Attendance & Achievement
Call the main office at (626) 570-6240 if your student is absent today.
Showing up for school has a huge impact on students’ academic achievement and overall achievement in life. Our goal is to ensure that every student comes to school on time and every day. Families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely and on time every day and understanding why attendance is important for success in school and in life.
DID YOU KNOW?
Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days total, or 2 days per month) can make it harder to learn to read.
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
Absences can impact the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school – and themselves. Developing this habit is important in learning that going to school on time is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.
When Are You Too Sick For School?
WHAT REASONS QUALIFY AS AN EXCUSED ABSENCE*?
Illness (A child with a fever may not attend school)
Medical appointments
Funeral
Quarantine
Court Appearance
Religious holiday, ceremony, retreat
Employment interview for student
Deployment of immediate family member
*All other reasons are considered UNEXCUSED even if approved by parent/guardian.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR GOOD SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
Drop your student off early. School opens at 7:30 am.
Talk to your student about the importance of school attendance.
Be sure your student is in his/her seat when the bell rings not on his/her way to class.
Have a set bed time and wake up time
Pack for school and set aside clothes for school the night before
TARDY? JUST A FEW MINUTES LATE?
Arriving late causes students to fall behind in their lessons and may bring negative feelings and attention to themselves.
Tardiness creates a disruption for learning of other students.
Frequent tardiness without a valid excuse is considered truancy under state law.
If a student is late, he/she should bring an excuse from home to the school office.
DON’T BE LATE!!!!
SART & SARB Meetings
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY CHILD HAS TOO MANY ABSENCES?
Truancy letters will be sent home when students have 3 or more unexcused absences or tardies of more than 30 mins.
Excessive Excused Absences letters will be sent home when student have 9 or more excused absences
Additional unexcused absences or tardies result in meeting with the Assistant Principal and/or Gateway counselor for the School Attendance Review Team (SART) Meeting, where attendance is reviewed and strategies to improve attendance are discussed.
More unexcused absences and/or tardies will result in a referral to School Attendance Review Board (SARB) at the Alhambra Police Station. The SARB team is comprised of the Directors of Student Employee Welfare and representatives from other community agencies including the: Alhambra Police Department, LA County District Attorney's office, Department of Children and Family Services, and the Department of Mental Health.
