Will Rogers Roundup
September 29, 2025
Principal's Pen
Dear Will Rogers Parents and Guardians,
Thank you for your connection and celebration of our community! For those who attended the RODEO family dance, I hope you had a rootin-tootin’ good ole' time! We are so grateful for our PTA partners who helped host this event, bringing our community together. Many hands make light work!
Join us this Monday for our First MONDAY MEET-UP with the Principal, in front of school from 8-9 a.m. Stick around after drop-off for a casual get together with others parents to connect and collaborate.
I hope you were able to purchase one of our newly branded t-shirts! They will be on sale in the coming weeks, so be sure to grab one for your student.
Don't forget to log your final READ-A-THON minutes! We will announce the winners at a special assembly on Friday, October 24th, with a guest visit from the LA Galaxy team, including their mascot, Cozmo.
I am still in search of one more parent to join our School Site Council. If you’ve been thinking of ways to get involved and want to learn more about how we allocate resources and funding for programming at WRLC, we encourage you to apply. Please see the information below.
As always, have a great week!
Please note that there is no school on Thursday, October 2nd, 2025.
With appreciation and excitement,
Ms. Lila Daruty
Principal, Will Rogers Learning Community
ldaruty@smmusd.org
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Mon. 9/29 Monday Meet-Ups with the Principal ( in front of school) @ 8-9 a.m.
Mon. 9/29 Fifth Grade Parent Committee Meeting @6:00 p.m. via zoom
Tues. 9/30 Prospective Parent School Tour @ 9:00 a.m.
Thurs. 10/2 NO SCHOOL- Local Holiday
Thurs. 10/2 NATIONAL CUSTODIAL WORKER'S RECOGNITION DAY
Mon. 10/6 Volunteer Trainings 8:30, 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. in the library.
Tues. Oct. 7th 5th Grade Pali Science Camp Parent Info. Night @ 7:00 PM. Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 847 7698 3549 Passcode: 706204
Fri. 10/10 Bike It; Walk It Day @ 9:45 a.m.
Mon. 10/13 Indigenous People's Day
Wed. 10/15 Make-Up Picture Day
Wed. 10/15 PTA Executive Board Mtg. @ 6:00 p.m. via zoom
Wed. 10/16 GREAT SHAKEOUT State-wide Earthquake Drill @ 10 a.m.
Fri. 10/17 Monthly Student Peacemaker Mtg. 9:00 a.m. in the cafeteria
Tues. 10/21 Prospective Parent School Tour @ 9:00 a.m. (You may have visitors)
Fri. 10/24 Fall Festival in the Regenerative Farm @ 3-5 p.m.
Mon- Fri.10/27 Dia De Los Muertos, Ofrenda Viewing in the Cafeteria
Fri. 10/31 School-wide: Halloween Costume Parade @ 9:45 a.m. Grown-ups Welcome!
SMMUSD Folklorico Dance Classes For Grades 3-8
Dear Parents/Guardians of 3rd through 8th graders,
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is happy to offer FREE Folklórico dance classes again for the 2025-26 school year. Participants will attend two classes after school each week. Classes will BEGIN SOON (Date TBD) and will be available at the following locations.
Elementary Sites and Schedules:
Will Rogers Learning Community Cafeteria
2401 14th St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Tuesday and Thursday 3:15–4:45 P.M.
Middle School Site and Schedule
John Adams Middle School Room 111
2425 16th St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Tuesday and Thursday 5:00--7:00 P.M.
If your student is interested in taking the class at any of these locations, please complete the registration form: Folklorico Registration Form.
IB Learner Profile for OCTOBER is REFLECTIVE
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.
WRLC School Site Council 2025-26
SEEKING ONE NEW PARENT MEMBER!
The School Site Council (Site Governance Committee) meets at least 8 times a year (meetings are Thursdays 3:15-5:00 p.m. via zoom 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.
Learn more on our website HERE.
APPLICATION Please email to Principal Daruty @ldaruty@smmusd.org
If you would be interested in joining and need more information, please reach out to Principal Daruty. I will notify you when your nomination has been received.
For 5th Grade Parents- Pali Science Camp Information Night. (Camp is Apr. 22nd-24th)
We are excited to invite you to an important Science Camp Parent Meeting scheduled for October 7, 2025, at 7:00 PM. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom for your convenience.
A representative from Pali Science Camp will be joining us to provide an overview of the camp experience and answer any questions you may have about the upcoming trip. To help you get a better idea of what to expect and to prepare any questions in advance, we have attached a Pali parent video for you to watch before the meeting.
Meeting Details:
Date: October 7, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Zoom Link: Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 847 7698 3549
Passcode: 706204
We encourage all parents to attend to ensure you have all the necessary information and feel comfortable with the arrangements. If you have any questions before the meeting, please do not hesitate to reach out to your 5th grade teacher!
Pali parent video link
Parent/Guardian Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Arrival to school: Gates open at 8:10 a.m.
- TK/Kinder use the designated TK/K gate off of 14th street. Students and families may play, and wait for pick-up from their teachers on the (old) TK/K yard. @ 8:25 teachers will meet and walk students and accompanying grown-ups to the new early learning building.
- 1st - 5th may use either the front gate on 14th street or the pedestrian gate on 16th street. Students and families should proceed to their classrooms.
Dismissal from school: (All teachers will escort students to these areas)
- TK/Kinder meet your children at the designated TK/K gate (adjacent to the old TK/ K yard) on 14th street.
- 1st - 2nd meet your children the TK/K gate (adjacent to the old TK/ K yard) on 14th street
- 3rd should be picked-up from the front gate on 14th street.
- 4th and 5th should be picked up from 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 the staff parking lots or block driveways of our neighbors. We will continue to offer a valet on 14th street in front of the school.
Cellphone/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, 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!
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.
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