Village Relief

List of 30 items.

• Is it true parent-teacher conferences are taking place online?

  Yes. Parent-teacher conferences will be held on Zoom to allow construction of a safety wall, as required by Santa Monica City code, to begin.

  
  Conferences will take place on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21. There will be no school on these days.

• What are the current plans for the summer buildout?

  We shared a preliminary rendering of our summer buildout plan with families. The design is still in development and may evolve based on feedback from faculty and students.

   

  We look forward to welcoming our architectural firm, OFFICEUNTITLED, to our interim campus to answer questions from parents in the weeks after spring break. 

• Is it true Village has plans to expand to 7th and 8th grades?

  While there are no specific plans for expansion at this time, the Board of Trustees and John are exploring all opportunities that our Palisades rebuild may present. Once our Palisades campus is completed, we currently do not have plans to retain our interim Santa Monica campus.

• What is the relationship between Village and the Santa Monica Police Department?

  According to our designated School Resource Officer (SRO), Officer Anthony Angel, from the Santa Monica Police Department, the Colorado Center is considered one of the safest buildings in Santa Monica. Officer Angel is our direct point of contact with SMPD and provides additional communication and assistance to our security team. 

   

  SMPD conducts most of its safety training at the Colorado Center; they are familiar with the building layout and are frequently on campus or nearby. After our future summer buildout, the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) and their team will conduct a second intensive security assessment of the space.  

• How many security guards are on campus during the school day?

  Beginning on March 3, at least one guard is always on duty at our second-floor entranceway. When children are outside, at least three trained and licensed Village School guards will always be present: one stationed at the gate on the corner of 26th St. and Broadway and two on active patrol inside the park's perimeter. Additionally, we have reconfigured our teacher schedules to incorporate more supervision when students are outside and provide ongoing faculty training.

   

  Our Director of Security, Troy Brackett, leads the team contracted by Village, trains our teachers to employ active supervision practices, and is supported by five guards from the property management company (BXP). The company employs 18 security guards who patrol the Colorado Center campus 24 hours a day. Ten officers work the day shift Monday through Friday. 

   

• What is the licensing procedure for Village School security guards?

  • Licensing (Guard Card): Security guards must register with the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). 
  • Background Check: Criminal history background check through the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
  • SB 1626 Compliance: Completion of the training course specifically designed for school security personnel, covering topics such as:
    • Role and Responsibility of School Security Officers
    • Laws and Liability
    • Security Awareness in the Educational Environment
    • Mediation/Conflict Resolution
    • Disasters and Emergency Response 
    • Dynamics of Student Behavior
    • Examination
  • First Aid and CPR certification.
  • Continuous Education: Stay updated with any additional training or certifications as the state requires. 

• What is the process of entering the 2nd floor campus?

  The second-floor doors are locked at all times, and our guard must provide visitors with access. Village School staff and employees enter with a Village-issued security keycard using two-factor authentication as an additional layer of security. Parents' regular use of ID lanyards will ensure a safer and more efficient entry process. 

• Why can’t the gates to the playground be locked?

  The City did grant our request that one gate (on 26th St) be locked during school hours. However, the Santa Monica City code currently requires one of these gates to remain open for public access. Village School is working with the City to lock the 26th St. and Broadway gate from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. each school day. We will provide updates to our community as they become available. A Village security guard is permanently stationed at the open gate (on 26th St and Broadway) while students use the outside space. 

• Would Village School be able to install netting around the perimeter fence off the playground?

  The Santa Monica Police Department advised that netting would block first responders’ line of sight and that such an installation would be dangerous.

• How many security guards are on the playground and PEW area?

  Beginning Monday, March 3, whenever students are outdoors, we will have three security guards in our play area. Additionally, at least four Village School faculty will have supervision responsibilities. 

• How are Village faculty being prepared to watch students in our outdoor space?

  In partnership with our security team and SMPD, comprehensive faculty and staff training is ongoing and will continue until the completion of the school year. Regular training will resume in the '25-'26 academic year. Faculty and staff have been assigned to designated zones to further strengthen the supervision of all students. 

• What types of individuals or groups typically use our outdoor space, and how do we address their presence on campus?

  The outdoor space is typically utilized by dog walkers, caregivers with babies and toddlers, people exercising, and professionals conducting business at the Colorado Center. Once a week, we share it with the children at Hill & Dale Early Childhood Education Center.

   

  Our security team, faculty and staff, and Colorado Center security are trained to monitor and appropriately address various situations and scenarios.

• Who at Village should I direct questions about security to?

  Please direct all questions to CFO TJ Harney at tharney@village-school.org. 

• Is it true that there will be upgrades to the playground space and structure?

  Yes. Our team is working with the City to update facilities, strengthen security, and create an even more robust play and PEW space for all of our students.

• Is Ms. Unger still only meeting one-on-one with students affected by the fires?

  As the Director of Social and Emotional Learning at Village, Ms. Unger is a valuable resource to our community. She will be turning her primary focus back to the SEL talks, friendship coaching during the school day, and designing curriculum for our teachers to implement within their classroom programs. If your family is seeking regular one-on-one support or feels the need to have your student communicate regularly with a therapist, Village can help you in finding the right match.

• What are the current priorities of the Board of Trustees and Head of School?

  John is currently focused on day-to-day operations and the build-out of our interim campus, while the Board of Trustees is overseeing the rebuild efforts at this time.

• Who’s helping shape the next version of our interim Village School space? 

  We’re beyond excited to be teaming up with OfficeUnited! They’re a talented, creative group of professionals with experience designing spaces for children—think incredible projects like the Cayton Children's Museum. We’re lucky to have them on board to help us create something special.

• Will there be a Village Summer Camp this year?

  Unfortunately, due to the ongoing summer build-out, we won't be able to host our own camp this year with the exception of TK and Kindergarten camp. Dates TBD.
  
  We are collaborating with local camps to offer discounts for our families.

• Will we be returning to the use of ID lanyards for security purposes?

  Yes. We lanyards are required for all faculty and staff, as well as parents, to ensure enhanced security across the campus.

• Is it true the Gala is cancelled?

  While we are no longer having a formal Gala on May 3, we will be sharing more information about a festive spring community event with families in the coming weeks.

• Is it true that a decision has been made not to rebuild the Palisades campus?

  NO. The Board of Trustees is committed to rebuilding. Subcommittees of the Board are currently working on multiple concurrent projects to start the rebuild planning process.

• Is it true that changes have been made to the curriculum?

  NO. No changes have been made to the content, instruction, learning goals, and academic expectations for students. Students remain on our 8-day rotating cycle, allowing for equity amongst all core content areas and specialist classes. Additionally, our end-of-year learning goals have not changed, and students will still take the CTP-5 in April. Please read the weekly emails from classroom teachers and explore the Village Instagram for academic highlights.

• Is it true that it will be five years before we can return to the Palisades?

  While no one is able to say with certainty how long rebuilding will take, no expert we have spoken to has suggested it will take as long as five years  As soon as we can share a timeline with a high degree of confidence we will share it with the community.

• Is it true that students do not get as much recess or playtime at our interim campus?

  NO. Students receive the same amount of outdoor recess and playtime as they did on Swarthmore and La Cruz.

• Is it true that students will not participate in field trips or host culminating classroom events?

  NO. Most of our school day field trips have been rescheduled or will proceed as planned. Our annual sixth-grade trip up the California Coast and fifth-grade Astro Camp overnight will proceed as planned. Culminating classroom events, such as the first-grade poetry slam, will be held on campus as usual.

• How many families, staff, and teachers have been affected by the fires?

  The tragic Palisades Fire not only destroyed our school that was home to 290 students, but it also displaced 125 students, who either completely lost their homes (82) or were forced to evacuate (43). We also, sadly, had 4 teachers and 1 administrator lose their homes.

• Is spring break being cancelled or postponed?

  No. We will be utilizing the spring break (March 24-April 4) to make physical improvements to our interim campus to ensure that our students and teachers have all of the resources they need to thrive, learn, and play. By postponing this construction we were able to meet the January 27 reopening date. We will not be making any changes to our school-year calendar or summer break schedule.

• Will you be offering after-school enrichment and Grade 4-6 team sports?

  Team sports and aftercare have have resumed. We will have after-school enrichment beginning in our third trimester.

• My address has changed and/or I have a new mailing address. Where can I update this on the Village website, or who do I contact?

  Please contact Mitzy Velez at mvelez@village-school.org for any updates regarding address changes.

• This displacement has been incredibly difficult for my family, and I may need financial aid or flexibility. Do I have options?

  Regarding tuition relief and re-enrollment for the 2025/26 school year, we are working on a plan to help all our families in need and will share more details as soon as we can. In the meantime, should you need support or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to TJ Harney directly (tharney@village-school.org).