Parent Survival Guide to Middle School

Before School

The traffic situation around Sussman is very congested before school. To prevent tardies, plan to arrive early. The entire curb in front of the school is a white curb, for loading and unloading passengers--just like the airport! You may drop your student off there or anywhere nearby. For safety reasons, we recommend avoiding drop-offs that require crossing the street. No one is allowed to drive onto campus to drop their student at the classroom door! Parents will be denied entry at the parking lot gates unless they have a Band Pass (for students who carry large instruments) or they have business to transact in the office.

Students should already be on campus when the first bell rings at 7:50 (8:30 on late-start Tuesdays). Students who are not in their classroom seats at 7:55 (8:37 on late-start Tuesdays) are tardy. Habitually tardy students face a variety of consequences.

Visits during the day

With nearly 1,500 students on campus, we have parents stopping by all day long to deliver forgotten lunch money, P.E. clothes, homework, and projects. This adds up to many classroom interruptions. As a result, the teachers have asked the office not to interrupt classes to call students up to retrieve their items.

If you need to bring something to your student during the day, please try to time your visit for the passing period between classes. Our bell schedules are on this web site and in the Pioneer Passport.pdf. If you cannot come between classes, we will try to deliver your item to your child, but we cannot guarantee timely delivery.

Sussman has a closed campus, so if you visit to attend a meeting or sporting event, please stop by the office to get a visitor’s pass.

After School

Students are dismissed at 2:31 every day.*  You should plan to pick up your student as soon as possible after this time.  Students who are waiting for parent pick-up are expected to stay on the lawn area just inside the walk-through gate directly in front of the office. This is convenient for you, as they can see you arrive and meet you at the white curb. Please be aware that there is not adult supervision after 2:45.

We are fortunate to have the ASPIRE program for daily after-school care until 6:00 p.m. at Sussman. If you would like information about ASPIRE, please call the Downey City  Hall at 562-904-8145.

* except the first day of school, the last day of school, and January 27. Those three days are minimum day schedule and dismiss at 12:15.

Bicycles, skateboards, scooters

We have a secure enclosure for bicycles, and we invite students who ride their bikes to school to lock them up inside. However, we cannot secure skateboards or scooters and they are a hazard underfoot in classrooms, so we ask that students not bring them to school.

Valuable items

It is an unfortunate fact of life that there are those among us who do not respect the property rights of others. Although we always try to recover lost and stolen items, we do not always succeed. For that reason and to eliminate distractions, we ask that valuable items such as iPods, video games, fine jewelry, etc. be left at home.

Cellular phones are permitted under the following conditions:

1. 1.They must be turned OFF during school hours, not just silenced. Any calls received during the day will go to voice mail and be available to the student after school, so you can still leave a message for your child if need be.
   

2. 2.They must be hidden deep inside the student’s book bag, not in a pocket or purse. This reduces the temptation to text or play with the phone during class and discourages theft.
   

Student who violate any portion of this policy will have their phones taken from them and held in the office for parent retrieval. Phones will be released only to a parent with appropriate identification.