Attendance
Good attendance is essential for your child's success in school. Parents can promote good attendance by eliminating absences due to home activities, trips and family vacations which should be scheduled to coincide with non-school days. Average Daily Attendance (ADA) is counted only for students who are actually in attendance. There are no longer any valid excused absences for school funding purposes. However, for the purpose of mandatory attendance laws, student illness, unavoidable medical appointments and family funerals are still counted as "Excused" absences. Being at school everyday is the best way to maximize your child's learning experience.
If an avoidable absence of 5 DAYS or more will occur, please contact the office so they can let your child's teacher know, in advance. The teacher should be able to arrange for an Independent Study Contract. Contracts are for five or more consecutive days. Parent, student and teacher must sign and date the contract in advance or the same day the contract starts. Teacher assigns work to student, to be completed by student during the duration of the contract. Contract and assignments are to be turned in, signed and dated upon return of the students (the first school day following contract end date). Partial completion of work assigned results in partial attendance/academic credit. The duration of the contract, however, must be met. Contracts are not limited to travel needs. Consider the following other situations: funerals, religious observances, child care issues, custody situations, illnesses, and family emergencies.
ABSENCES
If it is necessary for your child to be absent, please do the following:
1. Call our school office (PRESS 1 when prompted or 398-0313 ext. 64951) to report the absence. Preferably, call by 9:00 AM.
2. If your child is absent due to a doctor's appointment, please provide a note from the doctor and your child will receive an excused absence. Children absent for three or more days must provide a note from the doctor to receive an excused absence for those days.
3. Withdrawing your student early from school is disruptive to the education of the student.
Excessive absences or tardies may result on a referral to the Principal, the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB), or the Los Angeles County Office of the District Attorney. The Office of the District Attorney had determined that missing 15 school days in a school year is considered excessive.
TARDINESS
YOUR CHILD IS TARDY IF HE/SHE ARRIVES AT SCHOOL AFTER 8:00 AM. If your child is late, he/she must first report to the office with a note from a parent/guardian explaining the reason for tardiness. Repeated tardiness will be reported to the Principal for consultation with the student and parent. You will be notified by mail regarding tardies. Tardiness is disruptive to the educational process of each classroom. Your child misses out on some of the most important information that could set the pace for the entire day. Please assist and encourage your child to be punctual to school and to attend each day.
LEAVING AND RETURNING DURING SCHOOL HOURS
For your child's protection, the following procedures are mandatory:
1. Parents, who need to take their child out of school, must physically sign them out in the school office.
2. A student will be released only to the parent, relative, or friend, whose name appears on the child's emergency card.
3. If a child is returning to school from an outside appointment, he/she must first check in at the office before going to the classroom.
**Your support in scheduling non-urgent appointments for after school will lead to better student success.
WHEN YOU MISS SCHOOL...YOU MISS OUT!
