August 18, 2008 Dear Will Rogers Families, Welcome back to the 2008-09 academic school year. I would like to extend a special welcome to our new and returning families. I look forward to our young student scholars having enriched rigorous learning opportunities that capture and expand their interests. Will Rogers is an extraordinary school with a dedicated staff that continues to be committed to high achievement for all students. Students are expected to come to school every day eager and prepared to share their ideas, ask and answer questions and to put their best effort forward. Will Rogers is a warm and nurturing school environment for young minds to grow and learn. I look forward to building partnerships with all of our Will Rogers families and our school community. By working together we will be able to provide our students with enriched experiences that will increase academic opportunities and achievement. I look forward to having our parents be involved in our school community in a myriad of ways such as volunteering in the classroom, supporting PTA, attending family literacy, math, science and technology nights, participating as a gardening angel, and attending all school-wide events. We have many exciting things planned for our students this year. We are providing our students an innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) based learning program. Over the last two years we have been busy laying the initial groundwork for developing a STEM focus at Will Rogers. Many of the classrooms and the computer lab have interactive SmartBoards that enrich the educational experience for our students. Some teachers are gathering data and looking at their use of technology as part of their work outlined in the Enhancing Through Education (EETT) grant The work that we have done with renowned UCLA professor Dr. Megan Franke has deepened the meaningful ways that teachers build on the development of children’s mathematical thinking. The structures and routines that teachers put into place are supporting student thinking with challenging mathematical content. We look forward to more rigorous mathematical work this year and family participation in our Family Math Nights. Our students will be participating in hands-on science labs that correspond with the district science adoption. The integration of the science standards into the instruction of reading, writing, and mathematics helps deepen student understanding of all curricular areas. I am particularly excited about developing new partnerships with local businesses, universities and other STEM coalitions to provide our students with varied opportunities to see the STEM fields applied in real life. During the summer, we were thrilled to host a SmART schools four day mini institute for participating elementary teachers in SMMUSD. Everyone in attendance experienced a multitude of ways to integrate the arts into all academic disciplines: dance, drama, language arts, math, music, science, social studies, and the visual arts. By taking into account our students multiple intelligences, this approach makes learning accessible for all students. We are entering our third year of a four year United States Department of Education grant. We will have several visiting artist that will work with our staff throughout the year. Our dedicated teachers are also excited to attend professional development training prior to school starting. Several of our teachers will be sharing their expertise in the integration of technology into lesson design and the use of technology at a district sponsored training. Please join me in welcoming our new staff members, they are; Sally Anderson, our new Administrative Assistant, Christina Greathouse our new upper grade Special Day Class Teacher, Christine Mathews, our new Classroom Teacher and Pat Martinez our school psychologist who will rejoin our staff. On the first day of school your child will bring home a packet containing emergency cards, important documents and PTA membership. It is very important that you read through these informative papers and return them to school signed promptly. Enjoy the remainder of the summer break with your child. I am looking forward to an exciting year of great learning, community partnerships and enjoyment! This is going to be a great school year! Irma Lyons, Principal