IB Learner Profile of the Month: Knowledgeable
The IB Learner Profiles are the qualities we strive for all students to develop. For the month of March, our learner profile is knowledgeable. To be knowledgeable means you study, learn, and understand. As a knowledgeable student, we explore knowledge across many subjects. We also make connections to important ideas and issues that have local and global importance.
Student Council Sponsored SPIRIT WEEK!
Spirit Week At WRLC! March 18th-22nd.
Monday: Costume Day-
Is it halloween? No, it's even better! It's costume day! (No toy weapons or inflatable costumes).
Tuesday: Twin Day
Twin day is officially you and your best friend's favorite day. Dress up in the exact same outfit or style.
Wednesday: Crazy Hair Day!
Wait it’s crazy hair day do not brush your hair instead, color it. Shape it. Do whatever to make it stand out!
Thursday: 80s Day!
Today is your day to shine like an 80’s. Dress up like a character from your favorite 80’s movie!
Friday: PJ Day!
Wear your coziest PJ’s! Bring your favorite stuffed animal!
Student Council Newspaper!
We are proud to publish the Student Council Newspaper! Read all about Will Rogers from the student perspective! Great job students!
WRLC Cell Phone and Electronics Policy
This is a friendly reminder regarding students who wear Smartwatches. At WRLC, we make every effort to avoid interrupting instructional time and therefore do not allow cellphones and other electronics in classrooms. If your child wears a smartwatch, please remind them that they are to keep it in their backpack or on school-mode during the school day.
Students are not permitted to have cell phones on campus. If it is an emergency, students can go to the main office and call home. Other personal electronics from home such as Nintendo Switches, iPads, Kindles etc. are not permitted on campus. WRLC is not responsible for lost or stolen items. 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.
IMPORTANT: During our upcoming 3rd- 5th grade state testing, students may not wear iwatches, gizmos etc. in the classroom. Students will be asked to place electronics watches in their backpacks or better yet, please leave them at home.
ED FOUNDATON
Last week Dr. Shelton, our Superintendent, reached out to Santa Monica families with an urgent plea for families to provide support to the Santa Monica Ed Foundation for Ed Foundation-funded staff and programs.Thank you to everyone who heeded the call at Rogers and made a first donation - or an additional donation!
Santa Monica family donations have moved the needle to 77% of the $1.8 million goal (up from 70% last week!).
While we’ve seen a surge, still more is needed to ensure retention of Ed Foundation-funded programs at Rogers - and at all Santa Monica public schools.
If you haven’t had a chance to contribute, please donate today at:
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!
Staff Parking Lots
Our parking lots on 14th Street, 16th Street and on the corner of 16th Street and Maple St. (next to the farm) are for staff only. These lots are not for parent drop off and/or pick up near arrival and dismissal time. Please help us ensure that our staff has a place to park each day they arrive to work. Parents and guardians may use neighborhood parking, please check the signs.
WRLC CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Will Rogers Learning Community Early Education Building Project
Phase 1 of the Campus Plan
(March 15, 2024 Update)
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is excited to share that construction at Will Rogers Learning Community is underway. The 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. The construction team is diligently working on the development of a new multi-sports turf playing field, slated to be completed by 2024.
Current Construction:
The contractor has successfully removed the asphalt from the play area and basketball courts. Next, the soil in the grass field will be excavated and removed to accommodate the foundations for the new building. These preparations are crucial for laying the groundwork for the new artificial turf field and establishing the foundations for the new early elementary building. The contractor is currently working on obtaining permission for the dumpsite to receive more than 200 truckloads of exported soil from the large grass field.
Continued Work:
A. Temporary Restrooms: A semi-permanent restroom facility will be set up to accommodate students, staff and parents during after-school activities. The contractor has dug trenches and installed underground utilities to support the restroom situated on the north side of the school. Delivery of this restroom building is slated for March 23, 2024, subject to weather conditions.
B. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Ramp and Access: The contractor is currently engaged in installing a new entry gate and ADA access ramp from the staff parking lot. This will serve as the future entrance for teachers and staff, and it will be accessible following spring break.
C. Site Demolition: Asphalt and soil removal began on February 26, 2024, and continued through March 8, 2024. This work was expected to be loud at times. The construction team worked to mitigate the disruption as much as possible and worked expeditiously to minimize the duration of the noise. Dust was controlled and monitored daily with test equipment overseen by a testing agency on a daily basis. Soil removal was scheduled to begin by mid-March 2024.
D. Site Utilities: The contractor constructed pathways for the electrical feed to the new elementary building.
E. City Utilities Service: The construction team has been coordinating with the City of Santa Monica to relocate pedestrian crosswalks, driveways and connections to public utilities along the 16th Street roadway. This work is scheduled to commence in mid-March 2024 and continue through April 2024. Street closures will occur during spring break when students and staff are off campus.
F. Asbestos Removal: Asbestos was found in a substance used to bind a new layer of asphalt to an older layer during a maintenance project several decades ago. Prior to the project, numerous tests were conducted across the yard to identify the area containing this binder, allowing for proper removal and disposal under the onsite supervision of environmental experts. The majority of this material has already been eliminated. A smaller section of asbestos-containing asphalt partially overlaps with the staff parking lot, and the team has opted to complete its removal during the spring break. There is no cause for concern of exposure during the removal process or in the future. This webpage includes various reports including an environmental site assessment report: https://www.smmusd.org/Page/7019.
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.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Program of Inquiry Units of Study
Last week classes completed:
Kindergarten - The students finished learning about what makes a community.
First Grade - The students learned that the Earth spins. They learned that while part of the Earth is facing the sun, the other half is facing away from the sun.
Second Grade - The students came to the STEM Lab to test their mortars for their Engineering Challenge (See pictures below).
Third Grade - The students came to the STEM Lab to do an activity where they compared climates from different years and locations.
Fourth Grade - The students continued working learning about the Gold Rush. They learned about how African Americans were affected by the Gold Rush. They also began building their towns and working on persuasive writing for the unit.
Fifth Grade - The students did a STEM Lab where they observed the evaporation process for freshwater and saltwater drops.
STEM Challenge Family Night
We are excited to host our first STEM Challenge Family Night on April 11th from 5:30-7 PM in the cafeteria. Join us for a fun-filled event with other students and families at Rogers!
We would like every student and family member to have the best STEM experience and one thing we need to ensure this happens is preparing enough supplies for the challenge. For this reason, we are kindly asking any families who are interested in attending to please RSVP using this Google Form by Friday, April 5th. Here is the proposed schedule for the evening:
1. 5:30-6:00 PM - What is the Engineering Cycle? (This is when the challenge will be introduced.)
2. 6:00-6:30 PM - Building Challenge (Brainstorm, Plan, Create)
3. 6:30-7:00 PM - Testing and Share
RSVP to attend the event HERE, we look forward to this event!
Pali Camp
The 5th grade is scheduled to attend Pali Camp May 1-3, 2024 (Wednesday-Friday).
Final day for donations for Pali camp are due on April 12, 2024. Please consider making a donation to WRLC, if you have not already.
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
Join the 5th grade Parent Planning Committee. We need your voice and volunteerism. Sign-up here
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.
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