Hello Willard Families,

Here we are approaching the end of September! Once October and our fall celebrations begin, things move quickly. We have our first IB Assembly this week, Free Dress Day, and Coffee with the Principal. Be sure to check the calendar below for details.

Construction is moving along with the Kinder yard almost complete. We still need to have the area cleaned, have wood chips added, and to have the fence removed. In our main playground, the support beams have been installed and we are waiting for the concrete to cure completely before installing the shade. We thank you for your patience as we finish this important project. (Please see below for details.)

We hope you have a wonderful week and we look forward to seeing you on campus soon!

Volunteer Opportunity - TK/Kinder Playground

We are in need of 1-2 volunteers to help our TK/Kinder teachers maintain the sandbox for our students.

1. TK/Kinder Sandbox Maintenance (1-2 people) - Take out large debris and use a sand rake to clean out sandbox. Organize sand toys. (All equipment provided.)

Time Commitment - about 60 minutes, twice a month, all year (if more than one volunteer, less time)

When - Drop off or pick up are best, but flexible.

Next Steps - Please email covarrubias.sonia@pusd.us or stop by the main office to volunteer.

Thank you for considering supporting our school through volunteering.

October 2nd: Freezie Free Dress Day & Otter Pops Sales

On Friday, we have our Freezie Free Dress Day & Otter Pops Sales. Don't forget to keep making donations to this fundraiser to help our students earn future Free Dress Days.

Students earn 1 Free Dress Day for every $500 raised
Otter Pops go towards the goal, so bring your $1 to buy your Otter Pop
In online donations, please check the "Free Dress Day" box.

Help our students earn as many days as possible by making a donation today!

October 5th: Community Survey Closes

As PUSD updates its Facilities Master Plan, we invite students, families, staff, and community members to complete the School Community Survey. Your experiences and priorities will help guide future school facility improvements and investments connected to Measures O and R.

While you are encouraged to provide any feedback of your choosing on this survey, these are a few items that consistently come up as areas of concern for our community. Feel free to include them in your input:

Heating/Air Conditioning in our Auditorium is needed
Main Playground Structure needs improvements/replacement
B Wing adapted play equipment for our students with Special Needs
A Laundry room for our B Wing

Please complete the survey: English | Español | Հայերեն

Thank you!

October 5th: Annual Fund Wrapping Paper Sale Ends!

Wrapping Paper Sale

Fundraiser Dates: Sept 14 - Oct 5

Fundraiser Goal: $4000

What it's for

40% of every sale helps save vital programs & positions from district budget cuts: Our MTSS Coach, Ms. Torres! Field trip support! Science programs & supplies!

How it works

• Follow the instructions in the Charleston Wrap packet coming home with your students

• Students can register to participate and win prizes (Organization ID: 28296)

• Share with your friends and family to raise as much as possible!

• Orders can be made online or with the paper form

• Please turn paper forms into the office by Oct 5th

This Year’s Progress

We're at about 12% of our year-end goal of $90,000 - Every dollar counts!

Donate Directly

If you don’t want to buy wrapping paper you can always donate directly to the Annual Fund at willardannualfund.com

Income Survey due October 31st

Please help us by completing PUSD's confidential Household Income Survey. This quick form helps secure extra funding for our schools, supports before and after-school programs, and more. It may also help students qualify for benefits such as college application fee waivers, reduced AP and SAT/ACT exam fees, transportation assistance, and expanded program opportunities.

The survey can be completed through the Aeries Parent Portal, online, or by printable form at pusd.us/IncomeForm. Only one form is required per family. The deadline is October 31, 2026.

Options for completing the form:

The Aeries Parent Portal (Data Confirmation) process,
an online survey available in English and Español, or
a printable PDF form available in English and Español.
pusd.us/IncomeForm

i-Ready For Families Report

We are excited to share that you can now access the For Families report with your student’s results on their i-Ready Inform™* for Reading and/or for Mathematics assessment through their i-Ready student dashboard. The i-Ready Inform Reading assessment is given to students in grades 3-12, the Mathematics assessment is given to students in grades K-12.

How can I access my student’s results?

Log in to your student’s i-Ready account. Use the district or school’s portal credentials and then click the i-Ready icon. Students in Pasadena Unified School District access i-Ready via Clever.
Select the Subject (Reading for grades 3-12, and Math) tab.
Click on the For Families dropdown and select the For Families report.
Select a language for the report.
Enter your district’s report code NPXTLF.

Thank you again for your continued partnership and support of your student’s learning. Please contact your student’s teacher with any questions.

Metro Tap Cards for 26-27

We are happy to share that the Metro GoPass Program will continue this school year, providing FREE rides on Metro and participating transit agencies for all PUSD students.

Here is some important information to help get you started:

Physical TAP cards are the same as last year, so students who already have a card may continue using it.
Activation codes issued during the 2025-26 school year will remain active until September. Once those codes expire, we begin issuing this year's activation codes to students who need them.
Please let Ms. Medina know if you need a replacement card or new code @ medina.maria@pusd.us.

Ms. Medina will be here every Monday & Tuesday to provide in person support or you can email her your question.

Parent Portal & Yearly Data Verification

Please make sure to sign-up for your Parent Portal account. The Parent Portal is an easy way to keep your contact information up-to-date and monitor your child's attendance and records. Signing up and verifying your data yearly also helps us keep breakfast and lunch free for all students.

You need to verify your data yearly, but only need to register your account one time, while your child is in a PUSD school. Please see the any staff member in the main office for your Verification Code. Instructions and details can be found HERE and our Community Assistant, Ms. Medina, is available every Monday & Tuesday to help. Thank you!

Arrival Traffic Procedures

Please follow drop off procedures to ensure the safety of our students. Please plan for about 3-5 minutes during drop off.

Please pull forward to the first cone to drop off in front of Willard (heading Southbound).
After you drop your child off please continue south on Madre St. DO NOT park in the drop off lane - No Parking signs are posted.
Both lanes of traffic should “zipper merge” as they approach the crosswalk. (That is one car at a time from each lane.)

Please DO NOT drop off your child in the middle of the street and ask them to run to the sidewalk.
Please do not make a u-turn on Thorndale. There is no drop off staff lot.
If you would like to walk your child onto campus please park in the neighborhood and walk to campus. (Please do not park in the staff parking lot.)

We thank you in advance for helping us keep our students safe.

Uniform Dress Code Policy

We would like to remind everyone that Willard has a Uniform Dress Code Policy. We have a number of students not adhering to our Uniform Policy. We will begin enforcing Dress Code policy, asking students to change, and calling home.

Why Uniform Dress Code?

Uniforms contribute to a positive school climate. Students are less distracted by what they or their peers are wearing and focus better on school. This reduces potential bullying and peer conflict. It also helps create community and cohesion as a school. (Uniforms, also, make morning dress routines easier as there is no need to decide what to wear.)

School Uniform/ Dress Code

The Willard School community supports the uniform dress code policy, which was adopted in 2003. The dress code requires all students to dress in white or navy tops with navy blue bottoms.

The acceptable “tops” for Willard students are:

T-Shirts Solid - with no logos/imprint (except for Willard Wear)
Polo-type shirts
Full cut standard shirt
Willard IB Wear (including IB green shirts)
All of the above must be white or navy blue

The acceptable “bottoms” for Willard students are:

Pants, shorts, skirts, or jumpers
Blue jeans are not allowed

All of the above must be navy blue

Please note that the following are not permitted as part of our dress code: sandals, short shorts, blouses or shirts exposing midriff, spaghetti straps, and tank tops.

Please support Willard’s dress code policy by requiring your child/children wear the uniform everyday.

SEPTEMBER

9/29 Armory Center for the Arts to 4th grade classes

OCTOBER

10/1 IB Awards Assembly
10/2 Custodian Appreciation Day
10/2 WAF Free Dress Day & Otter Pops Sales
10/5 International Fashion Parade/Show @ 8:00am
10/5 First Monday Morning Meeting @ 7:50am
10/5 WAF Wrapping Paper Fundraiser Ends
10/6 Rose Bowl Swim Lessons Begin for 3rd Grade
10/6 Hahamonga Watershed Field Trip - 4th Grade
10/11 Amigos Campus Care 8-11am
10/12 Indigenous People's Day
10/12 School Tour @ 8:15am
10/13 Lower Arroyo Field Trip - 4th Grade
10/14 Picture Make-Up Day
10/14 ELAC Meeting @ 8:15am
10/14 School Site Council @ 3:00pm
10/14 Community Night @ 5:15pm
10/15 Great CA Shakeout @ 10:15am
10/16 Parent Conference Day - NO SCHOOL
10/19-10/23 Spirit Week
10/21 PTA Restaurant Fundraiser (Chipotle & Handles)
10/30 Character Parade @ 8:15am
10/30 Trunk or Treat & Movie Night
10/30 Armory Field Trip - 5th Grade

NOVEMBER

11/1 Daylight Savings Time Ends (Fall Back)