Whale Tales

Dear Webster Community,

This week, our resilience, flexibility, and community spirit shined once again.

🌟 A Huge Thank You!

We are beyond grateful to Vintage Church Malibu, the church that calls Webster home on the weekends, for their incredible $10,000 donation to support our school. This act of kindness is a true reflection of the strength and generosity within our community. Thank you for helping us continue to provide the best for our students 🥺💫🐳

💡 Learning Continues

Despite an unexpected closure, our dedicated teachers ensured that learning stayed on track with both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Teachers hosted Zoom sessions that included social-emotional learning, grade-level instruction in English and Math, and additional activities to keep students engaged. We appreciate our families' flexibility and partnership in making this possible!

⚡ Keeping Webster Powered

Great news! A temporary generator has been installed to ensure our school remains powered during PSPS events or outages. This proactive step will help maintain a consistent learning environment for our students, no matter what comes our way.

📚 Instructional Time Recovery

We understand that families have questions about how lost instructional time will be recovered. Please know that our Ed Services team is actively working with Malibu teachers to explore ways to support students in making up learning time. Since this process involves district-level coordination, we appreciate your patience and will share updates as soon as we have them.

🎉 Celebrating Our Community

A very warm welcome to all our new students and families! We are so excited to have you as part of the Webster community. Also, a big Webster Wear Shout-Out to Ms. Stark for showing school spirit this week! And finally, a heartfelt thank you to our amazing parents who continue to ask how they can help, volunteer, and support our school in countless ways. Your generosity and dedication make all the difference!

📅 Save the Date:

📸 Picture Day – Individual Portraits: February 12th
📸 Picture Day – Group Portraits: February 13th
🎓 TK/K Roundup: February 20th | 9 AM - 11 AM
🏫 Open House: March 27th (Time TBD)
🔬 Pepperdine Science Night: April 1st | 6 PM - 7:30 PM

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support in any way.

Together, we will get through this 🫶🏼

GO WHALES!

Carina Diana

Check out these wonderful moments featuring our incredible students, staff, and parents! If you have a photo that you’d like to share, please send it to Principal Diana—we’d love to include it on our social media or in upcoming newsletters.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our school community!

Feeling like 2025 could use a fresh start? Let’s reset together with a FREE Movie Night for our Webster community! Join us on Friday, February 7th at Malibu Pacific Church (3324 Malibu Canyon Road) for a fun-filled evening with friends and family.

🍽️ Dinner: 5:00 PM
🎥 Movie Screening – Moana 2: 5:30 PM

Let’s come together, share some laughs, and set a positive tone for the year ahead 🌊✨

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education will hold its regular meeting on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at Malibu High School's Arlene and Dick Van Dyke Theater (30215 Morningview Dr., Malibu, CA) instead of the district office.

🔹 Open Session: Begins at 5:30 p.m. (regular start time)

This location change was made to continue discussions on the fire disaster update that began at the special board meeting on January 23, 2025. Public comments will be accepted in person or via Zoom.

📄 Meeting agenda & Zoom details: SMMUSD Board Meetings

We encourage our school community to attend and stay informed!

In response to the recent wildfires that have impacted our community, we are pleased to offer a special parent education session with Dr. David Schonfeld, a nationally recognized expert in children’s emotional health.

Dr. Schonfeld, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, will provide practical guidance on how to support children as they process trauma, grief, and adjustment challenges related to the wildfires.

We are honored to bring Dr. Schonfeld’s expertise to our families and strongly encourage you to attend this important Zoom session.

📅 Two sessions available:
📍 Wednesday, February 5th at 6:30 PM (Zoom)
📍 Friday, February 7th at 9:00 AM (Zoom)

🔗 Zoom link (click HERE) and details can be found in the flyer below.

We’re excited to announce that the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) is transitioning its communication system to Parent Square, powered by Aeries, starting January 1, 2025. This new platform will replace the current Finalsite (formerly Blackboard) Connect system.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• No Action Required: Parents, guardians, and staff do not need to take any steps to accept this change.
• Features: Parent Square provides emails, voice messages, text messages, teacher emails, and even social media posting options.
• Data Privacy: Parent Square is an Aeries partner, ensuring a smooth transition and secure handling of student information.
• Opting Out: We recommend not opting out of emails, as doing so will unsubscribe you from all communication, including vital updates from both the school and the District.

TIPS FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION:

• Download the Mobile App: Download the Parent Square app from your app store to stay connected and fully engage with the platform. The app allows you to customize preferences and manage notifications easily.
• Check Your Spam/Junk Folder: If you’re not receiving emails after January 1, 2025, check your spam or junk folder. If you still don’t see them, contact your school office to verify your contact information.
• Set Preferences: Through the Parent Square app, you can adjust how and when you receive messages to suit your needs.

If you have questions or comments about Parent Square, please submit them through Let’s Talk under "General Comments."

The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu (BGCM) is committed to supporting our neighbors during this critical time. We have re-established the BGCM Emergency Relief Fund to directly assist those impacted by the Palisades Fire. In 2018, BGCM launched the Emergency Relief Fund in response to the Woolsey Fire, raising over $2 million and distributing in-kind items directly to the affected community.

Your donation can make an immediate difference, enabling us to:

• Maintain stability for youth by continuing programs and services, providing a safe space to heal and recover.
• Connect individuals with essential resources (available in English & Spanish).
• Offer no-cost, trauma-informed mental health services for youth, families, and the community.
• Serve as a Disaster Relief Center in Malibu, offering direct assistance.
• Support temporary housing and shelter needs for displaced individuals and families.
• Provide essentials like food, water, clothing, and toiletries.
• Distribute emergency grants to qualifying Palisades Fire victims.

Emergency Grants are available for those affected by home loss, displacement, or job loss due to the Palisades Fire, with priority given to families and individuals in the greatest need.

Here’s How YOU Can Help:

• Donate: Contribute to the Emergency Relief Fund HERE. Every dollar counts, and all proceeds support Palisades Fire victims.
• Spread the Word: Share this message with your networks to amplify the impact.
• In-Kind Donations: Pre-approved, new items only. For approval, email mollyscott@bgcmalibu.org.
• Volunteer: Contact volunteerrelief@bgcmalibu.org for volunteer opportunities.

If YOU Need Help:

• Emergency Relief Assistance or General Inquiries: emergencyrelief@bgcmalibu.org.
• Mental Health Support & Services: Call 310-457-6801 ext. 74141 or email wellnessinfo@bgcmalibu.org.
• BGCM Disaster Relief Center Pop-Up Shop
  Location: 23357 PCH, Malibu
  Hours: Monday-Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM | Saturday: 11 AM - 4 PM (Hours subject to change)

Your kindness and generosity ensure that no one has to face these challenges alone. Together, we can make a difference.

Consistent attendance is crucial for your student's academic success. It ensures that every student stays on track with learning, builds positive relationships, and contributes to a robust school community. Strong attendance goes beyond just being present; it involves being actively engaged and involved in the educational process.

Encouraging Regular Attendance:

• Make Attendance a Priority: Ensure your student doesn't miss out on crucial learning opportunities.
• Set a Positive Example: Motivate consistent attendance with your involvement.
• Establish a Routine: Help your student set daily routines for a smooth transition to school.
• Open Communication: Reach out to us if there are challenges affecting your student’s attendance.
• Celebrate Success: Acknowledge and celebrate your student's attendance milestones.

Absence Reporting Procedures:

If your student is absent, please report the absence by emailing Vitty McClung at vmcclung@smmusd.org with your student's name, grade, date, and reason for the absence. Absences must be cleared within 5 days. For more detailed information, please review the SMMUSD attendance policies by clicking HERE.

Each new academic school year, all families are required to verify and update their student’s information, including emergency contact details, which are critical for effective communication during urgent situations. We recommend completing this process on a desktop or laptop computer for the best experience.

Please log in to your Aeries Parent Portal, or click the following direct link:

https://santamonicamalibu.aeries.net/

If you did not use the direct link above, please log in to your Aeries Parent Portal and select Student Info, then click on Data Confirmation to access the correct form.

If you have forgotten your Aeries Parent Portal credentials, please use the Forgot Password? link located at the bottom of the website.

Our Student Office Specialist, Vitty McClung, will be reaching out to families who have not yet completed this process to offer any needed assistance.

To enhance student safety, the bottom gate near the Boys & Girls Club will remain closed as we no longer have adult supervision available for that area. Moving forward, there will be one main point of entrance and exit to the campus for grades K-5, which will be the gate by the main office. This change will help us ensure a secure and supervised environment for all students.

As part of our commitment to safety and being good neighbors, we kindly ask that you use the designated pick-up and drop-off lane each day. Additionally, please refrain from using the Our Lady of Malibu (OLM) parking lots and only park in the Webster lot.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we prioritize the safety of our school community!

We’re excited to announce our new Instagram account! Follow us @websterwhales for all the latest school news, events, and fun happenings around campus. Stay in the know and connect with our vibrant school community, one post at a time!.

Carina Diana, Principal

Webster Elementary School

3602 Winter Canyon Rd

Malibu, CA 90265

Email: cdiana@smmusd.org
Website: www.smmusd.org/webster
Phone: (310) 456-6494
Instagram: www.instagram.com/websterwhales
Twitter: @webstermalibu