Our first year in a US public school

From lunch routines to parent-teacher meetings: everything I wish someone had told me before the first bell.

The small things that loomed large

• Lunch is social currency. We started with roti rolls she loved at home; she wanted "what everyone has." We compromised — familiar food, less commentary from us
• "Parent involvement" is an invitation, not a summons. Volunteering for one class party bought more goodwill than ten emails
• Teachers WANT to talk. The 15-minute conference is real time — bring two questions, skip the resume of your kid

Year two feels like a different country. It isn't — we're just no longer translating every norm in real time. If you're in year one: it compresses, I promise.