Dear El Oro Way Charter for Enriched Studies Families,
This letter will address Halloween, Thanksgiving & Winter Holiday Information so that families can participate as they choose during the next few months of the school year.
First of all, thank you to the fabulous PTA who sponsors and hosts the Fall Spooktacular and other community events to add to the fun of the holiday season! Families are encouraged to attend the PTA event on October 24th at the North Valley Chamber of Commerce for the annual fall event to wear costumes and participate in the fall activities such as trunk or treat, & games.
Aligned to LAUSD’s School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention & Support / Restorative Practices Program, the behavioral and learning expectations are best when students attend school in regular attire. Please be aware that students are to dress in regular school clothes on Friday, October 31, 2025. Each year, as Halloween rolls around, we feel the need to share with parents what our approach and practice is during this time of year. One of the most obvious aspects of Halloween is dressing up in costume. However, due to the following reasons, costumes are not to be worn to school.
- The focus of El Oro Way is to provide a high quality instructional program for all students. Costumes can be a distraction to both your child and their peers.
- For the children whose families celebrate Halloween, wearing their costume to school generally shows to be an over stimulating experience.
- Most children are sensitive to changes, and when many people are wearing unusual clothing, they can be affected in unforeseen ways. The once safe environment no longer feels the same and children, especially our young students, can easily be frightened by even the friendliest looking costume, especially face masks.
- For the children whose families do not celebrate Halloween, costumes being worn in celebration of this day proves to be confusing for the children.
Also, the LAUSD Health and Wellness Policy is intended to promote the overall health of the students. Specifically, all food served to students during the school day is to be low in fat, sugar, and appropriately portioned. Though many of the fall/winter holidays are often celebrated with an abundance of food and sweet treats, we ask that candy/cupcakes not be sent to school for distribution by classroom teachers. The classroom teachers and room parents carefully plan for the two annual classroom parties to create both a festive and nutritionally healthy event, so please look for the information to come from your child’s class to participate accordingly.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information. We appreciate your cooperation. We hope that each of you finds it valuable to understand the processes we go through in making decisions which affect the program for children and families.
Sincerely,
Ms. Choi, Principal