Will Rogers Roundup

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Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 through October 15, recognizes the histories, cultures, achievements, and lasting contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. The 2026 theme, “Unidos, somos más. Together, we are more,” celebrates the strength of community and connection while honoring the diversity of identities, cultures, languages, traditions, and experiences within Hispanic and Latino communities. The month provides opportunities to explore the histories, perspectives, experiences, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities throughout the United States, including California and our own communities, to highlight their diversity, complexity, and influence across civil rights and social justice, government, education, labor, the arts, literature, science, and popular culture.

Mon. 9/28 Monday“Meet up” with the Principal in front of school 8:00-9:30am

Mon. 9/28 Spanish class begins 1st-5th grades

Wed. 9/30 Books and Cookies Read-A-Thon event 5:30-6:30pm in auditorium

Wed. 9/30 Sustainability Community Meeting 6-7:30pm (flyer)

October

Mon. 10/5 Volunteer Training 8:30, 3:00 in library, 6:00 in cafeteria

Tues. 10/6 TK Jules Stein eye screening

Wed. 10/7 PTA General Meeting in library at 8:30am

Wed. 10/7 All Peacemaker Meeting 1:15-2:15 in auditorium

Fri. 10/9 Bike it! Walk it! Day Block Party with JAMS on 16th between Maple and Pearl! @ 8:00-8:30 a.m.

Fri 10/9 Reflections PTA art event @5:30 p.m. in auditorium

Thurs. 10/15 CA Great Shakeout Drill @ 10:15am

Fri. 10/16 Fall Movie Night Star Party

• Set-up 5:30pm, Gates open 6:00pm

• Event 6:30pm

Mon. 10/19 Prospective Families School Tour 9:00-10:15am

Thurs. 10/22 ELAC Meeting in library at 8:30am

Fri. 10/23 School-wide Assembly/IB Awards (Reflective) 8:30am on track/field

Fri. 10/23 Farm Fall Festival in Regenerative Farm 3:00-5:00

Mon. 10/26 Ofrenda for Student Viewing in auditorium (10/26-10/30)

Thurs. 10/29 Dia de los Muertos Family Night 5:30-7:00 in auditorium

Fri. 10/30 Halloween Costume Parade 8:40-9:30 on track/field

SMMUSD Calendar 2026-2027

WRLC PTA Calendar

The Read-a-thon is officially underway!

EXTENDED FOR ONE MORE WEEK!

Sign up, track your reading minutes, and share your fundraising page with friends and family. Every page helps support Will Rogers students, enrichment, and PTA programs!

🎉 Fun prizes include:

• A Mini Reading Buddy just for registering

• Individual reader & fundraiser prizes

• A pizza party for the top fundraising class,

• The Golden Book Trophy for the class with the most minutes read!

https://willrogerspta.rallyup.com/c/b8b5eb

How Does It Work?

It is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Pick your passion: Choose from Dance, Film, Writing, Music, Photography, or Visual Arts (like painting, drawing, or sculpting). Here you can find the guidelines for each category.
2. Create your masterpiece: Make something brand new that shows exactly what the theme means to you.
3. Submit it by October 16th:
   • Online: Submit all forms for visual and digital categories by October 16th. Student submission form
   • In Person: Bring your physical, printed materials (like paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photographs) straight to the school.

Why Should YOU Enter?

• Your Voice Matters: This is your chance to show the world who you are, what you care about, and what makes your culture special.
• No Limits: You don't have to be a professional artist—judges care most about how creatively you share your unique ideas!
• Big-Time Recognition: Imagine your art being celebrated not just by your classmates, but by people across the entire state and country! Winners can earn serious bragging rights, certificates, and national prizes.

Join Us for Reflections Art Night!

Need some inspiration or want to create your masterpiece with friends? Come to our Reflections Art Night on Friday, October 9th in the school cafetorium! Bring the whole family to hang out and create a unique art piece together. We will have awesome expert volunteers on hand to help your ideas come to life!

RSVP Here! Parents and teachers, let’s encourage our kids to dream big and start creating. Grab your paint brushes, cameras, notebooks, and dance shoes—we can't wait to see you on October 9th!

Parent can access to score reports for CAASPP, ELPAC and Star are available to parents in the Aeries Parent Portal. Hard copy score reports are not mailed home. This video helps explain to students & parents/guardians on how to access their portals. You can also share this guide with parents on how to locate their Test Scores and State Test Scores Reports: Parent Portal (English) and Parent Portal (Spanish)

• Acts with honesty and integrity, even when no one is watching.
• Treats others fairly and with respect and dignity.
• Takes responsibility for their choices and actions.
• Admits mistakes and works to make things right.
• Stands up for what is right, while listening respectfully to others.
• Keeps their word and follows through on commitments.

Encourage Being Principled at Home:

• Ask: “What does it mean to be honest, even when it might be difficult?” Share examples from everyday life.
• Practice fairness. When disagreements happen between siblings or friends, ask: “What would be a fair solution? How can we make sure everyone's feelings are considered?”
• Celebrate doing the right thing. Notice and name principled choices: “I noticed that you told the truth even though you were worried you might get in trouble. That was a principled choice.”
• Talk about mistakes: When your child makes a mistake, ask: “What happened? What can you do to make it right? What could you do differently next time?”

Read About Being Principled: Reading together is another wonderful way to explore what it means to be principled. Consider looking for these books in our school library:

• Otto Runs for President
• Library Lion
• One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay & the Recycling Women of the Gambia
• Farmer Duck
• Extra Yarn

• As you read, ask your child:

  “Which character made a principled choice?”
  “What did being principled look like?”
  “What did it sound like?”
  “How do you think the character felt?”
  “What would you have done?”

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.
• There is drop-off valet available on 14th street

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 or the front gate

GOOD NEIGHBOR REMINDER:

• Parent parking can be found within our 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.
• Please be courteous and kind to our amazing crossing guards who help our students arrive safely at school each day!

Stay connected and informed by reading our weekly PTA Wednesday newsletter, filled with information about upcoming school-wide events and fundraisers, important opportunities, advocacy alerts, PTA meeting announcements, and more. To sign up for email updates, contact communications@willrogerspta.com.

Experience the amazing Samohi Orchestras at this year’s fall concert, Magic of Disney, on Saturday, October 10. Under the Direction of Jason Aiello and Emily Taylor, the Sinfonia, Intermezzo, Philharmonic, and Symphony Orchestras will perform pieces from Disney's popular movies.

Bring the whole family to hear these iconic melodies as movie clips are projected above stage! Concessions open at 3:00pm, with tacos and baked goods for sale. Dress as your favorite movie character and join in the costume parade prior to the show at 3:45pm. The concert begins at 4:00pm and will end early enough for even our littlest audience members to stay for the whole show. This event sells out, so buy your tickets now at www.samohi orchestras.org, $10 students/$20 adults.

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.

• 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!

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.

MENU HERE

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.

The Weekend Bag Program (WeB) provides SMMUSD students with nutritious, easy-to- prepare bags of food containing 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 snacks for the weekends. The Weekend Bag Program is available to serve to all SMMUSD students. Student names are not identified to Weekend Bag Program volunteers to ensure participant privacy. Weekend Bags are packed by volunteers with enough shelf-stable food (including UHT milk) for breakfast, lunch and snacks for two days. Participating students pick up the opaque nondescript bags, usually from the school office after school on Fridays, and stick them in their backpacks. The menus have been evaluated by a dietitian to meet federal school nutrition standards and provide a balance of healthy, nutritious non-perishable foods. Families wishing to enroll their students should contact our school’s Bilingual Community Liaison, Nallely Gutierrez, n.gutierrez@smmusd.org or 310 828-0335 X61311 and fill out a Program opt-in form.

El Programa de Bolsas de Fin de Semana (WeB, por sus siglas en inglés) proporcionará a los estudiantes de SMMUSD bolsas de alimentos nutritivos y fáciles de preparar para los fines de semana. Los estudiantes participantes de WeB se identifican a través de un formulario de registro de interés o de Enlaces Comunitarios Bilingües (BCL, por sus siglas en inglés). Los nombres de los estudiantes no se compartirán con los voluntarios de WeB para garantizar la privacidad de los participantes. Los voluntarios llenan bolsas de plástico reutilizables con alimentos no perecederos (incluida la leche UHT) que contienen dos días de desayunos, almuerzos y refrigerios, y luego las llevan a la oficina de la escuela o al espacio de distribución designado. Los estudiantes participantes recogen las bolsas de alimentos y las colocan en sus mochilas. Un dietista ha evaluado los menús para garantizar que cumplan con los estándares federales de nutrición escolar y brinden un equilibrio adecuado de alimentos no perecederos, nutritivos y saludables. Las familias que deseen inscribir a sus estudiantes en el Programa de Bolsas de Fin de Semana deben comunicarse con Nallely Gutierrez, n.gutierrez@smmusd.org o al 310-828-0335, extensión 61311, y completar un formulario para inscribirse en el programa.

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.

Email: ldaruty@smmusd.org
Website: https://rogers.smmusd.org/

Location: 2401 14th street Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: 310-452-2364