As a principal and parent in the district, I am - as I am sure you are as well - thinking a great deal about student safety this week. I know many of you have been alarmed and worried about the threatening messages that have been found in the several of the high schools and middle schools around the district, and several of you have approached me asking whether it is safe to send your children to school. I appreciate you asking, and want to offer you every assurance possible that we do plan and prepare carefully for a wide variety of emergencies, and that we have a school safety committee that regularly reviews issues of safety so that we can better our practices. 

Safety comes first at Rockwell. Every day we talk with our kids about being safe, respectful, responsible, and kind. We have different emergency drills every month - fire, earthquake, shelter-in-place, and different types of lockdowns. Many of you have read and learned about the ALICE protocol that the district has adopted this year in the event of a violent intruder, and we will be working in the next month to train and prepare elementary students in response to these new recommendations.   READ MORE

Student Council voted on School-Wide Spirit Week. Have fun!

Q: What is the difference between being a PTA Member and a PTA BOARD MEMBER?  

PTA members are all of our parents and teachers who have paid their yearly dues ($18) to join PTA. If you have paid your dues, you are a PTA member (even if you have never been to a meeting). On the state and national level, PTA provides voice to the legislature and on committees addressing public policy issues affecting families and children. There are also perks and benefits for PTA members. Read More.

PTA Board Members are parents who serve on our board and meet monthly to discuss funding grant requests from teachers, upcoming events, and other issues affecting our school. 

Q: When a volunteer opportunity says "must be a PTA member to handle cash" do they mean only board members? 

A: Nope, anyone who has joined PTA (see above) is considered a PTA member and can volunteer for those jobs at our events. 

Q: Does the PTA just plan fun events? 

A: No, the PTA Board meets monthly to discuss and vote on FUNDING numerous grants written by teachers and other staff members. We fund all those "extras" in your child's education at Rockwell, such as: author visits, assemblies, science materials for classrooms, art supplies for docents, visits from the Toymaker (enriching STEM curriculum), outside the classroom learning experiences & programs, and SO much more -all of which enriches your child's education. 

HOW? Funded by the PTA with YOUR donations to our yearly Pass The Hat fundraiser. (Which is why we need you to donate if you have not yet this year - seriously, please check your account on our website to see if you have donated yet). Oh...and yes to the events too! Read More.

Q: I think that school volunteering is only for people who don't work - how can I help? 

A: Not at all true!  In fact, 10 out of 13 of our current  PTA Board Members work  outside of the home. Our meetings are in the evenings to accommodate working parents. We have also had Dads on the board (although not this year) and chairing events or committees in the past and would love to welcome more dads! Additionally, there are plenty of opportunities in the classroom or at evening events to help out at a short shift. Ideally, EVERYONE would help in some way. 

Q: When is the next PTA General Membership Meeting? 

A: Thursday, March 24th at 7pm in the Library...hope to see you there! We will also be discussing the upcoming Bond Measure.

Q: I have a question about something at school or the PTA - who can I ask? 

A: Send your questions to [email protected] and we will try to find the answer for you or send it to the correct person. We may even feature your question in a Bugle (without printing names).