Expat childrens life at school:
What to wear
Except in some private school where uniforms may be required, students wear their own clothes. Choose comfortable clothes, socks and shoes. Open toe shoes and sandals are not allowed. For smaller children, shoes without shoestrings are recommended. In recent societies in major cities like Los Angeles and New York, children especially from the affluent families have already learned about fashion and style.
Schools that require uniforms will provide clear guidelines as well as outlets for purchasing uniforms.
Carrying books
The most popular way of carrying books are with a backpack. Inside the classroom (or outside), there is a designated place where the bags can be hung or a locker where students keep their belongings during the day.
Lunch and snacks
Some private schools provide lunch (with the fee included in tuition). Public schools provide lunches at the cafeteria for a small fee of $3 per day or so. Unfortunately the lunches offered at American public schools consist of high calorie foods which contribute to the social problem of obesity in children. Although in recent years, the society has become more health conscious and the diet is improving, bringing your own lunch may be a safe option. Monthly lunch calendar for each school can be viewed from here: http://www.schoolmenu.com/
Bell Schedules
Bell schedules (when class starts/ends, recess schedule) is available online. Search the school, select Bell Schedule.
Transportation
LAUSD provides transportation by bus at no cost to those children who are facing one of the four reasons;
- Special Education
- Integration
- Distance and Hazard
- Public School Choice.
The service is not extended to resident students.
The Office of Environmental Health and Safety website has a safe pedestrian route to schools (in the LAUSD jurisdiction). http://www.lausd-oehs.org/saferoutestoschools.asp
Teacher/student relationships
Relationships between teacher and student varies, depending on the teacher, the school policy or the particular environment. Most teachers allow casual relationships but the respect for the teacher should always be reserved. Students call teachers with a honorific title such as Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss ______(teacher’s last name).
School attendance
It is the law by the California Education Code that each person between 6 to 18 years of age is subject to compulsory full time education. Students who are absent without a valid excuse on three occasions are to be reviewed by the School Attendance Review Team/Board and maybe fined up to $2,500 per child. There are 180 instructional days in the school year in California.
Excused absences are physical and mental illness, quarantine, attending funeral of immediate family member (parent, grandparent, sibling, any relative in the household) for one day within the state, three days outside the state, taking care of child or custodial parent, and jury duty.
School nurses
A registered nurse(s) is present at each school infirmary to give emergency care, provides screenings, plan the control of contagious diseases, facilitate immunization programs, provide preventive care advice, and handle health and medical issues at the attending school.
Any concerns with the LAUSD school nurses or the school infirmary, contact Student Health and Human Services at LAUSD office.
LAUSD
333 S. Beaudry Ave. 29th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 241-3305
Email: ask-shhs@lausd.net
