Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) consists of 23 elementary schools, 8 middle schools and 6 high schools. Among the six high schools, most parents are familiar with Irvine, Northwood, University and Woodbridge high schools, but not with San Joaquin and Creekside high schools. Creekside High school offers an Independent Study Program which allows students to receive one on one and group instruction. As time progresses, the Independent Study Program becomes its own organization, known as the San Joaquin High School. Students usually meet on a weekly basis and are given 20 hours worth of academic work to be completed by the next meeting.
Year-Round School
The year round schools usually have different schedules from other schools. Some of the year-round schools in IUSD include Plaza Vista (K-8), Vista Verde(K-8), Woodbury (Pre K-6), and Westpark (K-6).
Parent-Teacher Conference
Most teachers have a very busy teaching schedule and rarely have time to discuss a child’s progress with parents. Therefore, the purpose of the parent-teacher conference is to give parents a chance to better understand their child’s learning situation. There one-on-one meetings are tightly scheduled, so it is very difficult to rearrange these appointments to another time. As time may be restricted, parents should be well prepared beforehand.
Tips:
Ideally both parents should participate, and in addition to expressing your gratitude for the teachers’ hard work, also show the teachers how important it is to you (parents) that your child receives a good education.
- If you are worried about conversing in English, bring a fluent English speaker with you to help.
- Treat the teachers with respect, and become partners with them to assist your child’s learning.
- If you have questions or concerns about the class set-up or any special requests, ask the teacher respectfully.
- Inform the teacher of the expectations that you as parents have for your children to attain higher education, such as college, and how willing you are to help them achieve that goal.
- Become a bridge between child and teacher. Let the teachers know how much your child respects and enjoys their class. Also let your child know the compliments given to them from their teachers. This will help them build a much closer and stronger relationship.
Back to School Night
Back to school night is usually held in September after the first few days of school. The school will invite parents to come to the school and explain the school policies to them. Every teacher will introduce his/her curriculum and grading policy. The location will be in the classrooms where students have their normal classes. I would suggest parents wear light and convenient shoes because the schedule is very tight, and it will be easier for parents to walk from one class to another.
Open House
Open House may mean two different types of activities. One is a time to display and show parents what students have achieved academically during the year. The other is to provide an opportunity for elementary students advancing to middle school or middle school students advancing to high school, to visit the campus they will be attending the following year and familiarize themselves with the new environment.
School District
Improvement of the reputation of a school district and students’ average scores does not happen in a short amount of time. It requires the school, parents, and students’ cooperation to succeed. The Irvine School District is supported by many enthusiastic parents and corporations such as the Irvine Company. Furthermore, the schools are supported by the City of Irvine and the Irvine Public School Foundation.
Many parents believe that they can relax after sending their children to a school located in an excellent school district, assuming that educating children is only the school’s responsibility. This is simply not true. In school, students are not only receiving education but also developing their personalities. It is true that most parents are busy working to support their families, but spending time with kids, understanding their learning progress, keeping an eye on what kind of friends they have, and keeping in touch with their child’s teacher are also extremely important. Many children are struggling because they have been working alone and the parents are simply unaware. Therefore, parents should make an active and on-going effort to learn about their children’s current educational progress and discuss their future with them. Furthermore, it is important for parents to be supporters by placing themselves in their children’s shoes in order to better understand them.
For more information, please visit the IUSD official website at http://www.iusd.k12.ca.us