Please Note: Starting in August 2026, Snelling House will no longer be sending emails or notes to find out if a student was in class. I will call 9th and 10th grade households if students are absent from first block (8:45), were not excused, and did not arrive late. Otherwise, if a student is marked absent in class by a teacher and was not excused ahead of time, I will immediately mark their absence as unexcused and take no further action. Students and parents have access to PowerSchool and can check attendance records at any time. You can set the PowerSchool app to send you automatic notifications. Automatic notifications are also sent through SchoolMessenger, so you are always informed about attendance. If you have a request to change an attendance record, you may do so within 48 hours of the absence by phone or email. I suggest communicating directly with the teacher first if you’d like to contest an absence. If the teacher marked the student absent in class, I can’t change the record unless the teacher notifies me that they made a mistake and the student was actually present.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s different about attendance at CVU compared to the sending schools?
At CVU, as students transition through the grades, and in some cases start to drive themselves to school, they develop more independence in their movement in and out of school. They learn how to manage their own schedules and communicate with teachers and the house office. We aim to support student independence while keeping them safe and accounted for. Attendance is taken by blocks (more information below). We require communication from parents/caregivers in order to excuse students. When students are 18 years old, if they choose to, they can fill out paperwork so that they can communicate directly with the house office about their attendance.
How do I know what my child's attendance record looks like?
If you log into your PowerSchool account, either through the CVU website or the PowerSchool App, you can see you child's attendance record.
Block times:
Block 1 (R1/W1) - 8:45-10:00
Advisory/ C3 - 10:05-10:35
Block 2 (R2/W2) - 10:40-11:55
Block 3 (R3/W3 - 12:00-1:40 (A lunch - 12:00-12:25; B lunch 12:25-12:50, C lunch 12:50-1:15, D lunch - 1:15-1:40)
Block 4 (R4/W4) - 1:45-3:00
PM Connect - 3:05-3:20
Do I need to come into the school when I pick up my child?
No, at CVU high school, students can leave campus when they are excused or when their school day is done. They do not need to check in with anyone on their way out, but they do need to give their teacher a pass to leave if they have a class at that time. You can wait for your child in the car in the lane outside the main entrance.
Does that mean my child can just leave campus when they want to?
No, students are not allowed to leave campus without communication from parents. If they leave school between blocks and were not excused, they will be marked absent by their teacher in the next class, which will trigger an automatic PowerSchool text and email.
How do I inform you that my child will be absent, late, or needs to be dismissed early?
You can email me at snellingoffice@cvsdvt.org or call me at 802-482-7151. Absences should be called in or emailed by 8:30. If you’re calling or emailing about an absence happening later in the day (for example early dismissal from 4th block) please allow at least one hour for the message to be received and processed. If you have an urgent message and can’t reach me, you can call any of the house offices (7131,7141,7161) or the main office (7100).
All I need is the student’s first and last name (if you’re leaving a voice message, I ask that you spell the last name because some names are tricky to understand in a phone message (especially when it’s from the car), and even if I’m familiar with all the students’ names, there could be a substitute in the office who isn’t), whether they are absent for the whole day, late, or need to leave early. Please be clear about the day you are calling about and specific time of arrival/departure.
For late arrivals, I know that sometimes it’s hard to predict exactly when a student will arrive at school after an appointment. However, if you give me a general idea of timing, it will help me a lot in keeping things organized and keeping track of attendance. You can also tell me - “Andrew has an ortho appointment at 9:15 and we will be bringing him in right after”. This gives me a general sense of when to expect Andrew and will prevent confusion.
For early dismissal, please let me know what time they need to leave their classroom. For example, if you want to make sure you are driving out of CVU by 2:30, you can ask that the student be dismissed at 2:25 which gives them 5 minutes to get their things and meet you outside.
Please note - if you excused your child from classes and they end up coming in earlier than expected, they will still be marked absent excused, unless you or the student notify me of the change.
Do I need to call or email every day to let you know my child is sick?
Yes, with hundreds of students on our rosters, it’s very hard to keep track of students if we don’t get an email or a call every day.
Can I let you know of an absence ahead of time or does it need to be on the day of?
You can let me know ahead of time if you prefer, but please be clear in your message about the dates and times, as most messages come on the day of the absence and it can be confusing if the information isn’t clear.
Can you remind my child that they have to leave for an appointment?
Yes, I’m always happy to remind students that they have to leave, or send them notes with messages from parents. However, I don’t remind students of appointments by default. Students are expected to remember their schedules and come to me if they need a pass. If you are worried that your child might forget that they have to leave early, please let me know and I will remind them.
What is PowerSchool?
PowerSchool is the software we use to enter attendance, among other things. Admin assistants enter excused absences in the morning as messages come in. If students were not excused but are not present in class, their teachers will mark them absent in PowerSchool. I suggest downloading the PowerSchool App for keeping track of attendance (you can have the app alert you if you so choose). You can also use the app to fill out annual forms. Updating annual student forms (health forms, contact updates forms) is required for all CVU activities. Please update these forms within the first month of school. If you prefer to use web version of PowerSchool, please use the link at the top of the CVU website.
Why am I getting an email and a text when my child misses a block?
SchoolMessanger (linked with PowerSchool) automatically sends an email and a text message when a student is marked absent in class by the teacher. You will receive this message if your child was not in class when attendance was taken. This usually happens for one of the following reasons: 1) You forgot to excuse them. 2) They were late to class. 3) A teacher marked them absent by mistake. It happens! 4) There was a field trip/event/test/meeting/nurse visit that the house office was not informed about (less likely).
Please ignore the words “part 1 and part 2” in your attendance message. Refer only to the block number in the message.
If the student was late to school, the admin assistant will see them when they come in for a late pass, and then later change the record to show that they were late, not absent. If you want to excuse their tardiness, please call or email the house office and let us know that you were aware that your student was late and would like to excuse them.
In inclement weather, school buses may be a few minutes late which may trigger attendance notifications. You can always check in with the house office if you’re concerned, but generally if students let us know that their bus was late, their tardiness is excused. I recommend asking your child to text you from the bus if they see that they are coming into school late. That way you know that they are safe and won’t be concerned when you receive an automatic attendance message.
What should I do after I receive an automated message?
The automated messages are meant to be informative, so that you know in real time if your child went to class or not. They only require action if you want to excuse your child from class, if you want to make sure your child made it to class, or if you want to find out why they were marked absent. In all other situations, you can ignore the message and we will mark the student excused or unexcused based on the situation.
What do we do if we have to be away for an extended period of time (5 days in a row or more)?
If a student has a planned absence of 5 or more days, they should come to the house office for an extended absence request form. The student brings this form to their teachers to be signed and then returns it to the house office for final house director approval.
Can my child leave campus during their free block?
No, only seniors are allowed to leave campus during free blocks. If your child has a free block at the end of their school day and no more classes after it, they can leave early but they cannot return to campus until 3:30 (if they have afterschool activities).
What do I do if my child forgot something at home?
Please bring the item to the campus supervisors in the main lobby. They will bring it to the main office and the student can collect it from there. Jacqui in the main office will email the student to let them know they have an item in the main office. You can also email the student on their school email to let them know.
I’m trying to reach your office urgently and there’s no answer. What should I do?
If you can’t reach me and need immediate assistance, you can call any of the house offices (802-482-7131/7141/7161) or the main office at 802-482-7100.
My child wants to go to a friend’s house after school. What should I do?
Please call or send an email in the morning, letting me know your child’s name, and that you give them permission to go on a bus with their friend. Please let me know the friend’s name as well. If you know the friend’s bus number, please let me know. The student can come to my office at the end of the day with their friend to let me know the bus number, and I will write the student a pass for the bus.
My child needs to take a different bus regularly on certain days for a certain period of time. What should I do?
Please write an email to me and to Barry Russell at brussell@cvsdvt.org letting us know what bus your child needs to take and on what days. I can provide you with a letter to give to the bus driver letting them know your child will be taking that bus on those days.