Principal’s Message

Hello, Roosevelt Families!

Fall is in full swing at Roosevelt! Our classrooms are alive with curiosity, creativity, and the kind of joyful learning that makes this time of year so special. As students dive deeper into routines and challenges, it’s been amazing to see their confidence grow — and it’s clear that your partnership plays a big part in that success.

Thank you for continuing to stay engaged, connected, and supportive as we move through the heart of the school year together.

Open and consistent communication helps us work as a true team in supporting every child. To make that easier, we’ve established a Communication Flow Chart so you’ll always know who to reach out to for questions about academics, social-emotional support, or anything else. You can expect a staff response to emails within 24 hours, and for anything urgent, please call the main office— we’re here to help!

🚗 Morning Drop-Off and Afternoon Dismissal Safety
I want to take a moment to address an important community concern about traffic safety during both morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up at Roosevelt. We’ve seen increased congestion, double-parking, and unsafe crossing behaviors that put our students—and others in the community—at risk. The safety of our children is always our top priority, and we need everyone’s help to make these times of day safe and smooth.
Please remember to:

• Follow posted parking and traffic signs and avoid double-parking or blocking driveways.
• Use designated crosswalks when meeting your child or crossing Lincoln.
• Pull forward and move along promptly when dropping off or picking up students to keep traffic flowing.

We’re also taking steps on our end, including increasing supervision at key gates, communicating expectations regularly, and partnering with the Santa Monica Police Department’s Traffic Division to help monitor and support safe traffic flow.

Most importantly, let’s all be mindful of how we show up for one another during these busy times. Our children are watching us—they take cues from how we speak, act, and respond. We are their first role models, and the way we treat others, especially under pressure, sends a powerful message about respect, empathy, and community. Please be courteous, patient, and kind with one another as we navigate drop-off and pick-up together. A small adjustment or a moment of grace can make a big difference.

✨ Parent Connect @ Roosevelt
A huge thank-you to everyone who joined us for our first Parent Connect @ Roosevelt session last week! Between the two sessions — one after drop-off and another in the evening on Zoom — nearly 75–80 families participated in the conversation on reading during Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Ann Carey, and 5th Grade teacher, Mr. Mike Ostrom’s, engaging presentation, “Floating Into a Love of Reading.”

The feedback from participants was glowing, with comments such as:

• “Well done, teachers—very succinct, informative, relevant, and thorough! Dr. O, thanks for providing this workshop. As a fellow elementary teacher and graduate instructor… excellent choices and focus. Inspiring, encouraging, and facilitating that love for reading is the key to launching lifelong readers!”
• “Thank you so much for taking time out of your non-working hours to make this accessible for as many as possible.”
• “This was great—it just illustrates what a high-level school we’re privileged to be at.”

“Format and time were perfect! Time is essential and scarce, but I’d make time again to attend because the content was very relevant, targeted, and informative!”

These sessions are a wonderful way for families to deepen their understanding of our instructional practices and strengthen the home–school connection that helps students thrive.

If you missed it, you can watch a video of the session here. 

We’re thrilled to announce that our next Parent Connect @ Roosevelt will take place on Tuesday, October 28, with two sessions again — one at 8:40 a.m. in the auditorium and one at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom. This allows parents to choose the time that works best for them. Both sessions will include opportunities to ask questions and engage with our team. Click here to sign up! This time, we’ll be exploring Math Instruction Across Grade Levels, featuring special teacher guests Ms. Jauregui, Ms. Pirri, and Ms. Alexander. You won’t want to miss it!