Regular school attendance is important to succeed in school; however, there are times when attendance is not healthy or even possible due to other circumstances.

A. Reporting Absences
As a safety measure parents are asked to call school when their child will be absent or late. The office is open at 7:30 a.m. to receive these messages. Parents can call any evening or early morning and leave a message on the answering machine.

B. Returning to School After Absence
A student who has been absent should bring a note to the teacher explaining the absence. The note is not necessary if parents have called and informed the office of the absence.

If the child has been ill it is helpful if parents let us know the nature of the illness, whether or not the child has seen a doctor, or if the child is on medication. The nurse will contact parents if further information is needed.

C. Homework Due to Absence from School
Homework may be requested for a student after two consecutive days of absence.

Teachers are willing to provide homework to help a child keep up during an extended illness. If parents do request homework after the second day's absence, please do so early in the morning so the teacher has time to gather homework to be ready by the end of the day.

D. Absence Due to Vacations
Some parents may decide to take children out of school for an extended vacation at various holiday times or other occasions during the school year. Though we realize that something can be gained from the education received during such an absence, we discourage such vacations because there is no effective way for a child to make up what happens at school during an absence. Therefore, please do not ask teachers to make up absence packets prior to a child's absence.

We have a school-wide Trip Packet that you may request from your child"s teacher for use during a vacation. It may be shared with the teacher upon your return from the trip.

E. Late Arrival/Early Dismissal
Students arriving at or after the 8:40 a.m. bell must go directly to the school office upon arrival to receive a tardy slip before being admitted to class. If a student will be tardy due to an appointment or other known reason, please call the office before school starts to explain the reason for the tardiness. The child must check in at the office upon arrival before being admitted to class.

These requests to check in and out from the office are done as a safety measure. We must be aware of students who are/are not in the building at all times. During an emergency situation it is vital to know who is in attendance at any given time throughout the course of a day, e.g., tornado, fire, etc.

Students leaving before normal dismissal time for appointments must bring written notes to their classroom teachers and are also required to check-out at the office (for reasons as stated above) before their departure. Parents are asked to meet their child in the office. If a student will be returning to school from an appointment before dismissal that day, he/she will need to check back in at the office before returning to class.