General Information & Policies

Uniforms are not required in the Torrance Unified School District, however; we do encourage students to wear safe clothing. All clothing shall be sufficient to conceal undergarments at all times. See-through or sheer clothing without proper undergarments, tube tops, halter tops, off the shoulder or low cut tops, bare midriffs, excessively long or short skirts, short shorts, oversized clothing and or swim wear are prohibited. Blouse straps must be a minimum of one inch wide and cover bra straps. No “flip flop” type shoes or shoes with higher soles or heels are allowed. Heels and toes should be covered. Hats may be worn outside during inclement weather. In general, clothing or accessories that are unsafe, distracting or disruptive to classes will not be acceptable. Parents please monitor your student’s school attire and make certain it is appropriate for school. Students wearing inappropriate garments will be asked to change clothes. Administrative Code, Title 5, Section 302 states: “A pupil, who goes to school without proper attention having been given to person cleanliness or neatness of dress, may be sent home to be properly prepared for school or shall be required to prepare himself for the school room before entering.

School telephones are only for official school business and emergencies. The phone should not be used for forgotten homework, projects, lunches, etc. Please help you children remember to bring their needed school materials. This will help them learn responsibility. Cell phones are allowed on campus, but they need to be turned off during school hours. The school will not be held responsible for the cell phone.

California State Education Code requires that we follow definite procedures regarding medication at school. Any pupil required to take any medication must provide:

1. A written statement from the physician stating the method, amount, time and name of the medication given
2. The form, “Medication to be taken at school” (available in the office) must be filled out by the parent or guardian of the pupil granting their permission that the physician’s orders be carried out.

No medicine is to be kept in the classroom. When sending medication to school, it must be in the original container provided by the pharmacy. A parent or guardian may bring a prescribed medication to school and give it to their child directly after signing in at the office.

This policy directs teachers to consider students for retention at the end of the second, third, fourth, fifth and eighth grade. Students may be retained in any grade, but the retention law requires that students in these grade levels meet district benchmarks before they are promoted. Teachers utilize a variety of benchmarks to determine if a student should be retained. Students who are in special education or who are English language learners and do not meet the district benchmarks may be promoted if the teacher determines that it is best for the student. Parents who disagree with the teacher’s decision regarding promotion or retention may appeal the decision to the school principal. When a student is identified as a candidate for retention, the classroom teacher will hold a conference with the parent to discuss the student’s progress and to identify appropriate interventions for that student. Interventions might include before or after school tutoring, Saturday school or summer school. If these interventions fail to improve student performance, the teacher may decide to retain the student.

Fern School believes homework is an important part of the educational process, which will enhance and reinforce concepts taught in the classroom. It also provides you with many opportunities to see how well your children are performing. Time guidelines have been established by the Board of Education as follows:

Grade and time allowed
            Kindergarten        20 – 40 minutes per week
            Grades 1-3           1 hour 30 minutes – 2 hours per week
            Grades 4-5           3 hours – 4 hours per week

Report cards are sent home at the end of each trimester. Also, students receive a progress report at the mid-point of each trimester. Individual conferences for parents and teachers are scheduled at the end of the first and second trimesters. We also encourage parents to meet with teachers any time during the year. If you wish to meet with your child’s teacher and/or the principal, please contact the school office at (310) 533-4506 for an appointment so you can receive the time and privacy needed.

It is very important that parents complete the yearly PowerSchool Registration. In the event of illness or emergency, the school needs to have current information regarding home and work telephone numbers, place of employment, etc. Students will be released only to those persons designated in PowerSchool, so it is important to record all persons responsible for picking up your child. Please Log into PowerSchool immediately if any of the emergency contact information needs to be changed. The school must be notified in writing, within thirty days of any change of address or telephone number. Student enrollment at Fern may be suspended if the school is not notified within the time limit.

Please chick on this LINK for a copy of the Fern application through the LACDPH to Reopen K-12 Schools.