Webster Elementary principal highlights project-based math, new staffing and post-fire recovery

Karina Riana, principal of Webster Elementary, told the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board that Webster has added four instructional aides who also serve as campus monitors, launched a K–5 Tech for Tomorrow initiative, and is formalizing project-based learning partnerships to boost student engagement.

"My name is Karina Riana, and I am honored to serve as the proud principal of Webster Elementary," Riana said, describing classroom projects that range from a Mars mission simulation to a food-truck economics unit and a student news team. She said the school set a cycle‑1 goal to increase student engagement by 15 percent and that that target came from data showing a 13 percent decrease in students meeting or exceeding CAASPP math standards and a 12 percent decline on the fall 2025 Star/Renaissance math assessment.

Riana described practical supports underpinning the instructional shifts: school leadership funds bought classroom BTC (building thinking classroom) texts, a BTC‑trained teacher is leading peer professional development, and the school is using student voice and gallery walks to track progress. She invited board members to a student showcase planned for Nov. 20.

Students featured in a short video and spoke directly to the board about working on classroom whiteboards. One student said the boards "make me think better" and that collaborative tasks made math more engaging.

Board members thanked the principal and noted facilities and supply replenishment after recent fires. Riana said vendors donated supplies during the wildfires and that insurance reimbursements also helped replace lost materials; purchasing and facilities work are continuing in waves until sites are fully restocked.