In an effort to ensure that all families receive school communications, please visit this section. Email blasts and helpful resources will also be housed here.

11/8/2023

Good morning Franklin families!

In order to keep our students safe, it is imperative that we have the most up-to-date emergency information on file. This year, SMMUSD launched the AERIES parent portal where information can be accessed/edited by families. In addition, we MUST have the two emergency cards on file (blue and yellow). The reasons for this are:

• We need a hard copy on file in the event that our WIFI/Internet access is not available.
• One card goes to the main office and the other goes to the health office.
• The emergency cards collect information (like other adults that may pick up your child) which AERIES does not offer.

If we do not have these two emergency cards on file, we will be sending additional blank copies. Please fill out and return BOTH cards ASAP so we can continue to have our records updated.

If you have not logged into the AERIES Parent Portal to complete the data confirmation process, please do so by visiting the district page at this link: https://www.smmusd.org/Page/7108

We thank you for your cooperation in ensuring that we have the most updated information for your child(ren).

Warmly,
Mrs. Hynding

10/23/23

Good Evening Parents,
I have some important announcements I would like to share. Please make sure to drop off students in the morning by 8:27 a.m. I see students who are stressed arriving at 8:29 or 8:30 trying to run into school to get to their class. We plan on closing all gates at 8:30 a.m., and after that, students will have to enter through the front office. I encourage all families to arrive closer to 8:15 a.m.

In addition, if parents are dropping items off, once school has started, please be aware that in grades 3rd through 5th grades, classrooms will not be interrupted for dropped-off lunches, homework, instruments, etc. Students will have the opportunity to pick up items during their morning recess. We want to minimize interrupting class instruction when items are dropped off.

Staff Parking Lot- Please help us out in keeping all cars and traffic out of the staff parking lot during the times of 7:45 am to 8:45 am, and 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm. This is a safety measure, as we have had some close calls to cars backing in through the ally while students and staff are present in the lot.

Lastly, HALLOWEEN. We are having our annual Halloween Parade on the morning of October 31st. All parents are welcome on campus that morning. Please make sure your children are wearing appropriate costumes to school. Face masks, any type of weaponry-simulated items, or gory blood makeup are not permitted. Please make sure costumes are age-appropriate, and parents, please feel free to dress up as well.

I appreciate your cooperation with all four items, as they all help establish a better system for our students, staff, and the school community. I apologize for the length of this message and thank you for reading it.

Proud Principal,
Eran Zeevi

October 16, 2023

Good afternoon Franklin families!

On Thursday, 10/19, Franklin will participate in the California Great Shake-out Earthquake drill.  We have been very busy preparing our supplies, training staff, and discussing this drill with our students. We will be implementing many protocols including:

• Drop, Cover, and Hold On
• Evacuate students/staff to evacuation areas
• Activate incident command centers
• Activate campus sweep teams
• Activate the reunion and request gates
• Activate first aid station
• Account for students and staff 
• Contact the District Office and provide a status update

Feel free to help your child(ren) prepare for an earthquake. Visit the ShakeOut guide for families (attached). Teach your kids to Drop, Cover, and Hold On. You can also play the ‘Earthquake Game’ where someone says “earthquake!” Everyone has to pretend an earthquake is happening and practice their response. Teach your children that they should go under a table and hold on if one is near. If they are in a room without a table, crouch against an interior wall, away from windows. Find an “earthquake-safe” location in every room of the house so they don’t try to run during an earthquake.

The Great Shake-out has always been extremely successful at Franklin. Our purpose is to ensure that all students and staff understand the protocols so we can keep each other safe.

October 12, 2023

Good Evening. This is Principal Zeevi with a very important update. Due to recent world events and in light of recent social media activity, there is reason to be on heightened alert in regards to the safety of our students and staff tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 13. I just want you to know that we are taking these matters seriously. Our local Sheriff's department will be increasing patrols around the school and in surrounding areas and will remain in close contact with us throughout the day.

Please be extra vigilant in the community and communicate any suspicious activity to us and to local law enforcement immediately. In order to better maintain our campus security tomorrow, we will not be opening the breakfast gate. Students coming for breakfast will enter through the front office beginning at 8:00 am. Ms. Hynding will be at the Kindergarten/TK gate, and I will be at the Idaho gate. All other points of entry will be locked throughout the day. We are optimistic that these measures will help tighten security to the campus. If you see something, say something. I have personally talked to our School Resource Officer. They are currently working through SMPD to execute a plan for coverage to support our schools.

On a brighter note, Franklin's first Book Cafe for the year is right around the corner on Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. Please join us with your student to read with them, or better yet, have them read to you in our school community. Treats, milk and coffee will be served. I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful weekend. Thanks for listening.

Eran Zeevi, M.A., M.S.
Principal, Franklin Elementary

October 2, 2023

Update!! We have another candidate to fill the third position.  Please cast your votes using the link below by WEDNESDAY.

Franklin families!

Franklin will hold its School Site Council Election for THREE parent member positions. All parents and caregivers of Franklin students will receive an electronic ballot to your email address. We strongly encourage you to participate. The eligible candidates for the open positions will be listed on the ballot and are identified below:]

Susanne Blossom: I'm a working mom of a current kindergarten student who also had the privilege of joining the first Franklin TK class last year.  I've seen firsthand the positive impact that the School Site Council has, from bringing music to our TK students to installing the Franklin banners around the fence in the TK/Kinder yards.  We are at the beginning of our journey in the Franklin community and I look forward to playing an active and sustained role in ensuring that our school is focused on the needs of our students in terms of academic growth, personal development, safety, and belonging. 

Robyn Meyers: I’m Robyn Meyers, a relatively new Santa Monica resident, a full-time working mom, and have two sons, a fourth grader in Ms. Lowe’s class and a first grader in Mrs. Rodstrom’s class. When I relocated from the East Coast in 2019, education and an involved parent community were top of the list for my new community. As the product of lifelong public education, I look forward to helping give Franklin parents a voice when it comes to new programs and how our funding may be leveraged at the Franklin level.

Jill Cromwell-Wang: I’m Jill Cromwell-Wang. I’m a full-time working mom and have three kids- a second grader, a first grader, and a 2-year-old child. We moved from NYC to Santa Monica in 2019 and joined the Franklin community in 2021 when my oldest started Kindergarten. Franklin immediately provided the community our family was seeking after moving across the country without family and into a pandemic. I’ve since been an involved PTA member and am the chair of the Mile Club. Additionally, I, along with two other Franklin moms, recently created and co-chair the Franklin Friend committee to promote and encourage kindness, inclusion, respect, and self-esteem for our kids throughout the year.  

Please vote for the candidate(s) using this link no later than 10/4.   https://forms.gle/iNibsDJZwMwN4W7r7

September 6, 2023

Dear Franklin Families,
At Franklin, we strive to provide the best possible education to our students, and enhance their education with various opportunities. In order to do that, we rely on generous contributions from parents like you.

Each year, we ask families to contribute to our Santa Monica Education Foundation and the PTA. Without your support, our Franklin students’ education would look vastly different.

I hope you will make a donation to both the Ed Foundation and the Franklin PTA.
Please give at whatever level is meaningful to you. Your tax-deductible donations will help fund essential staff and enrichment programs for all Franklin students – programs that are only possible with your support.

Thank you for being a part of this important annual tradition of enriching Franklin students’ academic and creative experiences. Let’s make the 2023-24 school year the best it can be! I thank you in advance.

Eran Zeevi Principal

August 25, 2023

Happy Friday Franklin families!

As promised, the data confirmation process through the Franklin family portal has begun.  We are in the first year of implementation and there may be some bumps along the way, so please hang in there! Helpful reminders to keep in mind:

• The AERIES parent portal can be accessed on our Franklin website as well as any other school website. There is an AERIES light blue button along the middle of the page found HERE.
• Please enter the email that you used to enroll at Franklin.  A password reset can be accessed if needed along with a change of language in the upper right corner.
• If you have another sibling, that can be viewed/added in the upper left once you have logged in successfully.  You will need a student ID number to add additional students.  Please ask the teacher for the student ID number if you are unsure what it is.

If you are continuing to have difficulty logging into AERIES, please add to the document below so we can help you.  The document is:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uPj2uGTKBDYDGHXwYZyDHSuBy050LOGatAkwGOsfFI0/edit?usp=sharing

We will be running data confirmation reports next week.  Please complete this process as quickly as possible.  If you need support, please contact the front office or Administration.  

Remember to breathe and not panic.  The first two days were very smooth and our Franklin Bolts seemed truly happy to return to school. We appreciate you all! Please enjoy the beautiful weather, each other, and the weekend.

With Tremendous Gratitude,
Mrs. Hynding, Assistant Principal

August 20, 2023

Welcome back Franklin families!

We are thrilled to welcome everyone to the 2023-2024 school year. We hope you are staying dry during this wet Sunday!

Franklin Elementary and SMMUSD have worked to digitize the compliance and document portions of the “First Day Packet.”  The Data Confirmation process is easy for you through Aeries Parent Portal in place of our previous process. This includes items like Emergency Cards, Parent Handbooks, and Policies and Authorizations. We have many important documents and plenty of information for your family within the online registration site, accessed via your Aeries Parent Portal. 

NOTE:

You must complete data confirmation for each student.  Please be sure to read, review, and discuss all the materials with your student. We also need to gather information from you for emergency contacts and health documents. You may decide to print some of the documents for future reference.  For a tutorial on how to complete this process, please click here: English SPANISH

• Enter Authorizations directly in Aeries (example: photo opt-out)
• Enter and update emergency contacts
• View and Download SMMUSD and Policy Documents
• View and Download school-specific documents
• View and Update Medical History
• Aeries Parent Portal Resources: https://www.smmusd.org/Page/7108 
• A much smaller First Day Packet will continue to be sent home on the first day of school. Please complete the packet and portal.

In addition to the directions above, I have made an 11-minute tutorial to familiarize yourself with this new process HERE.

You will be receiving the link to access the Parent Portal beginning Thursday, 8/24/23.

EXPO_FINAL.pdf
Welcome Back.pdf
BTSNs.pdf

Go Franklin Bolts! Woohoo!
Warmly,
Mrs. Sheri Hynding, Franklin Assistant Principal

2022-23 Mini Message Archives