Tardy Policy - It is expected that each student is present at school each day, on time and ready to learn. The first bell rings at 8:20 and the tardy bell rings at 8:25. Students must be inside the classroom by 8:25. I have noticed that the students who are late start the day feeling rushed and unprepared. I understand that there are occasional extenuating circumstances, but my expectation is that each student is on time, and ready to learn. After 4 tardies or 4 absences in a term, I will contact parents to see what we can do to address the challenge. This school policy, so please make every effort to be here, and be here on time.
Attendance Policy - Each student needs to be in class in order to learn the 4th grade curriculum presented each day. I have had students who were allowed to stay home because they got up late, or because they don’t feel like going to school. I have also had students who come to school halfway into the first instruction block, or leave early for a hair appointment or a lunch date which could easily have been scheduled on a weekend or after school. I completely understand that occasions arise which take a student out of school (medical appointments, family emergencies, vacations, etc.). However, consistent absences leave students stressed from feeling behind and missing valuable instruction time.
With all that said, if your student is sick with a fever, severe cough, or has vomited in the last 24 hours PLEASE keep them home. On more than one occasion, I have had students throw up in class, which poses a health hazard to everyone else as well as taking from instruction time with the cleanup and disruption to other students. In some cases, the parents knew their child was sick and decided to send them to school anyway. I would love to avoid situations like this in the future, so please use your best judgement when deciding whether to send your child to school.