Attendance & Absences
Daily attendance is important for the young child, as it helps build a strong rhythm and demonstrates the importance of school. Further, regular attendance supports your child’s social development and the unity of the class. Children who miss more than five days in a school year are more likely to struggle with developing the important skills and concepts needed for reading, math, and other areas of learning.
Appointments/Early Sign-Out or Late Sign-In
When scheduling an appointment during the school week, please first consider scheduling their appointments after school hours, or at the very least, outside of their “main lesson” time. It is ideal that each student is present to participate in their “main lesson”. You should consult with your child’s teacher to make arrangements which are the least disruptive for the daily class rhythm. Class schedules can be found on the website or posted outside each classroom.
If your child needs to be taken out of school mid-day, you must sign your child out at the front desk. Upon returning to school, your child must also be signed back in at the front desk.
Absences or Sickness
When a child does not attend school on any school day he or she is considered absent. You must notify the Attendance Clerk each morning that your child will be absent. Please call 879-7483 ext. 2005 and leave a message or email [email protected].
Your message must state the following:
1) student’s full name 2) your name 3) their classroom teacher 4) reason for their absence
Whenever a student is not in school, and the Attendance Clerk has not been notified, you will receive an automated call from the school, notifying you that your child was marked absent that day. This is done for safety reasons and to remind you that you must call the school each day your child is absent. Such absences are considered “unexcused”.
Absences of 2 or More Days (Planned or Due to Sickness)
Please sign your child up for Independent Study so they can stay caught up on their school work and the school can receive the necessary funding for them. Anyone at the front desk can help you set this up.
Independent Study
If you know your child has a planned absence, for two days or more, you need to arrange for them to go on short-term Independent Study (I.S.) for the duration of their absence. You can also set up I.S. when they will be out sick for several days but are well enough to do some work at home.
This will ensure that your child’s absences are considered “excused” and help them keep up with their school work. It also allows the school to recoup state funding for their absence.
Process for Independent Study
The Independent Study process must be carefully documented for the school to receive funding for your child’s attendance. All I.S. business is handled through the front office.
To sign your child up for Independent Study you must first initiate the process by filling out the Independent Study Master Agreement. If enough notice is given, your classroom teacher will compile a work packet relevant to the student’s current class work. If not enough notice is given, the front office can provide you with an emergency packet, relevant to their grade level.
Your child will need to complete their Independent Study Packet and you will be scheduled an appointment to submit the completed work.
For further questions – please see the front desk staff or email [email protected].