighborhood streets. Be sure to read the street signs! Please do not park in either staff parking lot or in a neighbor's driveway!

DISMISSAL: All students will be walked to their dismissal gate by their classroom teacher. Students who have not been picked-up shortly after dismissal, will be asked to wait in the office.

DESIGNATED DISMISSAL GATES:

• TK/Kinder: Pick-up students on the TK/K yard (on 14th street)
• 1st and 2nd: Pick-up students on the TK/K yard (on 14th street)
• 3rd: Front of the school (on 14th street)
• 4th and 5th: Pick-up students at the 16th street pedestrian gate

**If you have multiple children, please pick-up at the designated gate of your youngest student. Be sure you inform your child's teacher of this plan.

If it is raining: 1st-3rd pick-up location will be the front of school, under the covered awning.

Will Rogers students are invited to participate in PTA’s National Reflections contest by submitting their original completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts. This year's student chosen theme is "I Am Hopeful Because..." Submissions are due online by October 11, 2023. Contact reflections@willrogerspta.com for questions. Submission details to follow.

An effective school requires a joint effort of parents, students, teachers, administrators, and school staff. Therefore, we would like to invite you to participate by becoming a member of the Will Rogers Learning Community School Site Council (SSC). We have 2 openings this school year for parents to serve a 2-year term from 8/2023-8/2025.

Please VOTE here for the two vacant positions: BALLOT

Please upload all health information for the new school year online in the Aeries portal. This includes Over the Counter Medications.

Please let our health office know of any medications your child takes on a daily basis EVEN if it is taken at home. We need this for our files for emergency purposes.

We have plenty of COVID tests at school, available for free.

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. It is located outside the main office.

Make a plan with your child that if they leave something at home, a parent may drop it off in the office. We will place their labeled item on the "Oops, I forgot table." During their recess or on their way to lunch, they may check the table for a 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!

As you prepare for the start of the school year, it is important you know that state law requires us to provide a public education free of charge. Subject to certain exceptions, the right to a free public education means we cannot require students or their families to purchase supplies. Will Rogers Learning Community will provide all necessary supplies for your child to have a quality educational experience. However, many parents/guardians choose the option of purchasing their own supplies, not only for use at home, but for their child to use in the classroom. We encourage you to wait to hear from your teachers at Back to School Night regarding supplies should you prefer your child to have a set of personal supplies in the classroom.

Additionally, I am often asked whether parents/guardians may donate supplies and other items for use in the classroom, and the answer is yes - we are always appreciative of donations. You may choose to assist the class by purchasing items for use in the classroom. Any donations are greatly appreciated. Again, your teachers will provide this wish list at Back to School Night!

You may elect to provide your child:

• A backpack ( we have backpacks to provide) please contact our community liaison Flory Vila @ fvila@smmusd.org for more information. We were gifted free backpacks from the SM Assistance League!
• A snack for morning recess. Please pack in a re-usable bag. No glass bottles.
• A lunch from home. Lunches will be provided at school at no cost. Please refer to the lunch menu, which is subject to change.
• A re-usable water bottle. We have several re-filling stations and water fountains on campus.

BREAKFAST: Students who participate in the Rogers' Breakfast Club will still arrive at school under the same procedures as all students. Parents will drop their children off at the main gates by 8:00 AM so that there is ample time to eat breakfast in the cafeteria and walk to their classrooms by 8:25 AM. Please be sure your child arrives to school with enough time if you plan to have them eat breakfast at school.

LUNCH: Students may elect to bring a lunch from home or eat at school. Teachers will take a lunch count each morning to help the cafeteria plan for the day. You can find the lunch menu (subject to change daily) here.

We are a peanut free campus. Please be sure that you do not pack food items that contain peanuts.

Please donate to our Will Rogers Fund. We need to raise $20k by the end of September. Donations benefit ALL students at Will Rogers.

PTA membership drive: Win an Ice Cream Party!

Please remember to join or renew your annual PTA membership! Membership gives you a voice in planning for the success of every student at Rogers. The classroom with the most memberships through 10/5 will win an ice cream party!

Arts, Athletics and Academics at Rogers!

In addition to the classroom software, supplies, STEM Lab, field trips and so much more organized by PTA through the Will Rogers Fund, our community relies on contributions to the Ed Foundation to cover supplemental Arts and Academic programs, that otherwise would not be possible. At Rogers, this includes in-classroom teacher aides, the Farm, P.S. Arts, Music, and Academic Enrichment Grants to augment our students’ educational experience. Students need your support. Please consider an online donation HERE. Our goal is to have 100% of families participate this year.

The Ed Foundation welcomes you to the new school year at Will Rogers! Your students at Will Rogers will be benefiting from Ed Foundation-funded staff and programs such as classroom aides, P.S. ARTS classes, teacher professional learning opportunities, additional library books and materials, music lessons for qualifying students and more this year, all thanks in part to donations made to the Ed Foundation. The Ed Foundation is the non-profit foundation to the district that exists solely to support Santa Monica’s public schools and students with Academics, Arts and Athletic programs. We’re aiming for 100% of Will Rogers families to give what you can to both the Ed Foundation and the PTA.

Double Your Donation! Now through September 6th, all donations to the Ed Foundation are being matched by Kilroy Realty, dollar for dollar up to $25,000. Students need your support. And through 9/6, you will double the impact.

Will you make a gift today? You can donate online HERE.

CREST Enrichment Registration opens online Tuesday, September 6th at 6am and 9am at Virgina Avenue Park. Classes begin the week of 9/26! Register online for WRLC:

If you are looking for a way to volunteer or want more information please fill out our volunteer form. If you have any questions please email our Volunteer VP Jessica Lew at

volunteers@willrogerspta.com. https://forms.gle/CRHSPjfZymg2c846A

We are looking to hire 3-4 Instructional Assistants for the 23-24 school year (Job Duties).

• The position is for 3 hours / five days (5) week position, paid $16.00 - $20.45 Hourly. Ideally the hours are 8:30 - 11:30 a.m.

The Personnel Commission will be scheduling interviews soon. Click here to apply. If anyone may be interested, please apply! Parents and community members make great classroom assistants. Instructional Aides are critical to helping teachers differentiate instruction, prepare supplies, and supervise children at play.

Don't miss out on your chance to save 10% on the Will Rogers Community Yearbook! Order yours before October 31st to save! You'll get two free custom pages to customize by April 15th. Any questions, please reach out to wrlcyearbook@gmail.com

https://web.treering.com/create-account/1013782539131906?PassCode=1013782539131906

Sunday Evenings: During the school year, you will receive a weekly email which will include a link to the Will Rogers Roundup. The Roundup Newsletter will also be posted on our school website each week, for parent review. It will contain information regarding upcoming events and school-related information to help you plan your week!

Wednesday PTA Emails: Stay informed and connected with our PTA. Use this LINK to sign-up for PTA emails.

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