Attendance

Absences

As per county policy, we will besending home letters to the parents of any student who is absent more than 20% of the time.  In addition to this,teachers will be meeting with you to discuss the concern and to come up with an action plan to address the high rate of absenteeism.  If improvement is not seen we will then make a referral to the Pupil Personnel Worker and hold, and invite you to attend as a member, a Pupil Services Team. In addition to school staff, the PupilPersonnel Worker, Adrienne Dickerson, will also be in attendance.  The team will discuss the situation, what has been tried, and how we can work together to bring about an improved attendance record.  As per county policy 5210, “If a student is absent as much as 20% of the class time within each grading period, they are subject to a failing grade in class work.”  This could have a very negative impact on your child’s report card grade, and it is obviously something we would want to address.  It is our obligation to work with you to address this concern as it impacts your child’s classroom performance.

Tardiness

It is important that students arrive at school on time.  Our doors open at 8:30, and the instructional day begins at 8:45. When the bell rings at 8:45, any student not in the classroom in their seat is marked tardy and needs to have a pink tardy slip.  While we realize that there can be legitimate reasons for being late on occasion, repetitive lateness for students does tend to garner the attention of classroom teachers and office staff.  In an attempt to monitor this situation, we send home letters to parents of students who fall into this category.  If there is need for a second letter, this will followed up by either a Pupil Services Team or a home visit from the PupilPersonnel Worker.  This person investigates the high incidence of tardiness and the reasons given by the parents.

Requests for Early Dismissal

On occasion parents call in during the day to request their children be made aware of end of the day transportation changes.  In an effort to minimize interruption to the instructional program, the following procedure is followed. When parents call in, student names are recorded on a steno pad.  We indicate the child’s name, homeroom teacher, and change of plans for that afternoon.  This information is shared over the intercom at 3:10 along with the afternoon announcements.  We have shared with the homeroom teachers the importance of having children ready to listen to the information during this time.  In the event a child is unsure of what to do, they can be referred to the office for clarification.  If you know ahead of time that your child needs to go home in a different fashion, you can send a note in with them to be given to their teacher in the morning. Use of e-mail is less reliable, and is dependent on teachers having had an opportunity to check their e-mail.  Also, if there is a substitute, these individuals do not have access to the teacher’s e-mail.

If we do not have written or verbal permission at the time of dismissal, your child will be sent home via their daily means of dismissal.

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