Attendance / Health

Importance of Attendance

Attendance and participation in class are essential if the student is to gain the maximum benefit of the educational program. Regular and punctual school attendance of students is expected, encouraged and will be enforced. School attendance is an area which requires mutual cooperation among the school, the parents and the student so that the whereabouts of each student will be known at all times during the school day. Students may not arrive at school more than 20 minutes before the bell rings, since there is no supervision until that time. For the same reason, students must be picked up within 20 minutes after the school day ends.
 
Attendance is how we are funded by the state. It does not matter if it is an excused or unexcused absence. Please plan your vacations and appointments around school breaks and be sure of send your healthy child to school.
 
Attendance patterns are formed early in life. Children who develop good attendance habits in the early grades will be more likely to continue them throughout their school careers.
 
Fact: Children who are absent two or more days each school month achieve 25% less than their fellow students.
 

Tardies

It is very important that each student be on time to school and class each day. Promptness is not only a necessary courtesy to the teacher and other students but, more important, it assures the child of getting off to a good start each day. Students who arrive late not only lose valuable class time in the office waiting for a tardy pass but they miss out on the morning classroom activities. They also become an interruption to the classroom when they enter it late. Helping students to realize the importance of being on time is part of building good habits for life. Children should arrive before the 8:00 a.m. bell rings.
 
Tardiness is only excused if a student has a medical, dental, legal appointment (and brings a note from the appointment) or there has been a death in the family. All other tardies are considered unexcused.
 

Absence

If your child will be absent for any reason, please call the school attendance line. If we have not heard from you by 9:00 a.m., the office will begin calling to verify a child's absence. This is for the safety of your child.
 
When leaving a message, please include:
  • Your child's name
  • Grade
  • Date (or dates if you there will be more than one)
  • Reason for absence
  • Your name and relationship to the child.
 
What is an excused absence?
An excused absence is only allowed for student illness, doctor/dentist appointments (with a note from the doctor or dentist), and death in the immediate family or quarantine. All other absences are considered unexcused.
 
Does my child have to make up work?
When your child is absent for any reason, he/she is expected to make up the missed classroom assignments.
 
What if my child will miss 3 days or more?
Students who expect to be absent from school for 3 days or more for any reason should obtain an Independent Study Agreement. If a child must be taken out of school for 3 days or more, parents should contact the school office to sign an Independent Study Agreement. This will be filled out by your child's teacher with all of the assignments your child will miss during his/her absence. The Independent Study and the completed work must be turned in the day the student returns.
 
What should I do if my child has a contagious illness?
If your child comes down with a contagious illness, please notify the office immediately. We are required to send exposure notices to each family in the contagious child's class.
 
How do I know if my child is too sick for school?
The cold and flu season are here and you may find yourself wondering if your child is too sick to send to school. This article may assist you in determining when your child should stay home. The following is advice from WebMD.
  • Fever: If your child's temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher, keep your child at home. While at home, encourage your child to drink plenty of liquids. Your child should be fever-free for 24 hours (without medicine) before returning to school.
  • Mild Cough/Runny Nose: If there's no fever, and the child feels fairly good, school is fine.
  • Bad Cough/Cold Symptoms: Children with bad coughs need to stay home, and possibly see a doctor. It could be a severe cold or possibly bronchitis, flu, or pneumonia. But when the cough improves, and the child is feeling better, then it's back to school. Don't wait for the cough to disappear entirely -- that could take a week or longer!
  • Diarrhea or Vomiting: Keep your child home until the illness is over, and for 24 hours after the last episode (without medicine).
  • Sore Throat: A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache and stomach upset. Keep your child home from school, and contact a doctor. Your child needs a special test to determine if it is strep throat. He or she can return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment begins.
  • Earache: The child needs to see a doctor.
  • Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis): Keep the child home until a doctor has given the OK to return to school. Pink eye is highly contagious and most cases are caused by a virus, which will not respond to an antibiotic. Bacterial conjunctivitis will require an antibiotic; your doctor will be able to determine if this is the case.
  • Rash: Children with a skin rash should see a doctor, as this could be one of several infectious diseases. One possibility is impetigo, a bacterial skin infection that is very contagious and requires antibiotic treatment. Also, fifth disease is a contagious viral illness spread by coughs and sneezes; it's no longer contagious by the time rash appears.
 
Attendance: Nancy DePalma