A Message from Tedd
March 3, 2023
WEbster Nation,
Please forgive any late or hazy responses this week....in addition to the tardiness of this week's newsletter. I've been sidelined with a really nasty cold since Tuesday. I know many of you have had the same bug...it's a doozy. Let's all do everything we can over the next few weeks to minimize the spread to students and staff as we, hopefully, begin to transition into some warmer weather.
And just like that, it's March. This year is flying by. There is so much on the calendar this month as we gear up for Spring Break and a bit of rest, recreation, and relaxation. The whole WEbster community is in GO MODE at the moment. Our PTA just finished the Book Fair and is in full swing for our Jog-A-Thon on March 17th. BGCM has been supporting our students, along with several dedicated parents, to put together this year's Talent Show on March 24th. Our staff and students are pouring their hearts and souls into incredible projects and can't wait to invite you to our Exhibition of Student Learning on March 30. There are also groups forming to organize an all-school camp-out and an Earth Day event!
If you've got some free time and want to support this thriving community, please reach out to any of the above mentioned entities. We can all use your support. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.
With gratitude,
Tedd
BSP CLUB SPREADS THE MESSAGE
Wanting to express their passion for Webster's Botswana School Project, several members of our community went down to Santa Monica and gave our Board a taste of this rich and meaningful experience. BSP Club President, Rem Sokoloff, 5th grader, Bodhi Skelton, and teacher/coordinator, Dee Dee Cooper, gave an engaging presentation highlighting the importance of the project and the deep learning that has come from the experience. The BSP has also been the spring board for the projects students are now engaged in for exhibition. Well done, team!!
Please enjoy the outstanding video made by Mrs. Cooper and the team. This was shared with the Board last Thursday.
LEMONS to LEMONADE
TK squeezes the learning out of everything they get their hands on!
Despite lots of friends feeling under the weather, TK used a big bunch of lemons from Daisy's tree to make lemonade! We had fun counting, squeezing, measuring, toasting, and tasting! We also incorporated literacy and created a book about our experience. Sending everyone well wishes for a happy and healthy weekend! With love from Miss Papale, Miss Kym, and our TK friends
LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
Ryder B. hit the stage with his band, The Masters, at Dreamland on Saturday night and treated us all to quite a gig. Playing for over an hour, Ryder and his band rocked the house. This kid is no joke! Having witnessed the show in person, I can attest to the unbelievable talent of one of Webster's 1st graders. It's rare to see this kind of natural ability and intuition for music at such a young age. I was so pleased to see such a huge Webster presence at the event as well. Families came out to support and share in what was a true love-fest of an evening. Don't miss the next opportunity to catch Ryder live!
CEREAL CREATORS
Things are heating up in the kitchens of our 5th grade families as students moved into the next phase of their cereal company design challenge. This week groups brought in their first iteration of their actual cereal. The kids were super excited to taste test and both give and receive feedback on all the creations. Fantastic conversations were had throughout the experience. Students are developing the valuable skill of giving honest, productive, and focused feedback to each other. The ability to receive such feedback is equally, if not more, important. What will they do with these responses? How will they incorporate new information and use it to forward their learning? We will keep you updated on their progress in the weeks to come.
LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
A huge thanks to Amy Stark and Dee Dee Cooper for leading our team through impactful Professional Development this week. They spent the afternoon connecting our Growth Mindsets to our Mathematical Mindsets and teasing out the connective tissue between the two. In addition, they walked through valuable strategies from the text "Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics." It's wonderful to see our staff embracing the same mindset of continuous learning that we expect from our students. Kudos, team!!
LAST CHANCE!!!
Jackets will be for sale THIS WEEK ONLY!! Each jacket comes with a complimentary Webster patch. Additional patches sold separately.
*Jackets, beanies, and Best On The Beach patches available to students of all ages/grade levels. AstroCamp & Yosemite patches available to 4th and 5th grade students only.
Order form: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/3b2fa7bf-00b8-438b-b3b5-42dd3e416806/Patch%20Jacket%20Order%20Form.pdf.
All orders must be placed by MARCH 6!
OPPORTUNITIES GALORE!!
There are a lot of things happening in the next few months and the PTA is a massive part of making them happen. Please stay connected, help out where you can, and jump in where it makes sense for you and your family. We appreciate your support and want to do everything we can to be there for our incredible PTA.
RECRUITMENT...WE NEED YOU!
I have an important ask of you, community. The PTA is currently recruiting for next year's PTA Executive Board, and I invite you to consider stepping up to fill a leadership role. This is an opportunity to use your own unique skills to meaningfully and positively impact the Webster community.
In addition to planning the many assemblies, events, and holiday celebrations we enjoy throughout the year, the PTA has the vital role of raising funds to pay for our classroom instructional aides, art class, STEAM lab, tech curriculum, classroom supplies, and more. There's no question the PTA would benefit from more parents helping lead these efforts next year!
The PTA Executive Board and leadership positions for you to consider include President, Treasurer, Vice President of Family & Student Programs, Financial Secretary, Fundraising Vice President, Community Relations Liaison, and more. If you're interested in volunteering or learning more, please let me know, or you can email websterptamalibu@gmail.com.
JOG-A-THON
ALL STUDENTS MUST REGISTER!
Our 2023 Jog-A-Thon Pledge Site is live! Log in to register your student for the race, collect pledges, and view prizes! You MUST register your student to allow us to order a t-shirt for them! Registration does not require a donation. Just a profile and t-shirt size!
Click here to register: https://pledgestar.com/websterjogathon/
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR JOG-A-THON
Volunteers are needed for this year's Jog-A-Thon on Friday, March 17th! Sign up to help decorate, set up the track, serve snacks, count laps, and more! And don't forget to list your t-shirt size next to your name! Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4ba9ad22a3f85-2023#/
VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED FOR TALENT SHOW
We're looking for volunteers to mentor our Student Stage Crew! Check out our signup and considering helping our talented Webster Whales: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4ba9ad22a3f85-talent#/.
Thank you for helping us create these amazing events for our kids! We truly couldn't do it without your support!
CALLING ALL ARTISTS!!
Talent Show
Create a logo for our upcoming Talent Show! The winning logo will be featured on the cover of the show's program. Drawings must be completed in black ink on a white background. Open to all grade level artists.
Jog-A-Thon
Create a logo for our upcoming Jog-A-Thon. The winning logo will be featured on our official Jog-A-Thon t-shirts given to all Webster students, staff, and event volunteers. Drawings may include multiple colors. Open to 4th and 5th grade artists only.
To submit a logo, please forward a jpg or pdf of your artwork to websterPTAmalibu@gmail.com.
Deadline for submissions: Monday, March 6th.
The Webster Elementary PTA is officially launching our 2023 Jog-A-Thon Community Sponsorship Campaign, and we invite you to join us! Our annual Jog-A-Thon raises funds for Webster’s art and technology programs, STEAM lab, field trips, specialty classroom supplies, and more. Webster currently serves over 200 students and 45 staff members who reside or work in Malibu.
This year’s Jog-A-Thon will take place on Friday, March 17th. Students aged preschool through 5th grade will be invited to see how many laps they can run as their friends and family cheer from the sidelines. In addition to the pledges collected by our students, sponsorships from organizations like yours will be used to support the programs listed above. Without parent and community donations, Webster PTA would be unable to provide these educational experiences for our students.
We invite you to review the below Jog-A-Thon Community Sponsorship Tiers. We’ll express our gratitude for your participation – through cash donation and/or in-kind goods and services – by highlighting your organization in one or more of the following ways:
- Your logo displayed on our official Jog-A-Thon t-shirt.
- Your organization featured in our PTA newsletter and social media posts and stories.
- Webster window decal for you to publicly display your support of Malibu public schools.
- A fence banner featuring your organization name and logo.
The PTA of John L. Webster School of Malibu is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and your donation may be tax deductible.
For more information or to become a sponsor, email websterptamalibu@gmail.com. Sponsorships can be purchased by check or online by clicking here. If you're a Webster parent with a connection to a local business or organization, please pass along this opportunity to them!
On behalf of all Webster students, staff, and families, Webster PTA values and appreciates your commitment to Malibu public education. Thank you for considering a sponsorship for our 2023 Webster Jog-A-Thon!
Contact:
Jessica Butler-Bell Webster PTA President
THE LOOMING TEACHER SHORTAGE
This is a great article, not just for our small community, but for our district as a whole. A lot of ink has been spilled over the past year about a real and imminent teacher shortage. What are the conditions that have created it? But more importantly, I'm interested in how we as a WEbster community, as a unified district, and as a community who finds itself on the verge of creating our own small district, can create the conditions that attract and maintain excellence and innovation amongst our teaching staff. The article presents a few solutions worth our consideration.
It's Coming!!!
AUDITIONS:
Mon, March 6 @3:00pm
REHEARSALS:
All acts must attend all three rehearsals
Fri, March 10 @3:00pm
Thu, March 16 @3:00pm
Wed, March 22 @3:00pm (mandatory dress rehearsal)
DETAILS:
We want this to be an inclusive, respectful, impactful, and super fun event for everyone involved. The opportunities for personal growth and community development are huge. We can’t wait to see you all shine up there on the big stage while supporting others to do the same. Please remember that this is a show, not a competition. It’s about spreading a little joy throughout our Webster community. We encourage everyone to think of ways in which they might participate. The talent show isn't just for singers and dancers. You can perform a monologue, poetry reading, short skit, stand up comedy, or even be part of our student stage crew! Serve as a stage manager or talent wrangler! The BGCM will be supporting the event by helping our students identify and develop talents that can be shared with the community at the big show. In order to make this an unforgettable event, the planning committee has laid out a few important guidelines:
- Students may perform solo or in a group. They may perform in no more than 2 acts, but may not perform 2 solo acts. (Options: 1 solo, 1 group, 2 groups, or 1 solo+1group) If performing in a whole class act, this will not be counted against your total.
- Costumes, attire, language, and/or song lyrics must be elementary school appropriate and will need approval before dress rehearsal.
- No act may exceed the time constraint of 2:30 (2 minutes, 30 seconds)
BEHAVIOR:
We know the talent show creates a ton of excitement and a lot of crazy energy. We understand and really love this about the event. However, a lot of people will give of their time and efforts to make this such a special day for us all. Disrespectful, inappropriate, mean, irresponsible, and out of control behavior will simply not be tolerated throughout the process of rehearsals and showtime. You and your act will be given 2 warnings. If the behavior continues, you will not be allowed to perform. We know you can pull it together. You got this!
If you are interested in participating in Webster’s 2023 Talent Show, please fill out and sign an Application for Entry (available in the main office).
All applications should be placed in the principal’s box outside Tedd’s office by Thursday, March 2!!
Good luck, you creative, imaginative, awesome little humans!!
EVENTS and REMINDERS
Friday, March 10
8:45am
Pepperdine Science Night
Tuesday, March 14
6:00pm (details to come)
Webster Jog-A-Thon
Friday, March 17
8:30am
Webster Talent Show
Auditions: March 6 @ 3:00pm
Rehearsals:
March 10 @ 3:00pm
March 16 @ 3:00pm
March 22 @ 3:00pm (Dress Rehearsal)
The Big Show: Friday, March 24
6:00pm
*More detailed information is on the way!!! We promise :)
Cesar Chavez Day
Monday, March 27
School Closed
Exhibition of Student Learning (DO NOT MISS THIS!)
Thursday, March 30
6:00-7:30pm
(There may also be a daytime visitation...we will let you know)
Spring Break Begins!
Monday, April 3
School resumes Monday, April 17
All School Camp Out
Saturday, April 29
Details to come!
BGCM GETS IN ON THE ACT
The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu in partnership with Off Broadway Kids has orchestrated a musical cabaret at Webster Elementary! A 5-week immersive musical theater arts class incorporating education, structure, and encouragement. The program will conclude with a performance at the Webster Elementary Talent Show on Friday, March 24. To learn more about Off Broadway Kids visit offbroadwaykids.com. Follow us on social media for updates! @bgcmalibu90265 and @offbroadwaykids.
Update
Webster Information - Week of March 6, 2023
The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu aims to provide a fun, safe, and creative environment for all Malibu youth to thrive, find support through positive mentorship, develop important life skills, and receive social and emotional support. We are currently offering:
Pepperdine Family Art Day on Saturday, March 11, 11AM-3PM. The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu is excited to partner with this year's Pepperdine Family Art Day. We will be showcasing BGCM's ongoing work in sustainability practices and regenerative systems through the garden projects occurring in partnership with the district at all four Malibu public schools. Please feel free to share with friends/family! Location: 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Weisman Museum of Art @ Pepperdine University.
Learn more & register for free here!Delicious food & dessert options by Cavi Kitchen & Creamy Boys Real Fruit Ice Cream
On-site nature walk
Family friendly activities (arts/crafts, science activities, story time, and more)
Art exhibit and gallery tours
BGCM After School Programs Academic Year 2022-2023, ENROLL NOW at BGCMALIBU.ORG Programs include: STEM based projects, arts & crafts, cooking/gardening, social emotional wellness, and more! (Enrollment must be completed and verified via our online electronic system before your child attends BGCM Clubhouses, please allow at least 2 business days for this process).
BGCM Wellness Center is hosting a parent webinar on Tuesday, March 21 @5pm. The webinar will take place via zoom. Space is limited, so please RSVP. We will be discussing the importance of mental and physical self-care for you/your family. Link to register https://bit.ly/ParentingandSelf-Care
BGCM in Partnership with City of Malibu NEW enrichment classes for Spring 2023. Registration is open at malibucity.org/register. Classes are open for registration Basketball, Theater Improv, and Animal Adventures. Dates are April 18-June 8. Students do not have to be BGCM members to register.
Wellness Center & Social Support Offerings The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu Wellness Center operates remotely and also in-person to provide no-cost social support & mental health counseling to all in the community. Visit https://bgcmalibu.org/wellness-center/ to learn more or to request services for you/your child! PSA: Parents! If you've missed any parent workshops, they are available on our website at https://bgcmalibu.org/wellness-center-resources/
Developing character and growth mindsets is invaluable and will be a major focus of ours here at Webster over the years. As we build community here on campus, at home, and across Malibu, we will continue to model the kind of behavior that promotes unity and kindness. In addition, we will notice and value it in each other.