Will Rogers Roundup
For the week of March 27, 2023
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Para leer la WILL ROGERS ROUNDUP en otro idioma, mire a la derecha del boletín y haga clic en "TRADUCIR EL BOLETÍN". ¡Ahora puede elegir entre 100 idiomas!
NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY MARCH 27th
Principal's Pen
Dear Will Rogers Parents and Guardians,
I hope you are enjoying the dry weekend! We have a short but mighty week planned at Will Rogers. I hope to see you on campus!
This Thursday is a minimum day! But we will see you later in the evening for OPEN HOUSE from 6-7 p.m. in your child's classroom. Students and grown—ups are invited to celebrate the learning of our students. Bring your curiosities and affirmations as you celebrate your child's accomplishments!
This Friday there is NO LATE START and it is a minimum day. Please join us for our annual Jog-a-Thon. You can find your child's run time on this SCHEDULE. Don't forget to share your child's pledge page with family and friends so we can raise money for our fabulous school! The event will be lots of fun with snacks and a DJ! Please remember to have your child wear appropriate shoes and clothing AND don't forget a reusable water bottle!
Finally, I hope you all have a fun, relaxing, and safe Spring Break! The students have worked so hard this year under the guidance of our outstanding staff and now it's time to recharge ourselves for the final seven-week stretch to the Summer! We will see you all on Monday, April 17th!
Together for Will Rogers,
Principal Daruty
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Mon. 3/27 NO SCHOOL: CESAR CHAVEZ HOLIDAY
Tues. 3/27 4th grade SMC Dance Culmination in the auditorium. PARENTS are WELCOME! Ms. Hill's class @9:20 and Mr. B and Ms. Hughes at 11:20 a.m.
Wed. 3/28 PTA Executive Board Meeting @6:00 p.m.
Thurs. 3/30 2023-24 LCAP meeting 5:30-6:30 p.m. Via zoom
Thurs. 3/30 Minimum Day TK/K @ 12:10 p.m. and 1st - 5th @ 1:00 p.m.
Thurs. 3/30 Open House 6:00- 7:00 p.m.
Fri. 3/31 No Late Start (School begins at 8:25 a.m.) and Minimum Day TK/K @ 12:10 p.m. and 1st - 5th @ 1:00 p.m.
Fri. 3/31 Jog-A-Thon (SCHEDULE)
Thurs. 4/20 5th Grade Parent Meeting to plan activities @6:30pm
Fri. 4/21 Earth Day Festival at the Farm 3-5 pm
Mon. 4/3-Fri 4/14 NO SCHOOL: Spring Break
Mon. 4/17 First Day after Spring Break!
Wed. 4/19 4th Grade field trip to SMC
Wed. 4/19 PTA Association Meeting @ 6:00 p.m.
Fri. 4/21 ISPE applications due for incoming 6th graders to JAMS for 23-24 school year
Fri. 5/19 Career Day 9:45 a.m.
Thurs. 4/27 School Site Council Math Learning Walks 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Fri. 5/19 Career Day 9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. ( schedule TBD)
Wed. 5/24 ELAC Meeting @ 8:30 a.m.
Fri. 5/27 @10:15am 5th grade Theatre performance
Fri. 6/2 Talent Show (Time TBD)
Wed. 6/7 School-wide “Clap-Out” for 5th graders @ 9:00 a.m. in the hallways.
Wed. 6/7 5th grade Culmination @ 9:15 a.m. (outdoors)
Mon. 6/12 Last Day of School and minimum day TK/K @ 12:10 p.m. and 1st - 5th @1:00 p.m.
OPEN HOUSE is this THURSDAY from 6-7 p.m.
Families with students in 2nd- 5th grade should visit the Spanish Class in room 508.
Please take a look at the Lost and Found while exiting! So many items need to be found.
JOG-A-THON! FRIDAY MARCH 31st!
We are just a few days away from our annual Jog-a-Thon.
FRDAY, MARCH 31st
Registration is now open online! This is a fun event for every student at Will Rogers, and an important way for us to raise funds to help our school.Please visit https://www.willrogerspta.com/jogathon and click to sign up. Registration is free, and with your assistance, your child can create their very own Jog-a-Thon page to start collecting pledges and donations.
Congratulations to Harlow ,in Ms. Coughlin's class who was last week's winner of a Wacky Arts and Crafts Basket!
WE STILL NEED PARENT VOLUNTEERS! PLEASE SIGNUP TO HELP MAKE JOG-A-THON a SPECIAL DAY!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D48A8A92AA1F49-jogathon
Grown-Ups are welcome to come cheer on their runners the day of the event. We hope to see you there.
CALLING ALL PARENTS! We need to fill a few more PTA positions for next year's PTA!
The following positions are still open:
- VP, Fundraising -- Coordinates and promotes annual WRLC Fund drive; assists fall and spring fundraiser chairs with auction and jog-a-thon; oversees Student Store chair
- VP, Communications -- Manages WRLC PTA website; emails out PTA's Wednesday electronic newsletter; monitors WRLC FB group page; assists Memory Book/Yearbook chair(s)
- VP, Enrichment -- Coordinates annual Reflections art contest; assists Book Fair chair with fall and spring Book Fair; assists Career Day chair; assists school with STEM festival
- VP, Community Concerns -- Assists Bike It! Walk It! Day chair in fall and spring; coordinates campus beautification efforts; assists Lost and Found volunteer; assists DEI chairs; works with school Principal and PTA President regarding student health and safety
- Room Rep. Coordinator -- Helps to engage all WRLC parents by keeping them informed of districtwide, school-wide, and classroom-specific events / information. Assists Room, Representatives in supporting their child’s teacher.
Please email me directly with their interest in serving in one of these positions. president@willrogerspta.com
Interim Superintendent’s Message: Covid-19 Guidelines Update for TK-12~
Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, Students and Community Members,
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District has aligned with the following new guidance issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH), effective immediately for TK-12 grade.
Preschool families will receive communication from Child Development Services regarding guidelines in their early learning environments.
Isolation: Stay home and away from others for at least 5 days
Individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 are to continue to isolate (stay home and away from others) for five days and may leave isolation after day five, as long as they have been fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medicines) and they either have no symptoms or their symptoms are mild and improving.
A negative Covid test is no longer required to leave isolation between days six to 10. If you have COVID-19, it remains very important to minimize the risk of passing along an infection. The LACDPH strongly recommends that people test negative prior to leaving isolation between days six to 10. Infected people should wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days. People may now discontinue wearing a mask around others between days six to10 if they have two sequential negative tests taken at least one day apart. School sites and offices continue to offer free home test kits for students and staff.
Masking
Changes have been made to masking requirements. Except as stated above, masking is now based on individual preference and no longer required, but strongly recommended. Employees must wear face coverings around others for a total of 10 days if coming back from isolation after day five, per the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), better known as Cal/OSHA.
Quarantine (Exposure)
LACDPH strongly recommends, but is not requiring, that a person who is a close contact to a person with a confirmed case of Covid-19 wears a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days. This is especially recommended in indoor settings or when near those who are at high risk for severe illness. It is recommended that close contacts test as soon as possible to determine infection status and then, if negative, test again within three to five days after last known exposure.
This includes asymptomatic students and staff in classrooms or other school settings exposed to a positive case. Previously, students and staff in a class with a positive case were required to mask for 10 days.
Spring break testing
SMMUSD schools and offices will be providing free at-home Covid-19 test kits prior to spring break. We ask that students and staff test prior to return on April 17, either that morning or the evening before. This is extremely important to minimize risk of transmission and spread as families are traveling and gathering over break and for spring holidays.
Stay healthy!
LACDPH strongly recommends that residents stay up to date on vaccines and boosters, test before gatherings, stay home when sick and seek treatment.
The ongoing health and wellness of our students and staff are our top priorities. Together, we continue to move forward in a positive manner, in-person, with our full array of academic, extracurricular, social emotional and wellness programs, to ensure the success of our students.
Sincerely,
Mark O. Kelly, Ed. D.
Interim Superintendent
Link to the full LACDPH guideline updates:
Appendix T1: Covid-19 Protocol for TK-12 Schools
Appendix T2: Covid-19 Exposure Management Plan Guidance in TK-12 Schools (3/14/23)
LOST and FOUND! Please claim your items they miss you...
Our racks are outside the main gates on most days so please stop by and browse. There are water bottles, lunch boxes, some bags, some hats, jackets galore, about a dozen black hoodies, a dozen grey hoodies, a dozen blue hoodies, …you get my point. There’s a lot!
CAlKIDS Savings Program
Learn about the state’s CalKIDS savings program benefitting SED students and all newborns. News release in English and Spanish.
Cinco De Mayo Festival
Our Cinco de Mayo festival is coming up in a few months and we need your help! Please start saving your cracked and rinsed eggs so we can make cascarones or you can make them at home and send them in. Or… they should start appearing at stores soon if you would like to buy them. I typically see them at the 99 cent store. Thank you!!!! Here’s a link for how to make them:
2023 District Sumer School Locations
4-week programs (June 20-July 14)
Grant ES: IISS, ESY and SLA (two weeks only)
5-week programs (June 20-July 21)
Franklin ES
Pick-up your enrollment packets!
If you have an TK or K incoming student for the 2023-24 school year and were unable to attend the TK/K Roundup event you can review View the presentation here.
For incoming TK/K students enrollment packets are NOW available. Information and next steps can be found on our WRLC website.
Please visit our office between 9:00-2:30 to avoid heavy, traffic times.
SMMUSD Permits
Intradistrict permit applications are due April 30, 2023 and Interdistrict Permit applications are due June 30, 2023.
In addition, a district-wide notification was sent out to ALL district families to remind them to fill out a Verification of Continuing Enrollment. If your student is on an interdistrict permit please submit this form!
ROGERS 5th Grade NEWS AND ANNOUCEMENTS
A
5th Grade Grown Ups
Please join us on Thursday April 20th at 6:30pm for our second meeting to discuss end of year 5th grade activities (Memory Book, 5th Grade Dance, Event Day, Promotion & Class Gift). If you can't make the meeting but are interested in helping to plan or volunteering at these activities, please contact Pamela at pamelak@gmail.com.
Meeting Details
6:30pm on Thursday April 20th
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83050337093
Meeting ID: 830 5033 7093
Passcode: 764699
Thanks!
5th Graders heading to JAMS next year!
The new Independent Study PE (ISPE) applications are live districtwide. Below you will find a link to the application for those interested in applying.
The applications are due on April 21st.
Here's the link:
English: https://www.smmusd.org/cms/lib/CA50000164/Centricity/Domain/551/ISPE2324-Gr.6-8.pdf
Spanish: https://www.smmusd.org/cms/lib/CA50000164/Centricity/Domain/551/ISPE2324-Gr.6-8SP.pdf
Oops, I Forgot!
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. Make a plan with your child that if they leave something at home, a parent can drop it off in the office. We will place their item on a table outside the office. During their recess or on their way to lunch, they may check the table for their forgotten item.
Please communicate this plan with your child, so they know there is place for parents to drop-off items they may have left at home!
PLEASE DO NOT HAVE FOOD DELIVERED TO YOUR CHILD AT SCHOOL THROUGH A FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE. This brings unfamiliar adults and more traffic to our already busy office.
Please do not forget to send with your child every day:
- Backpack with necessary classroom materials (teacher will communicate)
- Re-useable water bottle. We have filling stations on campus.
- Morning recess snack
- Lunch (lunch available to all students free of charge for the 2022-23 school year.)
- Sunscreen (put on prior to arriving at school)
- Hat
- Layers of clothing (sweatshirt, windbreaker, etc.) Keep an eye on the weather.
*Please do not bring toys, Pokemon cards or PE equipment to school. We will provide your children all the learning tools needed to have a great day!
AT-HOME ANTIGEN TESTS sent home in your child's backpack!
We will no longer require COVID testing at school. Instead, we will provide free, at-home test kits. Negative test results do not need to be shown to school staff for admittance to school. If your child tests positive please stay home and contact our school nurse.
With this decision comes the expectation that parents and staff will be cooperative in weekly antigen testing at home. It is in our collective best interests to maintain in-person instruction without disruptions of class or school closures due to outbreaks. We want everyone to recognize that we are part of a school community that relies on each other to do the right thing, which is to support the health and safety of all students, staff and visitors to our campuses and offices, by taking these weekly tests.
***Tests are always available in the Rogers Health Office.
REGULAR ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
***Students enrolled in morning care through CDS, enter on 16th street beginning at 7:00 a.m. using the gate code provided at enrollment.
We will pilot a morning valet on 14th street between 8:10-8:30 a.m. M-TH and 9:30-9:45 a.m. on Fridays. Will Rogers staff will support children to exit cars and enter school through the front school gates. You can help by ensuring that your children are ready to exit with their backpacks on, ready to go! Parents, please do not park in the valet zone and leave your car unattended, the area will be marked with cones. We kindly ask that you take direction from our staff who will help keep the line moving and our students safe.
Parents and guardians may drop-off and say their goodbyes at the gate(s).
- TK/Kinder use the designated gate on 14th street. There will be staff stationed at the gates to assist.
- 1st - 5th may use either the front gate on 14th street or the pedestrian gate on 16th street.
REMINDER: Parent parking can be found on the neighborhood streets. Be sure to read the street signs! Please do not park in the staff parking lots.
DISMISSAL: All students will be walked to their dismissal gate by their classroom teacher. Students who have not been picked-up shortly after dismissal, will be asked to wait near the office.
DESIGNATED DISMISSAL GATES:
- TK/Kinder: Pick-up students on the TK/K yard (on 14th street)
- 1st and 2nd: Pick-up students on the TK/K yard (on 14th street)
- 3rd: Front of the school (on 14th street)
- 4th and 5th: Pick-up students at the 16th street pedestrian gate
**If you have multiple children, please pick-up at the designated gate of your youngest student. Be sure you inform your child's teacher.
If it is raining: 1st- 3rd pick-up location will be the front of school, under the covered awning.
Donate to the Will Rogers PTA and Santa Monica Education Foundation Today!
The Ed Foundation’s January campaign has begun at our school! For those of you who have donated this year, thank you. For those families who have not yet made a donation, please consider it. Every dollar counts. Please visit www.smedfoundation.org/donate.
Our goal is for 100% of Rogers families to give to PTA and the Ed Foundation. ANY amount makes a difference to our kids. If you have already donated, thank you!