Principal's Pen
Dear WRLC Parents and Caregivers,
I hope you all are enjoying the long weekend! It's hard to believe we passed the 100th day of school and we are almost half-way through the month of February! Time flies when you are having fun. I hope that you and your family had a fun-filled time at our Spring Family Dance. Thank you to our amazing PTA for another great event.
This week's weather forecast calls for more rain so I would like to remind everyone to please take extra time in the morning to get your kids to school. That means leaving a bit early to arrive at school on time safely.
As a reminder, this month, SMMUSD is administering its annual Climate and Culture survey. The information we collect through this survey is an important tool for us to utilize when making plans for the future of programs, expenditures, staffing, and policy changes. You can access this survey by clicking the following link in this message, the District's message to families, SMMUSD Climate & Culture Survey 2024 The survey will remain open until February 29th.
Have a great week, WRLC! I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Lila Daruty
Principal
WRLC
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
Please do not forget to send with your child every day:
- School materials including books, homework, projects, etc.
- Water bottle
- Snack and/or lunch (lunch available to all students free of charge for the 2023-24 school year.)
- 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!
Neighborhood driving and parking
Please help the Will Rogers community be courteous to our neighbors! It is a good time to remind our grown-ups to be mindful of your driving and parking in the neighborhood. Please read the street signs to ensure you are parked in the correct place.
This is a gentle reminder during drop-off and pick-up at school to refrain from:
- Blocking home driveways
- Double parking
- Parking illegally and leaving your your car unattended
*We have seen an increase in parking enforcement officers; avoid receiving a ticket. More importantly, help us keep our students and families safe as they travel to and from WRLC!
WRLC CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Will Rogers Learning Community Early Education Building Project
Phase 1 of the Campus Plan
(February 16, 2024 Update)
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is excited to share that construction has commenced at Will Rogers Learning Community. This initiative will introduce seven state-of-the-art transitional kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms, alongside a brand-new artificial turf multi-sports field. Additionally, the project encompasses the creation of outdoor natural learning areas adjacent to the new classrooms, as well as the installation of new basketball courts, handball walls, and various other amenities.
UPDATE: Construction commenced in December 2023, resulting in restricted access to the eastern segment of the outdoor play areas. Our team is diligently working on the development of a new multi-sport turf playing field, slated to be completed by 2024, exclusively for school use. We appreciate your patience and cooperation throughout the construction period.
Current Construction:
With the sun shining, the contractor has proceeded with the demolition of the restroom building and two modular classroom buildings. Plans are underway to begin removing the asphalt on February 17, 2024.
The project's advancement was significantly hindered by the substantial rainfall experienced during the week of February 5-9. Certain activities may be delayed by a week or more until the site adequately dries, prompting the team to strategize methods for minimizing the effects of upcoming storms.
Continued Work:
A. Temporary Restrooms: The contractor has completed trenching and the installation of underground utilities, encompassing electrical, data, water, and sewer systems, to facilitate services for a portable restroom situated on the north side of the school. This facility will be accessible for use during after-school hours and weekend activities.
B. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Ramp and Access: The contractor is currently engaged in the installation of a new entry gate and ADA-compliant access ramp, connecting to the staff parking lot.
C. Site Demolition: Asphalt and soil removal will commence by mid-February 2024.
D. City Utilities Service: The construction team is collaborating with the City of Santa Monica to relocate pedestrian crosswalks, driveways, and connections to public utilities. This phase of work is scheduled to commence in March and April 2024.
Thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding during the construction process.
For more information on Rogers campus projects, please contact Simpson & Simpson Consultant Senior Construction Operations Liaison Chris Emmett at cemmett@smmusd.org.
Santa Monica Ed Foundation Final Results: Thank you to our incredible community and volunteers for a show of strength and support around the final Ed Foundation push to fund next year’s enrichment programs. Your enthusiasm, dedication, and collaboration have truly made a significant impact, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the results.
During the January Campaign, we saw an incredible response from our Santa Monica community, with 680 donors contributing a total of $283,000 to the Ed Foundation. Roger's participation soared from 28% to 35%! This achievement reflects the outstanding teamwork and commitment each one of you brought to the table.
Thank you once again for your tireless support for Rogers students and the broader Santa Monica public school community. The extremely generous check from the PTA is amazing and makes a BIG impact for our students. Here's to continued success and collaboration!
Civil Rights Movement (Leaders, Protests, and Integration)
Date: 2/23/24. Time: 10-10:50. For all students in grades TK- 4th
The 5th-grade students have been learning about the Civil Rights Movement through leaders, protests, and integration topics. Throughout this unit, students made connections to the various ways that people express their ideas, feelings, beliefs, and values through their actions. The Living Museum presentation is an opportunity for 5th grade students to showcase a topic that they learned while teaching others about the importance of taking action. The Living Museum is the culminating project for this unit.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Program of Inquiry Units of Study
Kindergarten - The students came to the STEM Lab to explore with targets (See pictures below). The students also learned about how to make something move to a certain place?
First Grade - The students learned about offspring survival and began to compare plant seedlings.
Second Grade - The students learned about how the recreation center’s cliff eroded without the director noticing? They also learned about slow changes.
Third Grade - The students began their new unit - How the world works. The students were introduced to the unit phenomena and began generating questions. They also began learning about geography and regions.
Fourth Grade - The students learned about missions and made connections to how power transforms community.
Fifth Grade - The students learned about and researched protests that were impactful during the Civil Rights Movement. The students also went on a field trip to the Holocaust Museum.
5th Grade Pali Camp Updates
The 5th grade is scheduled to attend Pali camp May 1-3, 2024 (Wednesday-Friday).
Please be sure you have completed your students intent to attend form and submitted it to the front office or your child's classroom teacher. It was due on Friday, Feb. 2nd! As we begin to make plans, we need to have a correct headcount of attending students.
If you were unable to attend the Pali Camp Information meeting last week below is the recording.
Topic: Pali Camp Zoom Meeting
Date: Jan 25, 2024 6:21 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Passcode: 5.4Gn86P
THANK YOU TO SM ASSISTANCE LEAGUE!
Assistance League of Santa Monica (ALSM) is a non-profit whose volunteers are dedicated to transforming the lives of children and adults through community programs. These programs include providing camp scholarships, backpacks with school supplies, eye examinations and glasses, and over $100,000 in college scholarships annually.
Many students at Will Rogers Elementary School have been recipients of these programs. This year, for example, ALSM is sponsoring winter science camp for several of Will Rogers's 5th graders.
ALSM funds its programs through its Thrift Shop, which has consistently been voted the best in Santa Monica by the SM Daily Press. Please check out the shop at 1453 15th Street from 11-3 Thursday and Friday, and 10-2 Saturday. Stop by to find great bargains and help support Will Rogers's students.
We greatly appreciate Mrs. Susan Ferrell, from the Santa Monica Assistance League for her genuine care and interest in all our students in helping them fulfill their dreams experiencing the great outdoors camping, connecting with nature and being with their friends. We are grateful to announce that once again the SM Assistance League will donate funds for our 5th grade trip Pali Camp.
"Oops, I forgot!" table - PLEASE SHARE AND USE
We have had an increase in requests from parents asking us to call classrooms to relay messages or have their child pick-up an item they left at home. Each time we call, we interrupt instruction which is disruptive to the students. Help us reduce these interruptions.
Please communicate the "Oops, I forgot table" plan with your child, so they know there is place for parents to drop-off items they may have left at home!
Mornings are busy and sometimes students leave for school without their water bottle, instrument or homework. In 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.
Counseling Services at WRLC
We have several community partnerships affording us the opportunity to provide school-based therapy services to the students at Rogers. If you are interested in this service, please reach out to your classroom teacher. We are fortunate to expand our services by offering free, tele-health counseling service through Hazel. Read more about this service below.
PROPOSITION 28: Thank you CA voters!
In November 2022, California voters approved Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act, to provide additional funding to “supplement arts education programs” in schools. Proposition 28 will provide annual funding for arts education programs. The California Department of Education (CDE) anticipates providing these funds to SMMUSD for use beginning the 2024-25 school year. Allocated funds will be available for use for up to three years. The Prop 28 funds will come EVERY year as it was passed by California voters to support ongoing funding for arts education.
WRLC Advocacy groups such as School Site Council, ELAC and PTA have provided input to the school on the best use of these funds to enhance our existing arts programming. More weeks of visual arts instruction and TK-2 music or dance are some of the highly requested ways we will enhance arts education at Will Rogers!
You are invited! SMMUSD: Special Education Parent Workshop Dates
- March 12th at 4:30 p.m. at Webster Elementary “How to prepare for your child to transition to their next school”
- May 15th at 5:30 p.m. at Grant Elementary “Special Education Year in Review”
Fechas de los talleres de educación especial para los padres
- 12 de marzo a las 4:30 p.m. en Webster Elementary "Cómo prepararse para la transición de su hijo a su próxima escuela"
- 15 de mayo a las 5:30 p.m. en la primaria Grant Elementary "Resumen del Año de Educación Especial"
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