Student Attendance

Student Attendance

Absences

Students who exceed 20 absences (10% of the school year) may be asked to withdraw from the school.

Illness

When a child misses school due to illness, the school will provide make-up work within the following guidelines:

1. Please call the school office before 9:00 am in order for the staff to ensure assignments will be available in the office by 2:45 pm for elementary students and 2:30 pm for junior high students.
2. Parents or older siblings should arrange to pick up materials in the office. Check-out time is usually quite hectic and not a good time for the teacher to guarantee a smooth transfer of the material to an older child.
3. Remember, assignments given are provided as a best “guesstimate” of what will be covered by the child’s absence. It is not meant to be a guarantee that the child will be exactly where the class is when they return.
4. Students are allowed the number of days they are absent, to turn in missing assignments or make up any tests or quizzes missed. However, the sooner the assignments and tests are completed, the better the student can focus on the current work in the classroom.

Doctor or Dentist Appointments

Please make every effort to schedule all medical appointments for after school. Because classes for your child are at the same time each day, it can be a problem if your child has a number of appointments at the same time, i.e., orthodontist, speech therapy, etc. Please understand that an excessive number of absences from any class will affect academic performance.

Tardies / Late Arrivals

Elementary students are expected to be in line-up when the bell rings at 8:15 am and will be considered tardy at 8:25 am.

Junior High students are expected to be in class at 8:00 am.

To avoid an absence, a student must be in school at least four (4) hours of the school day. When tardy, go directly to the office for a “late slip.” In order to minimize disruptions to the classroom and ensure that students receive the full day’s worth of instruction and directions, the following policy will be enforced:

1. Upon receiving a fourth unexcused tardy within a quarter, the student will receive a morning recess detention. Upon the eighth unexcused tardy within a quarter, the student will receive a lunch detention. Upon the twelfth unexcused tardy within that quarter, the student will receive an after-school detention.
2. Excessive tardies beyond these guidelines will be brought to the attention of the administration and could result in the student being suspended from school for a day.
3. If a student is tardy due to a doctor or dentist appointment, a notice is required from the provider’s office in order to receive an excused tardy.
4. Additionally, it is a possibility that after there have been 12 tardies in any given quarter (a student will have accumulated three detentions), if there are any further tardies (at the 13th tardy) the student will serve an in-house suspension of one day. He/she will receive “0”s (zeroes) for any tests, quizzes or work missed that day.

Early Dismissals / Picking up a Student Early

To avoid an absence, a student must be in school at least four (4) hours of the school day. In order to minimize disruptions to the classroom and ensure that students receive the full day’s worth of instruction and directions, the following policy will be enforced:

1. If a student is checked out of school early (before the official end of school) the office will note the early checkout.
2. Upon receiving a fourth unexcused early dismissal within a quarter, the student will receive a morning recess detention. Upon the eighth unexcused early dismissal within a quarter, the student will receive a lunch detention. Upon the twelfth unexcused early dismissal within that quarter, the student will receive an after-school detention.
3. The parent or person picking up the student must first get a release form from the office to give to the teacher. The student will then be excused directly from the classroom. No one will be excused without a release form. *Please do not pick up your student just before dismissal.
4. If you return your student to class before the end of the day, it is necessary to stop by the office and “check in” your student for re-admittance.
5. In order for the early dismissal to be excused, we must receive a note from the medical provider’s office upon the student’s return to school.

Attendance Awards

At the end of each school year, annual attendance awards are given to students.

A “Perfect Attendance” certificate will be given to a student who never misses a day of school and has no more than one tardy or one early dismissal.

An “Attendance Award” certificate will be given to a student who has never missed a day of school and has had no more than three tardies or three early dismissals.

Planned Absences

Regular attendance is absolutely essential for successful schoolwork. Parents should be advised that when missed schoolwork is “made up,” all absences may negatively impact their child’s understanding of the material missed. Key concepts and other skills taught, as well as discussions in the classroom may be difficult to acquire from parents during a planned absence. It is often difficult for a teacher to provide a one-on-one tutorial setting to cover missed concepts.

With these difficulties in mind, please adhere to the following policy:

1. Parents must fill out a Planned Absence Request for Assignments form at least 5 school days prior to the expected absence. This will allow the teacher ample opportunity to discuss with the parent the student’s current academic progress and potential negative impact of a lengthy absence and provide the needed assignments. Please do not call the office and leave a message. The appropriate form must be submitted to the office. Copies of the form are available in the school office and on our website at www.stoneybrooke.com.
2. The assignments and worksheets provided are a best “guesstimate” of what will be covered in the student’s absence. It is not meant to be a guarantee that the child will be exactly where the class is when they return. Such variances are still the responsibility of the parents to cover. The school is not responsible to provide extra “study halls” or tutorial sessions when the absence is caused by a family vacation.
3. All missing work must be completed and turned into the teacher on the first day the child returns to school.
4. Any missed tests or quizzes must be made up within the first 5 school days of returning to school.
5. More than 15 absences (including absences due to illness) in a school year will be considered excessive. Students who exceed the 15-absence limit will receive “0”s (zeros) for all work, tests and quizzes missed for unexcused days thereafter. Tests and quizzes cannot be made up or taken in advance. Beyond that point, a conference with the parents will be scheduled to discuss the need for home tutors and/or the need for a written doctor’s excuse for each absence thereafter. Continued absences may result in the child being asked to withdraw from school. Students that exceed 20 absences (10% of the school year) may be asked to withdraw from the school.
6. Making up sections of the IOWA test when students are absent presents a difficult situation. If a student is not in school due to a planned absence during IOWA testing, the parents will be responsible to pay for the use of a proctor to administer parts of the test that were missed or the student will not receive a score in that particular section. Teacher’s daily schedules do not allow them ample time to administer missed portions of the test.