Information for Parents

  • Franklin School is a thriving community of learners whose success depends on a spirit of caring cooperation between parents, staff and students. In that spirit we would like to share the following guidelines that will help us work together to create an effective learning environment for all the students.

    Birthdays: Teachers acknowledge the importance of birthdays in a variety of ways, however, at Franklin we do not have birthday parties during the school day. If you wish to observe your child's birthday at school, you may donate a book to the classroom library or the Franklin library in his/her name. Please consult with your child's teacher if you need a suggestion about which book to donate.

    Childcare: Franklin provides school age childcare from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on all school days and on most pupil free days. Childcare will be provided for kindergarten students, before and after their instructional day on both the AM or PM schedules. The childcare staff offers a wide variety of developmentally appropriate activities, snack and homework assistance. The childcare staff is employed by the Santa Monica Unified School District (SMMUSD) and is supervised by the SMMUSD Child Development Services Department and the school principal. A limited number of subsidies and scholarships are available. For applications and further information contact:

    Franklin School office (310) 828-2814 -or-
    SMMUSD Child Development Services Department
    (310) 399-5865 2526 Sixth Street, Santa Monica

    Children With Special Needs: Franklin offers a variety of services to insure that all students have the opportunity to succeed in school. Our school nurse provides routine health, vision and hearing screenings in addition to addressing daily health and first aid needs. Our staff also includes a speech pathologist and a school psychologist who provide assessment and services for students with identified special needs. Our resource specialists work with students who qualify for academic assistance. Additional services are provided by staff from the SMMUSD as needs are identified. If you have questions about special education, please contact either the assistant principal or the resource specialist. Be sure to join the Learning Differences Discussion Group. This group meets monthly. Check the attached calendar for dates and times.

    Independent Study Contracts: Independent Study Contracts are intended to provide continuing and special study if students must travel during the school year. The contract is an agreement between the student and the teacher stipulating that the student will complete work that is consistent with class assignments or the unique learning opportunities that occur while he/she is traveling. To obtain an Independent Study Contract, contact your child's teacher at least one week before your trip. Be sure that you receive a copy of the contract before departing. On the day that your child returns to school, he/she must give the teacher the signed contract with the completed work attached.

    Learning Differences Discussion Group: This is a parent discussion group that meets monthly with the resource teacher, school administration and the district staff. This group focuses on the needs of children at Franklin who have developmental differences. The committee serves as a forum for sharing resources and information to achieve the best and most individualized educational approach for each child. See Almanack for meeting dates and times.

    Lunch Tickets: Lunch tickets may be purchased throughout the year, during regular school hours, from the school office. Each ticket is good for 20 lunches and may be used any time through June. All checks for Lunch tickets should be made payable to SMMUSD in the amount of $55.00. Please write your child's name, their teacher and their room number on your check.

    Parent Education: An open forum where expert speakers facilitate a discussion with Franklin parents on educational, social and child rearing issues. Dates and topics will be published in the Almanack (Franklin newsletter). Please refer to the PTA tab under PARENTS for more information.