Here's a primer on surviving the first day of school
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BY LAURA ISENSEE
LISENSEE@MIAMIHERALD.COM
More than half a million students will return to school in Miami-Dade and Broward on Monday.
And that will have a ripple effect, especially on the roadways. So commuters, prepare for more traffic and slower speeds.
Speed limits around Florida schools drop to as low as 15 miles per hour. Fines for speeding and aggressive driving can cost up to $600 -- plus points on a driver's license.
Also, parents should prepare for new school hours. The alarm bell will ring at different hours in Miami-Dade schools, since the district changed the 2010-2011 school hours. The schedule is:
• Pre-kindergarten through first grade: 8:20 a.m. -- 1:50 p.m.
• Elementary school grades second through fifth or sixth: 8:35 a.m. -- 3:05 p.m.
• K-8 Centers grades second through eighth: 8:35 a.m. -- 3:05 p.m.
• Elementary schools and K-8 Centers will be dismissed at 1:50 p.m. on Wednesdays.
• Middle schools, grades six through eight: 9:10 a.m. -- 3:50 p.m.
• Senior High schools, grades nine through twelve: 7:20 a.m. -- 2:20 p.m.
(Schools with exceptions to opening and closing hours will notify parents and students.)
While parents and student get up bright and early, so will the school administrators.
Broward Schools Superintendent Jim Notter plans to be up before the sun, greeting bus drivers at 5 a.m. in Davie before touring nine schools from Pembroke Pines to Deerfield Beach. Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho will tour several schools throughout the district, including an early stop at Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary School.
Here are some tips to smooth out the first day of school.
What time does school start?
• Check the new school hours for Miami-Dade schools.
• In Broward, most elementary schools run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and few schools deviate by more than fifteen minutes. Most middle schools go from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most high schools run from 7:40 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
• Students get their first day off Sept. 6. For a complete academic calendar, go online to http://news.dadeschools.net/toolkit1011.htm#dates or http://www.browardschools.com/calendar.
What to wear:
Here's a reminder of Broward's rules:
• Students are not allowed to wear slippers or flip-flops to school.
• Anything that exposes the midriff or bares the back is not allowed. See-through items and garments with large holes in them are not exempt.
• Pants must be fastened at the waist.
• No hats, except for outdoor activities.
• No leggings or bicycle shorts or anything that was originally designed as beachwear, sleepwear or underwear.
After the third grade, students may no longer expose the upper thigh.
• Don't wear anything that might be insulting to a race, gender or ethnicity. • Students may not groom themselves on campus except in the bathroom and other designated areas.
• No sunglasses indoors.
• No clothing embellishments or jewelry that might cause injury.
Taking the bus:
• Get to the bus stop at least 10 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. An adult should escort children ages 9 or younger and wait at the stop until the bus arrives. Make sure children are dressed for the weather. No eating, drinking or chewing gum on the bus. When children get off the bus, they should turn off their phones -- they can't use them in school.
• In Miami-Dade, more than 62,000 students will ride the bus. The service is for students who live more than two miles from their school and for students with special needs. Parents can check their child's eligibility with their school.
• Who do you call if the bus doesn't show up? It depends on where you live.
For Miami-Dade students:
Central East: 786-275-0700 North: 305-625-9086 South: 305-248-3380 Northeast 305-638-1658 Southwest 305-234-0046 Northwest 305-887-2383 Central West 305-227-1995. Routes beginning with #9 should call the Jack Schee Transportation Center, 305-681-1576.
For Broward County students:
Southern area: 754-321-4100 Central-western: 754-321-4150 Central: 754-321-4480 Northern: 754-321-4000 Northwestern: 754-321-4050.
For more tips visit Broward School District's transportation website, http://www.pupiltrans.org.
In the cafeteria
On Monday, the Miami-Dade schools' menu includes options from Cuban-style roasted pork to the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sides include fresh fruit, Florida-grown green beans, mixed greens salad and low fat mac and cheese.
In Broward, elementary and middle schools will offer oven-baked chicken, tuna salad on a wheat bun and assorted entrée salads for lunch. Children can also pick up fresh fruit, chilled mixed fruit and milk. High school menu options vary, so check with the school. To find out elementary and middle school menus on any day of the year, go to http://nutrition.dadeschools.net/menu.asp or http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/foodservice.
Meal prices in Miami-Dade:
• No charge for breakfast for elementary school or secondary school students.
• Lunch for elementary school students is $2.25 regular price, 40 cents reduced.
• Lunch for secondary school students is $2.50 regular price, 40 cents reduced.
Meal prices in Broward:
• For elementary school, it's $1.10 for breakfast and $1.90 for lunch.
• Middle school is $1.20 for breakfast and $2.25 for lunch, and high school is $1.20 for breakfast and $2.40 for lunch.
• Students who get reduced-price meals pay 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/22/v-fullstory/1787134/school-starts-monday-in-miami.html#ixzz14HXSYt69
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